Leaderboard

Hi Prue you are right it is a big decision to make and especially if you have no experience of boating .There is no doubt but often men seem more enthusiastic about living on a boat and it is true in my case,My husband had always wanted a boat but fiances did not allow it for a long time , When times changed we talked and I said there was no way we were going to liveaboard but that we could have a boat and do extended trips as and when it was possible , it was all about compromise. Perhaps the option of a boat and a landbase would be a good idea. I also suffer with motion sickness (never on the boat) so know how awful it is and I don't think people who have never had it understand. Even if the boat is moored in a marina it will still move so you need to know if this will be a problem. I really advise you and your husband to hire a boat and give it a try otherwise you could be making a big mistake. There are challenges to living on a boat even a well equipped one .Our boat has central heating,a bath and shower,washing machine etc but we still need to fill it with water,empty the toilet ,make sure we have gas and solid fuel,diesel so we can run the central heating,make sure the batteries are charged or that we have enough electricity on the meter,transport all the food, fuel etc down the pontoon to the boat and lift it in . I am not trying to put you off just giving you a few things to think about.

looks very smart, you were very brave to do it this late in the year. one tip, why not tie your front and back end from the fenders until the paint has had time to harden off on the edge

That's the new CRT cash cow in action, by filling the cut with foam they can save up to 50% of water levels & attract the Ibiza Foam Party set to the canal to boost visitor numbers yet further, plus whilst said "ravers" are off their collective swedes on recreational pharmaceuticals they can charge them £30-40 each for the privilege

Before anybody who has fallen in can be accepted back onboard, all the crew members left on board have to vote to agree to their being readmitted.

Definitely fat thumbs. Sorry! I hadn't even noticed I'd done it. Now removed.

I knew that, but if I've already made him grumpy inadvertently over a cooking pot, I dread to think what emoticons I might receive by deliberately 'outing him'!

Lord knows! Do I want to spend my time finding out? I think not! My latest take is that 95% of boaters would be best off with decent brand leisure batts (aka reasonable 'el cheapos'). Why? Because they're not terribly interested in batts, and I can't say I blame them. The other 5% who have do a genuine long term interest probably already know what batts suit them best. So should people without a genuine interest in batts buy Trojans or AGMs? No and no, in my mind. A third way might be to employ a marine electrical specialist to use their expertise to make the best choices. Sure there are people who want oodles of off grid inverter power 24/365 but aren't interested in it that much, or spending on someone who does. I think there's just not an easy answer there... Am I being a bit harsh? Probably. But if someone's got a better answer then I'm all ears.

I would like to emphasize for anybody just browsing this thread that to use an SG effectively it is essential to read the supplied installation manual thoroughly from cover to cover. It is very detailed in its description of what it can and can't do and when.

My point was that I don't spend much time monitoring my battery bank. I look at the voltage readout on my inverter in the morning and then cruise. If not moving for a day or more il check voltage mid afternoon and run engine as necessary. I Suppose I have learnt how much charging my bank requires from experience. Doing ok so far. Ian.

I have never actually seen an edge of the tank but assume its welded, the connections look welded. I have assumed that most "dump through" tanks are custom built and so welded. Is there any other way to make a plastic tank with internal baffles? Hendersons and Goodwin Plastics are both well known custom tank fabricators and both appear to supply welded tanks. Every time the dog farts I run to the back of the boat and check the bilge just in case the tank has split .................Dave

I finally got time to re-paint my boat from red/black to green and cream/yellow. All painted using craftmaster paints. I have enjoyed doing it over the last 3 weeks when weather allowed. The red had faded and the original pink roof had rust scabs so ground back treated and undercoated, there was rust above most windows and treated and filled. I'm pleased with the result, so just the name to go on next. Vinyl lettering as I'm no sign writer! Some prefer the original scheme but I prefer the more fresh colour on my 1998 Liverpool boat. James

If your OD is 4.5", then the ID of the insulated part is only going to be about 3 - 3.5", which is really not very much. I wouldn't be happy with such an arrangement, especially with a ledge halfway up to provide somewhere for the crud to accumulate. In fact, I would either be looking to get a new flue, or take that one off and try to remove the lined bit which is giving the trouble. To answer your question about the baffle plate - it has the effect of slowing down the flow of smoke and gases, allowing more time for heat transfer. Without it, your stove will be a little less efficient, but will draw better. I had to take out the one I had made for my Carabo, as the stove smoked me out every time I lit it.

I know I am a month too late but the answer is yes, a medium density PE tank will be fine. You should get 20 years+ out of it. Make sure it is 9-10mm thick. Some pointers if anyone is interested. The key properties you should be looking for are stress crack resistance (SCR) and permeability. SCR is a failure mode in all plastics and starts as micro cracks caused by stress in the plastic which then grow with time. All plastics are designed for their use so you need a plastic designed for good SCR. The choices for plastic tanks are: Medium density polyethylene (MDPE) High density polyethylene (HDPE) Injection moulded PE Polypropylene (PP) Firstly polypropylene, this is good for permeability (it is still permeable to gases) BUT it has really bad low temperature properties and below 5deg C becomes quite brittle, has very poor impact resistance and therefore its SCR is very poor at the low temps. I personally would not use PP for a boat tank in the UK. PP tanks are designed to be used at higher temps and can go up to 100degC which PE cannot do. MDPE is the most widely used material. In the UK, it is formed into tanks using the rotomoulding technique which gives thick section tanks (which is good as that reduces the smell getting out – the thicker the section the better). I would look for a 9-10mm thickness. MDPE is also quite flexible which is good and its SCR is good enough for the application. All the green Oil tanks you see in gardens are rotomoulded MDPE and they last 20 years in the sun. All these polymers will contain good levels of UV stabiliser but likely the tanks will never see the sun. Injection moulding can be used for smaller PE tanks but these inevitably will be thinner in section and likely a lower molecular weight so will be more brittle and have worse SCR – so I wouldnt think these will be nearly as good as the rotomoulded MDPE tanks. HDPE may be the best choice as they use a type of PE that is stronger, better SCR and probably better permeability (i.e., higher density and molecular weight) BUT their thickness will be much lower as they are Blow moulded rather than rotomoulded. I am not aware of any tank manufactures in the UK that blow mould PE tanks but it is far more common on the continent. The better SCR will give this type of tank a better resistance to falling apart so may last longer BUT the thinner section (likely 4-6mm) will mean more smell getting through. On balance the thickness of the rotomoulded tank would swing it for me. I would avoid any welded PE or PP tank as the weld will be a weak point and that is where tank failure is likely to happen. Make sure the tank manufacture is making to the relevant BS standard – ie they have had their tanks tested by an appropriate test lab. I cant really comment on PE tanks vs Stainless tanks as I have no experience of stainless vs lifetime. I certainly wouldnt go for mild steel tank. There are 10,000s rotomoulded MDPE tanks made in the UK per year for water, diesel and gas oil and they have been around 30 years and more. Yes there are many instances of failure but these are almost certainly down to problems of manufacturing or the odd bad batch of polymer.

I picked Kathy up from work at Bishops Meadow bridge and we arrived at the Loughborough moorings at dusk last night. Couldn't see anyone else around, is it too early for a pre-banter drink....

Here's another:

OK, thanks everyone - as always lots of helpful advise and information. I will definately clean the flue MUCH more regularly from now on! I’ve removed the deflector / baffle plate whilst cleaning, however I’m aware of the Morso advise not to have it fitted if the flue is less than 4.5m so pondering this. Would the draw be better or worse without it? No sign of a half moon plate - I can see a circular view of the grate when looking down. Todays plan is to buy a broom pole, and attach a sturdy wire brush to it, with a thin rope attached and kept tight from the throat to help get some lateral pressure. I’m also contemplating somehow rigging up a suitable hole cutter on a long shaft? I have a range of sizes. Also I might try burning some of the flue clear powder in the hope of softening the crud. I’ll report back

As has been mentioned earlier, the assault victim continued his duties and when a fellow lock-keeper recovered an expensive stolen bike, he recalled which boat he had seen it on as it went through the lock, and informed the owner who now has his property returned. He has had no update from the police about the assault.

A high burning rate should keep it reasonably clear. Shut down, ticking over at night doesn't hep. A person here with a big widebeam boat has a stove which is really much too small for the size of boat, she has it burning pretty fiercely most of the time, her flue doesn't get this, only light soot, and she burns Excel !.

Not on our farm, but there are marinas etc on the upper Macc with such luxuries.

I think the warm winters are a possible reason too. You tend to leave the stove on tickover during the day and never really ramp it up with a good blaze as it's never cold enough outside to need it. The flue gases then settle far lower down the flue.

I have owned boats with squirrels for many years and never had this kind of problem until the last couple of years? I have no idea why but facts are that having never in the past get blocked flue last winter ours became so solid with a concrete like substance the flue had to be removed and a large special drill used to chop the crud out, a cold chisel wouldn't touch it!! Is it the warm winters? or crap fuel? no one seems to know. As been stated above you need to take it to bits get the crud out and sweep it more often. I never used to even sweep mine but now every couple of weeks a 4.5 inch steel brush is rodded down with drain rods to keep it clear

Prue 100K is a lot for a secondhand widebeam it has to come from one of the top flight builders to have that value. What I am trying to say is check its value carefully, because if you do go ahead with the purchase but then hate the life you will have to sell, and you dont want to find out at that point that you paid over the odds. Good luck with your decisions and as I said before other moorings are cheaper so running costs can be reduced On the plus side I cruise my 12 x 57 widebeam all over the North as the canals were built for boats that size and not toy boats so you would have no problems constant cruising for most of the Northern nerwork

I am a compulsive CCer but do try to look at things from other peoples perspectives. The side hatches are shut and the curtains are closed. It is still nicer in here than any house I have ever lived in. We are just about sat on the bottom but the boat still moves a little bit. This morning we has coots, swans mallards, geese and seagulls outside and you probably get a few of these things in a marina. We had our boat in a marina for two years when we were weekend boaters (it took that long to ditch the houses, jobs and children) and although we were very "watched over" by the marina owner it still had a bit of a community. If the objective is a lifestyle thing rather than financial, and you are not able to CC, then I can see that a boat in a marina is attractive, its a sort of giant Wendy House for grown ups , and if you don't plan to move then a widebeam makes some sense. and the real bottom line is that expensive boats in expensive marinas put money into the system without getting in the way of real boaters ! but then if they really want to subsidise my lifestyle then yes, it probably won't be cheaper for them. ...............Dave

Three more shots of the last runs taken by myself in 1972:

Never mind the flash boat stuff, absolutely do not do this. You are planning too for all the wrong reasons and your vertigo is probably your brain trying to get that through to you. If you really want to go ahead, you MUST hire a boat, any boat, now, this time of year for at least a week.

But if somebody is not totally sold on the boaty life then CCing might not be the best option, it is hardcore boating. At least marina dwelling has some of the features of living in a house. I have met a few people whos ambition really is to live in a boat in a marina, whilst others regard marina living as a necessary evil due to the constraint of jobs. .............Dave

Which offence are you talking about - the assault or the jokes?

Hes taking the bloomin pee.......it was me and I had moored right next to another boat which sodded off just before he took this bloomin foto and he was giggling knowing he was going to do this I HATE people that don't use the same ring on vms but err I was in the pub when the other boat moved mlud honest. Stop for beer next time Rob

Or perhaps they were moored next to boats who subsequently moved away, or perhaps the boat at the end left the space? Or perhaps you know them?

If you want freedom from restrictions and bureaucracy then you will have to trade your canal boat for a sea-going boat. The restrictions and bureaucracy are neither petty or pointless. They are designed to stop a few selfish people taking the p155 and spoiling it for the many.

Well I just booked our room at the Travelodge so I guess we are confirmed as going.

The Moomins are overwintering a Crick this year, so we'd love to attend. I doubt we'll make it by boat, but the Ford Focus of Doom will suffice. Cheers, MP.

Yep, thank you.

Its time to start thinking about the banter again. Are we all OK for Saturday 30th December? If so I'll go and talk to the landlord of the Paget.