Detling

When my parents brought their boat back from France they had to be clear of the Bay of Biscay and east of Brest - Scillies by 1st September as ruled by their insurance company

The only way this will become a viable option, is if governments and standards bodies around the world sit round a table and produce specifications, like we have for AAA, AA, B etc. Otherwise every manufacturer will do their own thing and they will change the type every few years to ensure you have to buy new stuff, think of Apple phones and their charger requirements. But yes it would be a very good option, to be able to drive to a service point and swap a battery would enable long distance travel (250 miles plus in a day I have in the past exceded 400 miles) and solve the on street parking issue which effects 40% of car owners who cannot home charge currently.

I was asked by plod why I was travelling, I was on a genuine journey so no problem, the reason I recon was the car was registered to an address 200 miles away, so the ANPR gave them hope of a good result for them.

The mounting point for the bitter end (where the rope is fastened) should be ridiculously strong, boats steer into the current slowly when anchoring then reverse back slowly letting the chain and rope out as they go. So when they tie off and let the anchor hold the boat it is a gentle affair. Nothing like 30 tonnes moving a 2 knots being jerked to a stop.

The chain should be as long as you can afford, store. It is as important a part of holding the boat as the anchor, on rocky seabed it is more important than the anchor. Remember as long as you can get the anchor over the side it will pull the chain (violently) over the side. A scared person will move things they normally can't. When you have fixed the problem and are recovering the anchor Archimedes principle helps, and you have time to rig up a block and tackle for the last bit. Hopefully you never need to find out.

Wierd tripping can also occur with the input plug infested with spiders if it is dry, or moisture tracking inside the plug or socket, you can have great fun if there is a bead of moisture on neutral to earth, it can take days to find. The plugs and sockets used are not really up to the job they are moisture resistant not waterproof as in living in a shower with rain pelting them.

What is wrong with L. A. batteries? I have a set, I am a summer boater who (when allowed) cruises between April and October. I generally move 3 days out of 5 usually about 3 hours cruising. I have 600 watts of solar. I never have battery problems they never go below 75% Soc and they are cheap and easy to maintain. If I was a livaboard who moved for a hour every 14 days, year round, then lithium batteries are a no brainer must have. Chose what suits your application/lifestyle.

As long as you have an external aerial then midships seems best you get wifi the length of the boat and in the bow and stern area with the doors open. The key is the external aerial otherwise it is hunt the best window every time you moor.

I have a webasto and engine heating going to the calorifier and rads it works very well except with long periods of tickover and lock flights (same thing really) the engine can become overcooled as it doesn't generate 4-5 kilowatts of heat so gradually the temperature drops. If you are just charging the engine will never reach 80 degrees or above only when cruising at canal speed. I have a seperate pump for the plate heat exchanger (foam insulated from Germany via EBay) which I can switch off for the long tickover times. The inbuilt engine thermostat opens at 75 degrees but only shuts somewhere below 60 which is way to cold to run an engine. The Rads in the boat will get hotter from the engine 85C the webasto gives 65C degrees to the rads

Like all things it comes down to the 'cost of doing business' If the fines are less than the profit being made they will continue. I had a collegue at work who worked in London and never paid to park, The fines added up to less than the parking charges, more wardens issuing tickets more frequently would have changed the odds and he would have paid to park.

It can be done Timothy Spall did it and took his boar round the British isles for TV. Barges being flat bottomed can be very uncomfortable in any waves though. If you are going to take it to the continent you need to look at the required paperwork now we are not part of Europe. VAT is going to be tricky. You also need to look at the requirements of the RCD. (recreational craft directive) for the fit out there are various rules and regs that need to considered, especially as the legal liabilty lasts for the life of the boat.

You really only need 2 aerials for 4 or 5G signals which are predominently in town and cities. Good 3G access will usually be present when you are alongside a Railway line or Motorway, in the more rual locations signal is hit and miss, it may be worth having an unlocked MiFi router and a selection of SIM cards EE and 3 seem to be the best two. There are locations where you won't get a signal, southern Shroppie is an example it is in a deep cutting for several miles. There are also dead spots one such being Crick by the marina entrance but 300 yards further north there is a good signal.

Regarding using acoustic absorbing foam in the air ducts of the sealed generator, how well does it work when wet? Condensation, spray, rain etc are going to ensure it will have a high moisture content. If all the boats in an area of canal or marina used a water based heat pump, the ice would get very thick, they work best in flowing water. Except for the Llangollen not many area of canal have that. Using a heat pump to cool the boat in summer makes more sense, the sun shines on hot days providing plenty of solar power.

In addition to the above if CRT discover by whatever means that cash or reward has occurred your license is cancelled as is your insurance and you are only allowed days to get it off their water, or they will confiscate and sell/scrap it. Bit like your car, if you use for hire/reward without correct paperwork your insurance is cancelled and then the police can confiscate or tow away.

If you cannot get to the manufacturers data label on the back, count the number of cells on the panel. I suspect the 100W Panel will have 36 Cells and the Voc will be 18 volts the current max about 5.6 Amps The new 200 W panel could be 18 volt but is more likely to be a 72 cell with a Voc of 36 volts and a current of 5.6 Amps. If the Amps are the same and your new MPPT controller has a maximum input voltage above the two Voc values (probably 18+36=54volt) then the panels could be put in series and just use the new controller. Wiring in series is not optimal for the partial shading you get on canals. You can only wire them in parallel if the Voc values are the same or very near the same.

Not sure with those plugs. The important thing is to prevent any pins from being live by idiot connection, things like if the shore line is plugged in are there live pins in the dangling one? If the inverter is on does its plug have live pins inside? Etc. I know they have a cover but idiots can lift it up and poke fingers inside.

The computer says jump so you jump.

have you got low level vents and are they blocked? the air and smoke going up the flue has to come from the cabin and will reduce the air pressure in the cabin thus drawing in more air via the vents. If the only vents that will let air air in are near the chimney.... The low level air vents should provide sufficient air, but at the price of cooler feet, solved by big slippers or a footstool.

It is difficult to meet colregs on a narrowboat I have a telescopic mast mid roof so mast down airdraft allows most bridges and mast up masthead light is 2 metres above the sidelights, which are mounted too low as only 90cm above the gunnel, stern light is even lower, but that is as high as they can go, they are well back from the bow to avoid smashing on tunnels/bridges. I have a seperate all round anchor light. Nobody has ever checked and I suspect nobody ever does unless there is an accident.

They need a wifi connection to work, some need a smart speaker as well. If you are lucky the marina wifi may be adequate. Neos is cheaper and has a good wifi range but needs a USB charging point to run, easily provided.

When I had the misfortune to go into the GU by packet boat lane I walked to the bank and jumped up just like getting out of the shallow end of the swimming pool. it was gravel mainly and waist deep. Since then I have an 8 foot ladder on the roof but then I don't cruise singlehanded.

Look great but they will at some point go into the canal and if proper stainless they are not magnetic. Just like my last tiller pin, I know where it went but it is still there.

check the diesel cut off valve, I had very similar would run for a bit then shudder and then pick up for a bit. I had knocked the shutoff valve and it was part closed, silly me took over an hour to spot it.

There is a ton of problems to overcome. Small engine, really just to provide steerage way not built/cooled for prolonged heavy running, but it will have had regular services and testing so low hours. The things are full of built in seats which take a tremendous amount of effort to remove. There is no insulation and no heating and no lighting. No toilet but once you have removed some seats you could get as pota pottie inside. you will have a 'cheap' fibreglass shell not really designed for bashing into lock walls etc, they are built to be light and have lots of seats and not much more, they are also not expected to be afloat for long periods. The steering is poor, it is adequate at sea but vision is restricted and the rudder on the small side. They can with a lot of effort and expense be converted ito a liveable boat but it will have to live on broad canals and you will need to change the steering position so it will fit under most bridges. I have seen several abandoned/ part finished conversions and a few completed some nice some not but they do work. For not much more money there are better hulls available i.e. ex river hire cruisers, which will cost a lot less to fit out for living well, costing less in total, as they have a lot of the work already done.

When my American style fridge in the house needed a regas I was quoted 300 quid to come and do the job. I bought a new fridge as that quote did not include finding any leaks just a pressure test and clean out and refill.