Jump to content

Leaderboard

Popular Content

Showing content with the highest reputation on 14/07/16 in all areas

  1. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  2. At some point yesterday I lost my watch - it was on my wrist when I left Glascote locks but not when I went to bed moored below Atherstone Locks. I searched the boat, the usual places I might have taken it off to do the washing up, or the unusual like outside when it had got rather too sticky. Nope, nowhere, so I figured it must have dropped off as I moored up, and was probably underwater, beyond redemption even if it could be recovered. Not a huge financial loss, a Sekonda with no trimmings, although I'd bought it as a treat for myself when I was first able to walk to town after being ill a few years ago This morning I set off up the locks at 6am (yeah, I know!) and in the second lock up I paused, looked back at the bottom lock with it's still open top gate and toyed with the idea of leaving it that way, it would be a drag, walking back, wouldn't it? And someone would be along soon, and I knew the bottom gates didn't leak, the lock had been brimful overnight. But still, rules is rules and good habits are best maintained, so I walked back. And there, in the grass, wet with dew but ticking happily, was my watch... I'd gone for a walk straight after mooring up and it must have come off then, 12 hours later it was still there. See, it does pay to close gates behind you
    2 points
  3. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  4. What a lovely morning I had. Mrs Rendelf went to work early, and I have a day off, but without much in the way of sleep. Back to bed I went. As I started to wake mid-morning, I was filled with a dreamy contentment. The dopplering thumping of joggers. The trill of birdsong. The quack-swoosh-splosh of ducks. Broken conversations of dog-walkers. Silence, perforated by Drum-rolls of fast cyclists / creaking-tinkerbells of slow cyclists. Light rain on the roof. The chirps of tits, either side of me. Distant diesel engines in the lock. The bed rises and falls as the lock is emptied, followed by more snippets of inane conversations. Crows. The wind rustles the trees, pigeons call. Helicopter. This is Hobbiton; we are lucky. The boat rocks gently, encasing me in comfort. Then the words, "Peter!" Peter, what are you doing!" from the towpath. A dog called Peter? I think lazily. "Peter!! In, no, in!" clear as a bell in my fuzzy mind - the lady is less than a meter from my bed. Then, a jarring bang, a shudder, and the entire waking-cocoon-in-the-shire thing lurches to starboard as Peter drives his hire boat the length of ours, shouting "it IS in, is IS!!" Still unsure what 'it' was, I got up and made coffee. Sitting on the deck, I was amused by the ducks who assume I am a duck feeder, and by Peter banging pegs in, next to the lock bollards and against the piling. Even though we are currently three or four empty boat lengths from the lock, on a wide, straight section, perhaps I'll start the engine and move a little further along - that way I can use the powertools. It's a good life! One of my favourites is listening to the sounds outside in different places. What sort of sounds can you hear where you are?
    1 point
  5. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  6. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  7. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  8. For me, Frangar has hit the nail squarely on the head. There is a serious loss of knowledge these days about how and why things were done and often the tail seems to want to wag the dog, as it were. There are plenty of other examples.....not understanding that deep draughted boats need the channel, complaining about the attitudes of those operating ex working craft, the nonsense of pulling over way too soon when approaching an oncoming boat, crawling into and out of locks....I could go on.....we learned a different style of boating in earlier times, sadly not always understood today. Other oldies will understand, as will some of the more recent comers. It's less about rushing than working efficiently, letting the boat and water do the work. Enough for now. Dave
    1 point
  9. Possibly, SMPSs work by rapidly switching the mains on and off to regulate the output voltage. This causes high frequency harmonics to appear in the earth conductor, and the capacitor is to provide a path for them. My practical experience is with power supplies for critical applications, such as data centres, telephone exchanges and hospitals, rather than boats although the theory applies to both (although I'm beginning to climb the learning curve on boats). Have you tested your GI? Providing you can get to it and have access to a multimeter with a diode test function, it is easy. Basically you put a wire across the GI's earth connections to discharge the capacitor. Remove the wire, set your meter to diode test, and put the meter across the earth termination, and note the voltsge. Then repeat the above, but this time swap the meter leads over on the GI's earth connections. The meter readings should be around 0.9 volts or so. Open circuit or short circuit ratings indicate faulty diodes, so the GI must be replaced. Hopefully someone with practical experience of GI's and the manifestation of galvanic corrosion will be along to provide more advise.
    1 point
  10. The wonderful thing about boating is that that counts as a disaster.
    1 point
  11. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  12. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  13. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  14. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  15. It is caused by the small voltage differences between metals in an electrolyte. Things like the piling, your boat, someone else's boat and the canal water becomes a small battery of 1-2 volts and removes metal from one to the other, in accordance with this chart. http://www.splashmaritime.com.au/Marops/data/less/Shipk/Maint/Galvanic%20Scale.htm That is why boats have anodes, they sacrifice themselves so protecting the steel of your boat. A galvanic isolator, or isolation transformer interrupts these currents, preventing galvanic corrosion. Edited to add a missing letter.
    1 point
  16. My favourite tunnel light incident has to be meeting Dave_P in Netherton with Mrs P in Kate Winslett pose on the bow wearing a head torch Richard
    1 point
  17. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  18. Oh you have just raised another issue, galvanic corrosion caused by stray 12v DC currents. Crikey, we are surrounded by enemies.A galvanic isolator protects from both AC and DC. Phil
    1 point
  19. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  20. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  21. I hadn't realised that so many fishermen were Catholics.
    1 point
  22. Just a powerful torch on the hatch (as well as the headlight tiled up slightly) so you can see the roof of the boat in relation to the roof and sides of the tunnel does the job for me.
    1 point
  23. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  24. We came through the Bratch on a Saturday morning (beginning of this month) and an extremely helpful volunteer was in charge as it was the full time lockies day off. The volunteer was a boater of many years experience. We, as ever, are glad of assistance but can happily manage without. It sometimes seems rather churlish to complain about people giving their free-time up to help out. It seems akin to me complaining about my neighbour who cuts my lawn whilst I'm away, not putting stripes in the grass. Surely in both instances one can say, please don't bother. But thank you for the offer. Rog
    1 point
  25. Oh blimey; it's dark in here intit? Some of this is irrelevant to your question but I'm putting it out there as it will inform discussions going forward (for that read I should have read all your post first and I'm too lazy to edit). First thing to say is that we may need your postcode to determine whether you are compelled to claim UC; unless you've already completed the online claim form in which case welcome to the World of Pain (oh... you have; sorry). We also need to know whether you've got a home mooring. Deviating from the definition of "Houseboat" in the '71 British Waterways Act a narrowboat is a houseboat for the purposes of UC/Housing Benefit. Don't be surprised if the Work Coach you see at your interview has a problem with that. If you've not got a mooring then you are homeless for the pursposes of Section 136 of the Housing Act '96 and if you aren't in a "full service" area then you will be excluded from claiming. If you've got a mooring and satisfy the gateway conditions (as long as your arm) and are NOT in a full service area you will need to claim UC. Sadly I see that you have a mooring so it's looking increasingly likely that you'll be one of the first boating UC claimants (I know of one other). In a full service area everyone has to claim UC Do bear in mind that with UC you will not see a payment for the first 6 or 7 weeks of your claim. If you get a new job before week 5 you will not be entitled to any benefit. Your licence, insurance and BSC (spread over 4 years) should be aggregated into the total housing costs amount. UC is the shitstorm to end all shitstorms; it doesn't have any finished IT and there is a lot of ad hoc bullshit going on. You can find me at Benefits for Boaters (Liveaboards) where I am admin should you wish to discuss. I might not spot comments on here.
    1 point
  26. But then again one less generator on the cut can't be a bad thing.
    1 point
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.