MikeHing

Have a look at the Ultra PIR battery GSM alarms from Ultra Secure Direct. They do 4G & very cheap 2G (£69) shed alarms. It needs a SIM. I have used the 2G version for years. 2G being phased out eventually though although 3G is going first.

Had a rope round prop after assistant lock keeper on Thames dropped our stern rope and it wound around prop and stopped the engine dead. All seemed to be OK but engine ran progressively rough. Some hours later I had a closer look at engine and could see that a rear engine mount bracket on Barus 1500 had cracked. This too was a PRM120 gearbox. Got it welded and next day other rear mount bracket failed. It wasn't obvious on initial inspection that there was a problem with the mounts.

Our Indecit IWDC6125 works fine with our 3000 Multi. Economic use of water too. This is a washer drier but have rarely used the drier function. We only use it when we are under way with the engine running though. A couple of years ago I set the Multi to output 220V instead of 230V but the washer did not like that at all and kept stopping mid program.

Midshipmans hitch. Google it.

Animated knots by Grog is the place to look. https://www.animatedknots.com/

Just tie a loop onto the hook with a Midshipmans knot and the length can easily be adjusted

£16.80 per day in the floating harbour based on a 15 day mooring license. £35 for a single day stay though.

Just had a quote for 14 days visitor mooring for a 57' nb on River Avon (Bristol way) of £657. That's about £47/day. Unbelievable. Needless to say we will stop somewhere else.

Had our new Beta 43 painted Kubota blue by Betamarine, ie the colour the original Kubota engines are supplied. Makes a change from green.

Came past Beale Park this morning and all the no mooring signs have gone, every one of them. There were lots of them mounted on posts when we passed over a week ago going down stream and no moored boats. No sign of them been broken off, just gone. A few boats moored there this morning which were mostly day boats. Whitchurch lock has still got a blackboard sign saying no mooring at Beale. They haven't been replaced with the original 24 hr mooring allowed signs though.

Those green starboard hand buoys have been gradually getting closer to the bank over the past few years. There are EA 24 hr moorings just below the lock and adjacent these buoys making it increasingly difficult to pass them on the correct side. Not too bad in a NB but widebeams and large cruisers must struggle when boats are moored on the 24 hr moorings. Add some flow in the river and life could get quite exiting. It is though very advisable to pass these on the correct side. I pulled a large hire boat cruiser off the mud last week just below Benson lock who had tried a shortcut.

I have a redundant one of these in my garage. As you say about 500mm tall. Had a look at the back of it and it definately has a compressor. There is an electrical circuit label inside which identifies a compressor in the system.

https://www.stickonsigns.co.uk

Have a look at www.stickonsigns.co.uk. Several members of this forum have in the past used their custom designed vinyl lettering. They can and do supply stencils as an alternative to vinyl. Regarding letter heights; most fonts have larger O, C, G & C capital letters to give the lettering a balanced look. It's nothing to do with the vinyl cutting.

Currently at the Pig Place heading south. Levels here are fine but the pound between Grants and Kings Sutton was a challenge.