17 minutes ago, GUMPY said:

Eberspacher used to heat the whole tank in about an hour without a problem.

As did our Eber - but it was 5kw not the 1Kw immersion under discussion.

It also uses far less 'leccy, as it's its heat'/energy comes from diesel.

2 minutes ago, Marc34 said:

And I was assuming that in winter, my stove would be running 24/7 anyway and lots of boats seems to also use the back boiler to heat the hot water.

'Normally' the backboiler would heat the radiators.

5 minutes ago, Marc34 said:

360 Wh for the fridge is actually less than I thought!

You can if you pay £700 for a fridge, buy a 'cheap 230v conversion' and it will not be anywhere near as efficient.

4 minutes ago, Marc34 said:

Does that sound right?

My efficient marine fridge** (12v) uses 30Ah per day.

** Built as an 12v boat fridge, not a conversion of a 230v domestic fridge.

What about water heating ?

A 1k immersion heater will probably require well in excess of 1Kh per day to provide hot water for washing, pot washing, shower. It is also the norm to fill the washing machine with hot water rather than relying on the machines own heating element.

Running your engine for one hour to top off your batteries will not generate much hot water (maybe a bit of warm water)

I have found that whilst 'the theory' is all well and good, in practice you do not get anything like the theory says you will.

14 hours ago, Marc34 said:

Also, I don't mind plastering my roof with solar and to time my washing/drying with when I'm cruising every two weeks or so or running the engine for a bit (in winter).

I really don't think you have grasped, or understood, what you have been told in the above answers to your questions, ,the C&RT movement requirements, or the amount of electricity you need to generate - irrespective of the battery chemistry - what you use must be replaced (yes Lithiums do charge more quickly), and with FLA batteries the 'normal' recommendation is the charge them for 4 hours EVERY day, and 8 hours for one of the weekend days.

8 hours ago, MtB said:

Ok you should be fine then.

Its gonna end in tears !!!

10 hours ago, Pairofsai said:

Just wondering if anyone has advice or experience of the pros and cons of boat lengths for long-term live aboard?

Thinking of things like showers and washing machines to make life easier.

Looking at Wilderness Beavers and wondering are they too small to live on full time?

If you think space is going to be a problem when you live in a 6 foot wide and 6 foot high 'corridor' (of whatever length) maybe you should consider a widebeam. Yes it can restrict where you cruise, but, you have a1000miles of cruising available in EITHER the North or the South, there is just a bit in the middle that you cannot cross.

My current boat is 14 foot wide so the 'rooms' are almost typical 'modern house sized rooms' it bears absolutely no comparison to living in a 'sewer tube'.

22 minutes ago, MtB said:

This doesn't really make sense.

Looking at the chart in your link its warming the calorie fryer by 15c per hour, unless I'm reading it wrong.

How many hours would a 1Kwh 'power bank' power a 1Kw immersion heater ?

3 minutes ago, IanD said:

1kWh will heat a typical calorifier up by about 15C, barely enough to even get it warm... :-(

https://www.perseverancenb.com/post/how-to-measure-the-calorifier

So he has pretty much wasted his £380 becausse he didn't ask for advice before buying.

I guess you only learn by making your own mistakes.

56 minutes ago, WulfNut said:

I have just got me one of those Ecoflow Delta 3 classic on early prime deal for £379, and grabbed a car plug to xc60 cable for £9. Apparently it can charge down to 4A on the cigarette plug so about 50w. And down to 200w on the 230v. My goal is to use it for doing anything over a few hundred watts to extend my AGM life. I do like the idea of trickle charging it at 50w in the summer and then using it to heat my water via my 1kw immersion. Or doing some cooking in my little instant pot.

It is only 1Kwh - Have you worked out how you are going to recharge the Ecoflow on a regular basis ?

It won't do a geat deal.

It'll only run your immersion for about 1 hour - just about enough to get the water 'warm' then its totally 'flat'.

15 minutes ago, MtB said:

TO get to off the boat via the lock ladder when going uphill single handed on narrow canals, obviously!

I can never understand why you would not take the bow line with you when you go to open the gates and then 'walk' the boat into the lock ?

So, YOU would tie up on the lock landing, walk up and open the gate(s), walk back down, drive the boat in, climb the ladder, close the lock gates, when the lock is full, you open the top gates, you descend the ladder/ get back on the boat, drive the boat out of the lock, tie up on the lock landing, walk back, close the lock gates, walk back to the boat and set off.

Time and motion study !

2 hours ago, GUMPY said:

my radio ham days

2 hours ago, GUMPY said:

Hallo from G3LCR

9 minutes ago, Tonka said:

Having seen an air ambulance attend an incident yesterday made me pay attention to a blue crt sign at North Grove lock

E 507 985 N 201 235

Where is this from as its not its Long Lat reference

It is lat-long (but not the normal degrees minutes and seconds) but (I believe) it may be the "DD" (Decimal Degrees") system using "World Geodetic System 84"

It is one of the format options on my hiking GPS system - if it is, it is not widely used in the UK.

A quick AI search :

Here are some key points about Decimal Degrees:

• Format: DD is a decimal representation of latitude and longitude, where each degree is expressed as a decimal fraction. For example, a location might be represented as 37.5665°N 123.4567°W.

• Usage: DD is commonly used in GPS devices, GIS software, and mapping applications. It allows for easy conversion between different coordinate formats and provides a consistent way to represent locations on a map.

• Precision: The precision of DD coordinates can vary based on the number of decimal places used. For example, four decimal places are usually sufficient for most locations, while five or six decimal places may be needed for more precise measurements.

• Conversion: DD can be converted to other formats like DMS (Degrees, Minutes, Seconds) and DDM (Degrees, Decimal Minutes). This conversion is essential for compatibility with various mapping and navigation systems.

10 hours ago, MtB said:

Ah, my post about the pike!

No, the one about the 'negative wiring'

3 minutes ago, MtB said:

What 6 month "rule"?

Can you cite it please?

Many fanx...

Following your previous post I expected you'd bite - hence the ""

5 hours ago, LadyG said:

I did not realise liveaboards were allowed, does this come under a six month home mooring contract?

Presumably not for constant cruisers, ie boats without a home mooring?

Has the winter mooring period been changed ?

It has always (?) been a 5 month offer (to avoid the 6 month "rule")

45 minutes ago, Sid Charles said:

Well being an old boat I don't have a rev counter, but after years and years with petrol engines I know that 1000 rpm is a good speed; anything lower is usually lumpy

Diesel engines will tick over between about 400 and 800 rpm (depending on model)

750-800 would be about right as a starting point.

23 minutes ago, Marc34 said:

Will and engine survey be able to tell me?

A proper engine survey and oil analysis will certainly tell you if it is in poor internal condition.

You are unlikely to find an "inland waterway" surveyor to do it.

Whilst it is very commonly done on sea-going and coastal boats, it is virtually unknown on 'the canals'

It costs about £80-£100 for an oil analysis - get a sample and send it away. Do a search for 'engine oil analysis'.

The 'hours' is not particularly relevant as the engine is on minimal load pushing a narrowboat - service records showing oil has been changed at the correct time'hours are far more important.

6 hours ago, Yarker said:

a speller engineer running

3 minutes ago, Yarker said:

“Diesel engine”, if it wasn’t obvious ,

It wasn't to me - I'd been trying to work around "propeller"

2 hours ago, Yarker said:

Not everyone can sit and listen to a speller engineer running idle for an hour +

How will I cope - I don't think I have one of those !

40 minutes ago, alias said:

 

I don't know if it's the case here, but the option to tick best answer is on most forums limited to the OP who asked the question. 

 

I thought this indicated that the OP thought Russ T had posted the best answer to the question.

 

But if the OP is the one who ticks the box - how is he in a position to decide which is the 'best' answer ?

And, what defines the 'best' answer, cheapest, best looking, tidyest, solves the problem, funniest etc etc. and, how does he know that other suggestions may have had the same outcome via  a different route.

 

If he had to ask the question in the 1st place, is he qualified to rate the answers ?

 

If its not decided by a panel of experts, then, the 'tick' is worthless.

47 minutes ago, Debby said:

 

If you click on the thread that Jen has posted, at the top under the OP's name there is a "Go to Solution" box, which appears to have been ticked by Russ T, and that indicates that the problem has been solved. 

 

But if any 'dumbo' can tick it as "the best answer" - the answer could be totally wrong, or even dangerous.

 

If that is the case, I'd suggest the option to vote it 'best answer should be blocked / removed.

On 24/09/2026 at 14:46, JDW84 said:

Should I be concerned about the surveyor missing problems with the hull if it hasn't been jetwashed?

 

That is very very likely - hence the 'small print' stating that they are not responsible for any errors or ommission in the survey"

The surveyor will always miss several issues, you just have to hope that they are just minor ones. (in my case they 'missed' a problem that cost over £20,000 to fix)

45 minutes ago, Number 9 said:

If we had full access to Gailileo it would be easier as it is more accurate than GPS

 

I have a GPS system for hiking called "SATMAP" and that uses WAAS / EGNOS, and is accurate to 1 metre - it even shows which side of the road / track you are. 

 

Active 12 Features
Toughened, impact resistant ABS casing with all-weather capability
IP65 (dustproof and weather-resistant)
IP67 with the ProSHIELD, the silicon protective case
Bluetooth 4.0 (Smart Ready) enabled - providing Peer-to-Peer data sharing, and Bluetooth Low energy supprt for Heart Rate
Monitor and Bike Speed/Cadence sensors.
Barometric Altimeter - for high accuracy elevation and pressure data.
SiRF Star III GPS receiver (12 channel)
WAAS / EGNOS enabled
Integrated high-gain 18mm patch antenna
Custom Microsoft CE operating system
SD card reader for map data – allowing expandable memory(up to 32GB)1
Dual function USB 2.0:
• Power input
• Data transfer to/from a computer
8.7cm / 3.5 in LCD TFT colour HVGA screen (480 x 320 pixels) with variable backlight control
Day/night visible screen with red backlight option for night use
Accuracy down to 1 meter (with EGNOS/WAAS).
Withstands temperatures from -10°C to +60°C (14°F to 140°F)
Built-in Lithium Polymer battery charger

 

 

 

7 minutes ago, Alway Swilby said:

I think you've been misinformed. You are not allowed to travel backwards and forwards. You need to be on a continuous journey forwards, the suggested minimum distance in a year is 20 miles away from where you first started. But it is only suggested and it might not be deemed far enough. 

 

That only applies to C&RT controlled waters tho'.

 

There are other Navigation authorities who do not have "CCing" as an option and a mooring is required.

48 minutes ago, Marc34 said:

Probably not? It's got a 300L pump out which I reckon should be workable with mostly one person on board.

 

But you do realise that having a pump-out tank means you have to leave your mooring and take the boat to a marina (or place with a working pump out machine) pay your £50 and then motor back to find your mooring has 'gone', you then need to spend hours looking for an empty mooring spot, which could be miles away from where you want to be.

 

with a cassette toilet you can take it and empty it (free of charge) in any toilet or elsan - you can even put it in a bag and take it on the tube and empty it at work. (you only take the cassette - not the complete toilet !)