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Now listen up at the back, I've been on canalworld and this is how you steer according to them, pay attention.

Forget the pump out toilet, get a cassette one. The canals do freeze, and Jan/Feb is classic freezing time and you can't carry the pump out tank to be emptied but you can carry a cassette or two - plus it's free!

I got some lithium for a fit out of a 4x4 off road camping trip just finished the trip in Australia. Good trip but for the mozy bite that gave me “ross river virus” just waiting for WHO to came up with a vaccine for it lol. I got 120 amp batteries hr for £1.80 per amp £216 I got two and ran it as one 240 amp hr. They also do 200 & 300 amp hr but they cost more like £2.63 per amp. Miss the boat life but out back camping comes close. Now back home in Goa (wife India born) monsoon rains like 2 meters in 6 weeks so alls good for us. regards to all on the cut

Shroppie Fly another must stop place now. Food was excellent and a good range of beers. Landlord, Black Sheep, Shropshire Gold and Ghost Ship - I had a few of those and in tip top condition.

Yes I've set the voltages in expert mode. I didn't realise charging was disabled while doing this. Anyway, temp compensation is definitely working and is responsible for the "high" absorption voltages I'm seeing. Absorption voltage was at 15.0v this morning, so I switched off temp compensation and it immediately went down to 14.82v. I switched it back on again (and reset it to -30mV/C) and it immediately went back up to 15.02v. The batteries are at 18C which is 7C below 25C. 0.03v x7 = 0.21v + 14.8v = 15.01v, so I'm satisfied everything is working perfectly. Thanks All for your input.

You can read the OP’s opening post and take it a couple of ways, either worry that your boat will never comply with the RCD or have a chuckle and think “are they having a laugh?” Things like raise the weed hatch 30mm? Empty your fuel tank/fill your water tank will solve this one. Decrease the size of well deck scuppers? obviously loads of waves on the canals that could flood the boat through these, most narrowboats would be better off having larger ones to drain water away when too close to leaky top gates and filling the well deck. Fit a 30a RCD between shore power inlet and ISTransformer, wouldn’t 30a be too big? As the majority of shore bollards are 16ah, most inverters/electrical have 16a trip, so what use would a 30a RCD be? As shore bollard and equipment should trip before it, it seems too high for a canal boat? Fitting shore power connect/disconnect instructions? As the OP hints at they're quite laughable really or amusing as he says, not to mention the anchor points for boarding ladders and the already being discussed dedicated bow anchor point😂 As @IanD says 99% of boats on the canals would not pass these requirements not even new builds. Surely the RYA and whoever advises them on RCD/RCA should realise offshore requirements are completely different to Canal Narrowboats, so they would be better off looking into different RCD/RCA’s appertaining to different craft and their purpose/use not just one rule/compliance for all.

Quite. And it was to have exactly this sort of pointless and interfering regulation got rid of that was promised as a benefit of leaving the EU. Thank God for Brexit, eh?

What has age got to do with it? Some are good drivers, some will never be good. Same with boaters. You either get it or not. That’s more to do with various aptitudes unrelated to age.

Your electricity figures are pretty accurate - I have a 1kw solar array with lithium batteries and run the fridge year round, 0.3kwh yield is probably the lowest I've got per day, usually 0.3-0.5 per day. 1kwh per day usage is about right for a liveaboard not particularly skimping on power usage, charging laptop/phone etc. In Jan/Feb, I use 2 bags of coal a week to keep the stove running 24/7, but if I'm away for more than a day I'll use the diesel heater to get the boat up to temperature before I get back, and sometimes for a little boost of heat at the back of the boat. It uses the main diesel tank so I don't know how much it uses in total, but I'd estimate it at 20 litres per month. I've found launderettes to be really hit and miss. Some have their machines set up for a short wash for your money, meaning you get clothes still smelling of detergent. Others are better though. I've been in one with a very grumpy lady who wouldn't give me change, some are very nice... Did the launderette thing for the first year of living aboard, fitting a washing machine was the best thing ever! No wasting half a day cycling to a launderette with a massive bag of washing, waiting an hour etc.

I think we were moored at the general idiot that year. Water was dispensed into our cans from behind the bar, to supplement the main tank, showers at the university sports centre. No it doesnt freeze like that any more, I remember endless problems getting the lister started , hand starting an engine on 30 grade oil covered in frost was a big problem, as we only heated the butty cabin.

https://gofund.me/20b8fcb6?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR3MPW6KAAYGo5Uk54mN_Om4mcz17DJPiyvpihNqGd3c-CxMexqfUupi2lM_aem__leaivuibq4x8Tr65UzymQ From reports on Facebook, no one was hurt 👍

Well at least @peterboat used an Oxford comma to make his intentions clear.

That is not actually correct as the UK Government agreed to accept the RCD (now renamed RCR for the UK) in its entitrity and also agreed that as the RCD was changed the RCR would include those amendments. The RCR is exactly the RCD with a new cover (except for small cosmetic changes regarding the CE marking, manufacturers markings etc. If any sustantive changes were made to the RCR then the current boat sales into Europe (£ Billions - some vessels cost upwards of £5 million) would be severley compromised as the EU refused to allow them in. Without looking at the UK legislation I think there is a clause something to the effect "and subject to any future changes" There we go -found it. The memory is not totally gone " I used to have a photographic memory but instead of being 'whilst you wait' it can be a 24 hour+ service at times. STATUTORY INSTRUMENTS 2017 No. 737 CONSUMER PROTECTION The Recreational Craft Regulations 2017 Made 11th July 2017 Laid before Parliament 12th July 2017 Coming into force 3rd August 2017 The Secretary of State is a Minister designated(1) for the purposes of section 2(2) of the European Communities Act 1972(2) in respect of measures relating to craft intended for recreational purposes. These Regulations make provision for a purpose mentioned in section 2(2) of the European Communities Act 1972 and it appears to the Secretary of State that it is expedient for certain references to provisions of EU instruments to be construed as references to those provisions as amended from time to time.

No we made it to the yacht club and straight to the fuel berth! On this day 2014 Whitby

For now. Once the very richest (who are the most globally mobile) start pushing off elsewhere, the remainder of us will be facing massive tax rises just for the UK tax take to stand still. One third of the UK income tax take for example, is paid by the richest 1%. We need to hang onto them, not start inflicting lefty 'social justice' on them.

We did the section beween Watford Gap, Foxton and Leicester (omitting the Welford and the Market Harborough arms) in 1977, before the widespread closure of country pubs, and also found very limited facilities there, certainly the worst of any of the other canals we have covered. One of our party had a guide book which mentioned that that area had been devastated by the Black Death in the Middle Ages and the population had never really recovered. Certainly looking at the map, the settlements and roads were much more widely spaced than in other places I have visited.

If it helps one person embarking on a sailaway project to avoid one bad decision then it will have been worth my while doing this "rant". I agree its not light reading, I'm no writer. If reading it was compulsory I would not write it but its not. And its not as bad as the personal invective in the Political section. I'm a little disappointed that it is Blackrose of all people choosing to cast solid round objects.