annaschu

I have been in a marina until the beginning of April this year. I then, unplanned but unavoidable, had to leave my boat for three weeks. I returned to find very little power and as it was too late in the day to charge the batteries by moving switched on the engine for two hours. Yes, I ran it in gear as that was advice I had been given by other boaters who had told me that running the engine in neutral for that period of time would damage it - how on earth is someone supposed to know which advice to follow when it all confliicts? Fully aware of the erosion issue I felt at the time that as I was moored on metal sheeting that it would not be a problem. It's the only time I've run my engine moored In four years of owning the boat so please quit - I came on here asking politely for advice, not to be told off!!!

Ok, so i'm back and have read all the above. I've been 'quiet' for a while because I work nights - a 12 hour shift at a time - and sleep during the day so not always able to access a computer as often as some of you lucky people! But to be honest I'm also a little upset at the tone of some of these posts, firstly I have a great deal of respect for my environment and those posts that are making the assumption that I'm eroding river/canal banks wherever I go are both incorrect and unfair. Also, questioning my suitability for owning a boat if I cannot afford to buy a generator is a little sharp - I pay my licenses (EA & BW) on time and in full and keep my boat clean and tidy, the initial post was to ask for advice from those who have more experience with the electrical systems than I do, not to have my character judged by people who have never met me nor know my background or boating experience! Please could I ask also for those who wish to take out personal issues with each other to step outside with them so that those who have been genuinely kind, concerned and keen to offer to help can do so without having to get caught up with conversations running off thread. I would however like to thank all those who have offered help both privately and with suggestions on here. As soon as I am able to return to my boat I will check out some of the suggestions. ....oh, and I only have my fridge on when cruising or onboard for a period of time hooked up!

Am moored (I hope) at Sonning, was unable to get to boat on Sunday night, thankfully another boat owner tied up there adjusted my ropes for me - another example of how wonderful our community can be - wasn't able to get back yesterday so hoping that all held when I venture back at lunchtime. River was already up on the footpath on Monday so fingers very crossed that I won't find her down at Shiplake or on Uri Gellars front lawn. Scary stuff, that'll teach me to leave those canals!

I understand the erosion issue, where I am now I'm tied up to steel lining sheets so minimising damage. How do I then charge batteries if stationary for a while? I can't afford the expense of a generator!

Wow, thanks all for so much advice, it's very much appreciated - I'll have a trawl through before work tonight and make a plan. As one of the two leisure batteries was new last spring I'm thinking that some assistance from an electrician is going to be my best bet though. I've spotted some conflicting advice and my knowledge is certainly not good enough to suss out which to follow! Someone posted that it's not good to run the engine in gear whilst moored to charge the batteries - can I ask why? I've always done that whilst out on the cut if I've not actually been cruising for a couple of days but need power and have the fridge on. A number of boaters suggested it when I first bought her and I've been doing it ever since... hope I've not caused the problems myself! Anyway, popped back to Grace yesterday morning to make sure she hadn't set off by herself downriver but all was well. Not too much extra water in the engine bay, well clear of the engine so didn't take long to bail out!

...been at work overnight and it's been tipping it down and somewhat windy all through the night. Slightly anxious as to whether my boat will be where I left her or on the lawn of the rather fine (and out of my price range) French Horn at Sonning-on/under-Thames

Hi Trev and welcome! I hate to be the first to bring up the subject but here goes... money. Are you planning to liveaboard, buy a project boat to work on in your spare time or a brand spanking new one? If living on board: in a marina, an online mooring or continuous cruising? Reason for asking is that yes, boats can be a cheap and (maybe) cheerful aquisition but more often than not you may as well empty your pockets out into the canal. Don't get me wrong, I adore my boat and desperately miss her when i'm on land but despite plenty of reading up and research, 4 years on I'm still surprised at how much money I have to throw at her. You balked at £800 for a hireboat - well, that's around the yearly cost of your BW license. Then there's insurance, survey, boat safety cert, hull blacking, replacing batteries, diesel, gas, and all sorts of bits and bobs that tend to pack up and need replacing all at the same time! Sorry if this sounds all a bit negative but so many people assume that living on a boat is a cheaper way of living than having a house - but hey ho, none of this is relevant if your boat is going to be your hobby. Good luck! Anna

...am at work in Woking tonight and the weather has continued to be foul outside, will be driving over to Sonning first thing and then on to Shiplake Lock if my boat has left without me...

Hi all.... This may be a bit of a feeble ask for help and very possibly covered here before but as I've had a quick look through and haven't seen similar i'll carry on... I spent all spring/summer out on the cut last year, leaving the boat for a week at a time and although the batteries ran low a spin of the engine would always top them up without problems. I've just gone out for the summer (sorry, think I must be responsible for the deluge)after the winter on a landline in a marina. Unfortunately I had to leave Grace for three weeks... I got back yesterday and there's a little life left in the batteries (lights work but dim, water pump - nothing) but 2 hours of the engine on, in gear, made no difference. Before I leave her I always turn off the fridge and prop the door open and turn all the circuit board switches off. In what may be a totally unrelated problem, the bilge pump is still working but is unable to push the water right up the hose to the outside - I tried a narrower hose but still no luck. I know this is run from the battery that also starts the engine (which started!) whereas the 'inside stuff' is run from the two leisure batteries so may be a totally co-incidental issue. I'm now in the not so enviable position of having no power (therefore no water inside) and in this filthy weather having to manually bail out engine compartment due to a leaky engine board. So, anything I should/could check before calling for help? And if not, can anyone recommend a marine sparky in the Reading neighbourhood? ...I really do make an effort to do as much practical stuff as I can myself but I have a very healthy respect for electricity so am happy to hand over to an expert! Thank you!! Anna

...as someone with a bit of a background in this kind of thing i'd like to bring together a couple of points from previous posts - if it comes to it, you can improvise with items found around the boat in almost any first aid situation so first aid box contents not a huge concern. What you can't improvise is the knowledge to deal with an emergency situation correctly - and taking a guess can make the situation a lot worse! Taking a course or an iphone app (so long as you're sure your phone battery won't be flat at the crucial time)or first aid book in an easy to find place all sound like excellent ideas!

I use smokeless fuels being currently in a 'posh' marina with all sorts of very important rules. I have noticed though that sometimes thick smoke comes out of my chimney regardless - and I swept it properly back in October when we had that random late summer spell. I know it's going off topic a little but did I get some dodgy bags??

um... as a new person on here I found most of this baffling. However, in case it has not yet been mentioned (I gave up after page 8) it could be that Amy is either dyslexic or hasn't had access to a full education and struggles with reading and/or writing. By all means discuss the contents of the post but please don't make assumptions about the language/syntax/grammer used. Regardless of anything else I admire her for continuing to post when other contributers are making comments about something that is not relevant to her original question. Yes, you may not be able to understand some of the post but it's just as effective to ask a question back to clarify (if you do want to help her) and not necessary to start commenting on her use of language (particularly if you have no intention of helping!) 'nuff said from me

I have two, as a single hander I have plenty to think about when approaching a lock and as previous posters have said you can guarentee that that's when the rope will get zig zagged between the vents. I used one rope for the first two years after getting my boat and coped perfectly well, but two makes it even easier

Hi Cazberry - happy new year! I lived on my 58' semi trad in a marina for 2 years and gradually plucked up courage to got out single handed - day trips progressed to weeks out and then last year my working pattern changed to one week on nights followed by 7 days off. I took the plunge and left the marina (GU at Hemel Hempstead) on 1st March and had a fantastic time, most of it single handed, although (particularly when the weather was good) I often had visitors for short trips or day barbeques. Due to increasingly frail parents I found a marina mooring near home on the Thames for this winter but prior to that my spring, summer and autumn was spent on the GU, Oxford, Thames and K&A and I had an absolute blast! I'm a 5'5" 56kg 38 year old woman and apart from the VERY occasional stuck gate (there's always a man keen to help who pops up out of nowhere in these situations) I have never found my size, weight or sex to be of any hinderance whatsoever. I do have quite a large black fearsome sounding dog so never felt vulnerable mooring up at night and a little common sense when choosing mooring sites goes a long way. Where abouts are you? I'd be more than happy to have more of a chat or even meet up if you'd like more encouragement - I absolutely adore taking my boat out on my own and with a London Olympic Mooring in August I can't wait to get going again. Cheers, Anna ...oh, by the way, I have a photo blog of my trip on my Facebook page if you need visual evidence of what a great time you can have - yes, even in the rain! Cazberry, if you're interested look for me on FB - Anna Schumann, there's not many of us and i've got short blonde curly hair & holding a poorly dog. Anna