rustynewbery

We moved off full time liveaboard last year - and just as well as the new marina owners don't allow it and we only winter moored anyway. As well as all of the above [though we do leave enough for a hot toddy when we return during the winter!] the Internet of Things is proving to be an excellent way of managing the amount of leccie usage. There is a permanently "On" tube heater in the engine room alongside the block, with a sleeping bag over the3 heads. Two oil filled low wattage radiators, positioned in engine room and galley/saloon are connected via separate "TP Link" sockets plugged into the wall. A third socket has a "Clever Dog" internet camera trained on a weather station which reads inside and outside temperature. All this is Wi-Fi linked to the boat's router and everything is controlled via a smart phone. You can set schedules for the heaters to switch on/off throughout the night or override to be permanently on if the weather does take a turn. I aim to keep the inside between 6-8 deg. Over the last 30 days it has cost 85p per day on average. A friend of mine also uses wireless remote to switch his diesel heater when needed. If it all goes t*ts up, the marina team have a spare key and I can be there within 3 hours if necessary. The TP link plugs are around £25-30, Clever Dog camera £25, Weather station £25. Plus a Wi-Fi dongle and reliable mobile signal.

The Tat Bank arm by the Titford pumphouse does have electric hook up, but as said, the Crow flight gets in the way- and the BCNS had their chuck wagon stolen a few years ago.

What's more, it shows the reality of being on a boat.

Correct! Any road, I go "boating" and the only times been referred to as skipper was when on the Thames. And definitely "steering" Lyrics from The Rosemary go: "the owner said yes and the boatman ok, and into the cabin he went straight away"

So [sic] no-one has volunteered Master Boater - or is that reserved for the likes of Steve Haywood

CRT will turn a blind eye

We were moored there on the O/S boat Endeavour for a year. It was agreed to have a repaint and they used to crane the boats out of the cut into their farm and paint shed. The paint job was OK but was the wrong shade so they were forced to do the job again. Naturally O/S refused to pay twice so Phil Dorrington chained the boat to his pilings until the issue was sorted. We, the shared owners, didn't pick up the cost though. There's plenty of boats moored there so he hasn't p***ed off too many.

No, not an aficionado, and agreed it is possibly geeky/nerdy/techie. I've dipped my toe into Ubuntu a few years ago before I got this machine and the "front end" GUI interface is now a lot better so you're not totally dependent on the command line unless you want to be a nerd. I really only need Windows for the Serif DTP application but good to enable debate on the pros/cons of MS. Now setting up a Virtual Machine running Windows 10 under Ubuntu - that'll keep me off the beer for months??. Though my machine will run faster [they say?] Now where's my backup...….

Not a lot, but the moderators can move the thread into wherever

Mac = Apple = Locked in. BUT - out of the box, a MAC outperformed Windows machines and the choice of many universities and scientific institutions back in the day. Android is built on the Linux "kernel" And nope Seadog, I'm not on commission?

There is a way to beat the Microsoft stranglehold on our PC's laptops and other devices. Apart from Chromebooks, nearly all manufacturers sell their machines with Windows operating system[OS] as standard. The latest incarnation, Windows10 is a behemoth; consumes a lot of memory and computer time, constantly downloads updates when you don't want them, and removes support for previous versions, especially the much loved XP, which was the de facto standalone version of NT. Along with this "free" OS, there comes Office 365 which is carries an annual subscription. Many of you here have preferred to keep XP [or before] and so long as there is no internet connection, it cannot become infected with malware or viruses unless someone pokes a memory stick or CD into it. Linux is an open source suite of software that is an alternative to Windows, particularly if you only use your device for emails, internet and other online applications. There are several versions - Mint and Ubuntu are 2. They can be loaded instead of Windows or exist on the same hard disk with a "dual boot" option if you have applications that will only run on Windows and do not have alternative apps on the Linux platform. It claims to rejuvenate old computers as it uses less RAM [memory] and disk space. If you use Office 365 programs such as Word, Excel, Power Point and Access, there is an open source alternative called Libre Office which does not require an annual subscription. System security is much improved. For more information just Google "why is Linux better". A whole new MS free world awaits

You DO have to worry about a voltage drop! Some time ago the company produced a technical report on some of the problems with boat installations, seeing that thousands of the units [and Airtronics] are in use across the world in trucks, SUV's and trains

Over in Venice, they too have disastrous flooding issues and have been waiting years to implement a barrier system to prevent high tides swamping the place. BUT - it seems corruption and spiralling costs have delayed the project...….sounds really familiar doesn't it? Add to it that Fishlake was once a bog in the 1700's and was drained?????? I've had experience of calling CRT to report emergencies and found extreme difficulty getting call handlers to direct me to the right area supervisor; unless you happen to have the mobile number of the right person, you don't stand a chance because they invariably don't even call back. You can have all the experience in retail, finance etc and a bunch of MBA's but they don't replace common sense and LOCAL knowledge.

We had one back in July; we were working down with a hire boat and said volockie was lock wheeling ahead. All went well until the hire boat stopped for lunch below ugly bridge and the lock wheeler went back up the flight. We singled the spaced out last 5?

Not totally vollocks. The chambers are linked [but have been disused since forever] and, back in the day, were used to transfer water between them, saving 50% volume per movement. But I wouldn't expect all vollies to know or understand that.

I had the same problem with the suction pipe almost blocked with uric acid and limescale similarly as a liveaboard with more than 10 years use. I gave it to Leesan to use as a demonstration of how the build up can happen over time. Suggest using de-scaler fluid regularly.

Seen so many boats with stern ropes just lying on the counter just waiting to be kicked over and under. Stern lines should be coiled and put on the cabin slide, ready for use. Without starting another debate, I used to coil mine over the tiller pin- I don't anymore. Centre ropes should be just reachable from the steering position and shorter than being able to be caught round the prop if they fall in - Murphy's law says they will.?

We crossed the Mersey back in 2014 and Stuart Wood was our pilot. A year previously we did Limehouse - through the barrier then back up to Teddington, again with a pilot from St Pancras Cruising Club. Definite NO NO to Severn [and Ribble due to 70ft length]! Very good information for those wanting to give them all a go

It's running very nicely thank you? How's the missus? Passed Geoff and Karen a few weeks ago near Ansty. Fast asleep they must have been! It's on the stoppage posts to my phone Nell Bridge,that is!

It must be the water they're letting thru Banbury lock today? Must get down and see Mr Smelly again soon

Nowt wrong with 3-pots?. And it's good to have Jane back ringing in the tower regularly.

According to the Cambridge Dictionary, "If the engine of a vehicle is ticking over, the engine is operating slowly although the vehicle is not moving" So it really doesn't make sense to use the term in relation to passing moored boats, since at tick over, you wouldn't get past.?? My Russell Newbery DM3 will idle at 200rpm so I use observation instead to check if I am going at a considerate speed. On a long pound where water levels are pretty much constant, boats should be tied up securely and not allowed to swing about. An old working boat with a Bolinder could go past moored boats at 3mph+ without any disturbance due to the design of the boat's hull and swim. Far better to observe the etiquette to "Slow Down" and adjust your speed according to the prevailing conditions. This would also include wind speed & direction and depth of water below the hull.?

Its just down to arrogance that some boat owners think everything is done for them. Back to Falls Bridge, I used him one year out of season and was able to negotiate an 80/20 split in line with my diesel consumption but next year he was strictly 60/40. I've then passed the yard when his 2 boats were in and made positive comments about their smart turn out - got a stare back and I was only at 200rpm going past.