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Yes Algwyn is a 25 foot Dawncraft so no problems with manoeuvring as long as there is no breeze and to be honest I just popped the kettle on for a cuppa while I waited that seemed to upset the rude boater more than being told he was rude lol

Arthur is right. Whichever way we look at it, we can't afford a canal system so it is gonna get shut down one way or another. So I think Parry is actually going quite a good job of managing the decline and close-down, making it happen as slowly as possible. He will probably spin it out until his retirement, and then Midnight can take over and demonstrate to us all how to successfully run a canal system on half the money it requires. MIDNIGHTFORCHIEFEXEC!

That sign does serve a purpose. With that level of towpath vegetation you could cruise right through Banbury and not notice if it wasn't for the sign... 🤣

I think it depends on whether you regard them as services for boaters, or services for those arriving by boat, which is not necessarily the same thing. If we arrive back at our linear mooring after a trip out, we generally want to leave the toilet empty as it could be a while before we are back. The services we use are 20mins boating away, which is fine, but if we boat up, use them and boat back but want to leave the boat pointing the direction we originally arrived then we have a 40min run the other direction to wind, so all round it's a 2hr+ trip to empty the toilet. Taking it up by car is a 15min trip all-in. I could probably wheel it up and back on the towpath in around 40mins. The contents was produced by the same people, boating in the same way (and probably at the same place and time) and the facilities are being used as part of the same licence fee, so I'm not sure that obliging the boat itself to be there to empty the Elsan is entirely justified? Alec

I thought I'd rejig the numbers into a more easily understandable post, which might even get pinned as useful... 😉 Assuming all the solar energy can be used (e.g. any excess used for heating water), for 1kWp of flat/30deg/60deg tilt (south-facing) I get this (100%=30deg tilt as reference) (daily averages using real weather data from https://re.jrc.ec.europa.eu/pvg_tools/en/tools.html#api_5.2) Dec: 0.4/0.8/1.0kWh (50%/100%/129%) Mar: 1.8/2.2/2.2kWh (80%/100%/101%) Jun: 3.4/3.4/2.8kWh (101%/100%/84%) Sep: 1.9/2.2/2.3kWh (81%/100%/101%) Year: 1.9/2.2/2.1kWh (85%/100%/97%) -- fixed tilt Year: 2.25kWh (102%) -- variable tilt (60deg in midwinter, 30deg in spring/autumn, 0deg in midsummer) So flat-mounting loses nothing in midsummer compared to tilting at 30deg, 15% averaged over the year, but 50% (of much less) in midwinter. A 60deg tilt in midwinter gains another 30% compared to 30deg tilt, so flat-mounting loses 60% compared to this. But you need to look at the kWh numbers not percentages to see what actual output to expect -- which is why averaged over the year even a variable tilt up to 60deg doesn't give a very big increase, because the biggest percentage increase is in midwinter -- though output in midwinter is obviously better, it's still probably not enough to keep most boats going (only 30% of midsummer output even at 60deg tilt). And if your boat only tilts the panels sideways -- which most do, certainly to any angle -- you only gain this if the boat is moored E-W (panels facing south). If the boat is moored N-S you gain nothing by tilting sideways, if moored at 45 deg (NW-SE or NE-SW) you gain 70% of the south-facing gain. The numbers for flat-mounted panels (which is what I've got) agree with what I've seen over the last year from VRM logging data. In all cases the numbers are averaged using actual UK weather data for the time of year; on a good (sunny) day output is at least 50% higher, on a bad (dull cloudy) day at least 50% lower based on what I've seen. The key point is how many "equivalent hours" of sunshine (at maximum panel output) you actually get on average, which is *much* smaller than sometimes realised, less than 3.5h (average -- maybe 5h maximum?) even in summer, and only 1h (average) in winter even with 60deg tilt and south-facing. I hope this is helpful when people are considering how big solar panels to fit, whether to tilt them or not, and how much output to expect in real life... 🙂

The Bibby Stockholm could be relocated to the Thames and used for MP's. It holds 500 people apparently, and as not all MP's need overnight accommodation at the same time would Seem an ideal way to make significant savings as it has already been paid for by us taxpayers.

Just to add if your 27A on 2.5mm is based on cable specs, you've fallen into the first trap.... ignore the current ratings for cable even on 24v its the voltage drop you need to think about. For example in your bathroom example. You have 2A for the pump, typical macerator will be 12-15A at 24v so say anther amp for light and fan. So say 15A overall. The volt drop on 2.5mm over 20 metres round trip (you said 30 foot so about 10 metres each way) at 15A is about 10%, 2.3v, 3-4% is usually the acceptable volt drop. You would need 6mm2 cable in this case to get just under 4% I used the vd calculator at 12v planet. Others are available. The current rating of 6mm will typically be quoted as something like 48A by the way. Hope that helps.

On the other hand perhaps such a trawl might show no matter who in in the hot seat, there are plenty of moaners...

Who preceded Richard Parry at BWB/BW/CRT/whatever they are called this time around? And who before that? If Parry is doing such a bad job I'm sure a trawl through the old posts here and usenet would reveal plenty of posts expressing great satisfaction with the previous head honchos.

All these boaters facilities are surely just that. If you pass by boat then they can be used. Why should anyone who drives there expect to have free use? The skips at Norbury are now in the yard of Norbury Wharf and are closed at night, but can still be accessed out of hours by boat. When I was last there, one very disgruntled individual arrived at the old site with an estae car full of black bags and chose not to use the skips in view of Wharf staff. If liveaboards on field moorings feel excluded, then maybe they shuld negotiate with their hosts and pay for a domestic service like he rest of us. You would be amazed at the quantities of crap that we've had left by visitors at our Club that we have haad to pay to clear up.

But - the operator can apply conditions to their sale, including, credit card only, cash only, 100 litres minimum or even 60/40 only. If you don't like their conditions of sale you can go elsewhere. It is not a legal requirement for them to offer every permutation of % they may be asked for.

No, some on here think CART are probably doing the best they can given the parlous state of the canal system and the constraints they're operating under, and that blaming Parry or saying he should be sacked is pointless CART-bashing... 😉 Doesn't stop you repeating it endlessly, though... 😞

and not by camper van! whatever next, my first thoughts are it’s a good thing, only way to guarantee it is a boater dumping rubbish or using the elsan

No. He was just a selfish entitled git. You do get them occasionally, but fortunately not very often. No point in fretting about it. Although if you happen to see his boat again and happen to have a large drill about your person…

No

I don't think the consultation had any effect on CRT's decision whatsoever, and I suspect most people will agree. CRT may have heaved a sigh of relief when they realised only a small minority would object, but it's a bit naive to think the result had anything to do with it. The decision would have been made long before the consultation was rolled out. If the only CC registered boats were actually cruising, we'd all be paying the same licence fees, but something had to be done about the majority that just use the towpath as free moorings, whether or not they live on the boat. I suspect that within a few years the CC licence will be redefined as a "liveaboard" licence, and all the dumped boats will be cleared off the system, either onto moorings or just off. That may be unfair on the three people who do actually progress their boats round the system while living three hundred miles away, trekking to the boat every fortnight without fail, but it's a lot less unfair than penalising genuine CCers, which is what is happening now.

Please provide the links to where NABO has screamed blue murder about licence increases as I will need to address this within the organisation. Certainly we have pushed against surcharges both for widebeams and ccers as we believe in one boat licence charge but that's very different to what you are alleging. As for 'not enough income to do the work', the old truism that a stitch in time saves nine would save CRT much more money to go towards maintaining the system rather than the 'wait til it breaks' policy that has led to some very expensive repairs. For instance, the Easenhall slippage and Lancaster canal problems were known well beforehand, reported to CRT, but ignored. Highlighting issues - well what else can boaters do when dealing with a monopoly but this? And if boaters don't, who after all rely completely on a functioning navigation, then who will? NABO initiated the Fund Britain's Waterways campaign to ask the gov. to have a fresh look at the Defra grant. I do hope you have signed and shared that petition, please also write to your, probably new, MP. The results of apathy thrive on non-action, I would love to see the result of 'boater enthusiasm', how refreshing that would be.

This is the crux of the matter. Where do canals fit in modern society. Is it a national asset, a rich person's playground, an essential part of the economy etc? The challenge is we all see it differently. To some it's employment, to others a place to live and so on. We all want a NHS, an effective transport system and other essential services but as governnental money is finite, the canal system would seem to be, rightly or wrongly, some way down the societal list of "nice to haves"

The perils of autocorrect.

get a younger mrs

A few years ago we were moored up one gloomy afternoon drinking tea and biscuits & watched some C&RT employees install a sign. 1 sign I may add, not particularly big perhaps a foot square and the post had already been installed... 3 vans 3 employees, less than 10 mins actual work but they all sat in they're vans on they're phones for over 3 hours... And we wonder why C&RT is hemorrhaging money...

Well that's our plans scuppered if there is no quick (tape up the bugger) solution. In our many years of boating, never have we come across so many closures and restrictions. A sign of the times. I do not place the blame entirely on crt though. With a limited income, just how do you maintain an aged and often listed structure, that serves no purpose other than a leisure activity?

Limited edition Brindley bricks by mail order.

And far easier than going down the adding Silica sand to paint route.

OK, let's say CART decide to save a small amount of money -- a few hundred grand? -- by scrapping all the blue signs. Would that make you happy? Those signs are of course not for boaters, they're to encourage Joe Public to use the canals more. Which unlike keeping the canals navigable, is one of thr KPIs placed on CART by the government. Then CART fail to meet these KPIs, and as a result DEFRA cut millions off the block grant because CART have "failed" -- you know, payment by results, with penalties for not meeting the KPIs. So Parry is sacked (hooray, I hear you say!), and his replacement finds himself facing an even bigger budget gap than today -- and maintainance gets even worse with more stoppages. Never mind, even though boaters are now worse off as a result at least you've got rid of Parry and those hated blue signs. Do you have another foot you'd like to shoot yourself in, or is one enough?

They’ve done well with the blue signs though, can’t deny them that. Some even make sense

CaRT should be finding ways to generate income from its assets rather than waiting for handouts. Actually navigating the canal provides little benefit to the general tax payer so they should not be expected to fund equipment maintenance whare it is of no benefit to walkers and cyclists. Two hundred years ago canals were run for a profit. Maintenance was funded by the tolls levied against the boats using them. Collecting those tolls was expensive and needed a lot of people. Now we have technology that should make toll collection easier, look at roads and bridges. Why not charge per lock, swing/lift bridge and per mile navigated? We have the technology, transponders in every boat? I look forward to hearing people complaining about being tracked, whilst they are walking round with a mobile phone in their pocket. You could even have different charging bands for different ditches. The 'use or lose it' mantra would actually make sense. Increase the charge for crossing Pennines and CaRT would even be incentivized to keep the routes open and get boats through in good time because they would get more income. Obviously the CMers would not pay much under that scheme so there needs to be some base charge. I think CMing should be treated as a separate problem from funding maintenance.

A long way down going by the last government, who froze the DEFRA grant in £M (so it's been falling in real terms) and proposed to make the £M fall too in future... 😞 But you're correct -- the government seems to see the canals as primarily a linear leisure park for millions of citizens, 35000 boaters (and hire bases) want it to be a well-maintained navigable system which they can move around on, but both seem to want somebody else to pay for it... 😞 If we were still in the EU then it might have been possible to get funding from there as a unique historic asset -- because there isn't anything similar anywhere in the world, and the EU did partly fund some of the restorations -- but that option is sadly now closed... 😞

Unlike some I can read the OP The installer is complaining that thermostats are what short cycle them .. we had one guy who suggested getting the thermostat to run for a timed hour to avoid the problem.. The Midnight's super-duper anti-short cycling device runs for a timed period when the roomstat calls for heat and doesn't switch off when the stat does. Useful for saving fuel in winter if you leave the stat on 5 degrees.

The CRT engineer told me they tend to fail during the final few years leading up to the gates due replacement date, so on the basis that they appear to be a good and long lasting temporary fix which would last until they are due for replacement anyway, there wouldn't necessarily be a backlog. I can't remember the due dates for this particular lock but I think the gates were fairly old. It's not ideal, but given the state of CRT's finances I think it's a good solution, and to be able to have the navigation back open within a couple of hours was quite impressive.

Hopefully going on Sunday.