Nick D

Not sure which category you have me in? Don’t think c500+ hours a year counts as occasional or low usage.

Absolutely agree. It would indeed be boring if they were at every lock. Sometimes though during or at the end of a longish day or in a big flight they are a welcome sight (to us at least).

Just to confirm that we are not infirm, we know what we are doing, are interested in the surroundings and certainly not lazy, but when we see a volockie we appreciate their help as do many others. Can see that not all boaters are the same. Each to their own!

Yes, when there’s a vollie! But each to his own, if you prefer something different then fine, just don’t assume that all boaters don’t appreciate them.

I disagree with your assumptions. We don’t see locks as obstacles and enjoy working them but if there’s a Vollie we sometimes enjoy them even more! Accept that others might not always see it this way.

We APPRECIATE help and don’t mind sharing the load with a vollie.

You do seem to be very unlucky. In many years of boating, both as a hirer and owner we have encountered many Vollockies and never once have had a problem. We are always pleased to see them on approaching a lock and never been disappointed! Maybe we’re just lucky

I think you might have a point. We spent most of July on an enlarged Leicester ring, from Fradley Junction via Birmingham, across to the GU Leicester, up the Soar/Trent and back to King Bromley Marina. It seemed really quiet apart from the sections that were on the Warwickshire Ring. Perhaps everyone has gone there this year!

We have Channel Glaze double glazed windows on our three and half year old boat, which we have owned for just two and a half years. We do get some condensation in the winter, but only on the frames, not the glass and I wouldn’t say it was too bad. It’s very warm and draught free. The windows feel solid and are good quality. I don’t know what the cost was, but I would definitely recommend them.

We passed through both the Watford and Foxton flights last month and I only have good things to say about the lockies. They have to follow the (not always logical) CART water shortage rules and deal with the odd irate boater whilst moving as many boats as possible through the the flights. Yes, you might not get through as quickly as you wish, but I normally find that if you approach them in a helpful and friendly manner, they normally respond likewise.

Another thumbs up from me for Streethay. Very helpful.

We got our pickaxe handle from a general diy/handyman store which you should find in most towns.

That makes me feel a lot better as our usage is around the 100ah mark from finishing cruising to next morning, but earlier in this thread some folks were suggesting this was unusually high. The difference is that we are around 12.2v in the morning so I still think I need new batteries!

This makes me pretty sure that my batteries must be on their way out. In that situation we’d be around 12.2 mark

Thanks Howard, you are quite right, NE not NW although the location is right, just across the footbridge. You are also right that I confused Office Lock with River Lock but whilst there are electric hook up points there I don’t think they work. At least they didn’t when we were there. I’m pretty sure the moorings in Granary Wharf are free, as they are in Royal Armouries. I know the gated section you mean but personally, despite the gate I don’t think I would feel safe on that mooring but that might just be me! Agree about the swing bridges which I imagine are particularly difficult for single handers.

Agree with Neil2 that Rodley is probably the last place to stop before your descent into Leeds - for me, not because of the alleged issues with locals as I think this is a thing of the past, but in reality there are very few places to moor in between as it’s a bit shallow around the edges. Also, I think the major mooring points in Leeds have been given different names over time. When Neil2 is referring to the moorings above Office Lock, i think this is now known as Granary Wharf and is the last basin before you drop onto to the River Aire. These are decent moorings right in the city centre next to the railway station. Yes, it’s a little noisy but actually surprisingly quiet at the same time given it’s location. There are some hook up points but I don’t think they actually work, but that aside these are good city centre moorings. if you drop down onto the river for a short distance (maybe half a mile) just before you reach the next lock on the right you will find the Royal Armouries basin. There are quite a few permanent moorings on the right hand side as you enter but about five or six visitor moorings on the left against a pontoon. These have electric hook up and you can get cards from the CRT North West Office which is located just over the bridge on the other side of the River Aire. These moorings are about a ten minute walk from the city centre and feel a bit more up market from Granary Wharf but we liked them both for different reasons. Hope this helps

Since I’ve had the BMV it appears that they are being fully charged by my cruising hours etc.. This pattern has always been the same before so I think it’s fairly safe to say they If they are being charged now, they were being charged then. Could be wrong tho!

So before I had the BMV I was using an analogue voltmeter. It was very difficult to judge whether the reading was 12v, 12.2v or even 11.8v. If they were actually regularly going down to 12v could that be the reason they are now failing, notwithstanding that it seems that my regime is fully charging the next day?

So if I do end up needing to buy anew set of batteries, what is a safe level of voltage beyond which they should not drop? I can then set a warning alarm on the BMV

So who do you pay and how much are we talking?

We are currently travelling northwards on the GU Leicester arm. I’m tempted to take a detour into Market Harborough where Nicholson’s says there are plentiful mornings plus electric hook up. Anyone able to confirm this? Later, we will be travelling through Leicester. Anyone able to give advice/comment on the moorings in the City? Thanks

Out of the last four nights, including tonight, two have been on hook up so too early to tell, but I will report back with findings. Probably need to give it two or three days offshore to see if a peters emerges.

Thanks. Sounds a bit convoluted but if I’m still having problems will certainly consider it. Might be back on here for help tho!

Surely most boaters have this sort of stuff without too many battery problems (cooler excepted)? We don’t have a microwave. Generally we are consuming c100ah from about 4pm when we stop until we wake up in the morning. This includes the normal tv etc. but we only charge phones etc when cruising and I don’t think we are wasteful with electricity. We don’t have solar. I started a thread on here a few months ago about having solar and the general consensus was that it wouldn’t be worth it for our cruising pattern. By chance, we passed a marina today which is part of our home marina group where we can stay overnight for free. I’ve hooked up the shoreline tonight so it will be interesting to see what happens when we go back off grid over the next few days.

This looks interesting. Didn’t know it was available as all I can see on the Victron App is similar graph for Watts/amp but only for the last minute. How do I get this extra information?