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Showing content with the highest reputation on 05/09/18 in all areas

  1. When will the people of this country realise that they are totally responsible for their own safety? Getting blathered on alcohol and/or drugs is not a responsible way to behave and if their demise by falling into a canal that has been there over 200 years is the end result it is their own fault and nobody else's. Sam.
    7 points
  2. It doesn't matter how well CRT maintain a waterway, it will never be good enough for some. Each time they improve things, it sucks in more demandy middle class boaters who expect the moon on stick with a switch to turn it on and off, and the grass to be combed all the same way.
    6 points
  3. Aren't there some instructions somewhere about operating lift bridges safely, single handed. Where is Phyllis when you need her?
    4 points
  4. Casper Blackburn didn't die because of a lack of CCTV and railings. He died because he failed to take responsibility for his own safety. We can't keep on making the world ever safer just so that people can abdicate personal responsibility.
    3 points
  5. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  6. I thought lifejackets should be a different topic. I do think they should be worn by skipper and all crew actively involved with boat handling and lock operation.
    2 points
  7. Years ago in the 1950', 60's and 70's vertually everyone with diesel vehicles used easystart on cold winters mornings, the air reeked of it especially Barkingside Ilford where most of the Black cabs lived with the 2.2 engines which thrived on it. It was easier than lighting bonfires under the engine and wafting lighted newspaper torches over the air intake. In my 50 years in the motor trade I honestly can't remember an engine being damaged by it, although their life may have been shortened a bit. I remember a truck with a Perkins P6 in it that started up backwards on easystart, quite frightening as the governor didn't work in that direction, Engine screaming. Exhaust poured out of the air intake and air sucked in through the exhaust pipe. Forward gears became reverse and reverse became forward. The driver managed to stall it up against a wall which burnt the clutch out, but the engine was still a goodun.
    2 points
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  9. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  10. And / or the dreaded "ignorant of the subject" proof reader.
    2 points
  11. Only my own opinion, the canal has been there how long? At a guesstimate more than 100 years. Is there really a need for fences,cctv and other measures. Sad that it is, that someone has suffered by falling into the canal, but I live on the canals and have fallen in once, due to my own incompetence. And I was sober!!
    2 points
  12. Well, after a few years of leisure boating in a little 24-footer, a bit of a break, a brain haemorrhage and subsequent insurance windfall, and all the business of buying a boat and selling a house... we moved aboard our 55-foot narrowboat on Friday. Being on the L&L, I thought we were going to start this new chapter of our lives stuck ten minutes from our old house with nowhere to empty the loo or fill up the water tank; but no, enough of the locks have re-opened to get us as far as Apperley Bridge. Just waiting for the locks into Leeds to re-open now and we'll be properly on our way CCIng around Yorkshire and beyond. We're pretty seriously stretching a point financially speaking, but after my near-death experience and with my wife's career increasingly taking its toll on her well-being, we've decided to just go for it and see if we can't live on a student-level income generated by the proceeds of our house sale - with a decent savings buffer against unexpected maintenance costs and suchlike. Our youngest child is off to uni in three weeks' time so we're as close to having no ties as we've been since we were eighteen. Wish us luck!
    1 point
  13. After travelling fairly extensively around the system this year, albeit keeping to the west, we have had no real problems with the infrastructure. In fact, it's been fine. When a problem arose on the Llangollen, it was dealt with expediantly. But.. The South Oxford is dire. It's almost planned neglect. The channel is severely impeded by overhanging vegetation and reed spread. It's always been shallow, but in my opinion, the pound containing Twyford wharf, must have a potential breach. Lock paddles are broken. Lift bridges are missing counter weights and are downright dangerous. Having to prop up a lift bridge with a pole is inviting disaster. We reported faults en route to the Thames. Nothing has been done upon our return. What is going on?
    1 point
  14. There you go! the inside out and the outside in met in the middle ? We have some pitting as you describe on the sides, mostly well below the waterline, though nowhere near 3mm deep. That's why we are now using epoxy. When we first blacked the boat the dry dock bloke had a look and said it was pretty common and he had seen it on almost new boats. I wonder if some of it is related to the mill scale coming off?? ..................Dave
    1 point
  15. Agree. And how long until there is a full closure due to the leak in the Twyford pound? Spoke with a permanent moorer in passing today. He stated the problem has been on going for eight weeks. This morning, before water was drawn down, the pound was unnavigable. It's robbing Peter to pay Paul without locating the issue re water loss.
    1 point
  16. Owls eat beetles but they ain't trees.
    1 point
  17. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  18. Hi, I wanted to find out the condition of the hull on my 17 year old, 48ft boat and Tony Tucker did a HULL survey for me - cost - £400. I coupled it with having the boat blacked and this made good any scraping/hammering of the blacking and hull a Surveyor has to do in conjunction with ultrasonic testing/steel condition inspection. He produced a helpful report which focused on the boat having too many anodes fitted. Find out exactly what sort of inspection/survey the insurers want and instruct the Surveyor accordingly. Hope this helps. L.
    1 point
  19. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  20. I agree with this yep, wondered when it would be brought up. I'm not really sure how I feel about this to be honest. If you're not capable of assessing a risk such as helmet wearing on a 70mph motorbike then I kinda don't see the point in forcing the person to wear one... As I said previously, I compete at a reasonable level in downhill and gravity enduro mtb races. I choose full face / open face helmets depending on the event / terrain. Helmet use here is mandated, which I agree with as someone who cannot see the risks involved shouldn't be part of racing in the sport. What's not mandated is body armour, as the risk here is less clear. There's a lot of variation in what people use. I would not agree with dictating the amour choice, grown adults should be able to choose for themselves what protection based on risks. Educate, don't dictate.
    1 point
  21. Really? Most people are really bad at risk assessments. Some mandatory aids and laws do help.
    1 point
  22. Crash helmets on motorbike riders and seat belts worn in vehicles had to be made legal requirements because people wrongly assessed the risks.
    1 point
  23. I have no qualms about any boat owner having a CO alarm, I have one and it has set off once when a boat breasted up with mine ran a petrol generator on the back deck even though my doors and hatches were closed. But I object to the dependence on technology that mandatory use would cause. People need always to be aware of risks to their wellbeing and life, not rely on a battery powered detector with a defined working life which can be faulty. Since this culture of health and safety started the common sense element of peoples' lives has been eroded to the point where it is expected that the nanny state will ensure your life and safety from all risks. This is a very dangerous premise, not healthy at all.
    1 point
  24. No it is not the same. You are jeopardising the 3rd party if you produce CO, by having your own alarm it tells you to stop / switch off the offending appliance. By your logic you shouldn't need to have fire extinguishers - if you set light to another boat you'd rely on them to have their own extinguishers. What a selfish attitude and not one I would have expected from a member of this forum.
    1 point
  25. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  26. Well, there you go, easy fart is OK 'cos he's not bothered with that either. I'll tell that to the next boat owner who needs a new engine, they may think differently. Being the occasional horrible bugger does not inhibit you from graciously accepting good advice freely given.
    1 point
  27. Co can affect the boat moored next to you. You falling in without a Life Jacket doesn't.
    1 point
  28. A whole lot heavier too.
    1 point
  29. 4 engines! No wonder you use so much fuel.?
    1 point
  30. That is probably because whoever installed it or repaired it know putting them (and heater plug cables) is asking for problems.
    1 point
  31. Hi everyone, thanks for all your suggestions and advice turns out it was an empty gas bottle! it's quite small 3.9kg so maybe the surveyor doing the gas test emptied it because the hobs were running for a while. the other bottle was actually full so no need to suspect foul play
    1 point
  32. It depends on what you are after by networking them together I suppose? Victron have a open source following so if you like playing (and quite technical) you may be interested (As you know I'm looking for central control/monitoring using a Pi). https://www.victronenergy.com/live/open_source:start The GX screen that Victron do is actually open source and you can implement on a Pi -https://github.com/victronenergy/venus/wiki and some blogs regarding https://www.chronicle.me.uk/victronPi/, https://www.victronenergy.com/blog/2018/04/11/homemade-pi-open-source-raspberry-flavour/,
    1 point
  33. Nope! Gas under pressure will escape from the test nipple when the manometer tube is removed. There is no motive force to make air enter the pipe even once the pressure in the pipes has fallen to zero, UNLESS the plug is left out for long periods over which the ambient temperature varies. A rise then a fall in temp will suck in a bit of air, just as is happening with Athy's gas system with the tiny leak earlier in this thread. (Just explaining, not engaging in warfare!)
    1 point
  34. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  35. Must be something wrong with ours then as the 170hp diesel in there doesn't shake it at all! As the chap at Burton Waters found out last year when his petrol boat exploded when refuelling taking out the fuel berth and another boat!
    1 point
  36. I think he may of had to turn the gas off at the bottle, removed his manometer and then searched his pocket for the test nipple plug, screwed it in and turned the bottle back on, during which time gas will leave the pipework to be replaced with air, His subsequent test that the nipple is gas tight will be fine with air in the pipes. Yes? It was only a suggestion not a declaration of war.
    1 point
  37. Coincidences have to happen sometime! Check that the pillar valve is open on top of the gas bottle. Follow the pipe in to the cabin and check there are no valves on it that may be shut. When you do change the gas cylinder, you need the correct size spanner. The nut needs to be turned the opposite way to disconnect the bottle. Clockwise to undo, anticlockwise to do up. On my boat, the gas usually runs out in the middle of cooking tea. Outside it will be dark and either raining, or sideways sleet! Jen
    1 point
  38. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  39. I have difficulty understanding why the people of Manchester fall into their canals so much more often and with more dire consequences than the people of Birmingham fall into their far more extensive canal network. Having traversed both this summer, I can only put it down to folk really badly affected by drugs and alcohol, which is hugely more of an issue by the canal in Manchester than in Birmingham (actually, more than anywhere else I've ever been, worldwide). It's certainly not down to an inherently a more dangerous canal infrastructure.
    1 point
  40. Sounds perfect to me! Run it for an hour (or even a bit less), get a tank of hot water and a toasty boat, by which time the stove is back up to running temperature and the Webasto can go back to sleep. That's exactly how I run my Eberspacher - theres a 1 hour button on the programmer by the bed to make it really easy too.
    1 point
  41. 1 point
  42. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  43. Its a caulker of a skool bouy howler innit!
    1 point
  44. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  45. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  46. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  47. Unlike some other makes that don't flash at all. (after the Hudson thred I am not going to suggest a make)
    1 point
  48. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  49. Does your narrowboat not have any bulkheads?
    1 point
  50. Checking if an alarm is fitted is hardly a taxing process. It doesn't really generate much if any extra work so not sure how it is going to keep anyone in a job.
    1 point
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