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I am going to report this post and have it moved to "New to Boating" as only a newbe would make that mistake

since overfilling my portapotti 165 I have found that, even though it is fully charged, the off load voltage is twelve and two turds. is this a problem?

The odds are when considering the whole post that it is of little consequence. The bilge area can get damp/wet on most boats. In fact some with through or all in one bilges drained the front well deck via the cabin bilge area into the engine bilge for pumping out and many of them are still around. They tended to have 6mm or less base plates. Some boats drained their showers into the cabin bilge so that the water could be pumped out by the engine bilge pump. Even if the base plate looks really rusty 1mm of steel makes about 8mm of rust so it is rarely as bad as it looks. You will find my boat has(I am almost sure) a somewhat rusty bilge but the area under the trap is painted. This is not to try to cover up problems but its the only area I can get at AND a rust free painted surface is nicer to sponge water from than rusty steel. Water in the accommodation bilge could be domestic water leaks (as yours seems to be), condensation or or window/vent frame to hull leaks. All to be expected over time. The important thing is to try to do your best to ventilate the bilge area as well as you can - which will be not very well unless external bilge vents were built into the boat from new, very few have them.

You cant pick and choose which T&C's you will accept - that is a completely unworkable approach. If the argument is the need to sign or not sign T&C's - frankly what does it matter? If we want to operate on CRT's track we have to abide by their rules. If we dont like their rules we get involved in the organisation and try to make changes. Seriously guys - life is just too short. Sign the damn thing and go boating.

Mike. If you fancy the Thames, then do it. We, many years ago, hired plastic things from either end, (different years) and thoughtly enjoyed it. Then we lost our sense of humour and began Narrow boating.

My planning is restricted to ..... Shall I turn left or right when I leave the mooring? After I execute that plan successfully I make everything else up on the spot.

For people that are stuck to (their) old ideas, all the changes that have been done over the years, and that took a lot of time to be accepted i.e.: The change from wooden to steel (iron) boats, with some hesitation at first still using a wooden bottom. Welded instead of rivetted construction, welds were something that many boat people had difficulities with too. In the future we may see more "Shilling" rudders being installed on narrowboats, for the time being, I only know of one. It all takes time, but maybe one day we will see a new kind of narrowboat arriving, with less draft and better underwater shape, as they don't have to carry cargo anymore for which the traditional shape was developped. Peter.

Unlike some of the other (marine) hull refinements, there's absolutely no reason a Schilling rudder shouldn't have all the advantages over a flat plate one that numerous tests (and simulations) have shown, and which have been borne out by those few intrepid narrowboaters open-minded enough to try one -- better rudder response and working effectively to much bigger rudder angles, which is if anything even more valuable on the canals than at sea. The only reasons for not using one are probably increased cost, the fact that most (all?) boatbuilders don't offer it as an option, and entrenched disbelief that improvements in a hundred-year old motor hull design are possible because the old guys knew everything ;-)

To test the corrosion inhibitors in my central heating, I drain some out, enough to completely fill (so you don't add any more oxygen) a jam jar, add some untreated virgin steel wool, the finer the better, Screwfix sell it for decorators or plumbers, brillo pads do not work lol. Shake every day and observe the colour of the steel wool, and look for any rust deposits. Review in a month, if the steel wool is still shiny, your inhibitors are ok. You can also buy domestic heating inhibitors with anti freeze properties too. To add more confusion lol. Be aware, that car type antifreeze also raises the boiling point of the water to beyond 100 c even if not under pressure, so if you have an engine that is prone to overheating, then an alternative inhibitor needs to be looked at with caution, I doubt manufacturers will issue data on boiling point changes based on pressure and various dilutions. If in doubt, carry enough of the old type antifreeze to go back to a solution you know works. Just my thoughts. Richard

Although bilge ventilation is a "good thing" I'd just cite a word of caution about it. The base plate and lower sides will be at canal temperature which will be very low at this time of year, let's say between 0 and 5C. Let's say the boat is being lived on and heated to 22c with a seemingly dry relative humidity of 50%. When that air at 50% relative humidity is cooled to 5C by contact with the base plate, condensation will occur. The more air you pump through the bilge, the more condensation (ie water) there will be since the base plate will be kept cold by the canal water. Of course if you are running a dehumidifier and not heating the boat much so that, let's say, the internal temperature is 10C with a RH of 50%, then when the air hits the 5C base plate there is no condensation and there will be the expected drying effect. In summer the canal and hence baseplate temperature is much warmer and so condensation doesn't occur, a good airflow in the bilge will help to dry out any residual dampness.

Please read what you have written. Because CRT do not have the legal authority of entitlement to either a licence or a licence fee, they also do not have any legal authority to back the condition that applies to a marina's obligation to make sure boaters there have a licence. CRT have a right to 'write' just about anything they want into the NAA. The marina has its terms and conditions. Marinas have made it possible, by accepting a mutually beneficial arrangement between themselves and CRT, to place their customers on the end of a 'sting'.

By the way, I'm fully compliant and haven't forgotten to pay anyone, even the undeserving. And, neither a P taker or a trouble maker. I'm snow white, but I have an opinion. How I go about pursuing that opinion is anybody's guess. I have no intention of quietly going about getting a deal for myself - unless it serves the main objective and argument and gives me more fuel. How you can sit there telling everyone (mostly me) they have to do this and that because it's important, because it's in the terms and conditions, then, proceed to tell me I could do a deal. I know you've done it, my memory isn't that bad, it's been mentioned before. You have condoned going against the terms and conditions. ??

For a little light relief: The legal powers possessed by CaRT in relation to private marinas extends only so far as establishing and ensuring the watertightness of the basin. Under s.26 of the British Transport Commission Act 1959 they have powers of entry if Notices to remedy suspected leaks have not been acted upon to their engineer’s satisfaction, within such reasonable time as may be specified in the Notice. In cases of non-compliance, CaRT may enter onto that private land and perform such works as they deem necessary to make the basin watertight, and to bill the owner for such works. Any dispute over the necessity for the works is to be settled by arbitration.

Beer that needs drinking ""fridge cold" isn't proper beer.