Horace42

Regretfully it is a fact of commercial law that demand forces prices up. The number of boats can be kept under control by increasing license fees. I am sure CRT know this. As an aside, the average length of boat could be worked out from the total income (said to be £30m+) divided by the total number of boats (said to be about 35k) to give an average annual license income per boat of £860. Where from the current fees list, £860 is the region of a 13.5m boat, or 45ft or so. Not a precise figure - but sounds about right - a ball park length if it helps.

Mooring in the sense that the boat is static in one place comprises two separate components. Land and water. First the land, for which you need permission of the landowner for access to tie the boat up - maybe also paying a fee for the privilege that is nothing to do with CRT, except if it is CRT land then you pay whatever the published rate is for the mooring. Second the actual water, where you pay for a full mooring license that permits permanent exclusive use of that stretch of water over the canal bed occupied by the boat - except where the dry land is not owned by CRT, you pay a fee to CRT - usually charged at half the rate of the full mooring license for the area - a classic end-of-garden mooring. Otherwise you take pot-luck mooring free of charge anywhere permitted by the cruising license and landowner but limited to 14 days - or whatever the local notice says.

Why not develop a system of standard size batteries, easy to swap with the right mechanical handling mechanisms - with a network of battery charging stations with banks of ready charged batteries. Stop the car - take out the flat battery - put in a fully charged one - drive off.............Oh yes, and pay! A matter of minutes.

I seem to remember from the early days that efficiency was not the objective (although important now, together with pollution avoidance) - it was more of a silent cruising issue - to emulate the silence and speed of horse drawn boats, and so as not to frighten the wildlife. All encouraged by the promise of charging points everywhere. If I was not faced with giving up boating (age related physical limitations in strength and agility) I would look at it again....but as I said in an earlier post, I was disturbed by the high pitched whine, that I assumed would be characteristic of electric boats, arising from a trip I had on one .I lost interest and did not bother. But I think there is great potential because with modern equipment - exploiting advances in hybrid car design - that cost and efficiency can be met economically. Which leaves the lack of charging points to be accommodated by on-board chargers running automatically to top up batteries when cruising. .

The trick is to have an electric motor driven prop with a separate small silent diesel generator just the right size for optimum efficiency to charge a smaller bank of batteries (whilst cruising). This will avoid the need for a huge bank of batteries and the associated larger and noisy charging generator intended to be used whilst moored, usually to the annoyance of nearby boats during antisocial hours.

Back to the boat itself, I did not pursue the idea of all electric drive and large batteries (but with an on-board separate small silent generator) was by chance we went for a ride on one - and I found the almost silent 'whine' of the motor (or maybe the speed controller) was somewhat disconcerting. I did not like it......so I abandoned the idea.

From distant memory, the winding hole above the is some way beyond the lock and you have to turn round somewhere because the canal ends soon after. I suppose boats 50+ft have to back up - but to where? Seems little choice but to use the Thames. The river below the lock is a large area of open water with plenty of room to turn. But as said above, is it certain that a Thames license is not required to use the Thames just to turn round ? Knowing that would have saved us an hour or so - apart from which there was nowhere to buy a license at Isis even if we wanted to. I would not know about things today.

A bit naive many years ago - we did not have a Thames license - and my wife terrified of breaking the law - afraid to go down on the Thames where there was room to do a 'U' turn. We used the winding hole at Isis lock to turn round. On the face of it nothing of an issue. Except our boat is 50ft. and the winding hole is 50ft diameter. We had to remove our rear fender and hold the rudder hard over to fit in the space, and then with crew on the bank, fore and aft, pushed and pulled and rocked and jiggled the boat, to get it to slide past the stones of the wall around the winding hole, chopping back weeds and undergrowth to clear a path. Another year we ventured on to the Thames at Isis lock and eventually bought a 7 day license - that didn't allow time for a decent visit to the Wey or K&A - so we had to pay a second time when the first one ran out.

I went into the design of electric boats 30 years ago. Cost was comparable to a diesel engine if installed at the outset. But the practical problem was lack of available components and charging facilities - that were promised everywhere. Where are they ??? So I designed a boat with an electric drive and an in-board diesel driven charger, but never got round to it, and a long story that I wont go into, except to say with today's bow-thrusters and additional electrical equipment to run - where a generator is likely to be required - the cost is largely covered. However it boils down to total boat electric power and just adding the propeller motor to it. Separate to which are the composite controls for speed and direction, generators, and battery management - chuck in a few solar panels and windmills - all to work in conjunction with shore based power supplies....... However, if the Dutch have already done this then their costs are unbelievable - and to my mind totally avoidable and unnecessary, but based on a decision logic that requires a bit of forward and lateral thinking.

I fitted a timer on my boat in the shore power supply so that the charger is only on for an hour per day to top up the batteries. Another timer feeds the bilge pump to spin it for a few seconds when 'dry', but on auto-float as well, in case water ever gets in the bilge (normally never). And another timer for the dehumidifier to run for a couple of hours per night to keep the damp at bay. And a couple of lights on all the time to make the boat look 'lived in' when we are away. And then I visit the boat occasionally to check it out and run the engine - which bursts into life after10 seconds of pre-heat and the first click of the starter.

.... that was because they did it during the night

Wasn't there talk of shipping nuclear waste by rockets and dumping on the Sun ? ....and from comments by others this is only hearth the story...

Although I agree in principle with nuclear, to say 'only', is overlooking other available mass energy sources, together with mass energy storage yet to be fully technically developed - hindered economically by ecologically and safety issues - that suddenly will become solved and viable when the lights go out in the Government's offices.

"...Do you stick to smokeless fuels and dried wood or are you an anti social B'stard..." My first thoughts on the question, before I tick any boxes, was to ask if you class yourself as the latter?

It is much like buying and selling a house, or houses if in a chain. You each have a solicitor to look after your interests. Each solicitor checks out the bona fides of the other parties (are they all, ready willing and able to execute the deal) then your each agree on a framework for your own particular contract, then fill in the details like deposits and dates, and vacant possession on completion when the balance is paid. It does not become binding on both parties until contracts are exchanged and deposits are paid. Advance money (for deposit) money is held by your solicitor in a client account (you might also be asked for the balance at the same time to be held in the client account) or at least have pay it a few days before completion (already having given proof you have the money in place). The solicitors ensure all money is paid and received (and keys delivered). You then take the boat. The interesting thing here is contracts becomes binding at the time solicitors agree between themselves - which is not quite the same as the date you actually sign a contract - because this allows a mismatch of time scales to be accommodated in contracts involving 'chains'. I think they call it contemporaneous. You will see here that this deals with the contract, money and times scales. Whether the house meets your requirements, and is really what you want, is up to you - like surveys etc. Much the same applies to buying a boat I would say. Caveat emptor. So I am au fait with the procedure except although in my case, it is linked to selling our house and a boat. Things brought to a head by our children wanting us to live nearer them for easy access in our old age, that is coupled to physical limitations exposing us to the risk of harm by trying to handle a heavy boat and lock gates, paddles, bridges, jumping, walking climbing, tripping over fishermen, knocked down by bikers etc. We are selling our house, and the new one wont have an EOG like we have now. So the boat has to go - sadly. But good luck with your boat buying excercise. I wish you well.

I would choose marine grade plywood to make a weatherproof box .

But most importantly they seem to have taken the appropriate action to fix it.

My definite 'wrong' answers eliminate options and should help focus on the right ones. I certainly go along with Matty's explanation.

As already said video did not open first time I tried. Clearly I got the cause wrong. Sorry about that. But now I wonder how did the fault go unnoticed for so long - surely diesel would have leaked into the canal.

Thanks. Video did not open when I first tried. Quite impressive ...

Has it been extablished how the water gets in the tank ? ....and where does it come from. A leaking welds around the tank body. Rain water through the breather or filler cap. and if 'new' have the 'crew' put tap water in the fuel tank by mistake ? These things happen .... hence mandatory rules about labels for these things, .....just a thought...

Others have come up with similar answers and have posted them whilst I have been writing mine. As an afterthought, an independent survey is not necessary when buying the boat but will be if you intend to take out fully comprehensive insurance.

Draw up terms and conditions, values, their proof of ownership, proof of your available funds, dates you both agree with - and in writing - a copy each - and signed. Pay a deposit (usually 10% to create a binding contract on day one). With full payment of the balance on the day of vacant possession when you collect the boat. Is it any different to buying a car.

From a point of curiosity, is you boat actually low at the stern? Do you have a large fresh water tank, and a large calorifier/hot water tank, and a large pump-out tank, and a large diesel tank, and a large engine, and lots of batteries - all at the stern end - as well as crew and passengers - that might explain why it is low. On the other hand, does it just 'look' low.

You need to trace the cables to see where they go and what they are connected to. Logically though, if it is part of the water pump circuit, where 'on' means it is pumping and then goes 'off' at normal pressure - then staying 'on' would suggest the pump is continuously running (a leak somewhere?) or a 'tired' pump - but then surely you would hear it running. However, if the light is part of the water pump circuit, then it should be possible to switch it off with the pump switch, but if not then operate various local other switches until it goes out, if none local do it then progressively back to the main switch panel.