Paul&Claire

Thinking about putting a portable petrol generator in one of the back lockers (in the open cockpit area) on our Dawncraft Dandy. The exhaust could be extended out through the hull at the back, The locker can be sound proofed to muffle the noise and a 12v fan through a grill can provide cooling airflow across it, again exhausting overboard. The locker has a top opening lid so the genny can be removed for refueling purposes. We can then run a 20Amp charger to keep the batteries topped up. (the (petrol) honda outboard engine gives absolutely nothing out at the low idle speeds when cruising) Has anyone done this sort of setup and what will catch us out regarding the BSS?

If you are premium members of Geocaching (i.e. you have paid) then if you go into your profile page and on the right is a link to "Find Routes", Enter your search e.g. Oxford canal and then go through the results to find the right route. Click on the route and on the next screen select "create pocket query". On the next screen select the day to download then drag the search radius bar to the left to only show caches 1/2 mile from the canal and the number slider up to 500. scroll to bottom and set the format you want the file in(gpx for use in GSAK etc and loc for use in Mapsource etc then transfer to your GPS as normal. EASY !!!!!! We have done this for the Leeds Liverpool canal in our area

Also because of the canopy area we cannot exit the flu directly above the heater so were thinking of using flexible ducting (similar to that used for the exhaust flue on truma gas fires fitted to caravans) to a point about 60 cm fwd where we can exit the flu out of the canopy area into the big wide world!. Has anyone had experience of non straight up flue ducts and the impact on the BSS?. Also thought about fitting the truma 10 litre ultrastore water heater but is not approved for boats, only caravans, Truma do a boat boiler which looks the same but with a duct fitted where the balanced flue goes on the caravan model, but its over £300 more, cant see why you cant fit a standard caravan one if its out of the living accomodation in its own external vented locker and as it has its own balanced flue. Any BSS people here who could advise please.

Thinking of fitting an LPG instantaneous water heater (probably the Rinnai 58e) to our Dawncraft Dandy, Cant find any reference to actual length of the flue in the BSS other than the fact that "the flue length and terminal suitability will be checked by the flue spillage test". Think a 2 foot stack will look out of place on a 19ft GRP boat so thinking of a short flue of about 6 inches. Guesss we dont need to be too concerned with heat protection against the roof as the heater will only be on for a few minutes. Has anyone fitted one of these heaters to a GRP boat and what problems did they come across?

Totally agree with Peter Scott's comments about journey times being ridiculous. From our mooring near Wigan this would take 6 DAYS to get there and back, OK if you are a liveaboard and have the time but to travel so short a distance over this length of time is silly. We did the assisted passage some years ago but went all the way down the Stanley locks and spent the night in the docks waiting for a morning slot through the Langton ship lock onto the Mersey. So why cant BW do the assisted passage all the way in a day. Why do we have to be assisted with the Stanley dock locks and the new ones, surely a lock is a lock!! The BW team can man the 2 busy swing bridges and all other boating traffic will move on thier own whenever they like. Also looking at the pontoons in the dock they all look like long NB berths, what about the short NB's and GRP boats, will they have to double up on the pontoon and if you get boxed in and the other boaters have gone out/away what assistance will we get for moving other peoples boats to get out. Looks like BW have spent millions on what appears to be a good thing but when you delve deeper into the operation of the link it appears badley thought out restrictive to the point of having no traffic because its too much hassle. Almost forgot, anyone know if they lowered the stanley dock water level as the 8 ft air draft quoted by BW wasn't (some of you might remember our posts about getting jammed under the bridge at the bottom of the Stanley locks as you enter the dock and gouged paint of the wheelhouse roof to get through!!!) although we have a much smaller boat now so won't be a problem for us now but for others it might. Come on BW it aint rocket science!! you will never get your expected traffic figures (after the initial novelty factor) if you make it a chore instead of a pleasure to get to Liverpool.

Look here http://www.aquafax.co.uk/catalog.html on page 34 of the narrowboat catalogue there are low voltage lamps. Aquafax dont sell to the publc so if you want something then go to a chandlers that deal with them and order it.

Pictures of the journey on our website My Webpage

Journey completed heres how it went :- Day 1 Sat Left Freckelton creek about 11 am and set out across the Ribble to the river Douglas, Another boat came with us but ran into difficulties on a sandbank and had to be recovered by the coastguard!! we got off the bank luckily and continued on to the lock at tareleton. On arriving at the lock we moored up and waited for the tide to ebb as it was too high to get in. Harry Mayer assisted us through and we continued on to Burscough arriving at about 7pm. We struggled a bit in the strongish wind as we have a high side profile and lots of scrapes put on our hull as we "made contact" with the canal sides as we moored up prior to going through locks. We got through all the locks Ok considering we are canal virgins. Day 2 Sun A short run down to the Lydiate Motor boat club who let us moor up overnight, thank you all. The day went ok except we overheated and confirmed that the wardrobe is not he place for the header tank as it spewed hot water out of the top!! after a brief stop we continued without any further trouble. took us about 4 1/2 hours. Day 3 Mon Went to Bells bridge for the assisted passage with BW but a slight mix up with times ment no staff there but was told to continue unassited until he got back to us, we got through the first 3 swingbridges before he arrived. The canal from Maghull to liverpool can only be described as a disgusting rubbish and weed infested swamp. on 4 occasions we were greeted at bridges by a completely blocked canal with a bank of weeds and rubbish right across the canal and about 30 ft wide. we had to stop the engine and pull the boat through by a rope (I felt like a horse from the old days) and continue afterwards. We overheated again and found the cooling water strainer completely blocked with weed. The canal was like an obstical course of weed and rubbish and to top it all we hit a submerged object under a bridge by the M57 and suffered a dinged prop (not happy) The journey was long and got to the Stanley dock locks about 2 ish. I assisted Robert the BW chap getting down the locks which were leaking badly and some hard to move but got a local lad to assist us on the bottom lock! ( BW are sorting them this week) As we descended the locks claire complained abot the boat steering and power which would become evident later. The next obstical was the low great howard street bridge which we got under but it is certainly not 8ft , as you pass the bridge there is an old rusty metal bridge in front of you which is DEFFINATELY NOT 8FT (are you taking note BW - do not state 8ft air draft for the Stanley dock branch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) we now have 2 nice gouges down our wheelhouse roof! The water level in the dock was full so this didn`t help ( it did drop later in the day as more ships left the Langton lock and some of the water goes out to the mersey. We continued into the Stanley dock only to find we could not turn right and had limited power but after much to-ing and fro-ing we got to the wall and moored up and after 3/4 hour down the weed hatch we had enough plastic bags to set up a stall in the market!! As you pass Litherland moorings you wonder why they waste all that money on a very nice facility that i doubt anyone will ever use yet they cant keep the canal and locks clear. We are not impressed BW. you knew we were making the journey a few weeks ago so would it be too much to ask for a clear up before we came??? We continued on up through the docks to our given berth in the Langton dock, calling for the swingbridge to be opened via the VHF radio. The night was disturbed as there was a lot of traffic with RO-RO ferries etc trundling past and rocking the boat with the wake. we also had a huge ship behind us that left about 11pm with big tugs helping her out. Day 4 We called the lock and was told our 12 oclock depart was to be shared with a 150Metre ship, 4 tugs and another vessel, so once called into the lock its amazing how small and vulnerable you can feel with the thoght taht these ships could pop us like a pea if we got between them and the lock walls. The lock gates opened and a quick call on the VHF confimed we were clear to enter the mersey which turned out to be quite choppy for us as we made our way out. a quick call to Mersey radio confimed we could transit down the Liverpool side of the river to the marina as there was no other traffic about. it didnt take long to get to the marina but had to wait outside the lock gates as they wern`t ready for us. after entering the marina we were given our berth and CEEJAY has a new home. We shall put some pictures of the trip on our website when we get chance www.mylittlewww.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk

BW only do the assisted passage (they open all the swing bridges and Stanley branch locks) weekdays so it will be Monday when we get there. May not even get there at all as force 5 winds predicted for Sat (which I believe is the limit for the Seamaster) so crossing the Ribble estuary may be fun!!

used the canal planner website for times as follows day 1 Freckleton to Tarelton 3/4 hour, then 4 1/2 to burscough day 2 to Lydiate 4 hours day 3 4 hours assisted pasage to the docks

Yeah, Can you give us the GPS co-ordinates of all the shopping trollies ??????

Thanks Redstarafloat. Looking at the the pic if the door is 6ft then the bridge does look about 8ft. We asked BW again and they assured us that the 8ft applies to all the bridges on the LL and applies to the Stanley dock branch and that the 8ft refers to the lowest point of any bridge and not the top of the arch. We shall see and wonder if they will pay to have it craned over the bridge if it wont fit as its a long way back to the river ribble and out to sea , down the coast and into the Mersey!!!!!. Trip is all planned for this weekend, start Sat from Freckleton on the high tide and entering the lock at Tarelton about 12 ish then on to Burscough for an overnight stay. Sunday is a short trip to the Mersey motorboat club at Lydiate for another overnight stay ready for the assisted passage first thing Mon morning into Collingwood Dock for another overnight stay ready to catch the first tide on Tuesday for the last leg into the Marina. Apparently we are the first boat to make the assisted passage this year so I guess its up to us to clear the rubbish out of our way en route! (better check the weed hatch) Will post the trip details on here for all to see.

We are looking at taking our Seamaster down the L&L from Tarelton to Liverpool. Just how long will it take us to do the journey? We are hoping to get into the sea lock at Tarelton approx 1100 am. Would we make it to the Bells swing bridge in the remaining day (not much daylight as doing the journey soon) to set us up for the assisted passage to the Stanley dock the next day? Do BW only start the assisted passage in the morning or has anyone booked it later in the day which would allow us to have more journey time to the Bells bridge? Looking at photos (http://www.tuesdaynightclub.co.uk/T03_Imag/03.02.07/Dscn1200.jpg) on the Tuesday night club website the Great Howard street road bridge at the bottom of the locks into the Stanley Dock looks low (need 7ft 6") anyone know the air draft for this bridge? BW didnt know but assumed that the L&L air draft of 8ft applied to the entire canal which would include this. Any info at all would be great.