magnetman

Hook line and sinker.

Ah. OK. I did wonder if it was a wooden boat. Makes more sense and less sinister now !

Obviously as it gets lighter the sun will generate more power into the battery but we are just coming out of the dark phase if the year. More solar doesn't mean you need bigger battery if your usage is low. I think the OP probably needs a bigger solar panel and possibly also a smaller battery.

What? I said " If the trap uses more power than you can get from the solar then its a losing battle whatever you do. " This is a basic fact. If energy out of a battery is more than energy in then you have a flat battery. If you can cause this to be "not necessarily" so then I'll be an early investor in your scheme as we will be very very rich. I was of course referring to daily in/out as can be seen in the first sentence.

How much power does the moth trap use on a daily basis? I would be tempted to bin the lead batteries and put a single small lithium battery on there. If the trap uses more power than you can get from the solar then its a losing battle whatever you do. I don't know how long you have been using solar panels but I've had them on my boats for 28 yars and even the more recent high wattage ones do remarkably little in winter months. Maybe you need a bigger solar panel. As someone mentioned above your dead battery does seem to coincide with the time of the year when solar was at its worst.

Does anyone account for any historic boats that the CRT choose to cut up rather than sell? Value of boat is an interesting thing. Who is it doing the valuation? Tony Dunkley on the other side is convinced the CRT are behaving outside of their legal remit with S8/S13 boat removals and there is a slightly unpleasant smell about this if boats are being scrapped rather than sold on.

Yes I remember that. The odd and ugly narrow boat with an unusually large outboard motor.

Do you mind saying which boat it was. You described it as historic which must have piqued a few peoples interest.

It makes no difference where someone lives. If there is anyone, anywhere on the canals who is a nuisance and unlicensed the system should be able to deal with them and the boats. It is not acceptable for someone to be threatening waterways staff to the extent they have to get a restraining order. This should not be tolerated. Canals and towpaths are publicly accessible land. People have a right not to feel intimidated when using public amenities.

A pertinent question must be how and when is the battery charged? Presumably this is a remote operating unit otherwise why not connect it to mains via a transformer.

Victron AGM are very good quality. I have a little 7ah 12v block which has lasted ages. Have been through other similar looking batteries and they don't last long at all. More expensive but the Victron gear definitely is up there in terms of quality.

I think a moth trap would probably benefit from a small LiFePO4 battery.

I bet there was more money and influence on the banks of the Thames than most other rivers given its geographical location. The Thames valley is well known for the money thing. Yars ago there were stately homes and large estates all along the River. Some of them no longer exist but when they did you can be sure their owners had influence and interests. This was of course before privatisation of public utilities. Not sure if the Nene valley was so popular with the landed gentry.

I believe some of the TC bigwigs were also riparian owners which would give them a personal interest in the state of the River as it was down the end of the garden. On a slightly pedantic note the EA did not actually take over control of the River from Thames Water. For a short time the River was managed by the National Rivers Authority before the EA got it. I think privatisation of water utilities has a lot to answer for in all this. Priority is shareholder dividends and not the status of the water. The fines are too small.

I've always found it odd that it is allowed in the small East Anglia rivers but not the Thames. Maybe yars ago there was a different class of riparian owner on the River who had more influence around the effluent. Of course the laws around it would have been put in decades before the EA were formed. Presumably there was something like a Nene conservancy at some stage like the Thames conservancy.

Also the OP specifically referred to using the BS scheme to ban through-hull lavatory fittings so it was always going to be a discussion about non tidal waterways. @MartynG did point out that some of the tidal Trent is CRT managed. Are there any other tidal bits where one would need a BS ticket? I suppose there must be some here and there.

I believe so yes. @Loddon has local knowledge so would probably be able to confirm. This gentleman has investigated the details and apparently Yes is the answer although the thing about the fisheries is interesting. https://www.canalboat.co.uk/canal-boat/steve-haywood-the-dirty-truth-about-sea-toilets-and-rivers-6270282/ "Finally, I got confirmation that boats could empty their sea toilets on not just the Great Ouse, and the Medway, but on the tributaries of the Great Ouse and the river Nene as well. The answer to my suggestion of emptying my cassette over the side was circumspect. ‘The regulations don’t specify what sort of toilet is permissible, However, if a boater is discharging materials/chemicals that could potentially cause pollution and kill fish it would be an offence against the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975, Section 4(1).’" As he points out it is okay if the materials released cause harm to humans but if they cause harm to fish then its a no-no. Funny priorities.

It would be a shame if the L&L boats ended up being lost as they are historically important craft. lt seems to be a dodgy situation.

Some boats would presumably go into a revolving S8 door but this one was a "historic" which is slightly interesting. Some people really like historic boats and do the best for them. I am not making any suggestions about the potential purchaser but is it possible that the CRT 'vet' potential buyers of older boats? (crossed posts with above)

It is a second hand mistake. Someone else told me the same thing except it was a boat hook. I stayed dry

The poster I was replying to said that the boat was scrapped in preference to him buying it.

If someone steps onto the gunnel on that side and reaches to hold onto the handrail they could grab the loose object and end up swimming. Never put things like this beside handrails.

It is a Carrick mat if I am not mistaken.

Something funny about the CRT S8 / S13 process perhaps not watertight.

Quite an unusual windlass as well. I'm afraid I was guilty of throwing one of those in the cut as found it too heavy ! Assuming it is the bronze version not the alloy one. Probably should have kept it really as they are rare beasts.