wiccan

Yes you can run it without the engine and no it won't hammer your batteries. Run the unit for at least 1 hour (no less). I use ours first thing in the morning to take the chill off the boat and get the water hot - I run it for 1 hr 30 mins. That fives us water for the vast majority of the day. I then run the engine for 2 hours in the evening. Its is not battery intensive - but does lap up diesel (approx 1 litre per hour (roughly)) Yes you can use it on shore power - we used to do that too.

I use Navvigator on Www.Waterexplorer.co.uk. The software is free. You don't need a GPS device. You can input your your route after you've finished your days cruising. The software stores your journeys and displays your totals for the month, year and grand totals.

Julynian - yes it does charge via USB. i have MiFi e connected via a car 12v socket which has a USB output too.

In my opinion - Yes it is. We have travelled North, East and West - the MiFi received a signal everywhere and it was stable. I had a single and it was a pain the rear to keep moving it to find a signal and even then it wasn't stable. The MiFi has been in the same spot for a long time and we have not dropped off the network......yet. I like it because we can connect 5 WiFi devices to it at the same time. I have never needed an external aerial or booster - I can receive a signal throughout the boat and even outside. I wouldn't swap mine unless I managed to transfer the phone to a decent network with unlimited data and unlimited tethering (which are slowly becoming available). If you are not on a contract phone or its up for renewell - I'd look at some of mobile phone tarrifs - you might find it cheaper to have a single source for data and calls rather than one for each.

http://www.miracleleisureproducts.co.uk/tiller-pins/tiger-tiller-pin/prod_211.html Try this one too. (not sure if link will work (1st time :-) ))

We moored there for a while. Its a beautiful marina with some fantastic morning spaces. We liked it and would go there again.

You still need a ruddy good aerial to get a picture. I had one - it was good in a strong signal area. You'd be better of with a WiFi dongle and streem TV on your laptop (need a large download size though)

Nick. Good suggestions. I will try the window option first. I think I shall invest in one of those rotating chimney cowls. I only have a short chimney on which I suppose doesnt help. I will get a 24 - 28 inch one for when moored. Im not very good when it comes to DIY designing - so the box idea.......I'll give that one a miss :-) Thanks again.

I have removed my standard chimney hat which seems to have helped reduce the smoke but its still coming in. I have now resorted to putting some exhaust covering behind the vent and pushing the vent back on (this seems to have helped a lot). It does mean I am unable to use the vent - at least I can still control the fire using the Ash Pan drawer. As a side note - the Carbon Monoxide readings event changed - so apart from being a little smoky (which is clearing now) we should be safe. Thank you for your response - it does make me a little happier than this COULD be semi normal in such high winds.

I have a Becton Bunny 4 stove fitted. It has a secondary airflow mechanism above the door which allocate to come in to help keep the glass clean. Anyway, in these high winds I am getting a lot of Backdraft of smoke which pours out of said vent. I have recently swept chimney and check for blockages. I have checked throat plate is sitting properly. All appears to be ok. However I am getting lots of smoke coming from the vent wits no way to stop it. Any ideas or reasonable suggestions to help will be appreciated. Thanks Gary

No I dont. I installed my own prior to finding Solar Afloat. However I have met John on NB Plum and he is a knowledgeable chap. His kit is good quality and he is on hand should any problems arise. He is a liveaboard too so understands the needs of narrowboaters. He is well worth a look and chat to. He's on the Ashby at the moment.

I will be interested in your findings.

We moved on board with a 6 year old cat who had lived until then as a house cat (never going outside). He adapted very well to the change. We kept him in for a few weeks and eventually started to let him out when we moored as long as one of us was with him. He now sits on the stern with me as we go along and sits on the bow when moored. He isnt allowed out by himself nor overnight. He still uses a litter tray. Charlie has made the boat his home and he seems to enjoy the moving around as much as we do (we are full time live-aboard's) Dont under estimate how adaptive and tolerant of change cats can be.

Try www.solarafloat.co.uk. He deals with narrowboat solar installations and all the bitd and pieces needed.

Check thst the Smartguage is set to the rightbtype of batteries. I had a similar problem with voltage being different from percentagr and appearing to drop quickly. I then checked the Smartguage battery setting and it was incorrect - read Battery Type 3 AGM/GLASS MAT batteries....I have totally sealed Lead Acid. I chsnged the setting to Option 6. I then ran the engine and used the batteries as normal for around a week or so until the Smartguage caught up......and heypresto the Smartguage snd Voltsge readings now match and I no longet appear to lose vasts amounts. Just a thought - worth looking at As a side note - I did a Factory Reset on the Smartguage which reset the Battery Type to 3 not 1 as it was supposed to.

The supplementary tank idea is appealing and something we could possibly do - thank you all for the ideas and suggestions.

Is it possible to enlarge a Stainless Steel fresh water tank without removing it. I have a relatively small tank under the well-deck which is not easily removable without taking out the fire, tiles and side units. I have had a look and can see that there is a lot of room from the top of the tank to the top of the well-deck (about 6 inches) and on either side (about 8 inches). At the moment a full tank will last the life and I around 8 - 10 as long as we shower every other day and don't do any washing. I know we can fill up every few days when cruising which is great and no longer a concern. However if we have visitors (who like to shower daily) and during the winter period when we don't cruise as often, we either have to move to fill up or be VERY economical with the water. There is bound to be someone on here has either done this or knows someone who has done it. Thanks

The wife and I left the boat on the linear moorings at Trinity Marina on the Ashby canal whilst we went Christmas shopping. Whilst we were out someone removed our Ash Tippee (they even took the ash that was going cold with it) No one saw anything or anyone near the boat or noticed anything suspicious. Those blooming things aren't cheap (for what they are). I hate to think its a fellow boater but I can't think of anyone else who would want one. We all leave stuff on top of our boats - before long everything gonna have yo be padlock and security marked - its sad.

I had the same problem. I eventually brought a bigger inverter (3kw). However, as previously mentioned - we now fill our Zanussi Compact 1300 watt machine with the temp of water we want and wash everything on a 40c wash cycle(prevents thermostate from kicking in) so didn't really need a bigger inverter (2kw). We also use a twin tub for a while - bloody good machines but limited on how much you can put in on a single wash.

I had the same problem. I eventually brought a bigger inverter (3kw). However, as previously mentioned - we now fill our Zanussi Compact 1300 watt machine with the temp of water we want and wash everything on a 40c wash cycle(prevents thermostate from kicking in) We also use a twin tub for a while - bloody good machines but limited on how much you can put in on a single wash.

I use www.waterexplorer.co.uk and the GPS USB device it recommends from Amazon. The mapping software us excellent. It records journey time, average speed, number of locks and bridges and stores the data so you can get a running total per year and per month and a grand total. The GPS is only 20 quid from Amazon. You will need it to be connected to a laptop but I have used it now for almost 2 years without problems.

I brought a Bush 20 from Argos. Its a wet/dry and blows. Its 1300w (so quite powerful), its light and small. I've used it for both wet and dry pickup and lts blooming great. If I would suggest anything though - buy an extra set of pipes (keep one set for wet and one for dry) The Hoover cost just over £40 from Argos. You might find it cheaper online.

We did the Ashton about 3 months ago during the week and during term time. I have to say that both Marie and I were pleasently surprised. We experienced no trouble from either kids or locks. My advice, go ahead and do it - make up your own mind, I think you will be as surprised as we were.

I had to upgrade my inverter to a 3000w phoenix to be able to use our washing machine which is a Zanussi ZWC1300w. I can now complete a 60 degree wash when engine is running without any issues. The newer ZWC1301 is supposed to be better but both machines are small (3kg load) and blooming expensive.

Thank you. I will order another unit today and look forward to seeing the updated version when released. Again, thank you for all the advice, guidance and explanations you have provided in relation to battery management it has all been educational and very useful.