Unlucky Duck

unlucky duck One of Lucky Duck’s luckier, trouble-free moments.

Never was a boat more inappropriately named than Lucky Duck. James Tidy recounts a summer of accident-prone cruising – and how they fixed it

Up to Stockton Locks, we had been going quite well. The sun had been shining,   and the boat performing well as my partner Amy and myself took our newly purchased boat from Birmingham to Cambridge. Five days into the journey, however, it began to rain heavily and it was at that moment that the first problem reared its head.

Problem 1 A blocked intake The engine on Lucky Duck, our 1986 48ft narrowboat, is cooled with canal water. It has an intake below the water line, protected by a baffle plate to try and stop things being sucked in. It then passes the cool water through a heat exchanger to cool the engine before being ejected in the exhaust.   We had become used to the constant background splashing noise. But as I went to exit a lock, the engine note changed and the splashing stopped. The temperature gauge climbed higher and higher, and we moored up as soon as we could.   The first thing we did was not to ring a boatyard, or take the engine apart. We put the kettle on! Over welcome steaming cups of tea in

the engine room, we assessed the situation. There are several parts to the engine cooling system, and so we worked through logically to isolate the problem.   The first thing was to put a jug of water into the water filter box and turn the engine on. As this came out of the exhaust, we knew the heat exchanger was not blocked, and so concluded the problem must be with the intake on the outside of the hull, under the water. Rather than going swimming, we attached a hosepipe to the shower head, and pumped water out of the intake. This flushed away whatever was blocking it.   This was the first of many blockages of the intake. It was a recurring problem, and so we adapted our boating to make up for it and keep on going. We kept a paranoid eye on the temperature gauge and an ear out for the reassuring splashing of the water coming out of the exhaust, and developed a well practised routine for quickly flushing the intake.   But after a plastic bag refused to be flushed out, we resolved to come up with a better solution. Amy donated an old pair of tights, and we fixed these over the baffle plate. Amazingly, this worked; it kept leaves and other rubbish out of the intake, and so we replaced it with plastic mesh, cable tied on. We also noticed that the old reinforced plastic hose

Wading in the water to fix the blocked intake.

between the intake and the filter was kinking and being sucked flat. After searching around to find a replacement, we found exactly what we needed in a local hardware superstore – a ribbed plastic sink outlet pipe! It was just the right length for the job and had rubber ends that fitted exactly over the existing ends. It seemed like a miracle – and it cost only £2.50.

Problem 2 Uncoupled Going into Old Windsor Lock a week into our odyssey, Amy put the engine into reverse to slow the boat down. The engine revved, but the boat did not go into reverse. After mooring up again, we looked at the problem – over tea and cake this time. Clearly this was

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UnLucky Duck serious when the ginger cake came out!   Again we tried to isolate the problem. It wasn’t the gearbox, or the control cables, because we could see the prop shaft turning. After taking the weed hatch off, we could see that the problem was with the flexible coupling, which normally absorbs the engine’s vibration, which had become disconnected from the propeller shaft; I could turn the prop by hand with the coupling staying still.   At some point in the past, the shaft had become worn and so three grub screws had been drilled through the coupling to fix it to the shaft. Two had sheared off, and one was loose. I turned the prop by hand, and placed a screwdriver in the hole. When it dropped down, I knew the hole in the coupling was aligned with the dimple in the shaft, and so I put some spare grub screws in.   That would be quite enough to be getting on with – but it got worse! When I went to turn the key to test the repair, the engine would not start. It was here that canal spirit came into its own. We were travelling in convoy with

some fellow boaters, who luckily had a tug with a proper traditional engine! They took pity on us, and towed us all the way to the Grand Union at Brentford, breasted up. With its 14-day moorings, this was the perfect place to stop and assess the situation.   Part of the reason the engine would not start was the fuse for the ignition. I had taken the lid off the fuse box and tested the fuse – and it was all right. But I had made an embarrassing error: I had put the lid of the fuse box, with its labels for the fuses, on upsidedown… so I was examining the wrong fuse.   The other part of the problem was the starter motor. It made a “clunk” sound, but would not turn the engine over. After getting nowhere with the books on engines, I phoned my dad – it’s always helpful to know people who have more experience than you! – and he came over to direct me through removing the starter motor. The best way to learn is to do things yourself, I told myself, as I knelt in the oily bilges! Phoning around local garages put us in contact with a

The flexible coupling had become disconnected from the prop shaft.

specialist starter motor shop, and they reconditioned the oily lump into a good-as-new bright and shiny condition – and it turned the engine over happily.   As we set off the next day, however, the grub screws came loose and we lost the connection to the propeller again. After several days work, trying to realign the shaft – and having it disconnect every time we thought we had fixed it and set off – we ended up stuck. Clearly, we had to get the grub screws to really grip the shaft, which had slid backwards so the holes did not line up.   There was no space to move the shaft in – so we moved the engine! We used levers and blocks of wood, and slid it forwards along the bearers. This let us remove the flexible coupling and lever the shaft forwards into its proper position. Some longer grub screws have, for now, solved the problem – and we check them religiously!

Problem 3 Tiller trouble The most recent problem was the most curious of all. Travelling

down the Nene, breasted up with a single-handing friend, the tiller caught under an overhanging tree branch – and snapped off! I ended up crawling out along the tree branch over the river to retrieve it. A few days later, we were lucky enough to find some itinerant welders of the Middle Level Commissioners, who reattached it, and so we could continue the journey to our home mooring in Cambridge independently.   They say you never get to know your boat and its systems until it breaks down, and that was particularly true in our case. From BMC 1.8 maintenance, to boat electrics, painting, fender repairing and engine cooling… we learnt a lot on the cruise.   Now we’re happily in Cambridge living afloat, and saving up for a boatyard to fix some of the problems permanently. In the meantime, our repairs are holding up, and should hopefully last until then: if they don’t, after all our experiences, we are confident that we can fix things again.   James and Amy write regularly about their life aboard Lucky Duck at nbluckyduck.blogspot.com.

Guardian angels Stuck miles from anywhere with a broken-down boat? Help is at hand with WW’s exclusive list of call-out engineers We hope that every issue of WW contains much of practical use to the boater, of course – but this list might be the most invaluable yet. An unexpected breakdown can spoil your holiday, with endless hours on the phone to find a boatyard with a spare engineer. Cut out and keep this list in a safe place, and you could be up and running again that much faster.   Boat repairers travel by road, not canal – so we’ve grouped them by county rather than waterway. If you break down on the rural Shropshire Union, say, the nearest call-out engineer might actually be based on the Trent & Mersey. We’ve also highlighted engineers which offer a 24-hour service. Finally, in addition to the regional services listed here, the River Canal Rescue service offers nationwide coverage for an annual subscription of between £55 and £160 (Tel: 0871 200 8021; www.rivercanalrescue.co.uk).   We’ll be revising this list every year in the Waterways World Annual, published each spring, and would welcome any additions. Bedfordshire/  Buckinghamshire/  Hertfordshire Cowroast Marina Grebe Canal Cruises High Line Yachting

01442 825522 07941 240024 01296 661920 01753 651496

Berkshire 24 Caversham Boat Services Kris Cruisers Reading Marine Thames and Kennet Marinas

07734 296944 01753 543930 01189 713666 0118 9482911

Cambridgeshire Bridge Boatyard 01353 663726

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Cheshire ABC Leisure Group (Anderton) 01606 79642 ABC Leisure Group 24 07771 560296 24 01829 260957 Anglo Welsh (Bunbury) Black Prince (Northwich) 01606 852945 24 01829 732595 Chas Hardern Boats Claymoore Narrowboats 01928 717273 24 07866 855136 Dutchy Engineering Jalsea Marine Services 01606 77870 Kings Lock Boatyard 01606 833633 Kings Lock Chandlery 01606 737551 Middlewich Narrowboats 07790 003404 Nantwich Canal Centre 01270 625122 Olympus Narrowboats 01606 43048 Peak Forest Boat Repairs 07925 385256 07925 386669

Lessons learned ◆ Solutions to problems can come in all kinds of guises! A pair of tights and a little hunting in the DIY superstore has meant that we can cruise with confidence. Don’t be afraid to look for unorthodox solutions. ◆ When things go wrong, putting the kettle on and considering the best course of action works wonders! Rushing in with a flurry of hammers, mole grips and spanners will probably make a problem worse. ◆ Try and work through a breakdown logically. Think about the separate parts of the system and isolate any problems by testing each individually. ◆ Don’t be afraid to ask for help. We’ve made good friends with people who’ve assisted in our hour of need, and now have a boating support network for advice, guidance, and pub companionship. ◆ Carry a good toolkit and spares of consumables such as fan belts and filters. Also, remember that boats are likely to have Metric, Imperial, Whitworth, and several other “standard” nuts, bolts, and fittings! ◆ Remember the Hitch-hiker’s Guide: don’t panic. Boats go wrong, despite proper precautions. A breakdown is simply a learning opportunity.

Portland Basin Marina 24 Swanley Bridge Marina ?? The Yellow Van Thorn Marine Venetian Marine (Nantwich) Gloucestershire 24 A & D Marine Services ?? SOS Boat Services Lancashire Bridgewater Marina 24   (Manchester) Classic Narrowboats Fettlers Wharf Marina   (Rufford Branch) Lower Park Marina 24 P.B. Mechanical Services Bridge House Marina 24 Hapton Boat Yard Leicestershire Foxton Boat Services 24 JiMMs Mobile Engineer North Kilworth Wharf Springwood Haven Leisure

0161 330 3133 07971 342480 07970 384047 07867 790195 01925 265129 01270 528787 07834 972942 07711 320522 07956 699496 0161 702 8622 01254 831444 01704 821197 01282 815883 01257 480825 0797 462 7541 01282 773178 07976 383482 07845 277058 07967 087290 02476 393676

There are some things even the most talented call-out engineer can’t fix.

Weltonfield Narrowboats 01327 842282 Nottinghamshire (north) Beeston Marina 01159 223168 Farndon Marina 01636 705483 Nottinghamshire (south) Derbyshire Canal Craft East Midlands Boat Services Midland Canal Centre 24 Sawley Marina

01332 792271 01509 672385 01283 701933 01159 734278

Oxfordshire Bossoms Boatyard Heyford Wharf Kingsground Narrowboats Oxford Cruisers Redline Outboard Services Sheridan Marine 24 Tooleys Boatyard

01865 247780 01869 340348 01869 351321 01865 881698 01235 521562 01491 652085 07799 054066

Shropshire & North Wales ABC Leisure Group (Ellesmere) 24 ABC Leisure Group (Whitchurch) Anglo Welsh (Trevor) Maestermyn Marine Boatyard 24

01691 624391 01948 662012 01978 821749 01691 661051

Middlesex/Surrey Bridge Marine 01932 245126 /07767 230733 Chertsey Meads Marine 0870 411 9888 24 07956 333 892 Denham Marina High Line Yachting (Cowley) 01753 651496 Lindon Lewis Marine (Shepperton) 01932 247427 Stuart Marine 020 8399 0297 24 07771 508971 Teddington Harbour Trusted Boat Services 01483 425015 07917 191219 Uxbridge Boat Centre 07961 729571 Willowtree Marina 020 8841 6585

Staffordshire A.J. Perry Boat Repairs Canal Cruising Co Countrywide Cruisers 24 Debbie’s Day Boats Engineering & Canal Services Four Counties Marine Services ?? Marine Services 24   (Stoke Marina) Narrowcraft 24 Norbury Wharf 24 Streethay Wharf 24 Teddesley Boat Company

Northamptonshire Diesel Dave’s Marine Engineering 24 Stockton Top Marina   (formerly Blue Lias) Union Canal Carriers 24 Vintage Diesels

Warwickshire Ashby Boat Company Bidford Boats Calcutt Boats Cowroast Marinas (Fenny) Delta Marine European Grantham’s Bridge Boat Services 24

07775 561371 01926 492968 07885 245374 01788 899123 07843 604722

01782 779033 01785 813982 01902 850166 01827 262042 01889 882611 07922 163072 01782 201981 01827 898585 07875 233086 01543 414808 01785 714692 01455 212671 01789 773205 01926 813757 01295 770934 07831 355543 07812 039110

Kate Boats 24 Lime Farm Marina Mike Adams Napton Narrowboats Rose Narrowboats Warwickshire Flyboat Co West Midlands Away2service ?? Black Country Narrowboats Lyons Boatyard 24 Phil Jones Sherborne Wharf Stephen Goldsbrough Boats   (Knowle) Swallow Cruisers (Lapworth) Orion Narrowboats 24   (Kingswinford)

01926 492968 07973 423707 07891 182608 01926 813644 01788 832449 01926 814441 0845 644 5344 07951 317576 0121 4744977 01785 715988 07831 153028 0121 455 6163 01564 778210 01564 783442 07973 826260

Wiltshire ABC Leisure Group (Hilperton) 24 Bath Narrowboats 24 Devizes Marina Foxhanger Wharf

01225 765243 01225 447276 01380 725300 01380 828795

Worcestershire ABC Leisure Group (Alvechurch) Anglo Welsh (Tardebigge) Brookline Narrowboats J.L. Pinder & Sons Sirius Yachts Starline Marine

0121 445 1133 01527 873898 01905 773889 07721 047216 01299 871048 01684 574774

Yorkshire (river area) 24 07900 933272 Boroughbridge Marina Stanley Ferry Marina 01924 201800 / 07947 158642 Thorne Boat Services 01405 814197 Yorkshire (Pennines) 24 Bronte Boats Calder Valley Marine Hainsworth’s Boatyard Pennine Cruisers of Skipton 24 Rodley Boat Centre Shire Cruisers Snaygill Boats

01706 815103 01924 467976 01274 565925 01756 795478 0113 2576132 01422 832712 01756 795150

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