Clifford

In answer to one silly niggle raised above... I wasn't proposing that anyone buy a commputer and internet connection just to use this website. I'm not saying this web page is the answer to a solar user's prayer. I just thought that a few people with a computer and solar might be interested to see a pictorial representation of where sunrise will be (literally, "over that house, there") Especially as not everyone realises how far North of West/East the sun sets/rises in summer (so sunrise is a long way from opposite where sunset was). I can't be the ONLY nerdy person on this forum, surely?

Found this on the CRT website. Reads like a complete ban on using any Elsan point for self-pumpout. No mention of some being suitable, some not. "What you must never do is to use a free-standing pump to pump out your tank into an Elsan disposal point these simply dont have the capacity and theres a high risk of spillage." Is this a new restriction?

Yes, ones that can produce regulated 12v from raw 12v (ie up to 14.8 v when charging) are a bit expensive, and they don't usually do all the other voltages. If anyone comes up with one, I'll be interested, too. I think the reason is that cheap circuits need several volts gap between the input and output voltages. What would be really useful would be a 12v converter that does both BUCK conversion (output voltages below 12v) and BOOST conversion (output voltages above 12v, for laptops). But they are expensive. I'm getting resigned to having to get one like you show, PLUS a 12v to 12v converter, PLUS a 12v to higher voltages converter.

Yes, 10 watts (5v by 2 amps) is quite common now for usb adaptors. You CAN get usb sockets to wire in, and I'll probably be doing that to free up the fag lighter sockets. But the solution I have now works well if you aren't short of faglighter sockets. You can get VERY SHORT micro USB plugs that go almost completely flush into a fag socket. Here's one, but you can get cheaper in Poundland,etc. Might take a while to find a 2 amp one in a cheap shop, but they do exist http://www.amazon.co.uk/Belkin-Charger-Removable-Charge-Lighning/dp/B00B17BE6K/ref=sr_1_72?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1400243585&sr=1-72&keywords=usb+2amp

Welcome Bigray, Never had any argy bargy with anglers. In fact I'd say that anglers are much more likely to exchange friendly greetings these days than they used to. They almost all say hello, except perhaps when concentrating on the serious business of a match. I'm happy to slow down until they are ready for me to pass, and not disturb their water. The only problem is that I never know whether they want me to keep as far over from them as possible, or to keep to the towpath and avoid the far side where they have been dangling their tackle. Passing up that "Carry On" opportunity.... I'd be happy to follow hand signals telling me where to go. ... and that one. Great to have an angler come on here to build bridges. I doubt it will be long before someone local invites you for a boat visit.

Pete, You have my sympathy too. I thought I was too old to go 'weak at the knees' again. But apparently not.

Mike, Not accurate enough for the true nerdy panel pointer! Well, except on two days a year. Have a look at the web page I suggested, you might be surprised

Why 'just get a compass' ? Is that clearly easier than directly seeing which house the sun will rise directly over tomorrow? Don't get it? Does your compass have a sunrise setting? And as for getting up early. I'll get up early when I want to, which I often do. But not everyday, dictated by solar panels because I'm too dim to think of another way of knowing where the sun rises! I think my panels will probably just stay flat!

What attitude? I've got me suvvern credentials. And me posh ones, I've lived in Islington, well North Islington, well Upper North Islington, well a council flat in Highbury. I'm happy to translate for Southerners daring to come North. ... No, that's NOT guacamole on your fish and chips.

Cotswoldman, Thanks for quoting in full. I DO take your point - there are serious implications. And as I said, it's no good saying "they won't use this against bona fide boaters". Enforcement teams in ALL walks of life go by what's written, not by the 'real original intention'.

Ah, didn't know. So CRT are not commited to keeping canals open for boats of any particular depth? So there really IS a risk of this sign setting a de facto standard for the draught of boats that they expect to use the HNC?

Arthur, thank you, I will give it a go. Over the worst now, but gets painful after an hour or two out of bed. SERIOUSLY, FOLKS. You do NOT want this to happen to you. It is a week's worth of painful nights, and will keep you off work. Do NOT kneel on hard floors for prolonged periods. It HURTS. Back to the jokes... Ratchetslipeye. For lock crew who let go of a windlass on the spindle of a raised paddle.

The guidance I saw for The K&A recently (was it on here?) specifically said something along the lines of "we recognise that people with local home moorings will often moor online within a day or two of their home mooring, and that is not a problem". So CRT do recognise the right of non-CCers to make repeated visits. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't be vigilant about the terms used in any CRT pronouncements. If we think that an official announcement deliberately oversteps the mark (or that perhaps a new member of staff who doesn't understand boating, or the history of negotiations) then we should take it seriously, without waiting for the first 'prosecution'. It's important to remember that the people who ENFORCE rules are not the same people who WROTE them. When an enforcement happens to YOU, it's no good appealing to the 'real intentions' of the person who drafted the rules (or who came to public meetings to smilngly explain why the new rule wouldn't affect bona fide boaters. so let's all calm down) but then left CRT immediately afterwards. And if you were served with a notice, it would be no comfort to know that CRT are *probably* acting illegally and it will be alright after six months of stress and court cases.

I think the warning is an excellent idea, as lots of people have been saying that this risk is not only little known (I have been boating for years, but never thought of this before following this forum) but has been neglected by CRT. If this IS a result of CRT reading this forum then good for them AND good for us (but they should give us, and Martin, a credit). I, too, am curious about the draft of boat used in deciding on the actual levels. But presumably that's the point of the yellow band? Green band=no risk to most boats (and anyone at risk will KNOW they have an exceptionally deep boat). Yellow=risk depends on depth of boat, only proceed if you know what you are doing. Red=don't be a plonker. But if I owned a deep boat I might be concerned that over time, the depth of boat used for the green marker will become a standard for future maintenance of the whole canal. ("Oh well, so long as Green boats can get through, who cares?") . Unless of course the depth used for "green" boats is the same depth as declared in the official waterways dimensions info.

I don't know the GU south of MK. Is it really normal practice tp leave gates open down there? I think I remember when it was normal everywhere to leave gates open as you left, unless there was a specific notice to the contrary on an individual lock.

The rotor is the part of your alternator connected to your engine via the alternator belt (on your car you call it a fan belt, cos it drives the radiator-cooling fan as well as the alternator). The spinning engine makes the rotor spin round. The rotor is an electromagnet (basically, a coil of wire that becomes a magnet when you send a current through it. The spinning rotor produces a rotating magnetic field. This rotating field generates alternating (hence the name) electric current in the stationary part of the alternator, called the stator basdically, a non-spinning coil of wire. The AC current from the stator is sent through 'rectifying diodes' to turn it into DC, because only DC can charge a battery. Some of the current from the stator is fed back to the rotor (it's an electromagnet, remember) to keep the magnetic field going. This current is called the field current. The stronger the field current, the stronger the magnetic field, and the higher voltage the alternator puts out. There is a bit of electric wizardry called the regulator, that controls the size of the field current, and hence the output voltage. So someone will be along to suggest your regulator may be faulty. It is easily replaceable. The regulator unit includes the 'brushes', little contacts that rub on the spinning rotor shaft (well, on 'slip rings' on the shaft) to sent the regulated field current to the rotor coil. Not surprisingly, these brushes wear down, so someone else will suggest your brushes are worn. All this is theory to me, but I hope it will be useful when others mention bits and pieces. It will need a proper expert to say how you can tell which bits are going wrong.

I've been under the doctor with me knee! As my elderly aunties used to say. Getting better now, but I thought I'd torn a tendon or something seriously physical in my right knee. The pain was only just bearable if I lay in bed and adjusted a stack of cushions behing my knee ..... juuust so. At three in the morning, it often WASN'T bearable, the pain would get worse and worse wherever I moved my leg and the cushions. Getting to the loo was a trial. Anyone getting within ten feet of THE KNEE set it jangling. I couldn't understand how I'd done it. No memory of twisting my knee, or of landing funny. It turns out to be the result of working on the boat! Nothing much, a bit of kneeling awkwardly at the sink to do some plumbing, ditto at the electrics cupboard to tidy wires up, ditto at the back step to drain the cabin bilge, ditto at the front step to sort out the water pump, ditto at the kitchen cupboard to fettle the heating circulation pump..... Yes, it turns out I've had housemaid's knee! How the sympathetic relatives will chuckle. It's an inflammation of the soft pad behind your kneecap, only cure is rest and icepacks. No boat fixing for a while.... In total, it was probably only ten hours' total kneeling time. And I was sort of being careful, kneeling on a thin foam pad when and if I remembered. But when I get back in fettling mode, it will be proper workman's strap-on kneepads, with rigid front (for when you kneel on a screw) and cushioned backs. Be warned! Do NOT get housemaid's knee (or 'boat fettler's knee' as it will be rechristened for the benefit of friends and family). You won't like it. This was NO JOKE. Doez anyone want to warn against other conditions boaters should guard against (apart from Terminal Financial Optimism)

I've been thinking about whether I would be too lazy to adjust moveable solar panels, and should therefore just get fixed panels, for easier securing (or even wait until reasonably efficient stick-down ones are a bit cheaper). I've often read that a common routine adjustment to make when cruising is before bed. If you point the panels at tomorrow's sunrise, you make the most of three or even four hours' sun while you are still asleep. So I looked for an easy way of pointing panels at the sunrise... How about this website? No compass needed. It uses Google Maps. - type in your nearest town - select 'satellite' view, and zoom to a useful level - drag the pin to your exact location - the orange line shows the direction of sunrise ("over that house, there"). http://www.iesmith.net/tools/solarcalc.html The indication is for 'theoretical' sunrise (on the horizon, which is usually behind a hill). You'd presumably adjust your aim a bit (to the right and up), to average the position between sunrise and when you'll finish breakfast. Is this useful? Are there other non-compass ways of doing it? There are similar sites for aiming your TV aerial at a the strongest transmitter.

Martin. Forgot to say , "You're right". I went on a bit, didn't I? And I realise that mooring a boat up here will be very different from the one-off hires and shareboat trips I've done. PS Is that boat still sunk?

Do you really want to go to boating where people speak funny and eat weird food? "Calder and Hebble" indeed! Sorry, couldn't resist. Actually, it's great to hear someone mention the C&H specifically as somewhere they want to go boating. (Not surprising, of course, as you live in Mirfield). Our share boat was based at Sowerby Bridge for a year (and well looked after by Colin of Shire Cruisers). Unusually it only stayed there a year, because the Southern owners couldn't get on with the area. I guess I could have understood that if the area was ALL industrial ("Don't look, Jemima, there's a horrible place over there where common people make things for a living instead of having meetings all day") but it isn't, is it? We thought the canals east of Sowerby were fantastic, both interesting AND beautiful, and were very sorry to be outvoted and have to leave. I live in Sheffield, by the way.

I agree with the others. A small panel is only marginally useful if you are putting it away all the time. A small panel is most useful as an always-on trickle charger to keep batteries healthy when the owner isn't using the boat.

On the other hand, the thought of four spare cassettes full of PooNBloo fermenting in a cupboard and needing to be taken for a walk....

They aren't meant to recharge a phone as such, just give you enough umph to make a call in an emergency. Best to give it sufficient charge BEFORE you make the call, though. Might sound a bit odd if you were winding and chatting at the same time. On a boat, we're rarely short of enough power to charge a phone enough for a call, surely? Our emergency lighting is a dozen LED torches from Poundland scxattered through drawers and cupboards. And befor anyone scoffs about quality, I think we bought 12 and only 1 didn't work. 11 torches for 12 quid was no bad deal.

If a lock is to be left empty, does that remove the main argument against leaving the (bottom) gates open when you leave with no other boats in sight? Convenient for you and anyone coming the other way, less convenient for a following boat.

MINUS £195 is a LOT less than the minimum wage!