sos247

Many years ago I supplied two x 37hp kubota Nanni engines which were fitted in a 45ft canal boat!! These canal boats are only 6ft 6inchs wide, so with a 12ft wide boat it would be possible!! Crazy idea, but possible.....!

Thank you Robin for the videos.... however you can keep the PERKINS 4.108!!!! I've disliked them for many years and this was all because one bit me when I was overhauling it!!! :-( I got the edge of my finger caught in the timing gears when we were setting the play.....My mentor at the time walked 'casually' back to the flywheel end and continued turning the engine over (by hand) until my trapped finger came out of the other side of the idler gear!!!!.......He was 'old school' and I still remember him laughing when he was doing it! Sadly my old mentor (Claude Stephenson) is no longer with us and i still miss the old fella!! He was one of the old hire fleet engineers. So please keep the 4.108, but the 4.236 is certainly an engine that returned many a boat/crews back home safely......they run forever and because of their reliability they were very popular with fisherman who took their boats to sea. Plus as previously mentioned Oyster Yachts also had them fitted for many years and it was only the USA emissions that caused the change....., which the owner of Oyster didn't like one bit when it happened! Regards Jason

I hate advertising in general, especially TV adverts etc! However, I understand the need for businesses to 'spread the word', which is perfectly okay in small doses. What i do also hate is when businesses say "we are the best" & "we are the only ones who know what we are doing" etc etc........ This is a style of advertising which I dislike the most,..... especially on chat forums...!!! I know as a 'business' I would gain customers from being involved in a forum, but its no different if I was a builder and I started to go to the pub every night....Over several months someone in the pub will get to know Im a builder & then ask me if I could build a garage extension for them etc....... Its exactly because of this, I prefer to pay something towards the forum, either by donation or advert whatever suits the forum owner...... If I was in the pub I would buy the landlord a drink for passing on my details..........its just how things work in life. Regards Jason PS - Im unsure how to edit my posts so the 'fish holing' will have to stay!!! Made you smile anyway!

Thank you for your kind comments, plus the very warm welcome to the NBN forum. We enjoy what we do, helping & meeting new boating friends/customers is a big part of our job...We are not perfect, but who is?, However we do try our best with every thing we do, and we enjoy it.........Its just a lifestyle for us. Having fun & some banter is something we do 'daily'. 'Flirting' is also something we enjoy, however the photo of you holing a big wet fish has limited appeal for me..........!!! Regards Jason

Im also glad I had a chance to defend myself & clarify the situation, plus let some good friends know why I've been quiet,,,,,, In addition to these issues I did receive a vicious personal attack online, 100% directed at me, even racist comments have been made. So for me it just seemed the best time to depart.........., before I started to take the forum seriously! I obviously have a business on the broads and despite using the forum for personal reasons, I'am always very careful to only help people with 'unbiased' information......., Unfortunately however, its not always possible as people track you down or get recommendations etc, or turn up at the yard with a breakdown saying we spoke on the forum!! etc etc So therefore I always prefer to pay/contribute a small regular amount towards the running costs of the forum to say thank you for the enquiry/contact, or we are quite happy to pay for an advert etc...whatever suits the NBN, so just let me know in due course if we can help in anyway. Looking forward to reading the many different subjects, which seem to be increasing daily. All the best for the future Jason hatch SOS247 Ltd / Ludham Bridge Boatyard

..............sell the boat and buy a holiday place in Italy!!! Just kidding.....! If possible, & subject to boat, I would try and squeeze in a Perkins 4.236!!! (4M90) Im slightly bias but it would need to be a Kubota based engine.....! Regards J

I started with the marine diesel engine business 30yrs ago and things have drastically changed since then. There were also several companies in the UK who marinised base engines, however they have long gone now.... ;-( Even locally there were nearly 10 different companies who purchased 'base' engines & marinised them. Again these all sadly finished when the boat building industry declined...... These 'foreign' base engines have been around for quite some time however, the small marine diesel industry for the inland waterways is actually quite small, so not too many companies get involved now. Companies like Volvo & Yanmar don't even target this market anymore..... Duffields of Norwich were the first company locally who got involved with Kubota based engines (Nanni) and these were first fitted on the Broads Authority launches........but it did take several years before theses engines proved themselves with the local engineers! With the increase with 'labour costs', it also didn't take long before it was more economically viable to replace a complete engine instead of 'overhauling' the old PERKINS/BMC units etc. Spare parts started to become difficult to source, and quality issues also became noticeable when manufacturing of these 'spare parts' moved to China/India etc. Basically there isn't a 'bad' engine produced now, its just some of them have differences. Support & spare parts is also now key to engine choice, pricing is generally very similar despite whats published. The only savings to be made are cutting out the 'middle men', but this system works on most products produced today! Will it ever change?? Sadly i don't think so, we all have limited monies and we all have to be careful with what we spend. Kubota is still a well known & proven base unit for this industry, but this is because hire fleets both on the broads & the canals have used them since the 80's.....so we are all now 'familiar' with them. There will be just as good engines out there but its just the risk factor...... Its also a known fact, that a NEW Kubota engine leaves the production line 'every 40 seconds'.......but both Beta Marine & Nanni only actually represent less then 1% of Kubota's total output (yes, 1%) Marine is a TINY industry worldwide (i.e. below 50hp) So for a 'new' company (regarding small marine diesel engine manufacturing) to actually survive needs a large market share, and they need to achieve this as quick as possible....... As NeilB said both BMW & VW failed and they pumped £££millions into the industry......VW are still trying, but BMW walked away big time! Engines are no different to any product....just do the research and ideally test before you buy!! Regards Jason

Thank you for the very kind comments.......... Many of you may already know the official forum story, but its not worth ANY time discussing it anymore. and i'm in no way going to offend this forum by doing it on here....... Anyway, after a few weeks reviewing things, i/we did decid NOT to get involved with a forum ever again.........!!! We actually looked back over several years of various posts/comments etc and it was amazing how people changed, & became two faced, especially when money was involved........... Some unlikeable 'newbie' members who didn't have a clue what had gone on in the past, but still felt they had the knowledge to pass judgement on important subjects...however thats life i guess, so we just move on........ Therefore no need to email me into submission, as i'm never too far away! Sonia has read this forum for a while now, so we try & keep up to speed! Luckily a 'forum' allows people to meet up....., become friends, or customers & even very good longterm friends........ Boating on the broads helps this process, so its just a great way to meet people and stay in contact (or not!). We do have a small 'get together' boating group (non forum!!) being sorted at the moment, which will formally help raise money for local charities, but this is completely new concept and will not conflict with ANY forum and will only be good fun! I also joined this forum in 2008, and already passed compliments on this forum, its software & systems etc......., but at the time i generally struggled to follow one forum, let alone two, so never really posted since! Also since the recent hassles i didn't feel comfortable 'jumping ship' as i believed the owners of the NBN would see it as a insult..............but there is no doubt this NBN forum has several key benefits over similar sites and few issues, many boaters will enjoy this relaxed atmosphere. Also over the last few weeks my 'kidneys' have been causing me few issues, so at the moment Im generally 'relaxing'. We are also re-looking at the old 'work & life balance'...........!!!! As always, knowing there are people out there who actually 'care', is just great thing to hear......Thank you. Once again thank you, and I will try pop in from time to time!. Kindest Regards Jason LBBY/SOS247

I received a reply from Eastport UK Ltd.......!! So at least we know that Cruise ships can be accommodated at Gt Yarmouth. I will try Gt Yarmouth council now, just to see why they haven't pushed for any cruise line business! The good thing about cruise ships visiting would mean that the A47 wouldn't need dualling, therefore saving a great deal of money (it can be done later when Gt Yarmouth finally has some money!) The Norfolk area has the history, plus a great deal of places to visit are within a short coach journey??? Just an idea!! "Hi Jason We would be delighted to receive cruise ships but currently there is no demand from cruise lines to call at great Yarmouth, presumably on the basis that the lines don't consider there is sufficient market catchment in the region unlike for example Southampton, or Harwich with their closer proximity to London. However we assure you if cruise lines approach us then we are willing subject to capacity, to handle them in the outer harbour" Kind Regards Jamie Frater Chief Executive Officer EastPort UK Direct Dial: +44 (0) 1493 335530 Mobile: +44 (0) 7553 367297 Fax: +44 (0) 1493 857120 Email: jfrater@eastportuk.co.uk Web: www.eastportuk.co.uk

Yes, generally the old Lloyds standard preferred ALL marine engines to be shut down by the captain of the vessel (person in charge) i.e. energise to stop. This would allow them to keep the engine running to the bitter end! This is why so many of the early engines had stop cables or external stop solenoids. Gensets & most car engines were generally wired the opposite way, so they would shut down on their own if they overheated etc. On the Norfolk broads its not too much of a problem however, if it was a ship/boat coming into harbour it would be dangerous if the engine decided to stop. Its only recently that things have changed. Barnes now use a shut down system. I would guess that so many engines in the early years would have been saved they didn't need to wait for the hirer to switch them off! Thats why several hire companies used large red warning lights & alarms!! A mallet swinging out from the headlining may have been more use!

Quote "I've always ripped out that type and fitted the specific "waterlock" type instead, and found them very quiet, with no increase in noise as the years pass". As previously said you have a 'Vetus silencer' fitted, however, these have never really made much difference. I would also fit a GRP waterlock (or any other make) between your engine & the silencer. You may however struggle fitting a 'waterlock' in the 'correct' position but just swap things around to suit, and just make sure the exhaust water is going down hill until it reaches the water lock (this is basically where the exhaust water is stored when the engine is switched off) Also a gooseneck can help or a swan neck just before the outlet fitting. The length of exhaust pipe determines the water lock capacity (plus engine size) however, on fairly 'level' broads boats its not to vital. The main thing is that the exhaust water gets away from the engine quick enough....similar to a household toilet pipe! On steel canal boats we angled the outlet fitting 45degrees (facing aft) This made a big difference to noise levels. I believe the new Richardsons boats have this angled outlet?....

Didn't Jack & Dick at Bure Marine or someone look into planning for a marina? I thought the planning idea was refused??? As you say it would be an ideal place....all we need to do is find someone who is keen is invest into the idea for the future! :

I would have assumed that detailed & in depth weather & wind condition research/reports were carried out BEFORE £100,000s were invested? or is that just me being cynical?

The EastPort outer harbour price list shows they could cope! http://www.eastportuk.co.uk/UploadedData/Files/aTariff%202013%20-%20Outer%20Harbour%20-%20FINAL.pdf

I was very interested to find the answer to my question, so I decided to send an email to EastPortUK Ltd!! I will keep you posted if he replies........ i.e. Jamie Frater - Chief Executive Officer As CEO, Jamie is responsible for the management of all port activities with particular emphasis on the commercial and marketing functions. Jamie has 38 years experience in the port industry working both overseas and in the UK. He has spent most of his career working for P&O Ports and Hutchison Port Holdings, and has held CEO positions over the past 6 years working for Hutchison Port Holdings in Oman and Egypt.

Obviously, apart from the difficulties some large cruise ships could have negotiating scroby sands etc, I can't really see why it doesn't happen..... The idea of reinstating the Gt Yarmouth as a major commercial port seem to have failed (big time!), so wasn't anything like this ever discussed? As you can guess we have just returned back from a cruise and visited several great places, but many of the ports were quite 'industrial' areas, and you just use public transport to reach the rural places. Okay I know this is a bit of a silly question, but there is actually plenty to keep visitors busy for a 12 hour visit..... Plus the income thats generated from a 4000+ passenger cruise ship visiting is quite high! There is a huge number of historic places to visit in Norfolk, plus plenty to do for people of all ages......, so I just curious! Princess Cruisers are now running a British Isles cruise which includes Dublin, Belfast, Liverpool & London plus a few others, so why hasn't Great Yarmouth ever pushed for this business? 95% of passengers on Princess are from the USA, Canada & China etc and these people are very passionate about visiting the UK, despite our weather! Its just a thought!.......

Personally, I think most of the forums ask for financial help, and as far as i'm concerned they all deserve it, how ever it arrives in their bank accounts. People spend their personal time & money setting forums up to generally help people, but there seems to be an endless supply of anonymous people ready too put the boot in. (however, I must just say that NBO has always declined any financial help in the past.....) Anyway, I must admit I've now been away from the broads & all forums for the last 2 weeks, but just amazed at the comments I read. Some do however make me laugh, but some also make me question why do I even bother to take the time to say hello to some people..... I don't really care how or when a forum was started, who started it, who runs it, how many members it has or how much money they need...Its just a FUN way of passing a bit of time with people who have something in common.....i.e. the Norfolk Broads.

Hi therealist Yes, new web site being sorted....another expense! Apologies.... The ideal expansion tank has a Pt No ARH259? It was from a Rover car however, i'm still trying to find some! I actually purchased 6 about 2 years ago (loaned one to a yard to try, never got it back!) and I can't find the other 5 !!!! Beta Marine supply one but the kit is quite costly.....I must admit I've looked at the metal ones on ebay in the past, plus also made some stainless steel ones, using a Bowman car type cap. ASAP supplies did have some in the past but don't believe they supply them anymore??. for a cheap option a visit to the scrap yard maybe required! Regards Jason

Richard is no doubt under pressure, so all the best to him with resolving the problem(s), Im sure he will get there soon. In the meantime Im enjoying reading the posts & stories on here! My good lady has been reading ALL the forums for quite a while now, but I've struggled to keep up with one!! So, at the moment I'm finding this site very easy to use, with enjoyable posts & also very professional, plus being a bit of a NB forum addict I could stay around for a while! .......however, only if I'm welcome! Regards Jason

Ref Ludham Bridge Boatyard Its finally November! So we are now closed on Sundays (I now only work 6 days a week!.... Hooray!!) Obviously as previous winters, you can still call us in to the yard (free of charge) if you need a pump out, water or have a urgent breakdown or need the odd part etc. Even Big Tow still works on Sunday if needed! There are several boaters who prefer cruising in the winter (the best time!) and the biggest problem is obviously finding places that are open. So please don't hesitate to phone if you need any help..... Boatyard Tel 01692 631011 or Jason Mob 07733 327474 or George 07787 420595 or Sonia 07789 777472 (24hr & messaging) Stay warm everyone! and lets hope we have a earlier start to the boating season in 2014! Kindest Regards Jason, Sonia & Team LBBY

11.00am Thursday 8th November 2012 Drinks afterwards at the Wayford Hotel 2pm to 2.30pm (Between the church & Waford the family will go to Earlham Crematorium) Regards Jason

Comments from Ken family after reading forums..... MikeandFee Haystead likes a link. I would just like to say how proud all these tributes are making our family feel at this very sad time , I know mum will take great comfort from all the kind and wonderful words people have sad about my dad. Thankyou so so much. Becca Louise Haystead Me & nanny have bee sitting & reading them!! I feel so comforted by these tributes!!!! I cannot begin to express the love I have for my grandad & my amazingly brave family! Thank you for all your kind thoughts & words xx x 14 hours ago via mobile · Like · 4 MikeandFee Haystead I mean said not sad because my dad was never sad. X x x miss you dad x x x x 14 hours ago via mobile · Like · 4 Mandy Camish-Bailey Sat and read these last night... Lots of lovely words and thoughts about a truly lovely man, blessed to have in our lives xxxxxxxxx 5 hours ago via mobile · Like · 1

The mood at work today wasn't good, as all the guys knew Ken very well. Ken loved his work and was always there to help, he was a brilliant craftsman, welder & engineer and almost every boat that has been in our workshop has had s/s work carried out by Ken. Whatever job he was doing, he would always stop doing it to sort out 'emergency' jobs for us, however he done this for everyone! So if your job was the one he first stopped on the delivery time was extended slightly! He wouldn't ever see anyone in a muddle.... He continued to work through all his hospital cancer treatments and he amazed the doctors on his strength & willpower. However, he still achieved all his goals and enjoyed his 68th birthday with all his family last week, it was also important for Ken to see the speedway finals last weekend! Unfortunately, I don't believe his family view the forums to be able to read all these great tributes about Ken, so I will either print these off and give to them or send links via Facebook as I know they are all on there. We will miss you Ken........ (note - also posted on .org & .co.uk forums because so many people have posted tributes)

Sadly Ken passed away in the early hours, his granddaughter emailed at approx 4.20am. Its very sad & he will be missed by many. I sat with him for a while last night & just held his hand.......You could clearly see he was at peace with his life. All his family were by his side, which was all Ken ever wanted..... A sad day........

Im sure many of you already know 'Ken Nevard' very well. He has manufactured several s/s tanks & pulpit rails for 1000's of boats on the broads, so many of you have items on your boats which Ken manufactured! You may have already had a handshake 'deal' with him! I've visited dear Ken several times recently but tonight was very difficult, even now I cannot really sleep because I really want him to have my continued support........ His family love him dearly and every day they are all there to support him, he is so proud of his family & I know he loves them dearly. They have my support. Ken is still fighting hard to battle cancer, which he has had for the last two years, but his family are all there by his side, so he is happy. Ken is a wonderful guy and doesn't deserve such an illness, neither does his family..... Im sure everyone who know Ken will pray for both Ken & his family, because he is battling hard. Unfortunately, you never know what can happen in life but both Ken & his family needs our support & strength. If any cards/letters etc are to be sent, Ken & Marcia address is available via the internet searches. I'm know that support from friends will be welcomed.........