Tony Brooks

WV - You keep adding information, now you confirm it's a twin alternator engine and it's the engine alternator that is playing up. Typically, it's the domestic alternator that does this sort of thing So as Brian implied and I tried to confirm, in that case the glow plug circuit should have no effect. It might on the engine alternator. I also note that you assume we all know what engine you have in your boat, a very common mistake people make, on the whole we do not. Anyway, I am also very interested in the outcome.

The red bit - First part, yes, as long as the tail current is not taken at the float voltage. It should be in excess of about 14.33 volts. Second part that is the whole problem with adaptive charging, there is no rule of thumb because it depends upon the charger capacity, battery capacity, battery technology, battery age (probably) and temperature. As I understand it, adaptive charging tries to make an informed guess based on the time taken to go into absorption, but you know the result of that guess all too often.

It would confirm that Ed is correct. If it does not, and like Brian, I suspect it won't unless you have a single alternator boat, then it proves it is something else.

You could just disconnect the feed to the glow plugs and insulate it so it can't short out.

I have long though that the storage infrastructure needed to be put in place before intermittent generating capacity like wind. OK, so the environmentalists may be up in arms, but a few more pumped storage schemes would not go amiss and some could be tidal barrages in less sensitive areas. At least they are less likely to catch fire or explode. At present, we seem to be waiting for the storage to catch up with the generation.

That is probably because you keep your batteries are kept well charged so they don't stay in bulk for long.

For goodness sake do the maths. It seems the 8hp one s rated at 4Kw s at 12v that is about 330 amps at full power. It's a small boat and the amount of solar that can be fitted will be limited, so they won't help much. Going down the diesel generator route come 2050 or whatever there will still be a problem if no diesel generators are allowed.

Neither do I. with flat batteries the fact it's producing a high current flow depresses the voltage and there is nothing the internal regulator or external regulator can do about that. Even a Kestrel could do nothing until the bulk phase is over, and the internal regulator starts working.

Both the upper and lower "nuts" should have olives on the pipe inside them. They may have been overtightened and crushed the pipe and olive, so they will never seal. The middle section looks like a bodge to me because a single straight reducing compression union would do the job with no extra joints. I suspect the middle joint is two parallel BSP threads and unless you can get a sealing washer into the bottom of the larger one I doubt you can make a long term seal, but even that would be a bodge. You MIGHT seal the middle section by degreasing and using a Locktite sealant for oils, basically glue the two together.

Please, can you confirm what type of boat this is? If its a narrowboat what type of stern (trad, cruiser, semi-trad)? Because I know there are some right prunes doing boat fitting, but if you are correct it seems the king of all prune type jobs. Narrowboat batteries are often not easy to access, but access them we must. They are often placed on the uxter (swim) plate to one side of the engine. This is to keep the heavy cables short. It sounds as if you may not have a narrowboat. M135 suggests it's a Tanya leisure type battery. Sometimes batteries slide out after taking a lower section of a step or under cupboard panel off. If that is the only battery and it's been on for an unknown time with unknown modes of boat use, no wonder you are having problems.

Yes, its the plastic one and if you looked through it, you will see oily mechanical bits rather than a rusty deposit under the one with ears. Anyway, I am not so clever because I said it was the starboard one which would be on the right looking forward had ears. I should have said it's on the port side (left, looking forward). The image Matty posted looks as if it has a Polar exhaust manifold. The more common Bowman ones, nowadays, are fatter but still have those rubber caps on the ends. re a bit fatter so look slightly different, but still have rubber caps on the ends.

I would not be 100% sure it would still not require a shaft unless you can get electric stern drives.

I am not familiar with the Victron smart charger but when the OP writes "the 'blue box' is a 'Vitron Blue Smart Charger' and the lights are on for 'Normal (14.4v)' and 'Float'" makes me suspect that the 14.4 volts may be printed on the case and just indicates what the absorption voltage is set to, not what is being produced So, to the OP, don't mess about with new batteries and such like until you know what is going on. Get a multimeter and measure the voltage at the batteries. FWIW the charging voltage a charger (or alternator) produces depends upon how much current is flowing. The higher the charge the lower the voltage that can be produced, so I would advise you to buy a more expensive meter with a DC Clamp on it for measuring DC current (be wary the Screwfix ones often only measure AC current). Then if the voltage is low and the current is low after a couple of hours on charge the charger would be suspect, but if the current is high and stay high over a couple of hours or so then the batters probably have a shorting cell. Let's have the photos Dora asked for.

Try www.tb-training.co.uk for starters, no charge and you can print the whole thing out one section at a time.

That was an error, £149.

Are there engine beds on the hull under the floor where an inboard option could have been installed? If so, it will need the engine, gearbox, a stern gland that can be bolted and glassed in to the hull, probably a P bracket, coupling, shaft, prop and a probably two day labour. If there are no beds then they will require making up of timber and glassing into the boat, so maybe a week's labour in total. As others have said, probably not worth the cost, it may well cost more than the boat did and you will never get it back.

Because of the flooding risk, I would suggest that you need to look at marinas, but there is no chance of £1490 per week I would have thought. Then tit is perfectly possible the smaller ones like Hambledon Mill or Bourne End may not accept narrowboats. I am not sure about Bray marina but know Thames and Kennet at Reading have a narrowboat section. There are/were piled island moorings at Maidenhead, but I don't have a clue who owns them. Possibly Bray boats. Cookham my not be too bad for flooding because as a rule of thumb the closer you are to a weir downstream of you the less flood water rises. Being just below Boulter's weir Maidenhead is bad for this.

I suspect he means downwards from the outlet. I agree with BEngo, being a dry exhaust boat, working form the hull outlet it should run upwards and then down to the engine to prevent external water getting into the engine.

Just for 12v compressor fridges, it is 1sq mm of conductor cross-sectional area for each metre of run between battery and fridge. Use the same size cable for the negative.

I suspect they are fabricated by or for the owner. Take a standard exhaust and cut it a couple of inches above roof level. Fit a hinge across the cut at the back, so the top section can swing back and down. Fabricate a sleeve that when upright either covers the cut either inside or outside, I suspect it may need to be half one and half the other. Fabricate a bracket that is fixed to the top position just above the cut and pointing forward. Fix a weight onto the front of the bracket that will pull the chimney into its upright position. Fix an eye at the top back of the chimney and attach a cord for pulling it down so you don't have to let the bridge push the chimney down so it scrapes along the underside of the arch. I have a feeling that there is or was a photo on the forum somewhere.