--- In [email protected], Andy Greener <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > On 19 Jan 2008, at 17:08, George Pearson wrote: > > > I received an email from a market research guy, asking my "opinion > > on the > > extent of the usage of jerry cans by canal boaters, maybe as a means > > of > > storing extra / emergency fuel?". The firm had "identified canal > > boating > > as a potential user of these." > > > > I never thought of running out of engine fuel as very likely on a > > typical narrowboat, but having not (yet) been a boat owner, perhaps > > I'm wrong about this. Or maybe there are other uses for jerry cans > > aboard? > > > > So -- opinions solicited, and I'll pass them along. > > I've carried a jerry can of diesel on Whisper ever since I > inadvertently ran out on her maiden cruise due to a miscalculation > (about 100 yards south of the diesel pump at Fenny Compton!! - I kid > you not!). Getting back past the marina entrance using just ropes was > fun..., but it was a valuable lesson, not least because re-priming a > diesel engine by blowing hard down the tank breather isn't fun at all. > I was lucky I was near to salvation, but figured I wouldn't be so > lucky next time - hence the emergency reserve. > > -- > Andy Greener > n.b. Whisper > Pangbourne, UK > http://www.nb-whisper.com > > "Just because you've always done it that way doesn't mean it's not > incredibly stupid" >
Absolutely essential in a petrol powered craft, even regularly used garages are closing at an alrming rate, forced out by the biggies and the supermarkets. A child's pram is the ideal way to transport outboard petrol tanks and small plastic cans, but some garages can be funny about letting you fill them all up. I have been challenged on a number of occasions but telling them that the tanks are approved by the government's Boat Safety Scheme usually does the trick. Weirdest was when I got to Keadby a few years ago to find the garage had recently closed, but had enough petrol left to get up to The Chesterfield so had to go in there and up three locks to a small village (I forget the name) where a village shop had a pump and I filled both outboard tanks plus four small tanks, about 14 gallons in all. This got us up to the marina just after Nottingham where we could refill on the canal side. I also had to switch tanks half way back down The Trent as one outboard tank was insufficient to get from Cromwell Lock down to Keadby. I stopped the ngine mid-stream around the top of the tide at Gainsborough I seem to remember, but it all seemed quiet whilst I changed the hose over and there was a relief when the engine restarted. That Mariner 20hp Two Stroke (Mercury made) was just the best, bought 1995 (1993 model) for £900, ran hundreds of hours on three different boats over the years, much at just above tickover, with occasional long blasts on the river at high speed (Ribble, Douglas, Lune, and Trent, plus Windermere), and only went out spectacularly in 2005 with a bang, and then returned me over £300 with the controls sold on e- bay for parts in two seperate lots. Never let me down until the end, never failed to start, and only required a new rectifier at £35 about half way through it's life and even that didn't stop it running, just stopped charging the battery, had to use the rope start for a while, no rush!! Servicing at about £80 to £100 each year and a second hand £40 propellor due to accidental damage. Worth a few trecks to the garage from obscure canal points for petrol now and then with the kids' buggy. Once Red Diesel is done away with, I don't see any advantage to having a diesel engine, after what it seems to cost my friends in servicing and repairs, I'd take a petrol outboard any day. Oh, and if you spill any petrol (excluding 2 stroke due to the oil) in to the canal, it evaporates in to the atmosphere within a few minutes unlike deisel which just floats on the surface for ever, so Petrol is more environmenatlly friendly too, although I take on board the safety of deisel over petrol. As regards petrol Jerry Cans made of metal, not a good idea, as any spark when pouring could easily ignite the fumes. I'd prefer the cheap petrol ones amny day,a nd just buy new ones as they wear out, they're only about £2.20 from big supermarkets anyway.
