[Controlling your narrowboat in strong current]

8 hours ago, ditchcrawler said:

On Youtube 

 

Well, I have to say I rather enjoyed that. After quite a long seafaring career I confess there's much of it I'd not even contemplate doing in my narrowboat and, even if I did have such notions, I suspect that the Long Haired Admiral would very quickly countermand any such intentions! An impressive collection - thanks for sharing it DC.

[My new project]

A lovely little boat now destined to become steadily more lovely. Good luck with your new project.  

[Accounting for slight roof angle with chimney collar]

I've just redone my roof collar on a similarly angled roof. I looked at it this way and that way and, finally, the way I got over it was - I just got over it and kept the jaunty chimney!  It had, in truth, never really been an issue. 

[Licences]

9 minutes ago, magnetman said:

Good old Prescott. He was great. 

 

Didn't he deck someone who was annoying him on camera once? 

 

 

To be fair, I think it was rather more than simply 'annoying him on camera' - some bloke threw a egg which hit him in the face. It was perhaps not self defence to the letter of the law, but maybe it was close enough for Government work. If such action always resulted in a smack in the gob, perhaps fewer eggs would be wasted in such a cavalier fashion? 

[Bl##dy racing canoes']

4 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:

Yet another unenforceable law.

Exactly. Allowing sales of things which are illegal to use seems bonkers, but the genie ain't going back in the bottle. Ironically, the only folk who won't be able to ride a scooter on the towpath are now boaters who, because they are on a boat, are both the only folk readily identifiable and the only ones who can't say 'up yours' and speed off.

[Red face]

1 hour ago, Cheshire cat said:

Better October than February

Confirmed. I've tried February - it's about as cold as it gets. 

[Needless Blue Signs]

11 hours ago, magnetman said:

It is incredibly obvious to anyone with basic hazard awareness skills. 

So that's maybe 50% of modern society - perhaps CRT are aware of this? Some warning signs are genuinely warning signs, others are anti-litigation signs: they just protect different parties.

[External Alternator Regulator]

Just now, nicknorman said:

Yes I think my regulator/brush unit was around £15 from ebay.

I think I paid just over £40 for my first one inc courier. However, that included awesome service identifying both the alternator and the correct regulator so I was happy to reward such a service. 

[External Alternator Regulator]

Further to @nicknorman 's very helpful post above, when I was eventually able to identify and buy at rrp (and subsequently replace) the Mahle regulator on my Iskra 150a alternator, I was then able to buy an additional identical genuine Mahle unit off eBay for £9. If you need a sacrificial unit, it doesn't necessarily have to be a huge sacrifice.

[Fitting a new water pump...]

Hylomar red is the water one - although if your engine needs something else I'd defer to superior BMC knowledge.

[3 Million Posts!]

5 minutes ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

It isn't eligable, as it is after the 3 millionth. A contender for the best 4 millionth

Fair enough, although if we could discount the "why electric cars will now take over 5 years later than you thought" thread, it might still  qualify for the 1 millionth...  

[3 Million Posts!]

7 minutes ago, system 4-50 said:

We need a competition to nominate the best post out of the 3,000,000.  

I'd like to nominate the one above yours! 

[Which engine is better for continuous cruising]

23 minutes ago, Michael Siggers said:

Late joining this discussion...

Hmm, 14 years. Is this a record?

[What have I done?]

11 hours ago, Tracy D'arth said:

I read that but do not understand  large language model LLM  or the abbreviation A.I. 

I understand AI  but not with full stops.

Betty, when you call me, you can call me Al.

(Or, if I'm computer generated, you can put full stops in and call me A.I.)

[Keeping battery bank topped up through winter]

11 hours ago, magnetman said:

Cor that is one big inverter !

Ha! Tis indeed! Ok, let's go for 2500va or 2.5kva. 

11 hours ago, Mike Tee said:

Thanks, that’s what I was hoping to hear! Just out of interest, how big is your battery bank?

Fair question - 440Ah. 

[Keeping battery bank topped up through winter]

When my Mastervolt Combi (2500kva inverter and 100 amp charger) packed up, I used a Ctek Mxs5 as a stopgap as I tried in vain to get support from Mastervolt and eventually fitted a Victron Inverter and separate Victron charger. As the batteries start fully charged (eg by the engine) it had no issues keeping them topped up whilst coping with my usual 12v load - lights, toilet, fridge, fresh water pump. On its own it may not have managed those loads, but the batteries fully charged batteries can and the Ctek happily topped them back up.

 

 

[Melted isolator switch - no idea what electric problem cause it]

6 hours ago, aaronwood66 said:

I'm definitely going to replace the isolator switch with a better one - are there any recommendations? (This one perhaps?

Blue Sea Systems.

[Webasto diesel heater]

9 minutes ago, curlytim said:

I'm hoping it's a marine unit. Why would anyone fit a vehicle one...are they cheaper?

They are on the second hand market. Sounds like yours was done at original fit out though, doesn't it? In which case, it really ought to be a marine unit. 🤞

[Webasto diesel heater]

22 minutes ago, curlytim said:

However   it looks like the heater has its own feed from the leasure isolator. 

My Eberspacher is fed directly from the batteries (through an inline fuse). Pretty sure this is in the installation instructions (along with minimising the cable length) and is based on removing any additional resistance being imposed by having any switches, fuse panels, isolators in the circuit. Even the marine versions are voltage sensitive, so if yours is also an automotive version you're really up against it!

[Beta 43 / PRM 150 Combination]

5 hours ago, system 4-50 said:

Quite right.  Anybody in less than perfect physical shape, or who has a dislike of holding a container perched in an awkward space, or who has a dislike of spilt oil, shouldn't be fiddling with anything mechanical.  Or boats.  Or existing really.

Well I probably wouldn't go quite that far... 

[Beta 43 / PRM 150 Combination]

6 hours ago, GUMPY said:

Using the pump you have to hold a container under the pump and risk spilling some.

Hmm, anyone unable to manage that probably shouldn't really be fiddling with anything mechanical.

[Beta 43 / PRM 150 Combination]

So, you removed 1.4L, filled with 1.3, removed 1.3 and are still measuring it as overfilled? Theoretically at least, it should be pretty much empty but the oil cooler does need accounting for if you're trying to do it by capacity. Did you check the dipstick beforehand?

 

Personally, I'd press the reset button by  draining down using the sump plug, then you'd know it was truly empty before you start.

Next, it's an absolute b'stard to read the dipstick, with or without the blue roll, and it doesn't help that new oil hardly shows when the right level is achieved. My early issues stemmed from filling the box with the right amount, not allowing for the cooler circuit. The dipstick always came out with some oil on it, making it look like it was somewhere near when in reality it was a fair bit short, so I was adding a tiny amount at a time. Eventually, it became a tiny bit more obvious that I'd started dipping oil, not just getting the dipstick damp. Once you're past this, you'll be a bit more confident next time. Iirc, mine takes 1.9L.

Lastly, use the dipstick lower mark to check as you fill - that way you can sit it in to test the level rather than screw and unscrew every time. 

 

Further to @Machpoint005 point above, I use a 4pt milk bottle with a hole cut out - on my boat, nothing larger will come out once the old oil goes in!@Machpoint005

[zinc priming. Is it needed?]

2 hours ago, cuthound said:

 

Indeed, on the canals sextants were soon replaced by Nicholson's...

 

Which is a shame, as I never had a sextant tell me about a "useful shop" or a pub serving food that closed down a year before publication.

[zinc priming. Is it needed?]

3 hours ago, john.k said:

What about a  slipway ?.....thats the simplest way of taking a boat out of the water ..........bit of scrap railway stuff,an old winch ,and bobs yer uncle.

Well, you also need a fair bit of canalside land, considerable groundworks and CRT permission (and fees) to make it accessible from the canal. Once you've got that in place, see how you get on getting "scrap railway stuff" and "an old winch" over the H&S hurdle and the regular load testing. These things ain't as cheap or easy as those with a few miles on the clock remember from the good old days.

[Best alternator setup with lithiums?]

1 hour ago, Tony1 said:

 

Cheers Nick, yes I do recall puzzling over why they would want you to start putting revs on any engine as you start it up.

I've always had a sort of instinctive (but incorrect) feeling that it was best to let a boat engine spend ten minutes warming up at tickover revs before going any higher.

Thanks for the advice. 

 

Plus, on first start up it's likely your alternator(s) will be presenting quite a load as the depleted batteries draw their heaviest current of the charging cycle. Mine typically starts first thing with a draw of around 100 amps. Whilst this drops away fairly quickly with lead acids, a few revs is needed to cope comfortably with that initial heavy load.