jetzi

I have 2x 3' pins and 4x 2' pins. I use long pins or crossed short pins if the ground is at all soft, if I'm leaving the boat, if we are anywhere dangerous like a river or near a weir or a lock, or if I hit something hard. Can't be bothered though in general. Most times I use one short pin at each end. In the unlikely event a pin pulls out... maybe the boat will bump something...? The stakes are really not that high. Pun absolutely intended.

oh, didn't know the front bit was also called a swim. I thought it was specifically the tapered bit under the counter. Learn something every day!

Hey @stuart, I'm digging into your diyBMS project now, it looks fantastic! I'm a novice when it comes to electronics so to be honest this is probably a bit beyond my skill level, but it's also so much more practically useful to me than the basic projects I should be doing to learn, so I can't resist. I have an issue with my off-the-shelf board because the relays (Tyco BDS-A) that I (and many of us) are using took too much current (3A @ 12V = 36W). It's great that you've added the pulsed output, but would the controller be able to supply 3A? I assume that each bistable relay would need two relay "slots" on the diyBMS to work. Given that I have 3 that I'm driving (load, charge and emergency) plus I want to add a fourth (dump load to my 12V immersion heater) that means I need at least 8 relay outputs from the diyBMS, right? Your video here shows a generic relay board with 4x 10A relays on it. So if I can't drive the Tycoes directly I should be able to use two relay boards like this to drive my four Tyco bistable relays, right? Would the diyBMS be able to handle two of those 4x relay boards? If they are all normally open relays then it shouldn't affect power consumption badly. I'm looking through all your extensive documentation and youtube videos (all of amazing quality) so I'll try to answer my own questions Thanks for this amazing project.

I don't mean offence bigcol. Maybe you could help me understand why its an issue when someone passes too fast? Agree, my limited understanding is that you need a lot more rope than I have. When I replace my ropes I'll get enough to give springs a go. Always nice to have another tool in your belt. When I was learning to tie up there were two major things that helped. The first is to put the pins in at an angle leaning away from the boat. The second is that 45 degrees really means 45 degrees. If, due to the location of rings or bollards, the angle is much steeper or shallower than that, the boat doesn't stay anywhere near as stable. So I've taken to using a mooring pin (or nappy pin) at one end of the boat even when there are rings available (and I use a ring for the other end), in order to get my lines as close to 45 degrees as possible. Doubtless that strategy annoys someone as well (maybe CaRT), but so far no one has shouted!

I hate being shouted at when I'm having a relaxing boat trip, so I always drop down to tickover at least a boat length's away from the moorer even though I think it's faintly ridiculous. I still got shouted at every now and then at tickover, but I'm not going to drop out of gear, that's asking too much I feel. After I installed a hospital silencer I haven't been shouted at yet, so I reckon it's mostly about perception, innit? When the shoe's on the other foot. I've been passed by boats at full ahead at least once or twice a week. My boat rocks a bit. Who cares? Why that would bother anyone enough to abuse someone is absolutely beyond me. My only guess is that it's people looking for any excuse for a whinge, and the speeder has broken etiquette (though not any of the moorer's dinner plates) so they are fair game. Worst that's happened, I've had my pins pulled out once or twice, and you know what, mea culpa for not mooring up properly. In soft banks I put two pins in in a cross fashion, and those have never failed. Don't even really know what springs are, never needed them. Benefit of the doubt to the moaners though, this is the only boat I've ever experienced. Maybe it's just that I have an unusually stable boat (65' Black Prince ex hire boat?). So as I say, I follow the "tickover rule". Maybe, just maybe, if you pass some boats at 2.1mph the spices come flying off the spice rack, pots and pans come crashing to the floor, and the cat has to dive for cover under the couch. So for me it's tickover in all conditions and a friendly wave.

Thanks Alan. I think we're speaking at cross purposes. I just read this topic, thought "that sounds like something I'd like to do one day, I wonder what's involved?" I'm not planning the passage in this thread, I'm just wondering if it's in the realms of possibility given my budget, skills and risk appetite. I'm thinking more along the lines of "you'll need to hire a pilot which is about £150, get a MSC seaworthy cert for another £100, and pay £50 for the use of Eastham docks one way. Plus you'll need to book the pilot and locks a month in advance." These are my guesses which are probably optimistic and at £300 for the passage, already seems too rich for my blood. Details about radio legislation and lifejacket usage are therefore probably a moot point for me, but probably useful for other readers!

I think I see what you are saying, I don't need my own radio for the crossing but should I buy one anyway for some reason I would need to be qualified and licensed. Fair point, if a bit tangential to the topic.

So you need to both have a pilot onboard with a radio, AND have your own radio and be qualified to use it in order to make the Mersey crossing?

Was just looking for a rough idea of the costs and difficulty involved, not trying to endorse any particular safety equipment or supplier. In any event appreciate the correction of ~£75ish each. Good to know that the radio is the responsibility of the pilot. Is the MSC is a flat cost whether you are just going through Eastham locks or if you are going all the way up to Hunts Bank?

Thanks, I just had a look on ebay, don't know what I'm looking for partiularly What meets the standard needed for the Mersey crossing? If you could recommend something that would be great. Didn't realise a course was necessary, the guide I read just said having one on board is required. I should have thought the pilot would have this qualification at least?

I'm curious about doing this from Liverpool to the Shroppie - Brunswick Dock lock, across the Mersey to Eastham lock, then up the MSC a short way to Ellesmere Port basin. We would have to pay for the pilot, however much that would cost. And for us life jackets (25ish x2), maybe a radar reflector (30ish), and a cheap VHF radio (65ish). Having a pilot I guess eliminates the need to know anything about safely navigating on estuaries or amongst shipping. Given that you have to do a bit of the MSC from Eastham to Ellesmere Port, I expect you'd have to follow all the MSC stuff? (as laid out in this guide: https://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?/topic/96900-manchester-ship-canal-a-guide-june-2018) I guess if you are going to spend upwards of £242 (£75 for the Cert of Seaworthiness and £167 for the MSC transit) you better go all the way to Pomona lock. Unless one can pay a reduced cost if only using Eastham lock?

I'm given to understand that 7'-14' beam boats built in the "style" of 7' beam narrowboats are called "widebeam narrowboats? Good to know if both my cassettes somehow fill in the couple of days I'll be there, but I would assume that most people would prefer to use their own boat's facilties than public showers/toilets wouldn't they? The skippers guide says there are two moorings per tap, but in any event I have a 10m+20m=30m hose, so should be OK

It says 20 on the skippers guide, and 30 for a pump out! They do also sell diesel though, which I do need, so I might use that as an excuse if I want to go down the linked docks

Wow, that's great, I'm excited now! I wasn't intending to do the L&L but there was a stoppage on the Rochdale 9. Seems like I got more than I bargained for with this detour! Are there any boating services/amenities at the moorings in Salthouse Dock? Edit: I should have read the skippers guide before i asked (https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/media/original/11495-liverpool-canal-link-skippers-guide.pdf) Water and free electricity available at the pontoons in Salthouse, but no elsan.

Yeah, I imagined Eldonian village was the farthest I could hope to go, on Google Maps it looks suburban and safe, but though it looks like a good mooring there aren't any boats moored around there so I'm not sure it's allowed/possible. It looks like about a 10 minute cycle from here to the city, which is central enough for me. I think unfortunately crossing the Mersey is probably too much of an adventure for me, but if it's possible for non-crossers to enter the docks and maybe even spend a couple of nights there then I'm definitely up for that! I'll see if I can find the Wigan office phone number.

Ooh, does that mean going down the Stanley locks and through all the docks? For some reason I thought that wasn't really possible, but great if so! Is the Albert dock a CaRT site? Doesn't appear on the bookable moorings on the CaRT website. Although you can book passage on the Liverpool Link and Salthouse docks? I haven't ever been to Liverpool and I am not overly concerned, just wondering if anyone is going to shout out NOOO DON'T MOOR IN LIVERPOOL WHATEVER YOU DO! Great, we'll definitely stop there, was hoping to actually get into Liverpool city though, if that's reasonable.

Is mooring possible at the end of the L&L? And is it safe to leave the boat unattended there for a day trip around the city? First prize if there are any spots behind a gate perhaps?

I saw the sign on the L&L warning of a clearly defunct swing bridge the other day. I thought maybe there was a working swingbridge further along (the sign was in the same visual range as the bridge, surely no one would put up a warning sign NEXT to the bridge?) I dont mind the blue signs and even as a boater a 5 minute warning for a lock or swing bridge could be useful I feel. What bugs me is that an unneeded or innacurate sign isn't neutral or simply a waste of money. Such a sign actively breaks the concept of signage. It is like shops putting up "open" signs that are permanently on... How can anyone trust any signs saying open if a few shops poison the well by falsely claiming to be open? Or the train announcements telling you to "mind the gap", a gap of an inch at most, which ends up blending into the background because it is warning of a danger that isn't a particular threat. No harm done right, not in that case? Until you get off at a station where there really IS a gap that a warning would be helpful for. Tangential but a sign saying "water point" would actually be pretty handy at the nearby Dean Lock near the Gathurst Viaduct where it is virtually impossible to find if you don't know it is there.

I have an abundance of epifanes brush thinners as it was much cheaper to buy a 5 litre even though I calculated I'd only need 2ish litres for thinning the paint. So I guess I'll use that! That sounds much less terrifying actually, but won't it be difficult to get the topcoat to look consistent at the joins? Ok, that also sounds less terrifying than trying to operate a scabbler for the first time. My roof is curved and I am aware that the scabbler can dig into the metal if you don't hold it flat on. Where did you source this paint stripper from? Would it work on all paint - I have no idea what kind of paint is on there at the moment and judging by the poor matt finish and how it is flaking off, I'm thinking maybe it was water based over an oil based previous paint job.

The wire brush is a good idea actually. I have a cup brush for my angle grinder that I can try tomorrow. Will give it a go. The sound original non-slip paint was overcoated with paint that is now flaking, and that's the main reason I'm tackling it. I reckon that the previous owner painted over the non slip without keying (perhaps even without cleaning it properly). So I'm looking to avoid a repeat of that - either by taking it right back, or by getting the flaking paint off then giving it a good key and clean before repainting with primer first, then undercoat, then topcoat - my hope is that with a key and primer that the new paint will stick. I wouldn't say that the non slip is particularly coarse, but I'd say it is at least an 80 grit ?

Thanks, but I can't really wrap my head around this. I don't know what kind of paint is on there (the non slip came with the original Black Prince paint job). But sanding it won't key it unless I sand all the way through the raised bumps. Which I can do, but it takes a long time and basically ends up taking all the previous topcoat off. Not to mention will chew through sanding discs pretty fast. But maybe I should just perservere with it.

No I haven't, would that imply just pressure washing to clean and remove the flaking layer of paint, then painting over it without keying?