stratford4528

It does sound as if your batteries are faulty. If you put a battery tester on them which simulates a heavy load it will tell you what the volt drop is. There are 110 amp batteries on ebay with 4 years guarantee. I paid £59 each

I am not the first to complain. There are others that have been paid off to keep their mouth shut. And there are those who refuse to pay their license. What does it take to put on their website the depth of the canal. They probably will not do it because of loosing revenue. I have been told if I make a big enough fuss I would be paid to keep my mouth shut. But that’s not the case I want to use all the canals.

My Norman has an Enfield Leg and a 3 cylinder Kubota diesel which is what gives it the draught of 27". There are thousand of boats out there with Enfield Legs plus all the other makes of legs. Norman made approx 7000 boats of all sizes up to 32ft. Even boats with large out boards can have a draught of 27" I have a Norman 25 with an enfield leg that sits even a little bit lower because it has a Perkins 4108 in it. I also have a Calumcraft with a Sonic leg and a Escort diesel which measures 2ft 6. How did these boats manage to navigate canals if there was not enough water. The CRT want you to use the canal but it is not fit for purpose.

I am building a case and have already got a lot of support. If any one is interested. In boat license FAQ it asks is my boat suitable for a certain canal. It says download Dimension data. Does it say any where that the canal is unsuitable for my boat with a draught of 2ft 3. Its about time the boaters, boat hire company’s and marinas got together and made a case.

I use to sell Powermaster inverters. Your washing machine has possibly got a 2500 watt heater. Most of the Powermasters like yours are full sign wave. The Taiwan company who made them did not support the agents who sold them. That is why you don't find them for sale. If you look closely there will be a label telling you the power. I now sell Samlex inverters which all come with 2 years warranty. They are expensive but very reliable. Of all the Samlex I have sold only one has came back

In reply to some of the comments. Is there any where on the CRT website that states there is a maximum draught for boats. As for marking my boat hook and testing the depth of the water. I cant carry a long boat pole. Would I have to test the water all the way along the canal. As for selling my boat and getting a narrow boat defeats the object. My Idea is to navigate as many of the British waterways that I can before my life terminates. That is the Idea of buying the largest boat that I could tow. I designed a collapsible cockpit for my boat so that I could clear low bridges and tunnels. Knowing that the Ashford tunnel is one of the lowest I needed to see If I could get through. Also the Brecon and Monmouth is the nearest canal to me. About 5 years ago I had a holiday on the canal in a boat with an out board and did not have any problem hitting the bottom. I had allowed to be able to add ballast to help. Also I had built a 100 gallon water tank which was under the cockpit floor which I could have filled right up. If I had added ballast it would have made my problem hitting the bottom worse. If the canal had low water because of lack of water then I would accept that but there was plenty of water just lack of dredging. I am building up information to make a case so If any one wants to support me I would appreciate it. There is a saying (not fit for purpose). I paid my license money and did not have in return the pleasure of using the canal. In fact it has cost me a lot of money. There are narrow boats on the canal that cannot leave the marina's any more because they cannot navigate the canal. Also there are boats that don't pay there license fee any more and the CRT don't chase them for the money. Who is in the wrong?. I am not a novice to boating having done the Avon ring a couple of times a few years ago on a 40 ft boat I restored after finding it sunk in the arm at Lapworth.

I did my checks by checking on the CRT website. also by phoning and asking. It says on the website the depth is 4ft. I have been doing a lot of research. You would not believe the things I am being told about the CRT. That is why I registered on this site to get more info.

I spent 5 years fully refurbishing a Norman 32 to a very high standard. For my first holiday for 5 years I decided to put it on the Brecon Canal. The nearest to me. Last Sunday 2nd October I launched it at Herons Rest Marina Then proceeded to cruise to wards Brecon. At the second bridge I hit the bottom. This kept happening all the way to Ashford tunnel which I could not get through although I cleared the marker board at the entrance. Had to reverse all the way out of the tunnel. Managed to turn around to go to the other end of the canal. At one point I got a very large tree branch wedged under my boat. which took a lot of effort to remove. Going a bit further there was an almighty bang and I was stuck on the bottom. When I got moving again there was a vibration coming from my Enfield leg. I managed to raise the leg and found 2 blades had been broken off my prop. Managed to limp back to the marina my holiday ended. Drove back home Tuesday evening. The draught of my boat to the tip of the sceg is 27 inches. The canal is less than 24 inches deep in places. No one told me I would not be able to navigate this canal but quickly took my license money. Any Suggestions what I should do