Clifford

I've been working hard at getting to get to grips with boat AC, so I can understand my options when I get a Sparky in to sort out my mattress-factory explosion (I think the broker called it the electrics cupboard). Some websites make things sound complicated, some explain it well (suggestions gratefully received). But all this banging on about galvanic isolators and isolation transformers is obviously OTT. At least one supplier keeps it simple, though http://www.clasohlson.com/uk/Galvanic-Isolator/38-3020

Here's a link to a very well-known Kiwi narrowboat blogger (who, by the way, is famously now an expert on handling legal issues with boatbuilders) . They used to travel to England annually to their boat, so I'm sure they can give you advice about that. And introduce you to the sizeable ANZAC narrowboat mafia. Warning, they are now on their boat full time over here. This WILL happen to you. http://www.narrowboat-waiouru.co.uk

I often read blogs by people from other countries on canal trips. Most are by Australians or 'Merkins. Beware, huge generalisation alert... Australians just seem to fit straight in, as though they are completely familiar with England. They do (and get) sarcasm very well, of course, so their comments on the little differences between England and Australia are usely very funny. 'Merkins are usually totally amazed at the slightest thing. They find it impossible to believe that anyone can do anything different from 'back home'. Expect corny pictures of Junior making a call from a red phone box. Their wide eyed surprise at everything, and their fuul on determination to have a good time, are very heartwarming. Reading blogs, and finding youtube videos like these IS a great way to see canals through fresh eyes, and remember just how lucky we are. Edited to say : So as not to get bombarded by commercial sites, google phrases like "we liked" or "we found".

Thanks all, for the 'extended' stuff. Purely theoretical for a change (for normal boating purposes) ... and really interesting.

We bought our boat last november and the he previous owners sent the form off to Cart to transfer the licence to us. At the beginning of March, we got a reminder that our licence would run out at the end of March, along with the forms. The only mildly annoying thing was that we couldn't renew online. Slightly more annoyingly, the website didn't say WHY it wasn't accepting the user number I was typing in v.e.r.y carefully a dozen times. It was only when I rang up that I found that as new licencees we had to send the forms off.

The real shiney boaters never leave the marina. Can't spend Brasso money on diesel!

What a horrible man! No Fred Dibner is he?

Thank you all. That's great stuff, really grateful. Sounds like I could quite sensibly think about getting our boat up here. Having a pumpout in Sheffield basin is a very pleasant surprise. I had convinced myserf there wasn't one any more, for some reason. And the one at Long Sandal is a good excuse for a (v.)long weekeend trip through Donny and back! I simply haven't been able to get the CRT site to show me facilities. Locks and Bridges, yes. But no Boat Services. I've ticked the boxes I want to see, but I don't think the tickbox is one that Android can use (it's always reverted to default when I go back to the index screen). I may try another browser, but Chrome usually works where others don't.

The CRT facilities map IS a pain isn't it? I use the web mostly on an Android tablet and the map is very close to unusable on a touch screen device. Skitters about all over the plave and jumps in and out of zoom. Calder Valley marine website doesn't mention the pumpout at Victoria Quays. They would be the ones who would operate it. I'll ask them. I gather the 'self' pumpout at Long Sandal lock is a token-operated electric one, rather than an 'own pump' one?

Tim, don't worry about not feeling 'confident' with marinas. They are just offering a service and need paying customers like any shop. With increased competition and falling demand, they can't afford to do anything but welcome you with open arms. For instance, Barton, where we moor probably looks qute swanky to anyone seeing it for the first time, lots of posh shops and a big promenade with nice lights. But the staff in the Marina office are really nice, no Yacht Club snootiness in sight. And I'm sure some yotty type will appear to tell me their club isn't snooty at all. And I'll have to give up another stereotype!!

Back Cabin may be accurate, but you have to admit it's ambiguous. And saying it's only ambiguous to 90% of boaters would just confirm it!

Yes, lock up before you leave. But resist the temptation to lock the paddles too early, you may need to reopen one quickly. I know that sounds patronising, but I can remember more than once being in a filling lock and realising that the crew had locked (or never unlocked) the closed bottom paddles before heading to the top gates. Very natural, to avoid a trek back to lock them after opening the top gates, but in an emegency I wouldn't have wanted to see the crew fumbling withthe handcuff key..... And yes, get a key whether you think you need it in a specific place or not. Antivandal locks are used in dodgy areas. There are plenty of places where as shadows lengthen you might not want to find yourself unable to go forward (or turn round) because of an unexpected antivandal lock.

I know this information should be lookupable(?), and I've done a fair bit of looking up. But I'm sure some of the links I've found are out of date. Can anyone local confirm what boatyard facilities there are on the Sheffield and South Yorkshire system? (Sheffield-Keadby). Have you had any fabrication or fitting out done up here, by boatyards or local craftsmen ? Are they competitive, or do they feel they have the market sewn up? Oh, and is there a boatyard that does pumpouts? There used to be one in Sheffield Basin, but I haven't found a recent mention. Will I have to take back all the digs I've made recently about cassettes?

Not a stupid idea, for an emergency. But led torches and batteries are so cheap from poundland, that our whole boat is stuffed with torches ready for an emergency. It looks nice though, and I might consider having one just for the geekiness.

Well done, the Pump Detective! But now we're dying to know what the mysterious orphan inline pump was for ? Where was it? Was it even NEAR any pipes?

Handspike is a long bit of wood you use for some lock paddles on the Calder and Hebble. You can buy a tough hardwood one with a comfy handle, but someone on here will be along to tell you how to get the right bit of softwood from B&Q and sand it down a bit. The handspike slots into a wheel set in the ground and you lever it sideways to lift the paddle. Dropping the paddle is very satisfactory. I don't think any lock is exclusively handspike operated, you always need a windlass with you as well. If you haven't got one, you mustn't have been on the C&H yet. It's a real treat. If you like beer, or just good pubs, I recommend the Barge asnd Barrel at Elland and the Colliers nearby.

Welcome! Please don't dive into choosing a boat yet. You could be making an expesive mistake that would leave you stuck with completely the wrong boat which, until you manage to sell it again will not only be making you unhappy and uncomfortable and costing you mney to keep afloat, will be delaying you from getting aboard the right oat. We're not trying to put you off. We want you to be sure that boating is for you once you are aware of the issues, and for you to understand the different types of boats so you can pick the right one with your eyes open. You aren't at the stage where you can be 'contacting vendors' without risking making a very big mistake that could make you miserable for a long time. I'd recommend... Stick around here for a while, read lots of stuff, especially fron New to Boating and Living Afloat Get a feel for the basic issues and ask for clarification of anything you don't understand. Try not just to repeat questions that have been asked and answered a million times (but don't worry if you sometimes do by mistake. Try and get a feel for whether you will be happy fixing things that go wrong. It's not really about being terribly technical, more about a wiilingness to learn and get stuck in. If you have tons of money, you can get a boatyard to fix and improve everything, but you really won't believe how much that costs. Walk some canals, in all weathers. Try and imagine REALLY living on that boat, on that towpath, in all weathers, lugging a plastic box of poo to that little hut in the rain whether you feel like it or not. Chat to boaters. Look at the CRT website to see how much moorings cost in the area you are interested in. As I say, not trying to pretend boating isn't great. None of us would be on this forum if we dididn't far prefer boating to not boating. Hope you enjoy getting to grips with it all. Here's a few things to see if you can use the forum to start understanding and thinking about. Pumpout versus cassette. Cruiser versus semitrad. Trad "stern" versus "real" trad. 40ft versus 70ft Permanent bed versus converting bed. Continuous Cruiser versus Bridgehopper. Continuous Moorer versus Home Mooring. Online mooring versus marina. Residential Mooring versus Leisure Mooring. Heating by solid fuel, diesel, or gas. Hot water by the above or electricity or only by running engine. Pre purchase survey or not? What is BSS? Broker or private purchase? How do you know the seller owns it? Or if the ex-wife will set a solicitor on you? These are all topics you'll find lots of stuff on without asking. Honestly, the choosing and buying stage is the best bit, once you know what you want. Enjoy.

Some boatyards keep sold boats on their website for ages. So a high percentage of their boats have SOLD flashes and you think "ooh!, the market must be very active, better snap one of the unsold ones quick." Some even keep long-ago sold boats on their site WITHOUT marking them as sold. When you eventually, after two or three visits to see non-existant boats, realise that only a fraction of listed boats are for sale, it's very annoying. Ask any brokers you visit - "Do you ever sell boats that you own?" (if they say No, but there is a sign saying 'part exchange welcome', work it out for yourself). - "If a boat has been turned down by a previous buyer after a survey, would you tell me? - "Will you pass on every offer to the vendor?" - "If I pay you a deposit based on a price agreed subject to survey, will you give it me back if I the vendor and I cannot agree on a lower price after a survey reveals any non-visible faults the vendor did not tell me about? - "At what point in the buying process will I get a signed contract?". (Think about the vendor pulling out after you have paid for a survey, a craneout, and perhaps other things "while it's out of the water"). -"Your blurb says that buying from a broker gives me peace of mind about the right of the vendor to sell. So why does your contract say it's up to the buyer to check this, and that the broker cannot be held liable?" -"Will you let me moor the boat here for a while after the sale? How long? How much will it cost me?"

I'd suggest turning off the inverter and seeing if that stops it. If so, your domestic batterty is low. The other suggestion is that some ignition warning lights have an audible alarm. But that will only sound when you turn the ignition key.

I'll go with Aft/Fwd being a shoreline input selector, too. No expert knowledge, but I am going to fit one myself, even though I'd never seen it suggested anywhere before this. Necessary of course : if onboard front and back shoreline leads are connected together directly, then connecting the shoreline at one end will make the pins in the unused plug (socket) at the other end live. Two for ' most contentious' here - will some say that 'fwd/aft' are yotty terms rather than narrowboat ones (because narrowboats were inland boats manned by landlubbers rather than sailors. Ditto Port/Starboard? - is a shoreline 'plug' the one with holes, but on a cable; or the one with prongs, but fixed to a bulkhead? edited cos I c****d it up!

Fortunata. Can you go into more detail about the "voltage drop between alternator and battery" bit. No particular practical reason for asking, just sounds interesting".

Pressure. Going to two atmospheres (I mean one above the normal one, so just 1 bar on a gauge) raises boiling point to 120c. I've got a plastic pressure cooker that goes in a microwave. Works well, but I dont think itgoes that high! But the slightly elevated temperature AND slightly elevated pressure makes a significant difference. Makes nice moist new potatoes really quickly.

Paul. Good one! You really had me trying to remember what imperial electric units were. Groats per ohm?

Woodhall Spa is such a weird place. Like a tiny slightly naff old seaside resort but not by the sea. A bit like Matlock Bath only not as good. A marina would add an interesting watery element. Anyone know how are the plans going to link Boston to the Ouse?

Whether a cruiser stern boat with a cabin at the back has a back cabin.