Detling

On the subject of hydrogen the current proposal is to mix hydrogen with natural gas in the gas main. One problem will be that the mixture goes in and 50 miles away the natural gas will come out without any hydrogen which will have leaked out enroute. The hydrogen atom is the smallest atom and thus can seep through tiny holes that the comparably enormous natural gas molecule cannot escape through. You need special containers to hold hydrogen, your normal pipes won't cut it. Dig up every road not a chance. I do not know how porous the yellow plastic pipes are but I am not holding my breath. Hydrogen is also highly reactive it likes combining with other atoms often violently, but will it react with the plastic in any way?

Antenna is to capture the mobile signal outside the steel box and bring it into the router. The WiFi put out by the router is plenty powerful enough.

6 Rads sounds a lot TBH I only have 3 but one is fairly big at 1200x450mm.

You could do away with the big noisy diesel and have electric propulsion using the built in cocooned diesel generator charging the batteries when you haven't got enough sun.

Where did you source the 40A fuses? Some cheap imports seem to bear little resemblance between markings and performance, I have blown 30 A fuses using a bench power supply which is current limited to 10 Amps!

Yours goes quiet at full speed? most sound like a Jumbo taxiing to take off, better than Ebbersplutters they sound as though they are taking off along the runway.

The VSR will use current to close, often nearly an amp, not a problem when the alternator is running or a mains battery charger. On some days in winter even 500 watts of solar is producing under an amp so the VSR would take it all leaving none to charge a battery.

Winter starts on 21st December so hopefully between 3rd and 20th you can go.

Batteries are like a leaky bucket, what you take out has to be replaced and a bit more. Undercharging is the fastest battery killer known. Do not think your 100 amp + alternator will put 100 amps + in to the batteries all the time, if you allow for about 1/3 of its rating you will be nearer the mark, a good battery monitor will tell you when you have full batteries, with volts over 14.2 and current down to 1 or 2 amps per battery. Solar charging is free after the initial outlay, but negligible in winter. Shore Power charging should be under 20 pence for about 80 amp hours. Generator (petrol) probably about 80 pence for 80 amp hours. Main engine about 1 pound per 80 amp hours on red diesel, when we have to use white it will be 1.5 pounds for 80 amp hours. Power on the cut is very expensive and it really pays to use as little as possible. Most boaters use between 90 and 140 amp hours a day. Do the power audit, and think. One thing that helps, when you are moving or using the engine to charge the batteries, as the batteries get nearly full they will only accept 20 or so amps, the alternator can provide more so that, so it is the time to use a washing machine or toaster and electric kettle (small one) before you moor up and stop the engine. That way most if not all the power has come from spare alternator power and not the batteries.

That one has .a very low max voltage 50 volts, if using domestic panels (36volt) they have to be in parallel and only 2 '12 volt' panel (18vmax) in series.

A few years ago there was an article in one of the canal mags about a boat with remote control. I had the pleasure of watching him on the Oxford. He got the lock ready boat moored walked to the boat and untied it then walked up the towpath steering with a radio control unit, drove the boat into the lock engaged reverse and then neutral, shut the gates and operated the lock then drove it out at the other end using the RC. I never saw the engine go above tickover so maybe he had no throttle but he definately had gears and steering.

After this scare is over I think the deaths caused by poor cancer treatment, non existant mental heath care and other 'curable illness' will match or exceed the deaths directly due to covid, not including covid as a secondary factor many of which would have occured anyway. As an Ex teacher it is not just the kids who pass bugs, but the parent/carers crowding round and chatting at the gate.

I have been moored behind a boat with a single cylinder thumper at the Cape of Good Hope. He started engine which shook our boat so the front doors rattled, he then went to the pub and had a meal. So leaving a diesel running is not uncommon and you don't hear of many issue on this forum.

Oxford is great but as you can only get about 2 miles out due to your hire co's restrictions, maybe plan a day there after you drop the boat off at cockrell o clock. I am surprised that Cookham hasn't been mentioned lovely little village with several pubs if they have survived the lockdowns. plenty of moorings too unlike Windsor which used to be great but is now rather taken over by hire day boats, trip boats, cafe boats, and other retail opportunities who have nicked the good moorings but they probably pay more. Henley and Marlow are both good, but on my last two trips both have been difficult to moor in at 14.00. in fact we failed to find a space in Henley one time, but it was June.

With any forced air or pumped central heating Webasto or Ebber Splutter etc they use a fair bit of electricity 3 amps or so running and more to start up. this has to be generated and in winter solar won't provide enough for all your needs even if all your roof is covered in solar panels. Adding an extra 10% or more to power the heating is going to cost more to recharge the batteries.

They are UK law unfortunately, including the lifetime liability, if things go wrong and the fitout was not to RCD standard. How do you fancy a compensation claim from a bereaved spouse.?

In answer to the original question No they are not necessary, I have passed hundreds of boat in tunnels and have never met a LED tunnel light that did not blind me, I also admit to twice colliding, due to being blinded and bouncing off the wall in an attempt to keep out of the way. I have had a few badly pointed halogen lights but never anywhere near as bad as LED light dazzling, worst was a searchlight type pointed down the reflection from the water was bad as you couldn't shade it out and see where you were.

But they should last at least 4 or 5 times the life of lead acid batteries. The fast charge and no need to get fully charged most days will save you fuel, many people say they half their generator/engine charging hours and that can easily add up to tens of pounds a week in winter, in summer the solar which, I would recommend, will do the charging and save all the fuel cost. As you are talking of a sailaway the BSS regulations are only one set of rules to follow the RCD (Recreational Craft Directive) rules are more comprehensive and detailed. Since the 2018 changes you need to follow them.

just try turning an Ellum with a prop wash over it, maybe desperate Dan could, but he would probably break the tiller. Most boats can steer at 2 mph without the propwash, at 1 mph it is very iffy and before now when following a slow boat past a row of moored boats I have had to go alongside one, and hold on, whilst the slow coat got ahead because I did not have steerage way. Murphy ruels that the one you choose its the only one in the line with the owner aboard.

When you have the survey done ask to be present, the surveyor can and will answer a lot of your questions, remember it is your survey as you are paying him. What he puts on paper will be completed with the standard cover my A** phrases making him liable for nothing, but his verbal comments and answers will tell you a lot. On the option to test drive, you will have to ask the broker to get the owners permission, as you need insurance cover, if you have never helmed a narrow boat before not many people would let you, 'borrow', but they may allow a small accompanied trip It is amazing what damage 15 tons of steel can cause even at 2 mph. The blacking is optional, a decent surveyor today does not need to get to bare steel for thickness tests, the ultrasound machines can 'ignore' blacking and only read the steel. Blacking even in summer takes 4 or 5 days to do a proper job so the dock hire gets expensive, and blacking put on at this time of year is money wasted, it will not harden properly in low temperatures.

Remember Solar works wonderfully well for 4 months of the year, fine for 6 months and does nowt of use for 2 months. Charging batteries if Lead requires a full charge at least once a week, and the last 15% is controlled by the battery and takes a long time with gradually diminishing current whatever the charging source. Topping up a bit 'as and when' is a recipe for a short life of the batteries.

Just in case any M P s or Dominic want a jolly.

Take a 0 off and I'll have it.

The two main reasons many narrow boats have big engines it for working against a current, mainly rivers, but the tunnels and aquaducts on the llangollen have quite a strong current. The other reason is 10 or more tons of boat moving at even 2 MPH takes a lot of stopping, if you want to stop in less than 3 or 4 boat lengths you need a significant amount of power. You can bow haul one quite easily but it takes a minute or two to get moving with some steerable, stopping is basically takes a controlled crash into the bank to do it, as pulling backwards just drags the boat towards the bank.

I heard it was a surveying error, they started digging the pound from both ends and when they met, oops.