Jump to content

Leaderboard

Popular Content

Showing content with the highest reputation on 03/11/17 in all areas

  1. The prime and most important accessory amongst the huge cargo they trundle along to their fishing pitch these days must be an adjustable commode, because I've seen em sat fishing like a graven image for hours and hours on end without shifting from the spot at all. For number 1's I suspect they have a receptacle like a milk bottle fixed onto their willie or one of those what they called the ''Car John'' tied on it which used to be advertised in the Exchange & Mart and News of the World for the incontinent. But for number two's it must be either a commode or a big nappy, it simply must be. They couldn't hold it for that long surely. Or maybe its the reason why some wear big waterproof trousers tucked into high Wellington boots and have to stand up and do a little jig now and then
    3 points
  2. Keeping batteries charged whilst living full time on a boat on the English waterways in winter is a pretty minority activity and so, to my knowledge, nobody has written a book about it. Even worse there are many styles of boat living and several ways to charge batteries and almost nobody has a good appreciation of all of this. There are some people about with lots of knowledge about batteries and electricity but I suspect most of those would be very surprised if they tried to live on a boat in the winter. ..................Dave
    3 points
  3. Cyclists, boaters, anglers .... there are good ones and bad ones of all these groups, we can't tar them all with the same brush.
    2 points
  4. Answer to survey question - almost 100% certain they will not and not be able to without taking the batteries off the boat for a testing taking many hours. They should report on damaged wiring or anything glaringly obvious though. Probably the best advice until you start to get a feel for how things pan out is to forget about all those electrical "gadgets" we never needed 50 or so years ago and stick with things like a car radio & CD player. Keep well away from large inverters but a small (say 150 watt) one for charging things like phones you can not get a 12V charger for and maybe a hand held vacuum cleaner is OK. Stick with car adaptors for things like phone charging and running a laptop where possible. Once you get an idea about how well you can charge your batteries then its the time to add more modern convinieences.
    2 points
  5. Does that mean you are only miserable when you're fishing and not when you are boating?
    2 points
  6. What you need is 1 1/6" (duplex) wick. If you still have an old fashioned hardware shop near you, they may have it on a roll. If not, the cheapest I have found is here (free postage) :- http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1-METRE-OF-1-1-16-INCH-FLAT-OIL-DUPLEX-SPIRIT-WICK-PARAFFIN-OIL-SPIRIT-LAMP/260555758026?hash=item3caa5559ca:m:mPr61kzVygXIGTjuYCQGtrg
    1 point
  7. Yep they certainly do and like here there are lots of positives and negatives.
    1 point
  8. On second thoughts. The ones you see fishing with ordinary shoes on or just wearing shorts and a string vest probably either went on a long hunger strike days before their fishing expedition or ate nothing but eggs, eggs and nothing but eggs for ages before to severely constipate them. Sometimes they errect that enormous umbrella and huddle under it, even when its not raining, which is a bit suspicious. Sometimes you see a toilet roll peeping out of their kit which they claim is for handling slippery eels and roach, hmmm, a likely story.
    1 point
  9. Sounds like good advice Smiley Pete!!
    1 point
  10. I wonder if they discuss batteries on fishing forums as much as boaters discuss them on boating forums? Do they discuss fishing and boating on battery forums?
    1 point
  11. I noticed up here that quite a few have electrically assisted trolleys, looks like they might be variants on the electric things that some golfers use. Thinking about it golf and fishing have a lot in common, moving a lot of equipment about and not doing much else ............Dave
    1 point
  12. Exchange between me and an elderly fisherman on the southern S&W this summer: Him: "Ow are yer?" Me: "I'm fine, how are you?" Him: "Well, I woke up this mornin' so that's a start." I know just how he feels.
    1 point
  13. well dmr i bow and salute you sir. to your knowledge..of knowing the happiest fisherman on the canal s ...its only what i thought tho .but thanks for confirming it lol ...
    1 point
  14. Thanks for all the help here. I came back to boat yesterday and had a good clean around the engine and checked all the joints were tight. I noticed there was a small leakage from the join between the top copper and rubber pipe. I managed to fit another hose clip and proceeded to go through the startup procedure. It took a lot of coaxing into action! I've just been out to the engine again, joint was still dry, set it to pre-heat, after 5 seconds the air filter was showing signs of smoke, after 10 seconds I heard the 'putt' noise as the manifold opened, another couple of seconds there was a nice flame briefly from under the air filter, turned the key to ignition and fired up after 2 or 3 turns of the engine :-) Obviously that minor seepage from the joint was causing the pressure to drop resulting in the problems I had starting her up. Kevin
    1 point
  15. 1 point
  16. 1 point
  17. No need for a fridge now its cold. Make a bottomless box with lid and with a few vent holes in it. Place the box on the cold steel of the front well or wherever on cold steel outside in the shade. To be honest a fridge is not really needed at all, even in summer as most folk shop at least a couple of times a week, so if fresh food is bought it will easily last a couple of days or so if kept in cool place, even milk. Keep a tin of Marvel powdered milk handy. Electric fridges will cause you great extra expense and electrical anxiety to run, requiring more batteries, big inverters, bigger wires, gauges, monitors and pills and medication for uncontrolable anxiety spasms and sleepless nights. A gas fridge eliminates most of that though. Preferably, for extra coolness line the inside of the box and lid with aluminium sheet.
    1 point
  18. Using a fine (galvanised or Stainless steel) wire to secure shackles, nuts, hooks etc. on boats & aircraft. Commonly found on anchor shackles to stop them 'working open' due to either abrasion or vibration.
    1 point
  19. Maths to light a stove..... a calculated risk? For my last boat I chose the Dickinson diesel heater over the Refleks and it proved to be super easy to light and control. I soon discovered that the kitchen towel method described above worked best, but I used to wrap a single square around to form a wine glass shape, so that the diesel soaked tissue stood up and didn't rest on the walls. I would often prime the chamber and drop in the kitchen towel just before leaving the boat, so that when I returned the following weekend, all I had to do was to light it and wait a while for it to heat up. It took me a while to realise that keeping the combustion chamber too clean was a bad thing. So long as the fuel entry and air inlet holes are clear, a generous coating of soot around the walls and base actually helps. The Dickinson has a big glass viewing door so that the flickering blue/yellow flames are clearly visible and create a warm cosy ambience in the cabin; perfect!
    1 point
  20. I agree with Tim. When I was doing some very long trips way out of the South/South Midlands Retained membership seemed a good idea because RCR or their contractors had local knowledge and I did not. However when the alternator failed in Burton upon Trent I still located and took to to a local repair shop rather than pay the £40 call out charge (as it then was).
    1 point
  21. We are starting at Lechlade, having nine days non tidal and then heading into London for a week. God help us Then back to the tranquil Trent for a few days to relax and unwind and end the holiday.
    1 point
  22. We have these fitted and they are brilliant. We use this version the Speedseal Life: http://www.speedseal.com/SpeedsealLife/SpeedsealLife.html The teflon plates help reduce the wear on the impellor if it should run dry. It sounds like snake oil, but we used to go through two or three impellors a year due to dry running after picking up crap on the water intake. Since fitting this we replace the impellors every two or three years when they wear out. The plate has more then paid for itself over the years.
    1 point
  23. Completely agree...............err well apart from cyclists
    1 point
  24. Mmmmmmmmmm methinks you will like it but the Trent it aint. Plenty of nobbie posh houses littering the banks as you get south of Oxford towards the big slum but my bet is you will prefer the Trent by a country mile. Go up to Lechlade if you get chance its by far prettier than the more used Slum to Oxford route. Don't look for any big locks as there arnt any and remember to turn your engine off in locks as they are " very special "
    1 point
  25. Exactly this. Although RCR were not around 28 years ago wen we started I would have been a member if they had been. For me they are an emergency get me out of trouble service I wouldn't entertain them for anything major I would use people I know or by personal recommendation for such stuff. I am a bronze member that's all we require and it still gives the parts as specified cover. I can change my car tyre but I wouldn't drive without car roadside cover. We are at present off on yet another long term cruise ( Health permitting ) using in the next twelve months waters between York and Bristol so its just piece of mind for less than the price of one pint of beer per week.
    1 point
  26. I feel it does a person little credit pretending they don't read narrowboatworld and then quoting it, saying it was sent to them by a third party. But thank you for the retraction ...
    1 point
  27. These people are not engineers. Mechanical engineers have professional qualifications.Are RCR 'engineers' members of any professional engineering body? If you claim to be a medical doctor when you are not then this can be a criminal offence if you practise as such. There is no such protection for the engineering profession. The majority of people who call themselves engineers are at best 'technicians' and one wonders at times just how much training they have had to perform even this limited role. Regards, HughC.
    1 point
  28. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  29. Oi, I've got one of them. Not only have I got no soul I have no need of Whitworth spanners, a sledgehammer, easy start, a rupture truss, a gorilla to start the bastard and I don't look like a panda after peering through the black smoke from the exhaust.
    1 point
  30. I have a Taylor's pot burning diesel heater and lighting it is always exciting. I squirt in about a tablespoon full of diesel (or kerosene) using a garden hand sprayer, use a small butane blow torch to heat the chamber from underneath until white diesel vapour begins to rise, and then aim the blow torch into the access hole at the front. After the explosion subsides, the combustion chamber is nicely alight. The whole process takes just seconds, but it will terify the cat and possibly the wife and you may lose your eyebrows! I wouldn't do it any other way........
    1 point
  31. There are twonks in both leisure pursuits. 35,000 boaters and 2.5 million anglers. Do the maths.
    1 point
  32. my fella is also a very keen fisherman .and like ianali said .a bit unfair to the fisherman ..if a fisherman catches lots of fish from the same place .they will very often go back to that same spot .true they do fish in some places they are not allowed ...bit like me some times mooring where im not suppose too not very often but it has happened .we have come across ..some horrible fishermen and some very nice ones ...i have also come across some very nasty boaters .and again some very nice ones ..and there was not a fisherman in sight ..they where just nasty boaters ...
    1 point
  33. I boat and I fish. I am very rarely miserable. Have to say I find some of the above posters views to be rude. Ian.
    1 point
  34. They had an outing on the Ashby a few weeks ago, i cruised past on tick over, cup of tea in one hand, big fat bacon and egg sarnie in the other, saying hello to each one... You could see the hatred in their eyes as they grumbled back and lifted their poles out the water.
    1 point
  35. I certainly did and am still here. I need to go down to Northwich for a few days but hope to get up here again next week. They have a great open mic night at the Red Lion, for a small depressed town they have some very talented people. I love the Weaver, it must be a very expensive navigation to maintain and is not used nearly enough by boaters to justify this expense, the last thing it needs is fishermen scaring boaters away. This is why I have submitted an incident report so that CaRT can, I hope, have a word with the fishing club. ..............Dave
    1 point
  36. The problem with your question is that there are no definitive answers about the subject. It is even arguable that we do not yet fully understand how our lead acid batteries work. Then there is the large range of battery types and construction even before you consider the almost infinite ways boaters and others use their batteries. If you have a look at my website that I wrote as a free resource to try to help and advise actual and potential ordinary (as in non-expert) boaters you will see there is no definitive battery advice. Only examples of how to do the basic "calculations" so you stand some chance of understanding what you need to in order to minimise battery problems and get an optimum battery life. This is deliberate because there are no right or wrong answers to the question. It is also a very large question because to get the best from your batteries you MUST start with assessing your electrical requirements, from that battery bank size, and then sorting out the charging. This then feeds back to electrical demand until you develop a suitable balance. Even then a suitable balance is likely to be different for different people. Just be wary of commercial offerings like the above link, there is always the danger that any such text will make more of the company's products than those from other companies. The battery "guidelines" are simple enough: 1. Install at least 25% more battery capacity than you calculate you need (to allow for some loss of capacity caused by sulphation).. 2. Try to avoid discharging below about 50% of charge (to maximise cyclic life). 3. Recharge as fully as you can as soon as you have discharged the batteries (to minimise the rate of sulphation). 4. Install some form of battery monitoring. (so you can comply with 2 and 3 above). 5. Learn how to use the battery monitoring equipment and FULLY UNDERSTAND its weak spots. Yes you do have it right and if you look at the questions you will see fairly large scale unwillingness to answer questions (typical excuse - "I can't do a power audit) and then take advice. Personally I get by well enough with a voltmeter and decent ammeter to monitor my batteries. The voltmeter will tell me when 2 above comes into play BUT when and the conditions I read it under are important. That is usually first thing in the morning or last thing at night with no solar input and no other loads drawing power. 3 above is accomplished by having solar charging and running the engine every day when I have no shore powered charger. Others may use a generator. I then keep charging until the charging amps are around 1% to 2% of battery capacity so with a split charge system and 430Ah of battery capacity I try to charge until the current drops to about 10 amps with no significant electrical loads. PS - Alan's put back in 20% more than you have taken out is again only a guide. The figures I obtained on line suggest anything between 10% and 40% depending upon battery construction, temperature and condition and those tend to be unknown. This is avoided by the 1% to 2% of battery capacity charging current thing.
    1 point
  37. I rarely block anyone anywhere but the way the chap who posts “the floater” spam all over the Facebook boating groups meant he was the possibly first person I ever blocked. Total drivel....and if you criticised his viewpoint he wasn’t happy!
    1 point
  38. Looking at the URL, there is nothing worth discussing. A hysterical, illogical anti-CRT rant will lie behind it.
    1 point
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.