LillyPotemkin

My thoughts are that you are an awful snob

David or 'Blaggers as we affectionately called him was my English teacher at Roade secondary school.He would often regale us and act out funny anecdotes and stories from the cut. He always gave heaps of encouragement and said I could write a book,something I later went on to do. Thanks 'Blaggers' and RIP

Hi I've lived in and on, a 42 ft cruiser stern for the last two years.I knew nothing about boats before and it's a bit of a steep learning curve and a voyage of self discovery in the process. IMHO the following helped me adapt ; When it rains get a soft pencil mark the location of any leaks,when it's dry fix them Get a stove have it warm and cosy you can cook on it as well Have clothes you wear on the boat only Don't make massive internal changes on your boat until you've lived it in a whilst Get a gas cooker,grill Have a big interest in meteorology compost toilets are great Living afloat is without doubt one of the best things I've done even though it was totally accidental some info on my my blog http://fairyfriendsonanarrowboat.blogspot.co.uk/

Many thanks W+T for that sounds perfect

sorry forgot to add there's a door to be hung off the frame .The twin bulk heads one left one right width ways in the boat with an entrance door inbetween.. It the marking of the curve that's defeating me

HI I'm building a narrow stud partition 1" I can do the frame work ok.The frame will be skinned with MDF and topped with T&G. The ceiling is curved.How do I mark the MDF and T&G mark the curving contour of the roof? sorry if it appears obvious! many thanks

No off grid I'm afraid

A new girlfriend means I spend the odd night away from the boat ! As I leave for work at 6am, It means the stove is off for a day and half at a time. So I've been looking at installing a Hot air blower set on a thermostat at 10c so its not too awful when I get back and light up. I've seen the Diesel wallas 2KW heater which a lot more than a propex 2kw propane heater.Has anyone ever had experience of both and is the wallas worth the extra thanks in advance.

further info currently 4 identical 100 watt panels in series, Voc 22V / Imp 5 the controller is rated at 30amps although the manual says its max load at 12 v is 800 watts. The new panels are different voltages but would the controller cope with two different input voltages ? thanks

I'm guessing that the following is ok to do.But I thought I'd check with the solar sages on here first I have a 400 watt installation currently going through a eMPPT30 controller.Some one has given me a pair of solar panels I think they are 125watt each and Voc of 19.6v My plan is to connect these two panels together and then run them via a separate cable into the MPPT controller. Does this sound ok ? Thanks for your patience if it's a dumb question

I'm looking at getting a new fridge, the old one sounds like a train at night.Power wise its consuming about 40 Ah a day, which is no problem at the mo', but come winter it could be. So I looked at something like this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Dometic-Combicool-RC1700-3-Way-12V-Mains-Gas-Camping-Fridge-Regulator-Hose-/360892667861?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&var=&hash=item5406e117d5 I only keep salad and meat in the fridge and wondered about making a cold box in the cratch for the coldest months December - February, so any advice doing this also appreciated Thanks

wanted to post IMG but tried not to be.Link is picture of semi completed bunks.I'm quiet pleased.the top bunk is 2' 3" the bottom 2 ' wide, this was intentional ! I just need to build in some storage, shelves.Then clad in ship lap, or maybe driftwood? add some curtains for winter etc https://www.dropbox.com/sc/yvy6l8zsxuu10bc/AABHRHp10BaRk8Et_fxmBGu-a At last!

ooer My thinking (misguided) was the alternator is rated at 70 amps and that running it for an hour would/could/might put back 30 amps into the bank? Does this a can of worms smiley

Hi Mike, 30 Ah.I'm assuming that providing the batteries are sufficiently discharged that running a 70 A/h alternator for an hour will probably add a charge of 30Ah. Yes I'm wondering about the MPPT, what would it do but in bleak winter I may be OK ?

Hi I'.m sure someone can shed a little light on this ; I currently have a 400 watt install (*4 panels) going into a 30 amp MPPT and charging a 625 Ah bank.All is fine and dandy at the moment I'm using around 50aH a day and i'm at 100SOC by 9am every day. But I came across this solar calculator http://re.jrc.ec.europa.eu/pvgis/apps4/pvest.php# and in Jan it estimates I'll be good for approx 30 AH a day. My question is, would it be worth doubling up to 800 watt of solar to meet my requirements.Or will running the engine for an hour a day be OK, adding 30 amps into the bank.? Or a two hour jaunt every couple of days to the cafe If it is the solar route can I add another MPPT in to my existing bank ? controlling the new 400 watt install. Thanks in advance