Jambo

Here is a link to a document I put together back in 2011 about how to make a giant map from google maps or satellite imagery. This process worked well back then but I haven't tried it in years so I don't know if it still works: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1b-k4g47OP3M3NZSv778tuAGffiiwWTS_zpwIZRXHAhg/edit?usp=sharing

My understanding is that it doesn't matter if it exceeds the amp limit, it will only generate up to that limit and any excess will not be utilised. But when you're generating 40A, chances are your batteries are full by mid morning so it's kind of academic. Voltage limit cannot be exceeded though.

Should be fine. MPPT controllers that can handle large currents are expensive unfortunately.

Dunno what they're talking about. An MPPT controller can take any voltage array up to its limit voltage (but no more). They can usually handle an array that could potentially deliver more than their rated current no problem so there's not an issue with oversizing your array a bit in terms of amps. What are you going for? 3 x 200W or 2 x 300W? Assuming that the panels are something like 37V panels and that Victron appears to have a 100V limit, you would have to connect 3 x 200W in parallel, but you could connect 2 x 300W in series if you wanted to.

I fitted both switch and fuse between our controller and batteries. I think it was based on advice from here and I think it makes sense - if something were to go wrong I don't really want to be fiddling around with spanners or screwdriver to disconnect the controller from my batteries. It's probably overkill though. I didn't bother with a switch between panels and controller because it's easy to hop up on the roof and disconnect them.

Oh really? He's on London Boaters so I'll drop him a line. Thanks very much.

London. I'll investigate extension options first but might get back to you for a contact to explore this idea further if an extension doesn't bear fruit. Thanks! Ah if the extension fits inside the inner sleeve then that would be ideal. The ones I'd seen looked like they slipped over the outside but on reflection that wouldn't make much sense. Interesting idea. Thanks. Will look into that. Nice solution!

Tried them but they only go to 22".

That's the inside diameter of the collar I think. Will check again and repost if that's wrong. Thinking about it 6" was the od of the collar so the chimney must be more like 7". Some sort of extension might work but I don't want stove juice dripping down. Hopefully the extension would provide enough oomph to avoid that though.

Got a double skinned chimney at the moment but it's not insulated, nor is the flue. That's something I'm considering rectifying though. The chimney is I think 18" tall, 5" inside, 6" outside. We burn about 90% hardwood sawdust heat logs, 10% solid, so it's all dry and we're not short of ventilation either. Cruising around London with the air quality issues that we have, we need better draw to keep it clean. Stoves just need a decent length of flue to operate cleanly which is difficult to provide in a boat! But I'm yet to find a supplier who will make something of a decent length. I've seen them on boats but am bit having any luck with the Google searching. The chandlery stores seem to only stock standard sizes and the little chimney company only go to 22". I may have to look to land to sort this one.

Hmm I did tap submit twice because I thought it wasn't loading but dunno why they posted minutes apart. Mods, can you delete the other one please?

The draw on out stove has always been a little anaemic and I want to improve it to get it burning our fuel more efficiently and more cleanly. I'm looking for a nice, tall chimney of ab

The draw on our stove has always been a little anaemic and I want to improve it to get it burning our fuel more efficiently and more cleanly. I'm looking for a nice, tall chimney of about 1 metre in length. Does anyone have any recommendations of where to look? Needs to be double skinned. I imagine I might need a more substantial collar or some additional way of keeping it in place so if anyone has bright ideas about that I'm all ears.

If you want a really great quality of light then I can recommend the CRI 97 strip that Well Lit sell: https://well-lit.co.uk/store/led-strip-lights/ It's more expensive than the cheapo stuff you can buy on ebay but it looks cracking. As Tony mentioned you'll want to fit some sort of regulation to it for long life but also to iron out dips in voltage.

Are you aiming to fit them in crossways or something? The 245W HITs are 798 x 1580 mm. How wide is a NB roof typically? The cheap Bimble ones are 991 x 1665mm so the saving if you're going lengthways is only 20cm on the width and 34cm on the overall length along 4 panels. If you have a 12V battery set up you're going to need an 80A MPPT controller. We have the FM80 but I'd be inclined to suggest looking at Morningstar, if only for the fact that they use an open data protocol.

Good find! That Targus one might have just enough grunt to power my laptop. Now I just want some nice and stylish wall mounted USB-C PD sockets rated at the full 5A

Depends on your available space. Widebeam owners won't care so much about how much space their system takes up (our 1kW system probably takes up just 15% of our roof space). On the other hand NB owners might well value the fact that the 245W HIT panels are about 30cm narrower than the Hyundai panels that Bimble are offering at 50p/W.

That's more than a little more pricey - Bimble have conventional 250W panels at 50p/W at the moment. Having panels that might perform a bit better in winter than other designs but cost more than two times as much isn't worth it imo. This is especially the case if you're going to be cruising around London where overshading from trees and buildings is mostly terrible from the beginning of November to the end of February.

If anyone's in to making fruit gins (it's forced rhubarb season and rhubarb gin is delicious) then Aldi's gin is very highly rated and cheap. Like under £10 for 70cL cheap (they do a 1L bottle as well).

My laptop (Dell XPS13) has both a conventional laptop charging socket and USB C with Power Delivery. Due to me leaving my conventional laptop charger at my parents after Christmas I switched to USB C and I love it. The PD spec is for 3A @ 5V and 5A at 12V and 20V which is pretty amazing. I've had a quick search but haven't seen a 12V to USB C socket that can deliver 5A at 20V but I'm looking forward to them being released. ETA: all laptops should gradually transition to USB C over the coming years so, as they were for mobile phones, the days of having a multiplicity of different chargers will hopefully be over (with the exception of Apple who will of course continue to fleece their customers as normal).

They did let a bunch of trader boats in there for a week of markets about 6 or 9 months ago or so but yes, generally it is inaccessible.

I think it's unlikely that bans on diesel engines will pass through to boats. Policymakers typically weigh up factors such as environmental impact, availability of alternatives, cost to convert, social impact, historical noteworthiness etc before imposing regulations and I would expect them to bypass boats on that basis. Classic cars that used leaded petrol well beyond when it had essentially been phased out are a prime example of this approach. Having said that, air quality is racing up the agenda faster than any other environmental issue I can think of and local authorities in London are getting twitchy so I always encourage boaters down here to keep their emissions to a minimum. They have bigger fish to fry right now and electrification of road transport will make such a difference to air quality in our cities that I hope it stays that way.

Pretty sure that's always been a lock landing but people started mooring there anyway. Now C&RT are enforcing it as a lock landing I guess. There's no way I would spend a night that close to Camden lock though!

It is complying with C&RT's requirements. They may try and change them but for now that's what they require.

Based purely on my subjective experience I would say it's helped quite a bit. People now have much wider ranges so a bigger chunk of their time is spent outside of the more popular spots than previously. That's been at least partially offset by more boats arriving but it still just about works and is still enjoyable.