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Sam

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hi all thanks for the help i am going to buy the boat pandora this week and at this time i shall be looking for moring in the west midlands by wolverhampton where i live but till i find moring close to home i shall be leaving pandora where she is for the time beeing hope you all can help me now and as boat owner i will be looking for

1 insurance

2 a small fridge

3 moring in wolverhampton or near my home

help

help

Edited by nickytheboat
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Nicky,

 

Try one of Jim Shead's link pages for links to insurance brokers - Click Here. We've had good service from Collidge & Partners and others on the site have a high opinion of Michael Stimpson. (By the way, Jim Shead's site is full of useful information about the canals.)

 

For a small fridge, try e-Bay or, if you have enough money, local chandlers should be able to sort you out. You will need to make sure you have enough battery power and hefty enough wiring to run the fridge. If you are in any doubt about this, post a question under Equipment. Somebody will help you out with good advice.

 

As for moorings, you could worse than start by looking at the directory in waterscape.com - Click Here. Select the Marinas and Moorings category to get a list that will give you some ideas.

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Hi Folks!

 

My name is David. I am a sailor thinking about spending some time on the UK canals.

 

My wife Pat and I own a 35ft sailing boat currently moored in Greece. We have spent the majority of our time since retiring in 1997 living aboard and exploring the Med. During that time grand children have appeared on the scene and we would now like to spend more of our time in the UK. However, with some 20,000+ miles under our keel we are totally addicted to life afloat, hence our interest in the canals.

 

Despite our experience in yachts we know nothing about boating on the UK canal system and have many very basic questions to ask. We hope to be able to find answers to some of them here.

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My name is David.  I am a sailor thinking about spending some time on the UK canals.

- Despite our experience in yachts we know nothing about boating on the UK canal system and have many very basic questions to ask.

Welcome aboard - Its great to have you with us.

 

- Ask away!

 

 

Daniel

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  • 1 month later...
Are you a newbie to boating?

 

Well introduce your selves right here!!

 

And everyone will get to now you!!!

4083[/snapback]

 

 

Not only new to boating but also new to these forum thingies - but, damn! it's all great stuff. We just had our first taste of canal-boating recently, 3 days from Preston Brook - been meaning to try it for years - loved the whole experience even in poor weather and now fancy being liveaboards. Found this forum yesterday and finding it a wonderful source of information, support, inspiration etc - unfortunately dunno how the posting side of things works so sorry if I mess up - meanwhile thanks to all you good people and hope I can contribute when I learn a bit more.

 

Anyway, we are Pat (me) and Ian, living in Newcastle upon Tyne - a lovely place but how come we haven't got a canal?! - and ready for a change. We are also looking into an enviro-friendly way of life so doing research into a new-build solar- and wind-powered boat, compost toilets, haybox cooking etc etc, also interested in the possibility of a LETS system (which was mentioned in a post here). Does anyone have experience of running a liveaboard on solely renewable energy, I wonder? If so, please tell me it's possible - or maybe better tell me if it's not!

 

Thanks in anticipation. I've also got info - if anyone's interested I could e-mail it.

 

Cheers

Pat

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Hello everyone. Can I say I'm new to boating if I don't have my boat yet? It's just that I've been building up to this for YEARS and will be finally able to buy a boat next spring and, sad as it sounds, I litterally dream about it! Meanwhile, I content myself with helping out on friends boats and getting afloat whenever I can. I aim to continuously cruise for at least one year (who knows, perhaps for many years) as I am also leaving my land-job next spring - hurray!

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Anyway, we are Pat (me) and Ian, living in Newcastle upon Tyne - a lovely place but how come we haven't got a canal?! - and ready for a change.  We are also looking into an enviro-friendly way of life so doing research into a new-build solar- and wind-powered boat, compost toilets, haybox cooking etc etc, also interested in the possibility of a LETS system (which was mentioned in a post here).  Does anyone have experience of running a liveaboard on solely renewable energy, I wonder?  If so, please tell me it's possible - or maybe better tell me if it's not!

 

Hi Pat and Ian - I mentioned the LETS scheme myself and I think Jon is going to try a Help wanted/offered page if others want it too.

I'm also very keen on making my future boat as enviromentally-friendly as possible and invested in a copy (second-hand from Amazon) of Kevin Jeffrey's 'Independent Energy Guide' (Electrical Power for Home, Boat & RV). It's a bit over technical for my limited science understanding but I think it looks fine for a low-consumption boat to be plentifully supplied with enough domestic electricity from solar panels (I'm aiming for 2) and a wind turbine. I've also read about things such as solar-powered vents that cool the boat most in the hottest weather - unsurprisingly! You can also trickle-charge starter engine batteries. I'm currently researching deisel-engine conversions to be able to use veg oil with my deisel. Are you going to the IWA boat show at Preston Brook? There's going to be a solar energy stand there. I'll be the tall woman asking 100's of questions and driving them mad!

Edited by Carrie
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Hi Pat and Ian - I mentioned the LETS scheme myself and I think Jon is going to try a Help wanted/offered page if others want it too.

I'm also very keen on making my future boat as enviromentally-friendly as possible and invested in a copy (second-hand from Amazon) of Kevin Jeffrey's 'Independent Energy Guide' (Electrical Power for Home, Boat & RV). It's a bit over technical for my limited science understanding but I think it looks fine for a low-consumption boat to be plentifully supplied with enough domestic electricity from solar panels (I'm aiming for 2) and a wind turbine. I've also read about things such as solar-powered vents that cool the boat most in the hottest weather - unsurprisingly! You can also trickle-charge starter engine batteries. I'm currently researching deisel-engine conversions to be able to use veg oil with my deisel. Are you going to the IWA boat show at Preston Brook? There's going to be a solar energy stand there. I'll be the tall woman asking 100's of questions and driving them mad!

27908[/snapback]

 

Hi Carrie

I'll look out for the LETS page if it comes off and also add that Kevin Jeffrey book to my ever-lengthening list.

The Solar Boat Co seem to be recommending 640 watts of panels and 1 ton battery for a 60' boat - that sounds like a heck of a lot compared to what a few people here have said they've got but then, if you're totally dependent on it, you need to be sure it's enough, for all through the year. And, if it's too much, well, you can always go wild and switch everything on at once!

But the downside of having so many panels is that you lose out on roof space - hmm... dilemma ...

We were thinking about going to IWA boat show and may well do, if I can face the crowds. If we do I'll look out for you - probably stand next to you and listen to the answers to your questions (I'm not sure I'd even know what questions to ask I have so little understanding, oh, got a download factsheet from CAT "An introduction to photovoltaic power" for £3.30 which Ian has read and says it's good.) Like the sound of those solar-powared vents.

Cheers and congrats on getting your boat project up and running - bet it feels great.

 

Pat

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Hi Folks

 

I have 4 x 64 watt solar panels + controller but not enough batteries, I'm having more batteries put in so we can start making use of the power generated.

 

Works ok though.

27910[/snapback]

 

Hi Clevett

What sort of use do you reckon to get from your panels when you get more batteries - will it supply all your energy all year round or does it supplement a conventional system?

I'm wondering if the 640 watts recommended is over-egging it a bit - as I mentioned elsewhere, it would be nice to have a spare bit of roof for other things.

Cheers

Pat

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Totally agree, like seeing forward when on the move. :P

27928[/snapback]

 

 

You can get thin-film marine-grade panels for boats (USSC panels), that are fully flexible and can even be loosely rolled like a mat. You can even walk on them. But these are more expensive and less efficient than standard panels. I'm going to be looking for something between the 2 - Solarex marine PV panels that lie flush with the boat deck/roof. I won't be running a TV or washing machine (sharp intake of breath), so my needs may be less than others here. Hope to see you at the IWA thing Pat!

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You can get thin-film marine-grade panels for boats (USSC panels), that are fully flexible and can even be loosely rolled like a mat. You can even walk on them. But these are more expensive and less efficient than standard panels. I'm going to be looking for something between the 2 - Solarex marine PV panels that lie flush with the boat deck/roof. I won't be running a TV or washing machine (sharp intake of breath), so my needs may be less than others here. Hope to see you at the IWA thing Pat!

27965[/snapback]

 

Hi Carrie

Woooh, yer right there, I'm gasping .. no TV or washing machine ... my life wouldn't be worth living!! (OK, I admit, maybe I can cope without washing machine.)

Seriously, I reckon we are fairly frugal in our energy consumption - so hopefully we can manage with a 12volt system *she said, casually throwing in a technical term*

 

Can I just get this out of the way, here and now: "electricity terrifies me, but I will understand it, before I die."

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Hi, I'm Andy, not got a boat yet, but I'm looking at buying a liveaboard narrowboat in the next few months (look out River Ouse). I'd be keen to hear from anyone in the St Ives or Huntingdon area who can give me the rundown on liveaboard life, and answer all my stupid questions! :unsure:

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  • 3 weeks later...
Are you a newbie to boating?

 

Well introduce your selves right here!!

 

And everyone will get to now you!!!

4083[/snapback]

So new we have yet to buy a boat!! So new I'm cruisin' the sites while he's away visiting his family. So new it's all going to be 'plain sailing' as soon as it stops being a huge step to take. There, now you all know me and I look forward to meeting you too. Les has a blog called boats and cruising if it's any help. Sue

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So new we have yet to buy a boat!!

Welcome Aboard! Its great to have you.

 

Theres a lot of people here who dont have a boat, thats where we all started from after all.

- Dont be affraid to ask or tell us about anything your interested in, or just flick though old posts, or whatever.

 

 

Daniel

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