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No need to make anything clear! ....... thanks again! lol! god loves a trier Dalslandia!! ....... I'm going to make do for now, see how she fairs during a 400+ mile round trip early next year and MAY! ....... may come back to you! ......... but wouldnt 5 blades shake the living daylights out of you?

I posted all the reliable data which was supplied before but it was subsequently taken down. I really can't be bothered to go there again unless you have a point?....... however, if it is only for your own learning so the same mistake is not made again forget it. DW made it perfectly clear that he had washed his hands of me and my boat!

I believe it is 65 hp at 2500 rpm

easily! that's why the more experienced than I suggested it was still under propped...... bearing in mind i was only using a cycle GPS in a metal wheelhouse so would question the accuracy, it was bouncing between 5.5 and 6mph upstream. I would guess river flow was no more than 2 mph.

Any proffesional Supplier might! ? ...... but anyway I couldn't be bothered with the 4 day round trip to dry dock. I'm happy, don't get me wondering!? ?

Maximum recommended engine rpm is 2500 but I have to be careful because maximum throttle will cause it to exceed 2500 rpm...... obviously I don't run at that it was only getting a feel for it after changing the gearbox ratio.

Through luck rather than design it works! I don't doubt a little more could be squeezed out of it but I believe I have now the best compromise. The 20 x 16 would be interesting to try but it would limit prop clearance way under recommended and I fear the boat engine would be too laboured on narrow, shallow canals.

I'm happy, but no thanks to you know who! ?

lol! 18" x 15" ....... yep! ...... I was tempted to return it out of badness but couldnt be bothered with the 4 day round trip to dry dock and another £80 dry dock rental.

Well ....... dare I open this can of worms again!? ....... but as I did promise to report back ...... 2:1 recon gearbox fitted in place of 3:1 and all's good in the world! ........ how wrong could anybody be with their calculations?! Anyway, returning to the positive. It is now clear both gearbox and prop needed to be changed for the best results. The previous owner must have tried to resolve the problem with prop alone hence fitting a 20 x 23 which never really worked but was acceptable on canals and a gearbox ratio change alone would never have worked with said prop. Having now changed both the general consensus is that the boat is still a little under propped, believe it or not, but after living with it for a year with the former set-up I believe the boats performance is certainly the best it has ever been! I am now cruising at little over tick over and can take full advantage of all the sound proofing I installed whilst comfortable in the knowledge there is a little more grunt for those cheeky spring tides. Sure I will not be towing water skiers any time soon but can now live Happily Ever After!! Oh, thats assuming I havent bust the seals on the recon gearbox after stupidly over filling it! ........ I checked and better checked, maybe 6 times, but could not see the oil level on the dipstick until I came back from a test run and found 0.5 litres of gearbox oil in the bottom of the boat. And then proceeded to take out another .5 litres in order to drop it to the max level!

I haven't owned the boat from new only for the last year. So although I now understand the theory I was interested to hear others practical experiences and opinions. As already stated I can now see it is worth the investment for piece of mind.

sounds like mine only minus the vsr

I did wonder about that immediately after typing, particularly after reading a thread on here about using the hull as a negative return. I may be wrong as there are several negative cables which 'appear', I wasnt taking too much notice as I was doing something else, to be attached to the hull near the domestic bank with only one cable going to the batteries. Could that be an insulated negative? I appreciate you have not got a crystal ball but maybe it is common place in boat electrics. I appreciate I was originally talking about the starter and bow thruster batteries but maybe a similar approach has been adopted as with the domestic bank.

I'd have to guess to the hull. There is certainly no negative charging lead directly back to the starter battery.

Oh I wont. Im no sea fairer but have some experience of what the sea is capable of from my wind surfing days around the coast and of course I will be enlisting the services of Daryl.

You are correct but there is already one switch in the BT control circuit which I keep forgetting to switch on. If I put another in line il not know where Im at! lol I dont really use the BT much at all under normal circumstances but on the odd occasion, on a spring tide with an under powered prop just fitted (I'll not start that thread again! ), it certainly got put through its paces as I approached a bridge almost sideways!

lol! ...... no its just a means to an end. I would like to get as far south as I can ........ without lifting it out the water and without being totally ridiculous and really trying to go to sea. Cambridge seems a perfect goal. Mines a wide beam but no doubt you will tell me thats even worse!

lol! I'll bare that in mind!

As always thanks for the replies. Unfortunately you have managed to convince me to spend more money! The domestic batteries are also paralleled with the starter battery, via isolator, for emergency purposes only but for the sake of the cost of another battery it would seem foolish to risk loosing 3 batteries through one fault or another! To day I only have alternator charging for the bow thruster and starter batteries but do intend making use of the MasterVolt 5amp trickle charger when on shore power. Particularly as I have taken a lead off the bow thruster batteries to provide two USB sockets in the bedroom.

The mrs doesnt want me to go alone but yes its still on for now and preparations are continuing ........ At the moment there are only 2 things which could scupper it; 1) getting a job ....... and I am dragging my feet on that score 2) The weather. If its anything like last winter it wont happen. Or as one guy said yesterday I would be able to travel as the crow flies!

I didnt think any of us were bad steerers? ......... thought it was always hull design, prop, wind, current, tide, other boaters, etc !!

Voltage Sensitive Relay ........ one of them you posted........ but if I get one I'll get a proper one!

Hi All, I have been reading some old threads on hear and other forums about bow thruster wiring and charging circuits. My bow thruster batteries are 2 starter batteries which are mounted in the bow next to the bow thruster with a smaller diameter cable running the length of the boat to the positive terminal of the starter battery, which is a single battery the same type as the bow thruster batteries, cheapo maintenance free, for charging. So the smallest of the alterantors, 70 amp from memory, is providing power to the engine as well as charging the starter and bow thruster batteries. Currently there is no diodes or VSR between the starter battery and bow thruster batteries and hasnt ever been since new, 9 years ago. I understand the benefits of fitting a VSR but is it really necessary? Of course it isnt, but I would welcome opinions, experiences either way before shelling out another 60+ quid. Thanks in anticipation. John

also check, I've forgotten the precise term, route restrictions, tidal sections etc and make sure they are unchecked . there's mine, 191 miles.