NB Alnwick

I am resurrecting this old topic because a relative of John's is anxious to know his whereabouts or what has become of him. Some one must have seen his boat, an R W Davis 70 footer named 'Sabrina' - although I am quite sure that he must have sold it and moved on to the land.

I am not sure why anyone would want to burn 'house coal' except perhaps for nostalgia. OK, it can burn with a bright flame and is generally easier than Anthracite to light but it produces the nastiest of by-products that will eat your chimney and leave tar stains on your boat. And, the smoke can kill you! There are many good reasons why I think mining coal is still necessary but it isn't the best thing to burn on a boat. There are better solid fuel alternatives.

We were looking for a bit of comforting nostalgia and here we have it! All I can say is that the original Smartgauge was probably the most useful item of equipment that we ever purchased for our boat. The designer also provided helpful advice on how I should wire my 24v battery bank. In the many years that I spent as a moderator on here, I often had to intervene when armchair 'experts' challenged those who gave considered advice based on real reseach and experience. Thankfully I am no longer required to do this. I hope Gibbo continues to help others on here in the way that he helped me.

In my view a decent rigid aluminium ladder such as this one is essential on a narrow boat. It can be stored on top to be easily deployable. Together with a suitable wooden plank insert in can double as a strong and secure gangplank.

We once left our boat on charge from a mains hook-up. When we returned one of the batteries had failed exactly as described and all the brass and copper throughout the boat had turned black! And it isn't easy to clean it off! These days, we disconnect the batteries if the boat is unattended and check battery health regularly. It is obviously essential to disconnect and isolate a faulty battery immediately.

Only go in if you have a ladder available for getting out again!

As always, workmanship of which to be proper proud!