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Showing content with the highest reputation on 23/01/17 in all areas

  1. I'm happy to agree to differ, but rather calling this "refusing help to boaters who have problems" I think I'd describe it as "closing a loophole for freeloaders which is being publicised by the NBTA" Cheers, MP.
    2 points
  2. Ironic that it's the nbta organisation who suddenly seemed concerned about navigation when in reality their members seem to want to do anything apart from navigate.....
    2 points
  3. Yes, that's it. With the doors off it's drying out already. I've just been down on the floor looking at it and I can feel really good low level airflow along the corridor, so I need to ventilate the doors.
    1 point
  4. If your seriously planning on been off grid one day then plan for how you are going to generate the electric in winter. You may not need to install it now, but do plan it. I would recommend a built in deisel generator if you have the room. Also plan to have room for installing tall 2v traction batteries with easy access to the tops for when you are off grid.
    1 point
  5. Hooray, hooray, hooray - I can justify (to myself at least) that my comments about what new boater expect was not way out. However, that's no disrespec' to Richard X - it's just the way things are. A suggested setup would be:- Cook on gas, it's not dangerous - if it's installed properly (and that's not difficult) and used sensibly. If you want any form of washer - then you really need either a separate generator or a 5Kw travel power. As it's a new build I'd fit a cocooned generator in your cavernous engine bay. Others have and seem well pleased. An alternative is a Travel Power, but you have to run the main engine (no problem there, but some folks get bad vibes about running your main engine. I disagree, with caveats). For the less greedy requirements (55" TV - are you out of your mind - a 32" is probably quite adequate), then you need a big battery bank and 24V system to give you longer lasting batteries and equipment. SWMBO does the cooking, hates gas but will do so on the boat, will not allow me a microwave (just as well) and we use a cheap camping twin-tub when on holiday. This year she cooked a full traditional Christmas lunch, large turkey, starter, c-pud, tatties, sprouts and more for four people all on our small(er) domestic gas cooker with no complaints. So gas for cooking and coffee. If you're going to be a liveaboard and want some creature comforts then get the power generation right as well as trimming back some of the domestic appliances so- based on your specs:- Cook on gas Hot water and central heating Ebersplutter (etc) Battery charging - separate alternator with 24v battery bank (can be cheaper than 12V high power ditto) fit 24v eber, water pumps etc. Washer / tumble dryer etc - then TP or separate genny - your choice Consider solar - remember that these only really contribute much in the summer Bite the bullet - it all costs - get the heavy stuff planned in at least before you start (expensive to retrofit a TP and possibly a genny) Of course you could do the hair shirt model..... SWMBO has just proof read this post and laughed copiously - she knows I'm (we're) right. Act in haste and repent at leisure.... I'm but a voice crying in the wilderness....
    1 point
  6. In view of the misinformation that is being spread by the Bargee Travellers Association who are against any form of registration. We had a one of them roaming around Foxes before Christmas, Before they were ordered to leave. One of the main bit's of misinformation that is being spread by Bargee Travellers Association is that the MLC is private company with greedy shareholders. The true fact is that the MLC is a statutory corporation (Separation Act (25 & 26 Vict. cap. 104) with a remit for drainage, flood control and water management The MLC has powers to set a levy (Rates) on land and property, Yet any increase in rates has to be approved by Government. The MLC income may be in the millions, But then so are it's costs. It's biggest item being the electric bill for over 200 pumping stations plus the big one at St German's. The bill just for the pump that keeps Well creek topped up is in the tens of thousands (If you turned off the pump Well creek would soon be empty. The section of the route between Marmont Priory and Salter Lode is only used for navigation and is not used as part of the drainage system. Keeping this section open costs the MLC fair amount. Dredging is not cheap. Each year the MLC has to fund for navigation Two fulltime Lock keepers plus seasonal part time lock keepers (Stanground and Salter Lode) The care and upkeep of six locks The upkeep of Mullicourt Aqueduct plus the non council funded bridges on Well Creek Mullicourt Aqueduct pump (Pumps water from the Main Drain 30ft below up into Well Creek) Weed cutting of Well Creek (Well Creek does not serve a drainage, flood or water management function) This all adds up to a tided sum each year which has to be found from somewhere. As for new moorings very limited where can put them. Shire Hall is dead against moorings along side the 16th, 20ft, 40ft drains plus Kings Dyke and Whittlesey Dyke where the road runs along side on H&S grounds. All these waterways had cars drive into them last year, mostly down to speeding often 100+ on the 16th Drain. Anyway I contacted Iain Smith (Outgoing CEO) before Christmas with questions from the misinformation being spead by BTA Thank you for your email of 21st December. The Commissioners are, by waterway length, the fourth largest navigation authority in the country but are, as you know, forced at present to operate under very old and outdated legislation. The Commissioners’ wish is to be a modern navigation authority and to operate under legislation broadly similar to that available to other inland navigation authorities. Charging is not therefore the only driver of the present proposals, since we would wish for example, to ensure that vessels on the Commissioners’ waters are safe, carry appropriate insurance and that we have appropriate powers to properly control navigation on our waters. We have of course consulted on the present provisions over a long period and, with limited exceptions, the provisions now proposed were contained in the draft Order and Byelaws that we attempted to bring in some 10 years ago and on which we worked with boating organisations. I can assure you and your fellow boat owners that we would wish to continue to take users with us when (hopefully) the new provisions come in. The formal procedure is that we have submitted a Bill to Parliament, containing those provisions which are better contained in primary legislation and which will, if enacted, set out the framework for the new regime. The Parliamentary authorities have however, required us to keep the primary legislation as short as possible. The draft Bill will then be followed by byelaws, made under the Bill’s byelaw making powers, which will need to be confirmed by Defra and will be based on the provisions already consulted on and those provisions previously in the Order which had to be omitted from the Act. During the period after, hopefully, the Act has been passed, we will be finalising the detail and discussing the position further with users and others to give some firmer indication of timescales and charging. I am therefore not really able to give you a firm indication of these at the moment since the passage of the legislation depends on the Parliamentary process and the Commissioners have not yet considered the potential charging regime in detail, which they are unlikely to do until the primary powers are obtained. Your fellow boat owners may be assured, however that we will not be “springing” anything on them and that there will be a ‘period of grace’ for compliance with the new regime. I comment on your specific points as far as I am able to do so at this stage below, with the caveat that I can therefore only give a broad indication at present. As regards your specific points 1) Annual Registration: It is noted that in the bill that there is no requirement to provide details of home mooring. Has this been missed out? As most owners with legal Middle Level mooring expected it to be included. There removing the current problem of boats without moorings just drifting around, mooring where ever they like.for as long as they like. (i.e Four members of the supporters of Bargee Travellers Association who have been moored on the March moorings for months.) Parliament as mentioned above, required us to keep the Bill as short as possible and to deal with other aspects through byelaws. At present there is no general mooring allowed on Commissioners’ owned channels and we have in the past considered this more of a landowner issue. We also note that this point was not mentioned in the consultation but we would consider this as a requirement if it was something that users generally really felt was necessary. 2)With regards to End of Garden moorings, Do you intend to follow C&RT practise of charging the owner an annual fee for them moor against their own land.? This question depends on your precise meaning. Where mooring takes place on a riparian channel, ie where, unusually in relation to the Middle Level rivers, the adjoining owners are deemed to own to the midpoint of the channel eg on Well Creek or the Nene, then we would not envisage that a charge for mooring would be levied. Most of the Middle Level system is however owned by the Commissioners and any mooring on our owned channels, eg Forty Foot would only be permitted with the Commissioners’ consent and then on such terms as the Commissioners thought fit. This however, is already the present practice supported by court decisions and any change in relation to the Commissioners’ owned waters would be a matter for MLC policy and not for the proposed new powers. 3)Annual Registration expect size? This is of some concern to some readers on fixed incomes. There would like to know roughly how much to save each month over the next year to pay the first annual fee. 4)The expected start of registration? I cannot as yet give a firm indication either as to the fee or the date on which it or the proposed new regime will become effective. This will to a very large extent depend on the Parliamentary timetable and also following the enactment of the Bill, the subsequent making of byelaws which will need to be advertised and confirmed by Defra. What I can say, however is that once the Bill is enacted and we have some certainty over our powers, we will be holding discussions with users on the details of what is proposed. We will also be holding discussions with the EA concerning reciprocal arrangements. Your fellow boat owners will not therefore face the prospect of a change happening overnight since we will need to give a reasonable period of warning and grace for those affected to make the then required arrangements. If your fellow boat owners are at this stage looking for a general indication of charge levels, I can only suggest that the levels charged by the EA and the Cam Conservators are noted although I cannot stress enough that the Commissioners have not yet reached any decision in this respect, as the power to do so does not yet exist, and would consider the Middle Level position and our own costs and navigation works programme before assessing the appropriate level. It has also been suggested that there should be a phased introduction of any such charges and the Commissioners would give consideration to this request. While I have been asked and shall continue to deal with this project please note that, from 1st January 2017, I have retired as Clerk and Chief Executive to the Commissioners. Any general issues on the MLC navigations should therefore now be addressed to my successor, David Thomas. Regards Iain Smith Consultant to the Middle Level Commissioners www.middlelevel.gov.uk Middle Level Commissioners 85 Whittlesey Road, March, Cambs. PE15 0AH Tel: 01354 602003 Fax: 01354 659619 Email: admin@middlelevel.gov.uk
    1 point
  7. Have come across this once before, when we investigated it, it turned out that the standard of joinery on the boat was that good that it didn't allow any airflow or ventilation in the cupboard bottoms and sides, thus causing this problem. There was no other damp anywhere else on the boat. Hope this helps. Andy B
    1 point
  8. Never had much in the way of problems really, untied a couple of times over the years. Odds and sods vanished from the roof. If I have to leave the boat anywhere for a few days I try to find a boat with ruffians living on it, get to know them and ask them to keep an eye on the boat. if they look like scary zombies and keep a dog or three then casual thieves tend to keep away, nice respectable people on tidy boats are no deterrent.
    1 point
  9. I was outside our sanitary station disconnecting my cassette from my bog on my boat when two people came traipsing through from the stern end doors, a male and female, curious Italians, I think they were, but harmless enough. I showed them my cassette and how it worked by opening the slide, they cleared off pronto trying to hold their breath.
    1 point
  10. Are you sure you want a wheel and not a tiller?. Wheel steering wheels has become very popular on fat boats, I would say almost all recent ones have it, on older boats a tiller is a bit more common. In some ways a tiller is even more desirable on a fat boat than a narrow one. Imagine yourself heading down the Thames with a just a little bit of flow and trying to line up with one of the several arched bridges you will need to negotiate, it goes a tiny bit wrong and you need to make a last minute urgent correction, which steering method is better? However If you are getting a Dutch barge style boat with a cabin behind the wheelhouse then a tiller might be less practical! It has also become very common to have the steering wheel right over one side rather than central and I'm not sure about this either. BUT I know nuffin about fat boats really as mine is narrow because I like Birmingham, but I have watched a few new (and not so new) owners appearing to have a hard time steering their fat boats with a wheel. ...............Dave
    1 point
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  12. If you have a tiller, rather than wheel steering fitted, you will find it comes with a rudder position indicator as standard.
    1 point
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  14. Well said Nigel, unfortunately you are assuming you can get independent and joined up thinking from the hounds of CWDF that, when given a whiff of NBTA, seem to go off on some kind of clichéd feeding frenzy. For example: "seem to want to do anything apart from navigate" Arf arf arf "can we call them refugees? Arf arf arf "closing a loophole for freeloaders" from a freeloader who has kept his boat on the Middle Levels for a long time.
    1 point
  15. It would be a great pity if people with an interest in waterways in general and the Middle Levels in particular, fixated on the petition of one group of people instead of reading through the proposals for themselves, and showing willing to contribute to making the legislation as good as it could be – if it must be at all. Forget about other people's motives, let us look to our own. Some of us have a deep appreciation of all the effort over several years, that certain boaters and groups put in to making the best of the 1990 Bill; getting objectionable clauses removed, and amending others to prevent potential abuse. It showed a great spirit of engagement with the process of running the waterways that looks to be a fading characteristic. For or against, this is a rare chance to show your colours in taking part in the legislative process that could well affect you and yours in the future. You have until the 30th of this month to stick your oar in as an individual or as a group. You may or may not be supportive of the Commissioners being able to demand registration of boats in private waters connected with the network – if you think it unjust that boats kept in your private cutting or in a marina should be made to register as though on and using the network, then this is your chance to object to that. Same with this Bill’s section 8 – they have adopted the same phraseology of the BW Act 1983, which has led to unwarranted extrapolation of assumed powers and years of fruitless litigation; if you think this is folly, now is the time to object, and to make your own recommendations for improvement. If you feel that there is absolutely no rational demand for increase in legislation AT ALL, then you could either sign up to the NBTA petition or create your own. A ‘petition’, by the way, in this arena, is not signing up to a plea, but is a formal objection to all or part of a Bill; it has to be couched in the appropriate formal language of ‘praying’ for the honourable MP’s to hear your humble self etc.
    1 point
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  19. I am aware of at least two boats that use the F11E balanced flue boiler, but have got away without having the massive flue on the roof, which, like you, I have always understood to be a bit of a show-stopper. In each case they are using an alternate, (and I think self designed and constructed) flue, and presumably their BSS man is happy with the arrangement, even though I'm sure Morco say you must use their long flue, and not modify it. These flues are lower than even the standard Morco one for their open flued D61. That said it would take a lot to persuade me to fit anything other than the standard open flued D61 model,at half the price and with none of the complexities. My BSS inspector was very happy with our newly installed one, but I stress I am not a full time live aboard.
    1 point
  20. Pete - your knowledge and records are just amazing..we are lucky to have you out there..
    1 point
  21. Yes but Americans are odd. 50% of them think the earth is only 5000 years old...
    1 point
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