Dave_P
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Posts posted by Dave_P
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56 minutes ago, nicknorman said:
The facts are that the Combi you mention does have a dedicated output for charging the engine battery. The only uncertainty is whether it is wired up on your particular boat. It is on my boat!
Depends on the automotive charger. Some are unregulated and will eventually (fairly quickly) "boil" a battery dry. Others are multi-stage chargers designed to be left on permanently, with a float mode just like a marine version. The latter will of course be fine.
It was this one: http://www.halfords.com/workshop-tools/garage-equipment/battery-chargers-jump-starters/halfords-automatic-battery-charger-vehicles-up-to-2-0l
Currently £35 charges at 12A and has an automatic float stage. Obviously it takes a while to charge fully, but when on shoreline, you're plugged in permanently, it's enough.
For the truly long term impact, I'm not sure. I got my 'proper' charger fixed and am using that again now.
Perhaps it did damage my batteries in some way, but I didn't detect any noticable change.
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3 hours ago, Phil Ambrose said:
It would seem that the batteries are leaving the marina pretty much full discharged which would suggest the battery charger the OP is using in the marina is not working or is a cheapo automotive one which is not up to the job.
Phil
I used a £40 Halfords charger so about 6 months a couple of years back and it didn't make much difference than when I use my 40a multi-stage Sterling. I suspect the difference between the 2 mile cruise and the 7 hour cruise is that, with the latter, the OP is mooring up later in the day so the batteries survive the night. I would also agree with others that the batteries are likely to be well down on their original capacity.
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52 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:
Maybe it is 'limited time periods' similar to leisure static caravan parks, which must be vacated for a certain number of weeks.
Our caravan park planning restriction is that it must be closed from Jan 5th to Feb 4th each year and the 'leisure residents' are only allowed back onto site for maintenance purposes.
Good point. We don't have any caravan parks where I work (apart from gypsy/traveller sites)
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2 minutes ago, magpie patrick said:
Thank goodness!
There is a huge spectrum of local land based views, from astonishment that there is any issue with residential boaters and "continuous cruisers" to NIMBY and church bell syndrome. This group were clearly in the latter
I'm interested in the consent for residential use " from time to time", how does that work?
I'd wondered that. I'm guessing it's poor reporting. It's possible that residential use has been granted for those moorings but with a planning condition on days/times/hours. I've never heard of that happening and I'd doubt whether a condition like that would stand up at appeal. In any case, I suspect the moorers are quite happy and won't be appealing anything.
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Taken from Planning Resource website. The original article is here: http://www.planningresource.co.uk/article/1455519/judge-backs-council-let-river-boats-used-homes but you need to register for the free trial to view it.
Judge backs council that let river boats be used as homes
25 January 2018 by Court reporter , Be the First to Comment
A High Court judge has rejected a legal challenge against a west London council's decision to grant a lawful development certificate which allowed boats on a stretch of the Thames near Kew Gardens to be used as homes.
London's Royal Courts of Justice
A group of residents, through a company they set up to take legal action, argued that the London Borough of Richmond Upon Thames had erred when, in August last year, it granted a certificate of lawful existing use or development in respect of vessels moored on a pontoon close to Kew Bridge.
The certificate legitimised the mooring of ten vessels in total, four of them for permanent residential occupation, two for residential use from time to time and four for private leisure purposes.
The moorings are within the Kew Green conservation area and in the buffer zone of the Kew Gardens UNESCO world heritage site.
The residents' challenge to the certificate, and the council's failure to take enforcement action, was supported by the Thames Regional Rowing Council, which represents about 40 rowing clubs between Putney and Twickenham, on the basis that rowers' safety was put at risk in that the moored vessels restricted access to those seeking to pass through the arch of the bridge closest to the shore.
But the residents' arguments were resisted by the council and Kew Marine Limited, which manages the moorings on a commercial basis.
In ruling on the case at London's High Court, Mrs Justice Lang noted that boats had been moored on the site, which was once home to a marine business, since at least 1916 and that Kew Marine had been granted planning consent for the installation for a new pontoon and piles in 2006.
She rejected arguments that the council had been obliged to take enforcement action on the basis that, in breach of planning control, there had been a material change of the use of the moorings arising from intensification of their residential use.
A submission that the council had identified the wrong planning unit - in considering the moorings and pontoon as a whole, rather than each boat individually - was also dismissed, as were arguments that the council had taken an erroneous approach to the issue of whether there had been a material change in the site's use in the preceding period of 10 years.
In dismissing the residents' complaints, the judge found that the council's planning committee had been adequately appraised of the factual and legal issues and had not been materially misled by a planning officer's report.
The residents' challenge to the lawfulness of the certificate was, in truth, a thinly disguised attack on the merits of the council's planning judgment, the judge said.
R on the Application of KP JR Management Company Limited v London Borough of Richmond Upon Thames. Case Number: CO/1259/2017
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On 24/01/2018 at 10:35, Athy said:
Really? Despite the fact that they can get in the way in some places, that is a pity. They are not only an interesting part of the waterways scene, but for certain groups of people, e.g. foreign visitors and/ or people whose mobility and stamina would not allow them to spend eight hours a day steering a boat, they perform a useful service. I guess that the narrowness of U.K. canals worka against them compared with, for example, the French waterways where converted péniches (about 120 feet by 17 feet) can be used.
We spent a pub evening with the owners of one such venture some years ago: I can't remember the names of the boats but the business was branded as "Away For A While". They were agreeable and seemingly competent people and I hope they are still in business.
So how many hotel boats (singles or pairs) are still operational?
The Away For a While boat is called Katie. It has now also ceased cruising and is now under new ownership as a fixed hotel boat in Gas Street Street Basin and re-branded as Boatel. https://www.booking.com/hotel/gb/boatel-birmingham-special-opening-offers.en-gb.html
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On 21/01/2018 at 10:57, Laurie.Booth said:
Looks like Bankrupt
There goes my money
Someone will snap it up, surely?
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27 minutes ago, Keeping Up said:
As far as I can remember the hours have been only 12 to 2.
When we last went there, in 2014, we were able to travel backwards beyond Gronwen to Pryce's Bridge (number 84) to find there a welcoming banner that had been put up for the official opening the next day. There is a brief report with several pictures on our website here.
That section was closed again a short while later. We plan to visit the Monty again this summer, but i assume it's still closed so can probably travel only as far as Gronwen.
I think we were 2014 too. The lift bridge was up so it was navigable all the way to the end, even though all online info says the limit is at Gronwyn.
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2 minutes ago, john6767 said:
I don't think that timing is new I am sure it was 12 to 2 when we went there about 5 years ago, it was also limited in the number of boats per day. As the locks need to be manned to control the number of boats ,and to check they are booked, I don't think it would make sense for CRT to have someone there all day waiting for the few boats that go through the locks each day, so I would say that has to be the main reason for the 2 hour slot.
I don't see why it adds a lot of time, the hire boats all go down one day and back up the next day, so nothing to stop you doing the same. You have plenty of daylight in the summer to make it down to the end on day one, stop over night, and then back to the locks by 12 the next day.
That's what we did. Down one day, back the next. It was mid-summer and we booked the day before with no difficulty. The section just beyond Gronwyn Wharf had just been restored and opened, so we winded at Gronwyn and reversed down the last section to find one of the most beautiful, and certainly the most peaceful mooring I've ever found.
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Looks like the book is now finished. Check OPs other thread
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58 minutes ago, alan_fincher said:
How much?
I'm aware of a functioning steel 40' narrowboat selling for that price about 3 years ago.
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Some on here have led very sheltered lives.
They also did this (respect to Arthur too)
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6 minutes ago, alvicchas1 said:
Would agree with Dave_P on this. Cruising the Llangollen canal is a great experience. I moored between Ellesmere and Froncysyllte for four years and later when continually cruising used to return to it for the winter. Not only is the scenery wonderful but it is an opportunity to see some wonderful canal engineering - particularly the aqueducts. Ellesmere is a lovely old Saxon town close to the meres and with olde worlde shops and pubs (great old fashioned butchers if you like your meat). Llangollen is also very interesting - possible to walk to where the River Vyrnwy feeds the canal to carry water to resevoirs at Hurleston.
The canal can get very busy in July/August but should be OK in September.
You mean the River Dee.
It does get busy in July/ August but I rather like that. Lots of banter and chat at the few locks. I've never had any difficulties mooring and if it gets too crowded, you can nip down onto the Montgomery for a few days, which is also delightful.
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The prettiest canal without lots of locks is, IMO the Llangollen. Wrenbury has a hire base (ABC?) and a railway station. That would work except for the brokerage marinas.
6 minutes ago, john6767 said:I agree, but doing large numbers in not what everyone wants in a holiday. You still have 23 locks each way to Napton . Better hiring from Kate Boats at Stockton if you are going that direction and are not doing the Warwickshire ring.
Ah, yes Stockton, I forgot about that.
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Just now, john6767 said:
He didn't want to do too many locks though!
Locks are the best bit! In any case he'll have to get used to them if he buy's and if you head east, it's not too lock heavy, especially if heading round the Warwickshire ring anticlockwise after Calcutt.
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I'm voting for Kate Boats at Warwick. Right near a mainline train station. Good choice of routes from there. And IMO the nicest looking hire boats I've seen.
Oh and you'd be able to visit, Calcutt, Braunston, Crick, Whilton brokerages (and probably a few more I've forgotten).
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On 1/11/2018 at 20:19, Alan de Enfield said:
Boaters WITH a home mooring have to be in a different 'place' every 14 days. but, can go from A to B to A to B to A to ..............
Whilst boaters WITHOUT a home mooring have to be in a different 'place' every 14 days and must go from A to B to C to D to E ........
Extract from HHJ Halbert (the Judge in the case of C&RT Vs Mayers)
6:3 There are clear anomalies in both positions, CRT clearly regard the occupation of moorings by permanently residential boat owners who do not move very much as a significant problem (see paragraphs 3.5 and 3.6 above). However, neither the statutory regime in subsection 17(3) nor the guidelines can deal with this problem. A boat which has a home mooring is not required to be “bona fide” used for navigation throughout the period of the licence, but neither is it required to ever use its home mooring. The act requires that the mooring is available, it does not say it must be used. The guidelines also have this effect. The boat is still subject to the restriction that it must not stay in the same place for more than 14 days but there is nothing whatever to stop it being shuffled between two locations quite close together provided they are far enough apart to constitute different places. If those who are causing the overcrowding at popular spots have home moorings anywhere in the country the present regime cannot control their overuse of the popular spots. Such an owner could cruise to and fro along the Kennet & Avon canal near Bristol and the home mooring could be in Birmingham and totally unused.
I’m sure you’re right but which bit of legislation requires boaters with a home mooring to move every 14 days when cruising?
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5 minutes ago, Laurie.Booth said:
I use a washing up bowl under the stern gland.
whatever fits!
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Stern glands drip. That's what they do. However, the solution is simple: next time you finish a carton of Elsan/Oil/Deionised water etc. cut a large square hole in the side of it and tuck it on its side under the stern gland and put your bilge pump in there.
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11 minutes ago, pearley said:
Few CCers on the BCN at the present though, as far as we've seen. We were in the city centre last weekend, 6 boats moored by Symphony Court, 3 by the Fiddle & Bone, lots of space at Cambrian Wharf and one boat opposite the Cube. Everywhere else empty.
Went on to Windmill End passing a regular BCN CCers moored at Smethwick Pumphouse and another just past Bromford Junction. On our own at Windmill End. Now moored with one other boat at The Waterfront.
Maybe the difficulties of getting to Birmingham at present are having a result.
Incidentally, I see a new mooring has been created just past Vincent Street Bridge when heading out
I can't speak for all areas, but there are currently 3 boats moored on the Soho Loop (2 with regulation enforcement notices, and to be fair 1 is not inhabitable), there's also a boat by Bromford Lane bridge in Oldbury and another has just moved on from the Smethwick pumphouse. A boat was also moored at the western end of the Icknield loop until a couple of weeks ago. On the Selly Oak visitor moorings there are two boats which have been there for months, I know a little of the stories behind these two so don't really want to comment on the overstaying, but that spot used to be avoided by all (probably something to do with the memorial flowers hanging from the trees). These are all areas which I never saw boats mooring a few years ago. Having said that, I haven't seen any boats mooring in Monument Road basin for a while, whereas 2 or 3 boats seemed to have set up a semi-permanent encampment there a few years back.
I do stand by my impression that the numbers of cc'ers is increasing. Over the next few years i expect that to continue and I hope that it will open up other no-go parts of the BCN for overnight mooring, in the way that has happened in London. Obviously I would prefer that the BCN doesn't turn into a linear housing estate but I find it hard to imagine that's possible in Birmingham - smaller city, more canals, cheaper housing.
21 minutes ago, pearley said:Incidentally, I see a new mooring has been created just past Vincent Street Bridge when heading out
Other new moorings have been created along the Soho Loop by installing mooring rings, but it's in the wrong place IMO. The obvious place to install new rings would be close to the junction with Hockley Port but they've put them alongside the park where there's more likely to be troublemakers hanging around.
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About five years ago I was doing a Masters Degree dissertation on health impact of being a liveaboard which included a questionnaire. (Some members may remember). Anyway, one of the questions asked how many times you'd fallen in. The spread of responses was pretty wide, from never (obviously) to "about 5 times so far this year".
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The postcode on this is wrong. It is not B3 1QA, it's actually B3 1AQ.
Not that they deliberately got it wrong so they didn't receive any responses, I'm sure.
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53 minutes ago, Grassman said:
Bournville is a lovely 'urban village' and there is rarely any trouble. The problem is that it's the other side of the factory. Where the moorings are is sandwiched between Selly Oak and Stirchley, both which are rough areas.
I lived in Bournville for a number of years. I certainly wouldn't use those moorings for an overnight stay and probably not even in the daytime if I was leaving the boat for more than an hour.
On the subject of the factory tours (now Cadbury World), I remember when they were around the proper production lines, not the mock up ones they have these days. I also remember that on very hot days, production had to be suspended because being mainly a manual operation the chocolate would be ruined by the worker's finger marks! There was of course no air conditioning in those days.
As a resident pf Bournville we used to have a pass for the Cadbury's shop and could buy chocolate at a fraction of the shop price. Very nice but not very healthy! On some days we could smell the chocolate odour from our house which was lovely at first but sometimes by the end of the day it became a little 'sickly'.
Selly Oak and Stirchley are hardly rough areas! In fact there amongst the more sought after areas to live in Birmingham these days and Stirchley has, in recent years, come on leaps and bounds and is now considered to be 'cool'! (Hipster pubs, artisan bakery, craft ale etc etc)
The entire length of the W&B between the centre and Kings Norton has becomes steadily safer over the last few years. The main reasons for this are that there are increasing numbers of continuous cruisers and increased enforcement on them so it's now becoming normal to see boats moored at various points along the towpath. Also, the tarmaccing of the towpath has brought many more users (cyclists, walkers, runners) which although have their downside (and have been discussed elsewhere) have also made the whole canal environment safer. It used to be that the cc'ers moored at The Vale, Bournville and occassionally at Kings Norton Junction. Now there are boats often moored at various points through Selly Oak from the University to the Bristol Road bridge. I'm not aware of any recent trouble.
As a wider point, across the BCN the cc'ers are making their presence felt and I see this as a good thing. Boats regularly moor on the mainline at the entrance to the Icknield Port Loop, on the Soho Loop, along the Galton Valley, at Spon Lane Junction and near Bromford Lane bridge. This can only make the canals safer for all of us.
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1 hour ago, Athy said:
I shall be keeping an eye out for the first appearance of chocolate eggs in the shops.
Some stores already have them out!
London's Royal Courts of Justice
Land dwellers ganging up on boaters again
in General Boating
Posted
But what is underpinning that rule? Planning? Council tax liability? Or just the owner's whim?