Jennifer McM

Think you wife's a genius, aparently Albert Einstein had this trait.... though granted not with a 'washing machine'

Thank you Phil, but.... not being a chemist by any stretch... is there anything in the ingredients that might be dodgy to ecosystem? I'm a nervous newbie

Cos we are new to narrowboats, my husband has taken up Willow Wren's diesel engine maintenance workshop - it's a one day course, costs £120. Next one is 2nd Sept. http://www.willowwrentraining.co.uk/diesel.html We've also been doing the rounds of marinas looking for a boat - in our opinion, boats are cheaper north of Birmingham - though we didn't venture South of Birmingham.

The cheapest deterrent yet.... (could work? Who'd know?) £1.99 for 5! https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tracking-Security-87x30mm-Discovery-Freelander-Rover-Car/dp/B00WQYVVII/ref=sr_1_18?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1470769611&sr=1-18&keywords=car+tracker

suspected this.... thanks

Thank you for your comments, I'm soaking up each thought/idea/experience. Looking at the 12v fridge/freezers, they do look a bit 'old fashioned', and I'm wondering if the design has kept up with the latest tech in energy efficiency? The ao.com fridge/freezers show energy ratings, A+, A++ etc., but 'Shoreline' don't show any energy ratings. Could it be because 12v is low energy in any case? I don't understand the criteria - still learning.

ooooo much cheaper on ebay... thanks!

Thanks Keith that's reassuring!

Perhaps a coordinator could collect mobile phone numbers of willing boaters, so when a boat goes missing, the coordinator sends out a red alert via text messages to those in the 'scheme'. The message would link to a web page where details and photos of the missing boat can be viewed. Can't remember the official name, but there is a similar scheme when a child is abducted, a message is relayed via coordinators, who quickly spread 'the alert'.

Thanks, that's reassuring! Co ordinating efforts, to swing into action when something happens, must be a good thing.

We've just purchased a Baltic for our GSD https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B001RH6Z9U/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 We asked Willow Wren when booking a couple of training days - they didn't hesitate to advise we purchase a Baltic. It has a big handle on the back, and have even tried it out by swinging our 35k dog with it, without any distress at all - in fact I think he liked it! The jacket also helps with anti-thermal shocks.

Yes you're right of course, though when you think of the area cars can become invisible, and the size of, and small area for narrowboats to disappear. Admire your maths, I've never been got at it. It would be interesting to hear the stories of these stolen boats, where they ended up, were they returned to rightful owners, were they broken up?

Yes, there's a Victron 3000

Crumbs, that's 20 narrowboats in 10 years!

The boat we hope to buy in 2 weeks (waiting for survey) has a small 12v fridge freezer, which is probably 6 years old like the boat. I'd like an under the counter fridge, and an under the counter freezer, but the costs appears to be around £600 each for 12v versions = £1,200 Looking at AO.com; for £400 we'd be able to pick up 240v versions. Saving us £800 to put towards a good set of solar panels. This looks like a win / win to me.... or am I missing something?

Good thread. Perhaps volunteer 'lookouts' could 'own' a canal, or work in conjunction with others who are on the same canal, and perhaps 'owning' a stretch of it. Providing of course the volunteer has the time. This needs the expertise of a 'Volunteer Admiral! Great idea though, after all, our boats could be the next target.

Never heard of 'sodium percarbonate' before, so I looked on Amazon, it looks amazing stuff, and being eco friendly too. Apparently it works much better than 'Vanish'. Off now to order some.... thank you!

Thank you 'tagulablue', 'bottle' and 'frangar'. We'll be mooring at Trinity Marina in HInckley for a month, and noticed there's no mention re electric on their website. As this is the first time we'll be using a marina, we were curious.

Hi, Just wondering how electricity is normally charged on marina mooringings. Is it included? On a meter? Charged separately? Also wondering if there's a nominal levy attached? Ta for help.

As a complete ignoramus, yet thirsty to learn, I've been researching for our 'soon to be' new life as CC's, and came across this tweet from '@IWA_Volunteer' https://twitter.com/IWA_Volunteer/status/760842398008168448 advertising their #CutInvasives campaign. The tweet advertises this helpful webpage https://www.waterways.org.uk/news_campaigns/campaigns/invasive_species/cut_invasives_week I've also downloaded the PlantTracker App http://planttracker.org.uk/ to report pesty 'invaders'. Sorry if this has been posted before. I don't know if this strategy works, but like a true 'enthusiast' I'm 'diving in' (not literally I hope!)

Thanks Athy for your suggestion. No the boat is on the Caldon Canal, and the owner has managed to get it into Longport Marina in 3 weeks - so all's well, apart from having to keep my enthusiasm in check for a few weeks.