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As wildlife are one of my main pleasures on the cut then yes I would love to boat silently.

Well, it's such a lovely stretch, and pretty lock, we did this, and a fantastic meal at the Wharf Inn late afternoon following a walk round the absolutely full reservoirs.

So you can honestly say that you have been through Harecastle with a butty. N

A trip on a horse drawn boat shows the difference - the complete absence of engine noise is wonderful.

Came on missionary work from Yorkshire many years ago....they were in such a bad way I had to stay, still working hard to convert them 🤣 Great advice....need to ban the wife's pipe 😂

Just saying hello, have just joined the forum. Not exactly new to boating, have had several small boats on the none tidal Thames, am a member of BMYC at Thames Ditton also ex sailor (way back). Just sold my last little boat, a 14' maxi craft, still a BMYC club member but just keep our twin kayak there now. I live in Surrey and have just purchased a mooring at Pyrford Marina Ripley. By chance we also found a boat to buy locally (sale subject to survey) so hopefully all will be well as it will suit our purposes. It is a 41' Sea Otter in excellent condition (not everyone's cup of tea) but we wanted something smaller to get started with and with less maintenance as recently moved so have lots to do on the house also. Any info on the SO would be welcome (positive ones please) : ) So, looking forward to posting (asking irritating questions). Anyone else at Pyrford by all means drop me a line be nice to meet at some point. I am semi retired with a few skills to hand, good with most DIY skills, also a welder fabricator with a great home work shop. Looking forward to some adventures on the inland waterways (ones that are open anyway). Regards Sylvo

Why have they expolded a nuclear bomb in the background? 🙂

Around a factor of 10 out old chap. Gross error check says that our 2kw electric kettle heats 2 litres of water from 10C to boiling in less than 5 minutes. 1 litre 2.5 mins. 1 litre at 600w about 7.5 mins. 1 litre at 600w by 60 deg about 5 mins. Being precise, specific heat of water is about 4184 joules per kg k. Or 1.16 Wh/kg k. So 600w is going to raise 1 litre by 60C in 7 mins. We sometimes use our 1kw immersion from the batteries, and so far we haven’t turned into frogs nor been burnt at the stake for heresy. Although plenty have tried!

From a wildlife point of view, there is however a slight draw back. The horse disturbs the wildlife before you reach it.

" firedamp I believe was the miners term for the gases and before the candles they worked by flint on steel, not sure how that worked. " The "flint mill" miners' lights were safe because the temperature of the sparks generated from flint on steel was insufficiently high to cause ignition. However, if firedamp were present, the sparks increased in size and luminosity, providing an indication of its presence. Information from the Science Museum booklet "Lighting: 3. other than the home" on artificial illumination. (1970).

When it catches fire, you mean? Note to Sylvo: humour is not banned on CWDF and many of us indulge in it, with varying degrees of success.

Does anyone on the canals really want that? The sound of a diesel engine, be it a burping Bolinder or a bumbling Barrus, is part of the attraction and ambience of the inland waterways. Are there people who actually wish to pay far more money for something completely lacking in character? I suppose the ability to scare the bejasus out of waterside fishermen may be an advantage for some, but that pleasure comes at a high price.

Binnenschip* was built in the early 90s by Balliol Fowden for his Braunston Boats hire fleet, a bit of a pioneering project to promote interest in the then newish idea of narrowbeam Dutch style boats for the English canals - potential customers had something to try out, and we (at UCC) fitted out a similar shell for a private customer a year or two later. A permanent wheelhouse was probably the only sensible option for the hire fleet ... * we sometimes called it Bin & Skip, lol, and yes, I know it's Dutch for "Inland ship" (Schipol = ship hole, if my Dutch friends are to be believed)

From this reply, I am now convinced Alan de Enfield is an AI bot. We are discussing the dB level of HORNS, however that piece of copy & paste relates to ENGINE NOISE. Obviously the bot saw dB but didn't AND/OR the results properly to search on dB AND horns.

For me , it's smells. My first job on leaving school was in a shoe repair factory, and whenever I smell leather I am back in the sixties. My junior school had a distinctive whiff of a sort of urine type smell.It was I think the type of polish used on the floors.Later on I used to teach Brass Instruments, and found some schools still must use the same stuff, as on walking in memory would fly back to my junior school days. The smell of Gunk on a hot motorbike engine takes me back to my teenage years messing with BSA Bantams, Franny Barnets,James, Ambassadors and others.

Without the manual I don't know what Vs and CE is, but: SOC = 100% is almost certainly a lie unless the meter has been recently set up for the new batteries and has been recalibrated, so best ignored. The setting up and recalibration needs doing every month or two if you must use the SOC reading. This will involve you understanding the manual. I = 0.31suggest a 0.31 amp charge from some source, probably the battery charger that is on float. V = 13.36 looks like the charger is in float mode at 13.36 volts but remember they often go to float too soon. These readings give no indication of the batteries state fo charge. Ruining batteries by stopping charging at 12.9 volts is not nonsense, they will not be fully charged and will thus be sulphating, reducing their capacity. I agree you are unlikely to be trying to destroy them deliberately, but if you keep on with the 12.9 volts that is what you will be doing. The only reason I have persisted with this is because of your problem with understanding instructions, in most cases i would have left a poster who seemed to be ignoring the advice of several other members to their fate.

I am sure that we have been through all this before. I am not trying to be rude, but you still seem not to understand. You can NOT USE VOLTAGE TO TELL YOU WHEN TO STOP CHARGING. You MUST USE CURRENT (AMPS) AT 14.2 PLUS VOLTS TO TELL YOU WHEN THE BATTERIES ARE FULLY CHARGED. Try to do this once a week if cruising does nor do it each day. Recharging at 12.5 volts is fine, although you could let it drop a bit lower with minimal effect on battery life. 12.9 volts is nowhere near fully charged, so you are sulphating your batteries, even waiting for the voltage to get to 14.2V plus is not fully charged. It will need that voltage held for some hours before the current drops to 1 to 2% of battery capacity, so you can consider them fully charged. Battery chargers and solar controllers make things very difficult for you because they drop to float voltage when they THINK the batteries are fully charge, and they usually do it too soon. This will be between around 13.5 volts, so still higher than 12.9. By all means ignore all this and do your own thing but do it in the knowledge that you will be reducing your battery capacity and life.

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Hi Jimbo, I just happened onto this post, I’m the current owner of Emma Louise Too. We’ve found the layout of this Dutch style narrowboat such a pleasure to live on. We’re both 6’2 in height and have plenty of headroom in all areas of the boat, with the exception of the rear guest room. We’ve cruised the network relatively well over 12 months of ownership, and only very rarely need to drop the wheel house for clearance (takes 10 minutes to drop and store the panels)…more do for pleasure on a sunny day. I think the most I did drop it for was in the first week of ownership…whilst getting used to her. Steering does handle different from a tiller, but once used to a wheel, she handles accurately and very smoothly. I feel that the wheel house adds so much to the living and cruising experience. It can be hammering with rain whilst I cruise, I’m very appreciative of the warm dry driving conditions whilst enjoying a coffee….perhaps to the envy of fellow boaters! Hope you’re well, and my post gives an insight to the Dutch style narrowboat. Please feel free to follow us on Instagram #emmalouisetoo

Take a bow (and chop a hole in it) The day started out with a visit from HM Sausage Inspectorate to check that breakfast was of adequate quality. Dissatisfied by the lack of samples they decided to make it a thorough visit that lasted all day As per the other side, a big, undersized hole was cut and the plate craned into place using an engine crane With it welded in place at the back then the plate could be pulled round to follow the curve of the hull. Pull, chop, tack, you know the drill. Trim it to fit the stem bar, and does it line up to the baseplate? Does it heck. Stick a centreline down the boat, measure at 30cm intervals perpendicular, measure the height to the "good" side from them, transfer that to the "bad" side, do a dot to dot and chop it to match. Chop through the stem bar (catch the baseplate first...) then jack the baseplate up and weld in place Then trim off the baseplate to the hull profile, leaving a 1" wear edge. It still needs seam welding on this side, but that's the last bits of work I'll be doing in this particular yard before moving it by road to another one. I've recently changed job (which massively helps this project as I actually have evenings and more weekends now) so the boat needs to come with me Tug deck next

Well hello and welcome. Do you not get depressed having to live in Surrey?

Or to make it even simpler perhaps, and as Alan alluded to a few posts up. Keep charging with the ALTERNATOR until the current has stopped falling over an hour or so, but ensure the voltage is 14.2 or more. You can't really do it from solar, charger, or if you have a fancy "charge enhancer" fitted because all are likely to drop into a lower float voltage.

Rather than spending money, why not do as several of us have advised you that involves spending nothing. Use the two accurate scales on the gauge (for lead acid batteries which I think you have). Voltage to tell you when to recharge - recharge at around 12.2 to 12.3 volts with nothing running Current to tell you when to stop charging because the batteries area s well charged as you can get them - stop charging when the charging current is around 1% to 2% of battery capacity, so assuming 3 x 110Ah batteries (no idea what you have) that is around 3 to 6 amps, a bit more if you only have one alternator. This MUST be at 14.2V plus. It is no good doing this with a charger or solar when it has dropped to the lower float voltage. If wanting to check the charger/solar just run the engine to get the voltage up.

Yes. It has a diesel "range extender"