The Gravy Boater

Yes because we've never had to cope with rain in this country before. It's like all wet! and slippery! Nightmare...

900 dollery do dars for a bit of welding and cutting out the tube seems exorbitant. It had better have been a good job.

The funding "crisis" came out of the CaRT failing to renegotiate a favourable deal. I've seen a few interviews with the current head of the CaRT. Let's just say I wasn't impressed. If you want to negotiate with a weak government when times are tough you need an attack dog. Just look at some of the public sector pay deals that have been agreed lately.

Is there a group for middle aged white guys who like beer and women? Asking for a friend...

The gov.uk page: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/energy-bill-support-if-you-do-not-get-it-automatically-continuous-cruisers

Some marinas and boatyards don't sell that much fuel in comparison to fuel boats which might effect the quality of fuel you get. Fuel boats have a very high turnover of fuel and in the case of Jules I know they also add a fuel additive so you don't have to. Their diesel price is competative and you can sign up for text alerts so you will know when they are passing. My experience has been that LPG, coal etc. may be more expensive from a fuel boat, but you do get the convenience of not having to cart the stuff down the towpath.

As several folks have mentioned RCR being bundled. Irrespective of plan they have also had a £15 "fuel surcharge" on callouts for some time to cover increased fuel costs post pandemic / War / famine / death walking amongst us. Don't know if this has been dropped yet.

I changed to Craftinsure last year and was not required to get a survey (last done in 2020). Their price would not have gone up for me this year but I increased the boat valuation £5k to take account of the market/inflation. Premium went up £10.

I'm not saying I have ever lofted my external antenna on the barge pole but...

Venetian truely is the arse end of nowhere for internet. You'd be better off attaching your antenna to a cow (they have plenty of them around there), play out the cable and hope it goes to the top of a hill.

Question is... will a Skip float? Add a sleeping bag, a tarp and an outboard... job done.

I can confirm that Supertherm has gone right down the toilet. I previously used it all the time but some say the formula has changed and my experience of late is that it turns up broken and produces more ash than before. Lately I've been using Winterblaze and it's been fine. Not tried some of that High Street stuff Booke suggests so may investigate that... next year. My stove is a French Petit Godin, a tall cylinder with a hot plate and chimney vents at the bottom and top. Wood is great in it and will burn all night but you have to manage it until it is settled. I mostly use coal for this reason... it's just more predictable heat.

I shall go back to microwaving my water in a tin cup...

You know those folding plastic box things... when I moved onto my boat I overloaded one of them and the contents broke out and fell into the canal. About 30 tins of food... managed to retrieve most of them but at some point they will turn up again... like everything else you ever owned... I buy quality so a future generation can thank me now.

I dunno man... I feel the CRT are planning on curtailing my cultural norms.

I'm not saying I'm offering an incineration service, but...

So you're saying I should stop burning old tyres on the towpath?

We're in a recession and it's going to be crappy for a couple of years, so every additional cost feels like a blow. I'm past caring. I rather suspect this additional moneys for CaRT will be used up removing all the boats that people dump/torch. Good old-fashioned gentrification.

I am aware there is an existing thread about this "issue" but, specifically... As far as I am aware "sticky fuel" is an issue with the current state of bio-diesel. It is a problem with the fuel supply and it doesn't evolve in your tank like, for instance, diesel bug. It effects us all and there isn't some magical supply of diesel that isn't subject to it. If an engineer/company claims that you have "sticky fuel" while they are, for instance... reconditioning your injectors and injector pump... wanting to charge you for the removal of all fuel so they can replace it with some of their magical fuel... What would you say to that?

Anyone who is new and certainly solo should take their time if they possibly can. I wish I'd had that luxury. I did the blitz across the midlands with no prior experience. But the kindness of strangers is a thing that the OP will encounter again and again.

On your way to the marina... irrespective of what fridge you use if you can be bothered to manage it you don't really need one 24/7 in the winter. Run it in the day when you have solar or are crusing with a bunch of freezer blocks in it, then transfer said blocks to a coolbag, dump any perishable stuff into that and put it outside. But you don't even need to do that... as others have said, just turn it off at night. In most circumstances it will be fine until morning.

Yes just take your time and don't allow yourself to be hurried by impatient and inexperienced hire-boaters etc. Don't allow yourself to get distracted by other people at locks, whether bystanders or other boaters... while you are in the lock you are in charge, make sure others respect that. If you are nervous about it just talk to other boaters about what is ahead and share locks and locking with folks who clearly know what they are doing, have crew etc. You'll be fine.

So... closest to spec from Stirling would be a vanilla 3-way split charge diode, £95 for 130A or £143 for 160A : https://sterling-power.com/products/split-charge-diodes-70-200a-2-3-outputs?variant=884773183 OR if I want the zero voltage drop type it's £168 for 120A or £215 for 180A : https://sterling-power.com/products/volt-drop-alternator-splitting-system-pro-split-r?variant=882765499 As per Alan's comment the cable is fused at 150A anyway. Stirling do CLAIM that these units are rated higher than listed... "Overload design, for example, our model rated for a 180A is actually continually rated for 240A with overload in excess of 2000A" So maybe the 120A would do. I can't even find Mastervolt or Victron prices for equivalent units online but I'm assuming they would require an organ sale to fund anyway. If anyone wishes to recommend anything else of this type please do.

That explains it I'm sure. In terms of expense (given that it would need rewiring and I'd get someone to do it) going with relays isn't going to save me any money but it is clearly the simplest, cheapest and most efficient option on a new build. The diode arrangement did work for me (until it didn't) in that the associate voltage drop didn't impact my ability to charge the batteries. I could get the no-voltage loss type but it would cost a bit more... the 120 amp one is probably not within my comfort zone, but there are bigger ones. It's six of one and half a dozen of the other, really... but I've got a few days to decide.