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OK Dean. Charging your batteries is a bit like a barmaid serving up some pints of Guiness. If the tap works quickly then the firstt half of the glass will fill quite quickly, but then it gets that head on it and getting the last 20% into the glass takes forever, no matter how many bar staff are working on it, and no matter how many pints are lined up, it takes just as long to get that last 20% in. .............Dave

It would take alot more than that to bait me into a discussion on a subject that is so floored and corrupted with false information that the facts are almost impossible to attain let alone argue about. Anything that profits from false information will be rife with it and besides all that, this is a discussion on IWA isn't it? And if polar bears is all you could think of commenting on then you surely missed the whole point of what I said.

jerra,do us a favour and get beamed up by aliens to Tory heaven and take some of your pocket fascist views with you. if you are looking for parasites you need to look higher up the food chain ,state funded funerals for the wealthy springs immediatly to mind. We all have too much tax to pay and anybody who thinks paying even more wants their bumps felt ,sometimes I feel that the inland waterways are descending into a kind of Daily Mail hellhole. Yes this is a niggly post from me because all this stuff keeps rearing its ugly head and no good will come of it.

Done it. A couple of years ago took the local Waterways manager out. Since when several of the problems highlighted have been fixed. I can wholeheartedly recommend doing this but don't make it an ''ear bashing' session, just let them see for themselves, with a little guidance. You never know you just might learn something yourself.

I love myself, I love my life and I love everything and everyone. I have no interest in you loving yourself, your life or anything else. It is an inconvenience to me when I am approached / accosted while going about my business. I travel alot, I don't fit the label of continuous moorer or continuous cruiser, nor do I stay in a marina in one place for more than a few weeks or trapped at a winter mooring for six months which I regretted after one month. I have overstayed at a mooring spot that was busy and I have overstayed at a mooring place that was deserted. I have also under-stayed at a mooring place that was busy and I have under-stayed at a mooring place that was deserted. I have been harassed only a few times. I have moored at official mooring places and unofficial mooring places. I left my winter mooring early. I have had fees attempted to be charged on me that were unfounded and I opposed them and they were dropped. We have hospitals killing old people, we have doctors nipping the backs of necks of botched aborted babies, we have benefits being withdrawn from those who need it, some are dying because of it and some are just giving up. Our taxes are being used to bomb other peoples children, we have higher suicide rates since records began, we have police with new weapons to keep the people in line, we have a corporate 'hungry hippo' culture with regard to our money, we have culls of polar bears and badgers, dear, rabbits, insects. We have social services taking children from mothers because the mother is a bit slow and we have children left with obvious convicted violent criminals who then get murdered. We are being forced to drink drug laced water and being forced into a system which has never and can never work for everyone and if it does not work for everyone then it does not work at all. We have more people than ever parasiting off others and no, I am not talking about 'benefit scroungers' as our great leader likes to condemn them to be, I am talking about those who sit around with their huge expenses bills, talking shit they know nothing about other than from a few books they read about communism, fascism, capitalism, socialism or any other system of control of the masses for the benefit of the few. What is going on? What is really going on? We have people who believe it is ok to discriminate and harass, cause alarm and distress to persecute and and low and behold, they are the same group of people who decide that same behaviour is illegal when it suits them. I personally know a guy who was harassed at moorings. He had to live on £57 a week and he was ex. military. 43 years old, had terminal cancer, triple heart bypass a few months before he died, in the cold in his boat in Lincoln. I am not saying the guy who harassed him is in any way responsible for his death but I will say, the harassment and his pathetic state handout made his life miserable in his last few months of life dying 30 miles away from his chosen place to be, close to his girlfriends house. He was harassed from the moorings when there was plenty of other room for visiting boats. So a message to the rule obsessed ladies and gentlemen reading this - whilst sitting at your meetings deciding on the fate of others, please try to bear in mind that there is a different set of circumstances for every person on earth today. If there are indeed 7 billion people on earth then you had better get your minds considering all those people before deciding and enforcing any rule because we all know too well how the universe is good at giving back what it is given to those who realise what they are doing and equally to those who don't.

Just to counter balance Dean' thread.Today in very difficult windy conditions,we happened upon a boat grounded on the bywater at Beeston iron lock.Together with the crew of the boat behind and the householders at the lock,and a guy out walking his dog,we all mucked in and pulled it off,great team work and a willingness to help.Luckily I had aboard a 50ft length of rope,which I stored aboard after reading this forum.Upon getting back to the marina,I found dents in the bonnet of my car,caused by the plastic waste bin blowing into my vehicle and the bin lid whipping over onto it.One of the moorers kindly thought to take some photos to help with my claim (fat chance).Boaters what a lovely bunch.

I had no idea any vandilism had gone on there , i have never seen any vandals offside apart from the people who were ripping trees/ shrubs down in order they could moor in the nice setting they were intent on destroying , why they could not just fashion a gap in the hedgerow and put a gangplank to the boat i dont know , when i looked at the parcels of land with a view to buy one i never thought for a minute about destroying what i would be buying which was a field where my kids and grandkids could run around in , spend some time camping and fishing in the cut while grown ups were close by on the boat.

I always 'spring' front and back......but last year was repeatedly dragged about by people going extremely fast. You could hear them coming a mile away..and the revs didn't die off...no attempt. When I first started boating in the late 60's people related to the canals. They understood them and admired them and adhered to unwritten rules that maintained the peace and enjoyment for all. They were considerate and took care of banks and locks. I noticed that this has gradually disappeared, especially over the last 10 years. Many people think, that buying a boat makes them a boater. They come onto the canal for many reasons, unemployment, homelessness, lifestyle change, sold the house etc. In the recent words of a politician..... "You can put lipstick on a pig but its still a pig". You can buy a boat...expensive or otherwise. You can buy a variety of boaty headgear, waist coats, neckerchiefs. You can understand engines old and new, gearboxes, inverters. This doesn't make you a boater. Rush about with no respect for the canals or other users..... You will always be....a lipsticked pig.

Therein lies the rub. Any other business for example British Gas when you stop using their service send you a letter thanking you for your custom and sometimes ask what they can do to keep you as a customer. Not the BBC, they use intimidating tactics to try and get you to pay. If an inspector calls they have no right to enter your property. You DO NOT have to let them in. It should be a user pays system, jus like Sky or Virgin. Now that we have a fully digital service there is no reason why they can't scramble the signal and use a pin code to unlock the service. Alan.

For a circulation pump I think a few people have the first one and found them fine, I'd only use the second one if on a really tite budget or as a spare: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/12-Volt-Hot-Water-Pump-6W-12v-Solar-Panel-Brewing-Aquarium-Boat-/130875510167 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/High-Quality-DC-12V-Magnetic-Electric-Centrifugal-BF00-Water-Pump-Hot-Sale-New-/400422979430 And for a plate heat exchanger this sort of thing will do, again I think one or two people have the first one and they're fine: (There are also loads of heat exhangers for combi boiler but only a few have threaded fittings) http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Stainless-Steel-Heat-Exchanger-Plate-Heat-Exchanger-10-Plates-22-kW-/360635994653 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Plate-HEAT-EXCHANGER-biofuel-veg-vegetable-cooking-oil-SVO-WVO-biodiesel-UCO-/121091659436 And for the TMV look for one that's adjustable up to 65°C or more, some only go a lot lower: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/15MM-Caleffi-Mixcal-OEM-TMV-2-Thermostatic-Mixing-Valve-TMV2-Approved-/160995117531 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/22mm-Caleffi-TMV-/281090719664 Lastly it might be good to run the pump from a voltage regulator to make it adjustable and give it a clean supply: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DC-DC-Converter-Power-Supply-with-Voltmeter-1-25-36V-Output-Real-UK-Stock-/300879529926 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DC-To-DC-Converter-Step-Down-Buck-Module-With-Voltmeter-4-5-24V-To-0-93-20V-2A-/271042711263 Changing the existing Hep plastic pipe should be fine, get the matching inserts then use more push fit or compression fittings, and the straight pipe is easier to deal with. Try and route the pipes on the calorifier side so any air that comes out of solution can 'run uphill' and out of harms way. And best fit the exchanger and pump in the cabin space away from the risk of frost if poss. I'd stick to copper or braided rubber hose for the connections from engine to heat exchanger, and fit a couple of full bore isolation valves, maybe a Y strainer too, like: http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Plumbing/Valves/Full+Bore+Isolating+Valve+CP+15mm/d20/sd2696/p11495 http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Plumbing/Valves/Inline%20Y%20Filter/d20/sd2696/p79459 cheers, Pete. ~smpt~

I think we all need to be a bit careful that we dont overload the higher managment with trivia, that is meant in the nicest possible way. It is easy to grab an opportunity to talk to a manager and overwhelm him with problems without any solutions. If you reduce it to rather more specific problems with a possible solution you are going to be listened to more seriously. Access to managers is not a problem, and IMHO is far better that it was with BW, but, I have already had to reconsider how I use these opportunities to get the best results and not to waste them,

It is precisely this reason that I feel tax needs to be spread equitably. I am not suggesting everybody pays more tax in fact if you read the posts carefully I suggest it would slightly reduce council tax if everyone who is supposed to pay council tax did. To me not a Tory idea (I have never voted Tory) just an idea of what I consider to be fair. If people didn't keep coming back and trying to change what I feel is my right to my opinion the matter would have ended long ago. However I am not the sort of person to not respond to "one trick pony" and "bumps felt" posts. I am entitled to my views and as a forum for discussion I am entitled to post them and reply to others who reply to me. Sorry if that is against a forum rule I haven't noticed.

It's only the regular posters here who think this site is so important. To most of the boating world it is insignificant.

Hi I have had gas/12volt and mains fridges. By far the best option is gas. If going electric then its mains fridges through a good quality inverter. I have just sold a perfectly good 12 volt fridge and bought again a mains one. The consumption even through the inverter is only about 10 percent more than the 12 volt one was. Get a bit of solar and that helps. A good bit of advice from Phil although I totaly disagree with him re fridges is what he says about keeping leccy simple. 12 volt without inverter is definately the way to go if you can and then I wouldnt buy a mains fridge, but if I had inverter I would buy mains fridge It is possible to live very comfortably on a boat without mains leccy. Tim

I hope I never moor near you. I've run my engine for two hours for the first time for a fortnight. Electricity is over rated on boats.

Two things, were you moored on the outside of the bend either near Moore or Dunham Massey? If so thats is where the channel is, those that know would have been cursing you for mooring in a silly place. It is near always better to moor before the start or after the finish of an outside towpath bend, then all should be fine, just because there is a wide surface of water doesn't mean there is any depth to it. This is particularly true near the atomic centre, where they widened the canal as a architectural feature, even providing a mock wharf, sacrificing their own land to do it, looks very pretty, but catches the unaware out every time. Many years ago when there was still commercial traffic on the Bridgewater, not only did you have to put out springs , but one had use steel hawsers, because the Kelloggs boats didn't slow down for moored boats, and neither did the coal boats coming down to Barton power station, they were not going very fast but if you didn't have good water under you 25 tons of water had to get past you somehow, it could create a real tidal surge.

Finally found the time to finish the Cabinet door I started ages ago. Now to move onto the bed board mainly due to the fact I broke it with my fat arse. Terence

When we very first hired, we weren't told to slow down past moored boats and we just took heed of the polite signs and then we twigged why you need to slow down. I worry about my boat when we're not with it, because we're on a linear mooring. Sorry you've had such a rotten day, it wasn't (and never will be) me, honest guv. Z x

Thought it was there in case I ran out of logs. Bow thruster does me fine A

Now there's the rub, again a question that will raise a storm. Yes they are more expensive but I have never seen the point of taking perfectly good 12v electricity and pass it through an inverter at a loss to produce 240v electricity, also if your inverter dies on you so does your fridge. Living on a boat has taught me to have as much 12v kit as possible that way as long as you have batteries and an engine you are sorted. There are others that will disagree and by the same token there are an equal number who will agree with me. Phil

If there's a gas supply aboard then definitely consider getting an instant water heater like a Morco. And as others say, make sure the calorifer and connection pipes are very well lagged and not thermosyphoning when the engine is off. Nevertheless, if you only want to run heat part of the calorifer when running the engine, this'll do it: The way it works, while the engine is warming up the water on the calorifier side of the heat exchanger circulates in a loop, because the thermostatic valve only takes water from the left side until the outlet temperature reaches 65°C As the temp of the water going round rises above 65°C, the thermostatic valve starts drawing water from the right side too and so draws cold water out of the bottom of the calorifier which in turn draws hot water into the top. The calorifer then 'fills up' with hot water from the top. Needs about £100 worth of plumbing bits but may be easier and definitely cheaper than buying another smaller calorifier, plus it allows the engine to heat up quicker and frees up the calorifer heating coil for other things, like a back boiler. Don't normally share these plumbing ideas but well, the weather this afternoon is rubbish and it's something to do. But lagging and possibly a Morco (hot water heater) should be the first port of call! cheers, Pete. ~smpt~

Quite, I was not referring to the canoeist.

Whilst it may appear to be a 'double whammy' and the fact his work has 'dried up' is a complication it could be viewed that (if he is a liveaboard) the fact that he has not been paying liveaboard mooring fees for however long has been a bonus. Having paid (and got away with) the wrong rate for some time, is it not 'fair' that he should pay for what he is using / receiving ? BWML have, some time ago, sent out letters to all moorers explaining their 'tightening up' of mooring grades so it should not have been a shock to him. In my mind declaring you are a grade 1 (or grade 2) moorer and then using it as a full residential mooring is no better than declaring you are a CCer and then becoming a CMer - it is fraud.

We did 27 locks one day and 26 on another last may with two boats and none of us were under "50". Tell the kids to "toughen up princesses"

That was my experience too. I was a customer for a few years at Ripon where the on-site marina manager acted like he was ex gestapo, maintenance was very poor and they also made promises they didn't keep. Some memorable experiences - It took them 10 months to change a broken gate lock which anyone else could have changed in 10 minutes. When we complained about the lack of security they said security wasn't part of the service. After Narrowboat World reported the marina was only 70% full they removed some pontoon fingers which improved the occupancy rates. The water used to get turned off at the main stop tap each winter leaving only one tap on each pontoon. They provided a great long hose pipe on each pontoon which worked fine until they decided it wasn't compliant with H&S so removed it again. The costs weren't cheap and the annual rise was always above inflation. They based the costs on some mickey mouse comparision with other marinas in the area but always found that the facilities at Ripon warranted the cost. Their website still claims the facilities include a slipway and chandlery. The nearest slipway is at Boroughbridge marina 7 miles away and the chandlery is at Sawley over 100 miles away. I got fed up with their incompetence, broken promises and the spiraling costs and moved to private marina where I have had no issues at all and save around £1000 in mooring fees I have since heard that one berth holder took them to court and had his contract terminated.

Marinas like private landlords on land can choose the basis on which they accept tenants, generally this is the way of the world. Councils and governments have housing policies marinas and CRT are not required to and I have not heard an argument that convinces me that should.. Edited to correct fat fingers