Awayonmyboat

Tracy, Tony. Thankyou both for your quick replies. I'll check them in the next few days (currently I'm away from base. At the moment I have simply rewired so the other alternator is now charging both domestic and starter batteries). All the best.

I have an Isuzu 35 engine fitted with two 70A Lucas A127 alternators. A couple of days ago I noticed the warning light from the domestic alternator did not always come on when starting the engine, butappeared when I switched off the engine - and batteries charged during running. Today the light stays off all the time and the alternator has stopped charging (confirmed with a clamp meter). There is 13 v at the field excitation circuit when I check. My suspicion is brushes have worn out - is this a reasonable first diagnosis? The engine and alternators have done about 1300 hours work since new in 2005.

I believe I read that licence fee only raises about 20% of the cost of running the network. Therefore I presume a substantial part of the remaining funds come from central government. In that case the general taxpayer is already paying heavily for the network so I would have thought they deserve good footpaths as much as licence payers deserve good locks. Also I would have thought the more people who regularly walk/cycle the towpath the more defenders of the network there will be and that will be to everyone's benefit.

Hi all, I have a 57 footer with an Isuzu diesel fitted with twin 80 Amp alternators, 3 X 110 Amp hour domestic batteries plus one starter battery. I estimate use about 100 Amp hours per day for lighting, fridge, charging phones etc. The boat will be used for cruising (no regular hook up) 8- 9 months of the year but spend winter in the marina. I am planning to redo the current ramshackle battery and alternator wiring plus get new batteries (Carbon foam AGM for the domestic chosen for their good partial charge performance and cycle life at a reasonable price - I'm not ready to invest in Lithium) . My original plan was to connect the two alternators both to the domestic batteries and then charge the start battery via a voltage sensitive relay. Basically I would be following advice I have found elsewhere on this forum to ensure I got best charging performance. A variation to this has now occurred to me. That is to simply fit 4 identical 110 Amp hour batteries (charged by the two alternators plus solar when the sun is out) and delete the separate starter battery. So everything will now be run from these four including the starter. My logic is that since starter consumption is minimal (typically only 1-2 Ahr per day) doing it this way maximises my domestic bank size and so with normal daily it use will be slightly less discharged. I believe this means I can go extra day without recharging or alternatively I will get slightly better life out of my batteries. I understand of course this will give me no backup start capability should I inadvertently run my batteries too low. Realistically though I think there is is a low risk of happening (I have decent battery monitoring planned to go in at the same time) and given we are talking a canal boat the consequences should I do it, are also low. I'm also thinking I could buy a car type jump start pack as a backup if I find myself worrying about this to much. And in case you are wondering why I do not simply fit 4+1 batteries, it is because I do not have the space easily available - a fair bit of rebuilding would need to be done to achieve it. I'm always cautious about reinventing the wheel so has anyone else gone this way or is there something else I've missed which means it is not a good idea? Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

Hobbits for engine room painting appear to be in short supply. Cruising the Cut in one his vlogs dealt with this by having his engine lifted out by a boat yard. Superficially it seemed a bit extreme, but the more I think about it the more sensible it seems - a case of do it once and do it well.

I'm a relatively new member. When I joined I was quite shocked at the level of vitriol shown in some posts and the bad tempered attitude of some. The old regularly comment on the lack of manners in the young but here it often appears to be the other way round - some members who have obviously been cruising many years appear to have forgotten they once did not know everything and delight in being grumpy old folks. It took me awhile to realise there was another side of the coin, namely the huge amount of high quality practical help some members are willing to provide day after day. Every forum lives or dies dependent on its ability to recruit and retain new members. It would be good if some could remember this and be a little less argumentative for the sake of it.

Hello, I'll also need to change my antifreeze soon. How/ where do you correctly dispose of the old mix? I'm used to motorcycles where I typically get a litre at a time, not tens of litres. Thanks.

It is old, unmaintained and often badly fitted items that fail. Correctly fitted Morse cables have a very long service life/ low failure rate. So my thoughts are as long as you (I) check them to make sure the end fittings are well aligned with what they are operating (and the operation back and forwards doesn't cause then to bend for that is what will weaken then) and (ii) bend radii are all in excess of the minimum you should have little risk of problems. An annual or biannual inspection should then be all that is necessary. If the OP is still worried they could also simply fit new cables now and then stop worrying for a few years (and for belt and braces follow the old dirt bike motorcycle riders trick of leaving the old cables in place alongside the new ones so they are instantly available on the rate event of a failure)

I don't have the expertise to comment on the electrical merits of the the options but I do note the 230Ahr ones are 60kg each. You would want to have very good clear access to your battery box to be able to get these safely in and out.

Thank you Tony B

Can you explain this setup a little more please? I'm having trouble envisaging it (and the engineer in me likes to understand these things even if I have no intention of implementing them). Many thanks

You are young and having an adventure so you are at a 10. It is unfortunate the boat is giving you challenges but time and a bit of money will fix that but you will never get back your youth. Remember in life you end up regretting the things you didn't do, not the ones you tried. Good luck with everything.

If the needed gap increase is only 1cm why not just try tieing a rope between the engine lifting point and a suitable solid bit of boat on the opposite side, pull hard and tie off. This should hold the engine slightly tilted on its mounts.

Despite the joys of the cramped space and varifocals (both of which I recognise) I recommend you put your head back in and carefully inspect the current system and sketch it out. This way, using Tony's notes for guidance you can spend a bit of time working out what is good about it and what needs changing / rearranging. Pay particular attention to ensure you plan the right fusing.

Good luck and more power to your elbow. I'm stuck overseas and away from my boat so the only buzz I get at the moment is reading others projects.