Dunworkin
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Posts posted by Dunworkin
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Thank you so much everybody who has chipped in with some information. This has been a hugely helpful exercise and has given me much to chew over and consider...many thanks...??
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7 minutes ago, Detling said:
Get a good MPPT controller not the Tracer/EPever although they work fine on a sunny day they do not perform well in poor light shady conditions. Wire the panels in parallel, which may mean thicker cable, because then when one little bit gets a shadow or a rope across it you only reduce the output from that panel not all of them. Have fat cables to the battery from the controller to avoid volt drop. Although not required a fuse or switch, between the panels and controller allows you to switch off the power to work on the system, otherwise you have to do it at night or cover the panels up.
Cheers...I wouldn’t even attempt to do the install myself, so we’ll get someone in who knows exactly what they are doing - but all of this is information we’ll need to make sure that we get the right job done...??
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11 minutes ago, Big Bob W said:
Initially I was a bit concerned on the security aspect of the magnetic mounts but unless you look rally closely, the mounts look as though they are screwed on. The cables route into the boat through one of the mushroom vents.
Many thanks...that really does offer some food for thought...I feel a wee dram or 2 coming on this evening as I mull over what’s best for us....????
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It’s amazing isn’t it...how many different solutions other boaters have come up with....I really like the magnet idea which saves holes in the roof. Presumably though there will have to be some holes to connect the cabling between the panels and the electronic that will live in the engine room?
Also, does the magnetically approach heighten the risk of theft?
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10 minutes ago, Midnight said:
If it's any help this is what I fitted to Midnight 57ft
2 x https://www.photonicuniverse.com/en/catalog/full/98-120W-12V-solar-panel-with-5m-cable-German-solar-cells.html
1 x https://www.photonicuniverse.com/en/catalog/full/498-High-efficiency-30A-MPPT-solar-charge-controller-for-solar-panels-up-to-390W-12V--780W-24V-up-to-100V.html(bigger than needed but allows for a third panel)
Was recommended by one-who-knows to get German panels. On a summer's day these knock out about 12 amps which is enough to top up our 480ah battery bank. The remote is required as it's not too easy to read the meter in a dark engine room but at £28 well worth it.
The best £600 I ever spent.That helps enormously....thank you so much....??
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I think that the regular adjustment won’t be a deal breaker...when we are out cruising we’ll have plenty of opportunity to keep an eye out and the more I read the less attractive the semi flex panels are becoming.
If i understand the advice correctly, the horizontal panels that are raised, but run parallel to the roof maybe a sound compromise?
many thanks
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Thanks for your replies. We had originally ruled out the tilting panels on cosmetic grounds, but have been a bit bothered recently about what happens if you need a repaint on the roof, Andy what happens if they were to peel away etc. The air draft has been suggested as a major advantage of the tilting panels, but then equally people seem keen to suggest that we go down the flat, stick on route.
i think that on reflection, taking in to account the “bang for your buck” argument, we may stay safe and go with the A frame mounting. We aren’t live aboard, and so will really only be looking to the sun during the warmer months.
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Dear all,
happy new year!
Whilst not wishing to reignite any old, and much debated hot potatoes, I would appreciate the wisdom of Solomon on Solar panels. We are looking to fit solar to our 58 foot boat this spring. We’ve been advised that the semi flexible panels, glued to the roof would be the best option, but have more recently been cautioned that the best set up is one that allows air to reach both sides of the panel, suggesting the traditional A frame set up is best.
I would appreciate any advise or thoughts on this as we don’t want to make a costly mistake.
many thanks
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amazing isn’t it...never thought of fenders....perhaps I should also ask why the engine won’t start, but I’ve got a very nice shiny fuel tank that doesn’t smell of diesel because there is none in there....
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Good shout, just gave one a call and they’ve agreed to try and keep some back for me over the next eek or so...??
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Dear all,
we we are South Wales based and trying to get hold of some old karting tyres, just to have handy should we need to moor up against anything other than Armco....even then some of that can be mighty unfriendly..!
All of the karting centres I contact say that they keep their old tyres to act as barriers etc.
Any thoughts or suggestions as to where I may get some old tyres...other than paying for them on eBay?
Many thanks
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Hi....looking around at insurance cover....has anybody any experience with GJW or Collidge and Ptnrs...? We are with Collidge now and coming up t9 the first renewal...only bought our first boat last year. Cheers
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1 minute ago, PaulJ said:
Visit the middle level in the summer- you should be able to collect an impressive ?sphere of it round the prop on a good day
Oh dear..! My main concern was the fact that this last present may have been there for a little while....but hopefully we would have noticed signs of engine issues (not just the performance issues I’ve mentioned) if there had been anything.
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3 minutes ago, Neil2 said:
There have been incidents where mechanical damage has resulted from something big and nasty suddenly getting snagged, but there's probably not too many members on here who haven't at some time caught their own mooring line and normally it just stalls the engine. What you experienced certainly wouldn't have caused any damage. Apart from the symptoms already mentioned, black smoke from the exhaust is another sign of a fouled prop.
You now know why the biggest misnomer in the English language is weed hatch. I don't think I have ever had to use the hatch to clear actual weed from the prop. Pretty much everything else that lands in the canal but weed, never.
Point well made....sometimes a bit of smoke when first starting the engine but not noticed any black smoke whilst cruising...my normal attentions are focussed on how she feels, sounds and the plume in the water directly behind me.
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Main thing I notice was exiting locks...normally just a click in to forward drive and she nudges out...but I was having to give a bit more throttle to get her underway....should have trusted my own suspicions and checked sooner...
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8 minutes ago, pete.i said:
Problem with that is that if it's like my Beta 35/38 it will only have an LED, (although I have now fitted a gauge, which is much much better.) So just before the engine seizes up the red LED lights and the buzzer buzzes then the engine seizes.
We’re not quite that sophisticated..thankfully! Ours is a good old fashioned needle gauge
Just now, system 4-50 said:It has never occured to me that I should look at the temp gauge on my Beta 43. If my engine was unhappy I would expect to notice a change in performance. On the BCN I would expect more rubbish but I got (gently) around a BCN Challenge without needing to go down the weed hatch. Are you just thinking a bit too much?
Possibly...just anxiety coming from absolute inexperience...!
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18 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:
Well - after the temperature gauge shows its running hotter than normal,
then it boils up
then it boils dry
then a final indicator is when the engine seizes up.
13 minutes ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:Some canals are treated by the locals as the municipal dump. The two worst I've found so far are the Walsall Canal and the western end of the Rochdale Canal. Where are you experiencing this?
Most rubbish, including the majority of plastic, is denser than water, so will eventually sink to the bottom. I've found that on very badly rubbished canals, bursts of high revs will stir "things" up from the bottom that are best left undisturbed. They then seek out the prop and wrap them in a loving embrace. Setting off and stopping in locks and so on with the gentlest possible revs in forward and reverse seems to minimise the stirring and the number of visits down the weed hatch. Not eliminating them of course. Lorry tyre inner tube, builders rubble sack, long length of very tough wire, plastic bags beyond number... No problem with an overheating engine with the inner tube and rubble sack. They both stalled it instantly.
Jen
Most probs were on the BCN...! ...but I suspect that this last batch was picked up on the GU...Leamington Spa or nearer Braunston. Turns out that the Leader of the Opposition has been keeping a gentle eye on the temp gauge which she can see from her normal position at the stern and hasn’t seen anything obvious...we’ve checked the stern gland after each and every stop and not seen any obvious sign s of trouble so hopefully we got lucky...won’t be forgetting to check the temp gauge in a hurry..??
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I’m guessing that if it was overheating then we’d have picked up some indications whilst cruising ?
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10 minutes ago, OldGoat said:
You're obviously cruising in the wrong part of the system....
Boating is not like driving a car where you're insulated from what's going on around you.
Boats need constant fettling and you need to be aware of the slightest change in sounds....
As long as you don't / didn't overheat the engine all that will happen (before there's so much rubbish around the prop that you stop) is that you'll use more fuel.
I was always taught that it's a good idea to select reverse and give it a short burst of power every so often.
The problem is that a small amount of rubbish will attract more and more and more - then a visit down the weed hatch is necessary and often very unpleasant.
You're lucky you have a Beta - even if it's a 43 - a BMC would have stalled long since.
Didn’t pick up any change in engine tone...have to hang head in shame and admit to not checking the engine temperature. How would over heating manifest itself...?
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The wash was a short straight plume coming from the back which rather put me off the scent a bit...on the other occasions the wash has been very messy...
2 minutes ago, hider said:Its the way of the canals, not a problem, just a damn nuisance. Poly bags do little damage, may wear a bit of blacking off the extreme end of the swim .
The plastic wasn’t carrier bag type stuff...felt a bit thicker, heavier,...not a huge amount of it but enough to tangle around the propeller and some thin rope type material around the prop shaft behind. We never came to a stop of anything like that.
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Any advice from experienced heads...! Just returned to our marina after quite a long cruise (during which I cleared the prop of plastic 3 times), and have checked the weed hatch again today as she felt a bit sluggish for a while at the end of our trip. We’ve pulled more plastic from around the prop again today.
The only real problem I picked up was that she was slower than usual, we only cruise very slowly anyway, but it worries me what damage could have been done by the engine working much harder (I guess) with all of the crap around the prop. Not sure how long it may have been there.
It’s a Beta Marine 43 engine on a 58 foot narrowboat.
Any thoughts, or advice appreciated.
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Done that already... ?
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7 minutes ago, magictime said:
Coming into a wide lock, I look down one side to try and get in right alongside one wall. Sometimes it even works and the boat doesn't mysteriously drift across the lock before I can get the centre line passed up to the missus.
With narrow locks, I've started looking down the centre of the roof to try and keep things lined up. In my experience, focusing on the walls you're trying not to hit all too often means you end up coming in at a funny angle and end up hitting the walls right at the entrance anyway.
That's what is happening I think... getting too close and coming in at an odd angle...
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Thanks all for the advice..
Solar Panels
in General Boating
Posted
We’ve had someone to measure up and there was space for the 2 semi flex panels that we originally planned....so I’m hoping that when we re measure , we should be able to fit 2 rigid panels....the roof is pretty clutter free so fingers crossed...??