Oliver

News from Napton Flight this afternoon. More of the wall fell down when the lock & pound were drained - a bit you can't see in my photo. There appears to be a gap between the wing(?) of the lock and the bank and I think there are concerns about it widening and spreading back into the lock chamber. (Not sure what the correct terms are). CRT are hoping to get machinery in across the fields either Wednesday or Thursday; clear the lock exit and put some kind of propping across the exit as a temporary measure to get the boats stuck in the flight down and probably to last the summer. Apparently there is a16 week winter stoppage planned already for the flight so they will do the full scale repairs then.

Latest news is that contractors will be on site Tuesday. Here's a picture of the problem - there was a boat going through at the time and the wall fell on it. No-one was hurt. Gather that the top part of the wall by the ground paddle is unstable. Some talk of pulling the boats stuck in the pound through on ropes so that the engine vibrations don't dislodge anything else, but I guess we'll have to wait and see what tomorrow brings.

The Napton Flight is closed as at 14:00 on Monday 5 May due to a wall collapsing into the Canal at Lock 10. No more news expected for at least 2 hours.

Dog House - Thanks for the info. We're hoping for good weather which will increase our options for eating out. I don't expect to take him into a restaurant - I was seeking suggestions for places (be it a bar or a cafe with a garden or something similar) which would allow dogs. If the dog can't go, neither can I as health problems mean he can't be left alone.

If we're past Fradley Junction and heading towards Barton Turns, are there any places to get a good Sunday lunch where we could take a small dog? (So cross with myself for forgetting to bring map books back from boat - makes planning a trip a lot more difficult) Thanks

Hi I'm not on the boat at the moment and can't check on my maps - can anyone tell me the names of the pubs and restaurants/cafes at Fradley Junction. Thanks

Julynian - yes tried pulling both ways. Bowten - we've already bought 80 foot of 10mm cable (40 ft each of red & black) Will sleep on it and see if inspiration strikes and we can get that last 3 foot. Thanks

With age, our 12v Shoreline fridge has developed a problem giving the '1 light' error message (Battery voltage below the cut out setting) - quite often. This didn't use to happen, but the fridge (and our batteries) are now 7 years old. Having checked the wiring, the builder used 6mm cable for a 35 foot run from the batteries but the fridge manufacturer says 10mm should have been used. Have just spent a very frustrating day trying to run 10mm cable from the batteries to the fridge but can't get the wire behind the panelling in the galley. Tried attaching the 10mm wire to the 6 mm and pulling it up but we can't get past a narrowing which we think is either a cable tie or a baton or something and which we can't get to (or see). Have looked at different routes but we simply can't get the 10mm wire to the fridge without wrecking a large area of panelling or other areas. My question is this. Would running the 10mm cable from the batteries to about 3 foot from the fridge and then using a jointing block to connect to the 6mm give less voltage drop than when the 6mm cable was in place for the whole 35 foot? Thanks (Builder now defunct so can't go back to him.)

Thanks for suggestions guys - moving a boat and will have help on board who need to be dropped off once down Stockton and through No 17. Could go further towards Radford Semele but just not sure how far past No 17 we will get before help needs to leave. Are there any pubs on the stretch between Bascote Locks & Radford Semele? Can't see any on Google Maps.

I was hoping for something closer than that - I reckon it's over 2 miles to walk from Bascote No 17 to Blue Lias and I'll have luggage, food etc plus a dog - or have I got the distance wrong?

Can anyone suggest a suitable parking place near to Bascote Lock no 17 where a car could be left for 2 or 3 days? I don't know the area and can't see anything on the aerial photos of the area on Google Maps. Thanks

Bottle So we could put another 20 x 15 on and the singing might stop or we could put, say, a 19 x 16 on and it would also sing? What actually is causing the singing? Oliver

Wish I'd found this thread before starting a separate one about prop size. We've got 60ft boat with a Beta 43 and a 20 x 15 right handed prop on a 3:1 gearbox ratio. No idea what the weight of the boat is. Size of the prop was subject of discussion at the time the boat was built between our surveyor, Beta and a prop manufacturer. We were told that the ideal size prop for the boat would be 24" diameter but that meant a draught of around 32" which was too deep. Eventually we ended up with 20" x 15" with a 23" stern post. Move on several years and this year the prop has started singing horribly just at our cruising rev range (1100 - 1400). Tried several things to cure it but to no avail. Neil's suggesting that "dressing up the blade edges with a dolly and club hammer and then bevelling the leading edges approx 45 degrees, with angle grinder" might cure the singing but the engineer who has been trying to cure the problem says changing the prop size is the best solution. Suggestion is that 18 x 14 is the now the ideal size but originally we were told that a smaller prop increase chances of underperformance and noise, plus the gearbox ratio would need to be to 2:1. I'm puzzled as to why the ideal size has now changed so much and the gearbox ratio now doesn't seem to matter. Is it really a black art? Like someone else suggested, it would be really useful to know who's got what size prop fitted to what length of boat with what engine.

Our existing 20" x 15" right handed prop fitted to a 60ft trad Jonathan Wilson nb with a Beta 43 engine has started singing between 1100 & 1400 revs - but only when going forward. We've had the boat dry docked and there was a slight nick in one blade which was ground out. The stern gland packing has been replaced but the noise has got even louder. Problems with the gearbox and the prop shaft have been ruled out as the source of the noise. When we had the boat built originally, there was a lot of discussion between the surveyor, shell builder, Beta etc as to the size of prop to fit and we ended up with the 20" by 15". The gearbox has a 3:1 ratio. We like the way the boat handles with this size prop and how responsive it is but can't put up any longer with the noise it makes. We've been told that changing the prop for a different size should stop the singing. If you've got a Beta 43 in a 60ft NB with a gearbox ratio of 3:1, what size prop have you got and are you happy with it?

Hi Will be passing through Leicester, heading north, on Saturday. Any moorings recommended for food shopping? Have read about problems with vandalism on the locks and the paddles being padlocked (although a number of the padlocks appear to have been vandalised). How bad is the problem, are there places to avoid mooring? Thanks.