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Sea Dog

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Posts posted by Sea Dog

  1. I have been narrow boating for several years (as holidays). I am a 46 year old lawyer and will be having permanent mooring in London - bit waning to move the boat around weekends etc

    I have been narrow boating for several years (as holidays). I am a 46 year old lawyer and will be having permanent mooring in London - bit waning to move the boat around weekends etc

    * but wanting

    In duplicate, with a footnote amendment - you really are a lawyer!;)

  2. I was pleasantly surprised when I came back to my boat after a month the find the bilge 100% dry

     

     

    Tempting fate, I know, but I'd be unpleasantly surprised if my bilge wasn't 100% dry! The Volvo water lubricated stern seal was not on my list of requirements when I bought my boat, but it has been a very welcome bonus.

     

    Now I've posted that, I await the horror stories and hope I haven't hexxed myself!

  3. Thank you Graham, sheep must be restless tonight eh? Really, I'm so disappointed with some members here.

     

    I've asked about the viability of an hydraulic hybrid drive because i was curious. In a world of increasing hybrid energy systems that doesn't appear to be an unreasonable tack.

     

    So why the resulting personal jibes I really haven't a clue. I've never claimed to be an experienced narrow boater, I haven't stood up and told you that you've all got it wrong - I'm curious, that's all, OK?

     

    Boats hit or glance each other and off locks and bridges - sorry, but that's contact! Tankers don't, aeroplanes don't, canal boats do - complicated to differentiate? Apparently so...

     

    Some have been kind, offered their advice and wished me well, despite thinking I'm a little strange and misguided - that's great - thank you, really - this attitude reflects my experiences with the canal community, happy and helpful.

     

    How does my experience on the cut affect the technical viability of a theoretical hydraulic hybrid drive system?

     

    Returning to the hybrid scene, also some interesting reading here http://www.hybrid-marine.co.uk/resources/Sea+trial+report-rev3.pdf.

     

    Maybe someone will follow the link on day and find it constructive, I thought that was the fundamental purpose of a technical forum?

     

    Dalslandia gets it, others too - bless you, thank you Sir! A post with a report that's linked to the subject in hand. It may not contain the info I'd like it to in an ideal world, but I'm better informed as a consequence of his post, as is anyone who visits with a similar curiosity.

     

    FFS!!!

     

     

    Hi dpaws,

     

    I'm skeptical about your idea, mainly because I think it's based on some flawed assumptions, but I like the idea that you're having the idea and sharing it here. I don't think you deserve grief for that, although some robust answers are inevitable, so I hope that you weather the storm.

     

    There's been a bunch of similar ideas challenging the conventional wisdom in narrowboat propulsion, none of which (in my opinion) come close to challenging it in reality usually because (again in my opinion) the implementation costs hugely outweigh the benefits. Nevertheless, I love the ideas. There are some actually out on the water, and 'NB Ampere' springs to mind as one. Not as unconventional as your idea, just a recent generation (sorry) of electric propulsion, but still unconventional at present. It's a beautiful boat to my own eyes and the systems are elegant from what I've read, but I'd be surprised if anyone would suggest it's really serious challenge as a mainstream power plant - yet. Possibly it's a folly, possibly it's a step in the right direction, but either way it's a welcome step in my view. Lest we forget, horses were the conventional power plant until someone came up with an idea to challenge that conventional wisdom. I don't think your idea will frighten the horses, but please don't let that put you off either thinking about it or sharing it with us!

     

    Best wishes

    • Greenie 1
  4.  

    Sea dog, its tempting but a bit outside my budget i'm afraid.sad.png

     

    Fair enough. If you're really on a budget, I also have one of these I used for presentations on a laptop. You'd be amazed by the sound! You can also join two together for stereo and even more volume as suggested above. Other similar units are available - the thing is, you can charge them when you're running so power consumption isn't an issue. There's bound to be something similar within your budget that gives you these advantages without resorting to something designed for home use where power budget isn't a key concern. I'd recommend exploring the concept, even if you go back to your first thoughts in the end. Best wishes.

  5. Crikey, we're having a bit of a run on alternative propulsion at the moment, aren't we. Healthy debate, I'm sure, but I'm not sure why so many folk seem intent to find ways to spend a fortune to implement an alternative to something as cheap to buy, economical to run safe and reliable as the well-established diesel engine.

     

    Having said that, does anyone see why a few 12v computer fans fitted to holes in the baseplate (with precious metal non-return valves to prevent water ingress, obviously) can't be used to provide lift, either to give a hover capability or just to reduce the displacement and hence improve fuel economy? rolleyes.gif

    • Greenie 1
  6. I use a Cambridge Go. It's rechargeable, so uses nothing whilst you're moored up - 10 hours per charge iirc. It plugs into the telly with a simple audio lead ( 3.5mm jack type) which I leave connected permanently. It will also bluetooth to your mobile phone (or any other source) for music or radio without having to disconnect the physical lead to the tv. Sound quality is very good for such a unit, and it's more than powerful enough to meet my needs in the narrowboat. Can't recommend it highly enough. This bunch have them at £119 http://www.richersounds.com/search/cambridge%20go

  7. is the any where that sells them?

     

    Yes, there is. There was a guy at Crick show who made and fitted these and also did custom fitted blinds that fit front door glazing, etc. You're probably wanting details now, and I haven't a clue, but maybe this will jog the memory of someone who does?

  8. They're spending £97 million on a new computer this year.

     

     

    And that's a bad thing? They are quite a large and respected organisation, their business is hugely data intensive and their output relies on the product of a great deal of process-intensive computer modeling - I can't really see that investing in computing is anything but essential to their business.

  9. One of the things that the Met Office and BBC have had friction over in the past has been the Met Office taking issue with the BBC "dumbing down" their weather output. With that in the backdrop and the possibility that other nations national forecasters may be in with a shout, it would seem unlikely that the Met Office's loss isn't also going to be ours.

  10.  

    Life does indeed pass quickly, I'd prefer to spend that time enjoying the scenery rather than deglazing cylinder bores, that's all :) Each to their own....

    I wish you every success with your quest. As an engineer I enjoy such exploration and pushing established boundaries is essential to progress.

     

    However, if you're doing it to avoid spending long hours deglazing the bores of a more conventional power plant, you may be somewhat overestimating the scale of the issue!

     

    I think you've already spent more time on this idea than you'll ever spend deglazing bores, but don't let that stop you if you're having fun. :)

  11. I'm pretty sure the 3000 bit refers to its output in watts as it is on my Mastervolt unit, so there's hope there should be enough available to run your washer. I could tell you the dip switch settings for mains support on my MV, so someone with a Victron will be able to do the same, I'm sure.

  12. Four months out, only one bunch of boaters were grumpy with you and you know they were wrong. Result! You would probably have had more stick if you'd spent the time visiting nunneries! I'd take that as a sign you were being very nice and had a lovely time :)

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