Sea Dog

Well, if you don't like spam, how about bacon, egg, spam and beans - that's not got much spam in it.

Electric motor starting current is typically 5 - 7 times the running current.

I think it would be better to concentrate on maintaining a system designed to take on treated fresh water,usually free, and store it safely before delivering it to the taps still in a drinkable condition. Almost all our boats have such a system, but a huge number of us won't drink from it. Odd that we'd fix our diesel storage in a heartbeat if it couldn't do the job, but so many seem reluctant to fix the potable water system.

The mind boggles!

Mine are in the green zone, wired in series. Deffo don't go black unless your panels are in parallel. Your boat's a widebeam though, isn't it? Obviously much flexibility with panel size and orientation, plus more real estate play with to ensure the ease of passing over the roof. I'd still go flat rather than tilting if you cruise - kind of a decent general average versus a good peak when adjusted right. Obviously if you don't move and you tilt south that's gonna be better.

Good point well made. I apologise to you and the local populace for my over blown generalisation. I did know that, my home mooring also being in Staffs, so I have no excuse.

Crikey, no wonder half the folk on the cut think they're gonna be murdered in their beds if they dare venture out of their marina! Autherley junction opposite Oxley "marina" is fine and I've spent many a night there to confirm that. If you go through the stop lock it's pretty obvious that opposite Wolverhampton Boat Club is the first sensible mooring spot and after that you're in rural Shropshire - the only trouble you're gonna have there is the Shroppie shelf!

Alvechurch to the centre of Birmingham is an easy run, moor anywhere just after the roundabout at Deep Cuttings Junction.. I'd then go for Tipton next to the health centee, or possibly the Black Country Museum if you're not in a rush and fancy be a grand day out. After that, do the Wolverhampton 21 and stop at Autherly Junction or go through the stop lock and on to the Shroppie. All those are fine.

Hard to understand how that qualifies as a shear pin really, isn't it?

I don't know if it is required on both sides - our freshly washed dishes are only displayed on the starboard side where the draining board is..

I asked CRT how many such complaints they received. It was just the one, but as it was from @mrsmelly they felt it best to just do go back to printing imperial measurements as well. (For accuracy, I should point out that I made this up, but it is entirely possible)

Well, his last post was written 19 July 2020, so he survived for a couple of years at least. Nevertheless, the possibility still remains that his last post was also played by a bugler around that time... ... so @nicknorman 's advice remains sage (which is also my excuse).

Probably when you cleaned your windows. Apparently, some folk don't...

Just to emphasise this sage advice, you may think the occasional the small amount would be ok, but heavy petrol vapour is like water in the bilge - it doesn't disperse, it sits there, gradually building up. Also, whilst the running of generators is permitted between 8am and 8pm, bear in mind that it will hack off your boaty neighbours and the local residents at all times of the day and night. Yoghurt pots do bring their own particular challenges, don't they, so I apologize if the about sounds a bit negative, but forewarned is forearmed there's plenty of experience around here to help you with them.

To be fair, @Puffling offered milk as a part of first aid action, not as a regular food supply. It sounds as if the hedgehog may not have made it had that first aid not been provided.

Except the licence is usually on the inside...

This ^^^^ If your batteries are not demanding a charging current something above 25 amps (if it's a 12v system), your panels won't be able to deliver more than the 350 watts your seeing - even if you had 10 x 420w panels instead of the pair. I'd suggest that, unless you have an atypically large battery bank, by lunchtime much of the heavy charging effort has already been done and what you're seeing is fine. With a large alternator rather than solar, you may typically see in excess of 100a charging current on morning start up, but it'll drop back to the low tens in short order. You won't see that high start up current on solar as the power builds slowly as the sun comes up, but by the time maximum solar power is available you'll have put hours of charge in already hence charging demand has fallen. If you want to prove this to yourself, you could choose a forecasted sunny day when moored with no shade, isolate your solar the afternoon before so you have no solar charging next morning. After an evening on batteries so they're partially discharged, switch the solar back on at peak sunshine near noon. The initial bulk charge demand by the discharged batteries will then cause a high charging current which will let you see your panels deliver closer to your power expectations.

This reads like you have left it in the window for many years. I have seen many boats who clearly do actually do this and it seems to be a bit of an odd thing to do. Do they take it out to clean the window and then put it back? Is it unnoticed as they don't clean their windows? Have they not visited the boat for years but simply renew their licence online for sentimental reasons? Curious.

Hmm. Similar to the ads on tv and signs on ambulances saying "Just ask - could it be sepsis?" I'd have thought it better convince Doctors to check rather than expect the patients to try to tell their GP that they may know better than him or her.

That'll be it... although sadly it's hard not to notice a lot more users too.

As we know, these units are quite voltage sensitive, so I'd say you're on the right track - the shorter the better to minimise volts drop. It's a power supply so no reason for them to be a specific, matched or minimum length.

Well I never! It's amazing what you can learn if you look into the history of such things. I wonder if Lou Grade was descended from Centi Grade? If so, that might have something to do with the oddities in the BBC weather site units.

Not to mention the huge difference in the incidence of dunkings and drownings!

The Ashton was fine and the weather steadily improved after we "hurtled" past you at Portland Basin (it only dawned on me later that it was you hurling abuse! ) so we had quite a nice descent. I'm still confused about what's going on with New Islington Marina from the Ashton end, but Picadilly basin is great for a peaceful overnight. The Rochdale 9 is a bit rum of course, but the drug and alcohol related issues make Castlefields a real disappointment. Perhaps I've led a sheltered life... I'll still transit Manchester obvs, but I'll probably not stop except for Picadilly basin. It's certainly not on my "must go back" list though and I think CRT and Manchester Council ought to be ashamed. Andy Burnham obviously doesn't have a narrowboat...

Having visited in the past, I have to say it's not difficult to give this initiative my support in the future!