Sea Dog

We had a very good experience at Lapworth earlier this year too. Sorted out a couple of boats in a muddle coming down, then accompanied us up, cycling ahead to have the next lock open as we arrived. Really sensible, assisting rather than taking charge, and good company too. Exemplary really. The guys on the Hanbury 3 are always good value too in my experience, although we've never actually had a bad experience. I think someone said before, perhaps they should have been named Lock Assistants since, when that's what they act as, that service is a real plus.

Over 200 years ago and you want to discuss whether it was worth it now? On a Canal Forum? I think we should let sleeping sea dogs lie.

Crikey mate, you can't possibly think I'd have got a flaw in the plan like that past a woman! I'm happy with 200 watts of hot air brush for 5 minutes instead for 4 minutes of 1200 watts of hairdryer of course, but what would that be worth if she who must be obeyed wasn't?

Unless you have a princely £12.99 to spend on the appliance I recommended earlier.

I'd noticed you'd had answers to a whole bunch of roof related questions.... except the one you'd asked! I'm away from my boat at the moment or I'd pop up top with a tape measure, so instead I've popped your question back to the top of the new postings list in the hope someone else might!

How do the good bacteria cope with the low temperatures at the back end of the year? Don't they have a working temperature range?

The hairdryer will pound your batteries even if it's well within the capacity of your inverter. Remember that whatever an appliance is rated at in watts, you need to divide by 12 (V) to reach the current it will draw from your battery bank. So, a typical 1200 watt hairdryer will draw 100 amps. Boots do a hot air brush thing by Vidal Sasoon for 12.99 which only draws 200 watts, 1/6th of the draw. I bought my missus one when the travel hairdryer she used on the boat blew up and she was so impressed she bought another for travelling. My battery bank and I love the thing too!

Is it even legal not to have a readily available safety data sheet Tony? I'm thinking you're not wrong to have suspicion.

Ah, the old O. N. O. F. F. switch trap! Many have been there before you!

And then there are those who pull over and wait for you to navigate your way past. As well as passing the buck, I'm sure this is harder than 2 moving boats passing but, that aside, what happens when both boats do that?

Interesting interpretation!

My charger is 100a max, my cables are 70 or 75mm. I had a new 1 meter lead with crimps made up recently, total cost less than 15 quid. Is the difference in cost between "get away with" 10mm versus the manufacturer recommended 25mm worth spending any time on?

One of the many faces of ABC, I believe.

I'll set 'em up; you knock 'em down!

You've answered your own question - you relied on the vendor's survey, which is a risk. Even if the surveyor was even handed, there's no way of knowing exactly what he was commissioned to look at. Rotten lesson though, wasn't it, and I'm sorry to hear your tale. I didn't have a survey, but I was aware of the risk I was taking and thought I had enough skill and experience to mitigate it to a level I could accept. There was still a little trepidation when I had her hauled out for her next blacking, but all was well. Still a risk though - sometimes they pay off, sometimes they come home to roost.

It's within a metre of your shore connection and it's a box with switches and buttons on the front - how hard can it be? I'll get my coat....

Ah, I feat it may take an appointment with the grim reaper plus an indeterminate number of years to slow them down once they have your name and address.

It's the 1960s LC, black and white tv on a screen the same size as the plate your 'curry' was on. Only the fact that noone knew any better actually let them get away with calling it curry. Re-runs of the Avengers with Emma Peel and John Steed as leading characters are on some minor channels, but I'm not sure they'll survive the timeshift for anyone other than the original audience. Many here will remember this stuff well, but you're probably not missing much by being born some years after.

Oh dear. A Vesta curry and Diana Rigg playing Emma Peel on the telly. Fond memories! Mostly not of the curry, to be fair.

Well, I do give it a good burst of that daily when it's "in" Bizzard, you're right, but when it is "in" I keep it "in" for several weeks at a time so it's ticking over overnight and a probably most of the day. My ready use fuel is always dry too, I'll grant. Are we sure this free flowing tar phenomenon is not caused in the main by burning dead badgers, recently liberated beaver dams and cow pats?

My friends' marine boats, sail and power, are expected to use 60/40 as the standard ratio and none have diesel heating or anything like the domestic electrical system demands of a Narrowboat. So, even if anyone at the Revenue was remotely interested, it seems entirely justifiable to declare a different balance in the usage patterns of canal boats. It's predicted use too, so it can't be anything other than an estimate. Winter and summer usage may be also be very different.

I have a relatively short chimney with a coolie hat and I've never had this issue. I only burn smokeless fuel or wood, and sweep my chimney once a year removing only dry light coloured soot. Am I just lucky with my stove and installation, is it purely a problem for those burning unseasoned wood and/or coal, or is it something else?