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Id openly admit to being a tad confused . Ive skimmed back thru the thread . No mention of any brokerage by name occurs until YOU mention one by name . Not overly wise i 'd suggest having just felt an overwhelming need to give legal advise about litigation . Id ask : 1) how do you know i haven t bought a boat from the brokerage in question ? You don t know do you ? You have assumed . Assumption is also unwise is it not ? 2) How do you know i don t know anybody who s had problem with the brokerage in question ? Again , you do not know . More assumption . 3) How do you ascertain that my attitude is based on hearsay or some some of grapevine ? .....You do not know do you ? It seems there is alot you do not know . Which makes it unwise to come on here accusing others of not knowing much . I simply noted , as did another person , the hypocrisy of advising about legal matters before going on yourself to name the business n question .... for tje first time in the thread . As it happens i have no issues with the brokerage you saw fit to name at all . My comments , if you read them again , just state that because their reputation is not entirely trustworthy I choose & will continue to choose not to have any dealings with them . I am entitled to mistrust them as you are entitled to praise them . I would suggest however that you are very much in the minority with your opinions . Please don t make assumptions about folk you 've never met , such as myself , as you have no idea whatsoever about the foundations of my opinion s. cheers

Have you considered polycarbonate? I know it is not as good as glass, but if it saves over £14k it may be worth it.

You are mistaken. It was designed to be a useful aid for people who didn't understand much about electrics and batteries and wanted a simple "fuel gauge" type display so as to avoid over-discharging their batteries. So it is fine for people who are fairly stupid. But not, it seems, for people who are incredibly stupid.

You can pick up a wireless rear view camera kit for around £30 so whether it's worth the investment is probably not the question. I have two vans with no view out through the rear. There is no question that life would be easier if I fitted cameras. However, some deep-seated pride prevents this so I have to get out midway through parallel parking to check the distance behind then go back to the cab and judge this by increments of paving slabs passing the open door until such point that I have to get out and check again. But it makes me feel manly so that's just fine.

45 gallon drum with the bottom cut out and some silicon sealant

Mrs Oyl could make herself less attractive for when blokes turn up to examine her, her electrics that is, by not washing for a few weeks, wearing an old oyly duffle coat, railwaymens chest warmer trousers, Sou'wester and sea boots and false beard complete with a pair specs with cracked lens, repaired with elastoplast with an arm missing, replaced with a bit of knitting wool belayed around an ear and smoking plug baccy in an old charred pipe. Ha yer got a loit boy.

Right, this thread has become a bit confusing but also somewhat hysterical. Regarding the lady's own boat, it is not incredibly dangerous to take a shore lead straight into the boat to run the kettle etc. It is a little dangerous if that lead is not plugged into a proper bollard or something else that has an RCD. If it is plugged into something that has a proper RCD then it is not really dangerous at all and all this screaming about "desist immediately" is just scaremongering. Of course it would be better if the boat had a proper mains system with integral RCD etc for long term use, but it is hardly like juggling with several bottles of nitro-glycerine. I would advise the lady to keep using it in the short term - no need to go without a cuppa tonight - but try to get a proper installation longer term. Provided that is, it is plugged into a shore RCD. As to stuff about "Oh the BSS!" and "Oh the insurance!", kindly point us to where it says in the BSS that draping a mains lead into the boat invalidates the BSS, and where in the lady's insurance policy terms and conditions it says ditto. Or retract. Regarding son's boat have we yet seen a picture of the charger? I don't think we have, have we? Are the internal lights LED or incandescent? And to answer the question "why do I need leisure batteries at all when I'm plugged into shore power" it is to run 12v appliances such as lighting, pumps etc. An appropriate charger can supply enough power in a day to run these things that are used occasionally, but not enough power to run those things directly. The battery acts as a sort of buffer, slowing charging up when the loads allow it, and discharging into the loads when a lot are switched on at once. I am still not convinced it isn't a case of overcharging rather than undercharging.

And are you going to explain, or merely sit there feeling smug but unhelpful?

There's two sides to every story Joe. You have one side, and all credit to the nameless lot for treating you well. They had to get it right eventually. There are also a lot of people who have been victim of sharp practice, been told information that was perhaps fluid with the truth, and been told lies. Perhaps now they have cleaned up their act.

Perhaps the boaters moored on the other side moved on when they heard the genny :-) haggis

If you have shore power you should not need to run the inverter. Maybe the inverter is drawing more power than the charger can provide? Please post a photo of your inverter and your charger showing make and model number. This will enable us all to give you quick and accurate help.

Well I thought it was light-hearted and fun until your acronym post which I found quite offensive. But I'm an adult and quite capable of ignoring offensive posts so it doesn't bother me personally.

I wonder id laundry Lady is reading all these sexist comments and if she will offer her services to boaters again?

I have done it a few times, most recent descent of Ashton flight was 2014 I think. I have never had any problems at all with locals, I have met a few people on the Rochdale 9 who seem perfectly friendly even if they are not quite the sort I may choose as my friends! I always find treating others with respect and not pre judging them on appearance produces a friendly response. You could do Castlefield to Dukinfield in one day if you are doing 9 hour days, alternatively you could stop at the top of the Rochdale 9 in Picadilly Village and do it in two days. I like Telford Basin https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.4790417,-2.2259359,100m/data=!3m1!1e3 as it is secure and gated and you can normally get the gate code off a resident but there is a length limit, I have been in in a 52ft boat but I think you can get about 60ft in there. You may need to go in backwards as the right turn into it is quite tight and there is more room if you go past and reverse in. I hope you have an amazing trip.....

Thanks everyone, apologies if I was seeming flippant, I wasn't. I get that the severn needs to be treated with respect, and respect it will get. Just to check I wasn't being out of order I did ask the question about this on a sailing forum. No one would use a pilot, nor thought it necessary, but I got a lot of good tips and advice, and will no doubt get more if I go this way and ask in depth. There is a dedicated bristol channel sub forum I can ask for advice on local conditions.

I do not and will not sign in to Facebook. I believe I am far from alone in this view. I understand that this site is relatively secure and anything I say on here, or my personal details, will not be misused. As we all know, this is not the case with Facebook.

Just because you are paranoid doesn't mean they are not out to "get you".

Some time ago I wrote the following which may or may not help and which may contain errors - I've not had it peer reviewed. Battery Types For inland waterways use we generally use deep-cycle Lead Acid batteries for powering leisure activities. There are 4 main types of this battery technology that you will come across. Here we discuss the pros and cons of each type. Please note that all voltages quoted are 'typical' for the type of battery being described. Battery manufacturers will supply voltage tables specific to their products. Open Lead Acid - Leisure This is similar to the type of battery that's been around in cars for over 100 years but has heavier plates and is therefore more suitable for leisure use. It has a liquid dilute Sulphuric Acid electrolyte. Be careful - many so-called Leisure Batteries are in reality nothing more than re-badged car batteries; they may be cheap but they will not last long. In general, you get what you pay for, and heavier batteries are usually of better quality than lighter ones (because they contain more lead). Advantages: Can withstand abuse quite well Can be equalised at quite high voltages to recover capacity lost through sulphation Better types can be more deeply discharged than cheaper models Tend to have plates alloyed with Calcium which increases the gassing voltage making them use less water Disadvantages: Must have the electrolyte levels checked regularly and topped-up when required Can release explosive hydrogen gas when being charged Must be well ventilated in order to dissipate hydrogen gas Open Lead Acid - Semi-Traction These are similar to Open Lead Acid - Leisure batteries but with much thicker plates containing Lead-Antimony alloy. This makes them more robust and more tolerant of high depths of discharge and with a much longer cycle life. They are heavier due to having more lead within the plates. They typically come in 6 volt or 12 volt styles. The 6 volt ones are popular as golf cart batteries and therefore relatively cheap. The most popular makes are Trojan and Rolls. The Trojan T105 6v cell tends to give best value for money at the time of writing. Advantages: More tolerant of deep discharge Much better longevity - provided they are charged correctly Disadvantages: As Open Lead Acid - Leisure but with increased water consumption. Sizes and connections may be different from Leisure batteries so there may be a need to modify battery boxes and make up new interconnect leads. Requires higher final charging voltage to ward off sulphation. Sealed Wet Lead Acid sometimes called Maintenance Free This is basically the same battery as the Open Lead Acid above but has a larger quantity of electrolyte and is sealed - it has no removable tops to the cells. Advantages: No acid spillage Virtually no maintenance required Disadvantages: Most manufacturers state that they must be charged at lower voltages than Open Lead Acid meaning slower recharging Must be regularly fully charged to 100% as most manufacturers state that they may only be equalized (desulphated) more gently (at a lower voltage and hence less effectively) than Open Lead Acid More prone to sulphation than Open Lead Acid because of the charging voltage limitations. Gel or Valve Regulated Lead Acid sometimes called Sealed VRSLA (valve regulated sealed lead acid) batteries have no free electrolyte. The oxygen and hydrogen evolved from the plates during charging is recombined to produce water which is absorbed into fibreglass matting. They are also known as 'Recombination' batteries. Others use a gel type electrolyte. Gel batteries tend to be very expensive. See AGMs below. Absorbent Glass Matt also sometimes called Sealed or Maintenance Free AGM batteries have their sulphuric acid absorbed by a very fine fiberglass mat, making the battery both spill-proof and maintenance-free. They are also lighter than conventional lead-acid batteries and tend to be very reliable. AGM batteries have a lower internal resistance than conventional batteries and are therefore better able to supply high currents. 
The internal structure of an AGM battery sometimes has the plates wound in a spiral although this has no effect on their operation. 
They will usually offer a relatively long service life even when deep cycled, partly because they are less prone to Sulphation, and also because they require no maintenance and have a very low self-discharge. Their performance has a gradual reduction over time - they don't 'fall off a cliff' as can happen with other types. They should be stored fully-charged as with flooded batteries. Advantages 

The main advantages of AGMs are that they can recharge up to five times faster than flooded batteries They can be deep-cycled down to only 20% SoC. Disadvantages The main disadvantage of AGMs is their high cost-to-capacity when compared to conventional flooded batteries. This is somewhat offset though by their available capacity being greater due to their ability to be deeply discharged. Low float voltage which may not be achievable with some charge sources. AGM batteries perform well at low temperatures (good for boats) but do not tolerate heat well (bad for some engine rooms). 

As with other sealed units, AGM batteries should not be overcharged. A charging voltage of 2.4 volts per cell (14.4V for a 12V battery) is fine; however, the float charge should only be around 2.25 volts per cell (13.5 - 13.6V for a 12V battery), which is much less than for a conventional flooded battery. The battery manufacturer will publish specific voltages - the figures above are only a guide.

Wow, that sounds quite an epic job. We had problems with our lift pump too but we found the correct top half from a local diesel engine spares place but we couldn't source the base part with the lever. So, Johno from Braunston helped us marry the two parts together and it's been fine since then. A few years back Sleeman and Hawkins could supply a new lift pump at a very high price. I've no idea if they still have any. Our fuel return pipes sound like they are configured like yours are now.

Result!! Get it down the river :-D

If you do not keep 'on top of maintenance' then I agree with you. Keep the system topped up with oil and when you hit the 'stops' the wheel stops moving. If you have air in the system then what you describe does happen. I have 'both' - The 'helm indicator' is in the centre - with the autopilot and the compass, and there is also a small 'blue-badge' on the wheel (currently at about 2:00 o'clock)

Personally I would fit one. The idea of marking the wheel at the straight ahead position is all well and good except that with hydraulic steering the wheel does not remain in that position forever. If you want to prove what I am saying then take the rudder to one end of its travel and then gently continue to turn and you will find that it will be able to continue thus losing the relative position between centred rudder and centred wheel. This happens in normal use as well without using the technique that I have just described. If you want to set off in the morning and have forgotten where you left the rudder steering angle then you don't need to go from lock to lock and then back halfway each time which might be useful when setting off with a square ended stern as it appears to be when you Google Eurocruiser. I fitted one to my previous EuroClassic boat in France and one was fitted to my present Sagar barge in France and personally I have found it very useful. Roger