Leaderboard

i once tried to pay for diesel with a small dinghy but as it was unregistered and afloat on the Thames I was told it was not a legal tender.

I don't know if the OP is still looking in on this, but I would certainly advise looking in on the DBA site https://barges.org and if he is really serious it is worth joining as he will get all the information he needs on all aspects of continental boating and boating life. I would however add my pennyworth that although narrowboats are to be found there, they are not by any means the best craft to have, and certainly not by a novice boater. Tam

Yes. It is the rested voltage that indicates the %SoC. The fact that the voltage dips below the resting voltage corresponding to 50% under load is not relevant and does not indicate that the batteries are below 50% SoC. It is the actual SoC, not the voltage under load, that is relevant. And in any case, 50% SoC is just a rough rule of thumb, not some precise figure below which the batteries expire!

Somehow with the victron kit I had a spare red wire with a fuse and holder already within it, so I just used that. Maybe you could unscrew the fuse holder in the BMV712 pos wire that you already have, and see what size that fuse is? PS - since SoC is a derived value and can drift, I would advise always checking both SoC and voltage together. You can guesstimate the resting voltage by adjusting the observed voltage (to take account of any loads or charges), as per above. And I cant say I'd be over the moon about letting someone used my boat, even for a few days. There is always that risk of a newbie sinking it in a lock, but of course there is other damage that can be done to boat systems by careless use or abuse. But the person is a long term waterways enthusiast, and may never be able to purchase their own boat- and might even struggle to fund a canal holiday at the moment- so it would be a nice gesture, and an experience they would really love.

Which makes total sensse - get your focus group (consulation) in the same proportion as the users. You wouldn't ask a 'majority' of White middle aged men' something relevant to young coloured girls and expect to get representative responses applicable to your target market.

If that is what you think why are you considering taking a boat there? Are you a masochist? Actually it is not true anyway, other than the occasional French version of mrsmelly. Tam

Dutch Barge Association has good info. We try to do about 3 months a year and have been doing so for more than ten years. There are brexit problems though, Bee' is now officially 'Union goods' and is accepted as vat paid in the EU, This means that bringing her back to the UK is problematic and we will not be doing that. We are generally restricted to 90 days in 180 but it is possible to get a longer stay French visa. Boats over 20 metres fall into a different category- even narrow boats so I would not bother if your boat is 20 metres or more. Crossing the channel? Stick it on a lorry, its not cheap but if you look at the costs of boating, depending on the length x width of your boat you might find it is a good bit cheaper than the UK. Right now though the problem is lack of water, climate change is turning a lot of europe into a much dryer area and the last few years has seen problems with that. If you do go ahead it is well worth it but I would probably consider looking for a Dutch cruiser for a year or two, there are lots around and some reasonable prices too.

Exactly It’s a non brainer

Just show them you still have your Bow Drawing Fingers. That'll learn 'em.

And I guess a big problem is that the French HATE the English too ?!

This is one of the reasons I have bought in Wales. The population density of England as a whole is 434 peeps per square foreign thingy, in Wales it is 150 so moocho better. The county I live in is actualy only 40 people per square foreign thingy 😀 absolootely fabulouso

Sorry about that. The 'lot' came from an initial google search then I added to it afterwards. It is not a lot in terms of numbers but if you factor in the land mass size then it is quite a few !

Please do. Don't forget to include the person who -- as so often -- made the needless comment which started the political argument, though... 😉

Please don't make me have to clean out this thread again. 🤬

Blimey - not too sure what has been going on here ! Anyhow, looks complicated - you'd be in and out of Europe regularly, your boat would be there for 18 months max (unless you paid tax and imported it ?). Or you just buy a boat already in the EU but again you would be in and out personally for half the time. Looks like it's just a bit cocked up for us now.....

M_JG has form for doing this, repeatedly provoking arguments and then blaming the other person who has the temerity to push back at him. Welcome to the "Ignore M_JG" club 😉

I'm worried by this sentence: "The [Severn] locks will remain open seven days a week, however, Bevere and Holt will operate on a timed service." It doesn't say what a "timed service" might be, but in the context of Sellars Bridge, they explain the phrase like this: "the bridge will open at set times during the day, for example 10am, 12pm, 2pm and 4pm". Bevere is busy - it's on the Droitwich Ring which is a favourite with hire-boaters. There isn't really anywhere comfortable to tie up and wait upstream, just the high piling in the lock cut. (Or I suppose you could sit on the Hawford landing below the Droitwich entrance.) Closing the Severn locks an hour early isn't great anywhere - there are so few visitor moorings on the river that you're going to be a bit stranded if you arrive at Diglis from downstream five minutes after the lockie goes home. But making Bevere part-time is crazy.