[Cruiser or Traditional Stern]

Sorry I haven't been very active lately... Life has been a bit rough with the Covid thing. Thank you to anyone who has helped me out

[Aintree Boats - Cruiser/Semi Trad Stern - Drainage]

1 minute ago, JamesFrance said:

If you have Facebook there is an Aintree boat owners group, you could ask on there.

Yes I have facebook, I'll look into that

[Aintree Boats - Cruiser/Semi Trad Stern - Drainage]

2 minutes ago, Tracy D'arth said:

If you cannot get a reply here, how about going to look at a used one on sale somewhere and lifting the deck boards to see what state the engine bilge is in?

TD'

That might be a good idea if this doesn't work out

[Aintree Boats - Cruiser/Semi Trad Stern - Drainage]

Hello there,

I'm looking at getting a Aintree Boats narrowboat built. I want a cruiser stern and would like to know from someone who owns (or knows someone who owns) a Aintree boats cruiser or semi trad stern narrowboat and whether the drainage for the engine bay works properly?

[Cruiser or Traditional Stern]

18 hours ago, OldGoat said:

There are no standard dimensions in NBs.

As you pointed out, there are no standard measurements, but what would you say is the optimum length for the deck on a trad stern

[Cruiser or Traditional Stern]

13 hours ago, Halsey said:

Trad every time pref with a boatmans cabin and a stove (and an engine room)

Great roof space for dogs when its dry, BMC for dogs when its wet, heating to keep you happy (and food on the go) and the engine provides somewhere to dry your clothes - and the dogs don't get under your feet

 

What engine do you have?

[Cruiser or Traditional Stern]

2 minutes ago, DandV said:

For a three season boat and more then one person, cruiser stern has huge advantages.

But with only one of you and a dog, the extra shelter steering, and more internal space would be a distinct advantage in winter.

This in my opinion is a good idea, as someone in the earlier threads stated if you got a hatch that ran the length of the engine room (half shed) it would make entering/exiting a bit easier and you wont have to crawl out on your knees

[Cruiser or Traditional Stern]

1 minute ago, blackrose said:

 

Isn't that exactly what the OP is doing here? ?

I agree with this, the op seems to be here getting a feel for other people's opinion so he can make an informed decision on what stern type will suit him best.

[Cruiser or Traditional Stern]

6 hours ago, mrsmelly said:

So there you go OP. No one has a clue have we, its an impossible one to answer  

yup, I've realized that

[Classic Engine With Hydraulic Drive?]

2 minutes ago, Mike Adams said:

The spool valve require just a forward or back motion just like a gearbox. You have have a simple system ,like mine, where there is a fixed relationship( reduction or not) between the motor speed and the propshaft speed so for example you have a 19cc/rev pump and 39cc/rev motor the reduction ratio is 19/39 or about 2.1. The latest systems use a variable displacement pump so that you can in effect vary the reduction ratio. Using this system you can get better control, engine loading etc. Have you used a traditional handwheel/gearchange single handing? So much easier to manage a single lever whie trying to do other things.

Yeah, I have, at the moment I have a 70 footer with a RN DM2 in it with the traditional controlls

[Classic Engine With Hydraulic Drive?]

1 hour ago, Mike Adams said:

Easy to do and you don't need a gearbox. You just need to fit a hydraulic pump directly on to the engine and the motor on the tailshaft/propshaft. A spool valve controls the flow and direction. Hydraulic pipes connect the two together It means you can put the engine anywhere and in any orientation. My engine is under the front deck so you can't hear it when you are travelling. You can put traditional controls onto anything but in my opinion single lever is much better. A company called ARS make and supply these systems but you can make your own up with a little knowledge.

Otherwise you can use a drop centre gearbox and the run the shaft at a lower level and then connect it back up to the propshaft with belts/chains and pulleys but with that engine you would need a heavy duty  set up which would be prone to damage and likely to give rise to all sorts of noise.

Hello Mike,

Would it be possible to hook the traditional gear lever up to the spool valve? This is a very idiotic questions... I don't know much about hydraulics, but if I have a hydraulic pump setup, how I stated earlier, but without the gearbox. Would the speed of the boat still be controlled by the engines speed? That is a very stupid question, but I was unaware as to whether a hydraulic motor needs more rpm to get moving properly. I am sorry about that, but I'm a joiner, so I don't know much about this kind of thing.

 

I dont really like morse controls, as I think that they are too modern. I am also a traditionalist... For items/ideas that are practice/useful/or just cool.

[Classic Engine With Hydraulic Drive?]

51 minutes ago, Mike Tee said:

A double bed will normally cover 2/3rds of the width of the boat, so you can still run the shaft underneath it. Depending on how high you want the bed may restrict the storage underneath, but that’s a decision you have to make. Personally I would rather have a traditional shaft setup rather than go hydraulic. You could also put the engine nearer one side and run the shaft at an angle which would maybe give more room under the bed.

Hey,

I was more interested in having more head room than space under the bed, as I am 6ft tall. Thanks for the advice though. 

[Classic Engine With Hydraulic Drive?]

Hello There,

I have a unusual question for everyone... I'm self fitting out a narrowboat at the moment, well I will be when the hull is finished, I'm putting a classic engine in it, specifically a Russell Newbery DM2 (I know about all the restrictions on classic engines, and the way to get one in a new build so I don't need any information on that). Now, I don't want a 70 footer as I will be a solo boater, and I would like to cruise as many canals on the system as possible. So rather than having a boatmans cabin (please don't have a go at me, I see the space in those as useless), I am going to have my bedroom at the very back of the boat.

 

But as the prop shaft has to go underneath the bedroom I loose headroom. But I have thought of a solution, I'm not sure if its possible though. I want my boat to feel like any other classic engine but with a twist. I want it to have the classic engine controls (speed wheel and handle), so for that I would need a normal gearbox (PRM 260 or something similar), and with that I would need a propshaft unless. from the gearbox I have a hydraulic pump, and then hydraulic pipes go to a hydraulic motor at the back of the keel.

 

If you don't understand what I mean I will make it a bit simpler here:

 

• Engine goes to gearbox
• Gearbox goes to hydraulic pump
• Hydraulic pipes from the pump go to hydraulic motor
• Hydraulic motor goes out keel to the prop

 

I hope that little extra bit helped, I would love to know whether this is possible to do or not.

Thanks, Niklaus

[Solo Boater - What Toilet?]

1 hour ago, WotEver said:

Why does it feel from reading this thread that despite the majority of responses saying ‘cassette’ we have OP insisting that composting (otherwise known as storing your sh1t in bags) is a better idea?

Hello,

Im not saying its better, I'm just saying I'd rather be more enviromentally friendly, but after reading the threads here, I have since decided otherwise.

Thanks, Niklaus

[Solo Boater - What Toilet?]

1 minute ago, The Happy Nomad said:

If you initially go for the composting loo the foxes changed to you will already have 12v electricity in place for the flush on a cassette. The composting toilet they chose needed 12v so they just used the same supply.

 

Just make sure the gauge is sufficient for both types of toilet which in their case it was.

Okay, thankyou

[Solo Boater - What Toilet?]

1 minute ago, Alan de Enfield said:

And some 'electrics' for the electric flush.

Yes

[Solo Boater - What Toilet?]

20 minutes ago, The Happy Nomad said:

I have no personal experience of a composting loo so don't think I could recommend one of those.

 

I do like cassette loos and have used them for decades and based on my experience it would have to be the one I am familiar with. 

 

That said the swap looks easy (for that particular model) so if you go composting it wouldn't be the end of the world to swap to a cassette assuming you fit the composting loo in a place that allows you to create a hatch for removing the cassette. It might also be a good idea to ask your builder to run a capped off water supply to the vicinity to make conversion to a cassette simpler.

Okay, Thankyou. I like the idea of running the water to where the composting loo will be so if I ever need to switch it I can

[Solo Boater - What Toilet?]

8 minutes ago, The Happy Nomad said:

Yup see my edit.

 

Im not that far into their vlog yet.

Could I get your opinion?

Would you go for the composting or casset?

[Solo Boater - What Toilet?]

2 minutes ago, The Happy Nomad said:

Yup see my edit.

 

Im not that far into their vlog yet.

Hey,

When I was doing reasearch for my toilet, I found that video and decided to watch the vlogs from the start. I just finished watching their most recent one. Sorry, I hadnt relized you had edited your origanal post. 

[Solo Boater - What Toilet?]

1 minute ago, The Happy Nomad said:

I thought they had a cassette. Or rather they did when their boat was built.

Hello,

They did, they changed it out about 3 months ago.

[Solo Boater - What Toilet?]

4 minutes ago, Nightwatch said:

That report from the Foxes Afloat is very informative. It seems to me that composting has come a long way recently. The system they have I can’t fault. Temptation is nipping at me in the event we change our present arrangement. Going back to the OP, I would certainly consider cassette with ‘spares’. We have pump out with a standby Porta Potti. It’s okay.

Hey,

The downside of the cassette is the smell when emptying it, and also that is has to use more chemicals than your standard household toilet. I would like to try and be as enviromenatly friendly as well. I am aware it is possible to get more eco friendly chemicals for cassettes/pump outs. If that was the case, which one would you be opting towards?

Thanks, Niklaus

 

[Solo Boater - What Toilet?]

8 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

They have not Banned it. CRT are , for some reason happy for you to bag and bin. some marinas don't share that view. Lots of people with "Waterless toilets" bag and bin. I think you have to sit down to wee but you could always install a urinal feeding into the urine collection bottle 

If you use Facebook there is a very good group on there for Composting toilets

Hey,

The toilet I'm interested it is possible to stand up, but you need a splash screen, so it doesn't splash and spill into the solids bucket (or very good aim). Here is a link to the splash screen https://compoosttoilets.com/collections/all-products/products/compost-toilet-urine-diverter-separator-anti-splash-screen - If you read the description on the link it will specify what I mean.

Thanks, Niklaus

[Solo Boater - What Toilet?]

12 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

Why would you want a carbon filter on a composting toilet, every one tells me they dont smell and yes a high percentage of owners do bag and bin, hardly composting.

Hello again,

The carbon filter would be an extra precaution, as I don't really like the smell of poo. I only pointed out the bag and bin because I hadn't realized they'd banned it. Now that I'm aware of it I will certainly let mine compost. I pointed out how I have large well deck lockers earlier in the feed,

18 minutes ago, NB 'Wrong 'Uns' said:

I am sorry, I was unaware they banned that. I have will have enough room to store about 4 months worth of waste. I have a 6' 6" long engine room, and a 5' 6" well deck with large storage seats, that will be make specificly for the purpose of storing the waste from the composting toilet.

Thanks, Niklaus

[Solo Boater - What Toilet?]

1 minute ago, ditchcrawler said:

You still have to charge it up

Hi,

Yes, I am aware of that, I have a 6 Kva Generator and 750 watts of solar.

Thanks, Niklaus

[Solo Boater - What Toilet?]

2 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Is this a wind up ?

 

Are you aware that many marinas have banned boats from having a mooring if they have a Composting toilet just for that very reason.

 

 

 

Brown Waste

It is illegal to discharge any sewage into the marina and all sea toilet seacocks should be closed when berthed in a BWML marina to ensure there is no accidental discharge. Consider a holding tank if using a sea-going craft for residential purposes, rather than face the possible prosecution by the Environment Agency. Elsan disposal points are available for portable toilets systems, and do not empty cassettes into the marina or toilets. Even if you have a pump out fitted, it is worth considering a ‘cassette’ style toilet for the winter months as marinas do freeze over. Currently, composting toilets are not permitted in BWML marinas under the current waste transfer laws.

Hi,

I am sorry, I was unaware they banned that. I have will have enough room to store about 4 months worth of waste. I have a 6' 6" long engine room, and a 5' 6" well deck with large stroage seats, that will be make specificly for the purpuse of storing the waste from the composting toilet.

Thanks, Niklaus