MarkH2159

I have both solar (3 x 180w panels) and a suitcase type generator. Since the sun started to peek through the grey I have not used the genny but during February it was invaluable, especially as I use a washing machine on board. I would go for both again if I had the choice. My genny was an absolute bargain, its 2 KVa (not 2 KW as described), compact, weighs 19 kg and is really quiet at 59 dB rating. In eco mode it runs all day on a tank of petrol. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Silent-Inverter-Petrol-Generator-2KW-Portable-Camping-Caravan-RV-Blackline-4600-/333801751734

My cheapo MPPTContoller can handle 100 amps and tells me all I need to know. Battery status, volts, charge amperage and total AH produced. It cost only a little more than the Eperver Logger but for that I have to look at the display and press buttons, which is almost as much fun as reading it over the internet.

Not quite... Although Audi and Skoda share similar base equipment, the levels of trim and equipment found in Audis is much higher than that of Skoda. Resale values of Audi are also much better. For example Skoda have nothing to compare with the Audi Quattro system, the Yeti is 4WD but not on the same level. With Vetus we are talking 'off the shelf' regular components, albeit of good quality, that appear to be generally painted yellow and badged for pricing. My experience of the Vetus Carbon Brushes costing 24x more than an off the shelf set which will do exactly the same job is a prime example - No way are 4 brushes worth £290+ no matter how well they are made.

correct. To go from inboard to outboard is not really going to be cost effective, particularly if the transom needs adjustment or structural modification to take the weight and other forces. The OP might be better off considering a recon replacement for his existing inboard if it is too far gone to repair economically. I have had/used diesel outboards on ships boats before and the cheapo chinese type proved quite efficient and very reliable. Takes two guys to lift one but then again once on the boat it stays put. https://www.vanguardelifeboat.com/products/diesel-outboard-engine/

This topic may have been highlighted before but I thought I would add my 2p worth on the subject of the price of Vetus spares. My Bowthruster packed up last week and I nailed the fault down to the relay. Inspection showed that it had worn and the Positive in Pin was moving when the solenoids activated. A light tap to push the pin downwards made the thruster work but only until the opposite solenoid was used then the contacts moved back up out of place. With the solenoid pack listed by Vetus at £241.74 I thought it was worth an attempt at a repair. If not then I was considering replacing it with an Off Road Winch 12v Switching Relay unit rated at 500 Amps which would do exactly the same job and cost me nearer to £35 Anyway I successfully diagnosed the reason for the existing relay failure and repaired it. A basic design fault causes the central input pin to wear in its bakelite case mounting which eventally allows the positive contacts to float about a bit too much and it fails. A little bit of work cleaning contacts and resetting the pin in its casing with some Gorilla Epoxy and it was as good as new. Whilst I had the access open I thought it would be a good idea to check the motor brushes and found them to be about 40% worn, good for a few years maybe but it could be worth getting a spare set just in case. This is when I realised that the Vetus price of £291.61 for a set of 4 carbon brushes was just ridiculous. A quick search of the brush specifications and sizes revealed an almost exact match available on Amazon at a more realistic £12.22 for 4. - Ordered immediately. I have read elswhere that the cheaper brushes fit and work just as well, so how are Vetus able to justify a price that is 24x higher ???? Even if they do not last as long, I can change them 20x and still work out as a saving.

Diesel Outboard could be the better option.

The best tracker I have found is the Automile unit as available on Amazon. Last month it was available at £49.99 including the 12 month data subscrition to 4G LTE networks. Unfortunately for some reason it is now priced at £129 for the same package. I am glad I got mine when I did. As for answering the other questions.... Siting of unit with a view of the sky is difficult but not impossible - In or under cratch cover works. Power consumption is minimal as low as 0.1 mah when it is in sleep mode, it awakes on movement or power interruption. Internal battery can last up to a year depending on time set of interrogations. It is easy to set up and I am fortunate to have a seperate battery to power it which also has a small solar panel trickle charging. The unit works very well and can be set to give updates at 1 minute intervals or various other options up to 12 hours apart. It reports its position directly in Google Maps so it is easy to see exactly where it is. There are numerous settings for alerts, via sms, email etc and geo fencing can be set up to limit the areas of movement.

Agreed, my meter actually shows an additional draw of 9.7 amps with the slow cooker on high setting. I was interested to know where the figures stated, ie "20 amps plus in the first stage which will last about an hour provided you cooked the food in a pan and pour in hot...." came from. Was the type and ratings of the slow cooker in question given?

I am interested to know where you get your amperage figures from. I regularly use a Slow Cooker on my boat which has a Stirling 1500w Inverter. The power rating of my slow cooker is stated as 230-240v 50 Hz 92-100w I can run the slow cooker any time and according to my meter it does not draw anywhere near the amperage figures you stated. Generally it works well if I prepare the ingredients in the morning, throw it all straight in the slow cooker, no need for pre cooking or heating. Then as I set off the slow cooker wil be on its high setting (100w) for say 4 or 5 hours then I reduce it to low setting to find the food perfectly cooked by the time I moor up for the night. Apart from the odd stir there is nothing to do.

I researched small washing machines suitable for my NB have just fitted one of these in the wardrobe behind the bathroom where the shower plumbing just happens to be perfect for supply and waste... https://m.costway.co.uk/2-in-1-free-standing-compact-automatic-washing-machine.html It is compact, fairly lightweight, fully automatic, has a drain pump and only consumes 240 watts. A bonus is that water level and consumption can be selected and a full wash takes 40 minutes.

If you go for Solar then get as much as you can reasonably afford or accommodate on your boat. Self installation is quite easy and there are plenty of YouTube how tos that you can follow. 500w is a minimum especially if you have no other means of power when cruising other than the alternators of course. Also plan for expansion, get an MPPT Solar controller that has adequate capacity for more panels should you decide to increase panel wattage. As for TV they are not all so power hungry, as has been suggested you could go for a 12v TV. I run a Phillips 24" Smart TV which is 240v but only draws around 3 amps from my batteries through the inverter. As for wasing machines, i have just fitted one of these... https://www.amazon.co.uk/COSTWAY-Portable-Washing-Machine-Adjustable/dp/B07PN97F5F/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=costway+washing+machine&qid=1616700009&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFLMkJEUTBFNFJKQlkmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTA5OTE3NDhSTFBOS1pHRlJKREImZW5jcnlwdGVkQWRJZD1BMDEzNjI0NFRTUzhFUE4xT1o3OCZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU= It is very compact, lightweight and fully automatic with a decent drain pump and spin speed. Best of all it only consumes 280 watts and takes 40 minutes to do a full cycle.

Over the past month I have added several heavy items to my narrowboat including a Washing Machine (20 Kg) and Solar Panels (50 Kg) The boat originally had a fair amount of extra ballast in the starboard side of the engine compartment to balance it transversely but now the weight of the Solar Panels has taken over that duty. I have removed 18 paving blocks from the engine room and need to dispose of them properly. Any suggestions where I may do this? Currently moored at Rugby heading south one day soon.

Agreed, thumbs up for the slimmer panels from Craig Solar. Ordered my 3 x 180w panels online and was able to go and pick them up directly from Craig. Apart from very reasonable pricing and good quality panels, Craig has been very helpful with design of installation and I can highly recommend dealing with him. Currently in the process of installing the 3 panels set off to one side so I can walk past them without any issues.

I have used this product for both sealant and adhesive, perfect for vents too. Everbuild Stixall Extreme Power https://g.co/kgs/kAEvz2

Have to ask... How come the boat sits so shallow in the water? How come there is so much oil, diesel, etc in a marina to have such an efffect on paint?

Hence the 'problem with the boat' idea. Having travelled the country for legitimate reasons on several occasions this past month I can safely say that, despite the apparent paranoia, there is little chance of the Police being involved. Even knowing that they can and probably have tracked my vehicle with ANPR cameras, I still have no worries about being stopped and asked. The most important thing is to follow the distancing rules and not engage with anyone unless absolutely necessary. Travelling legitimately to check on a boat for a reasonable period of time is not going to raise any issues. On the other hand if there is a real issue with the boat and something serious happens, it has to be considered worth it.

Far too many different misguided interpretations on the very loose 'essential travel guidelines' I have noticed much more traffic on the roads these past few weeks, surely not all are 'essential or work' but then again they maybe. The real answer - Up to you, I would travel with caution and if asked say it is to respond to a problem with the boat (make something up) The main thing is to avoid any contact with others outside your self appointed 'bubble' just as if you were at the supermarket. Any problems, just say Dominic Cummings told you it was ok.

At 30cm tall and 18 cm square the actual footprint is less than most regular fans and certainly not 'huge' Which kind of fan do you have where you can put it on a Refleks 2000 with a small casserole? Tip = Take fan off to put Casserole on and vice versa.

You might consider one of these direct on the hotplate. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tomersun-Designed-Friendly-Circulation-Fireplace/dp/B08DCXV9RK I just bought one as I find the 'whirling fan' type a bit cheap and nasty looking. Hopefully I can soon find out how well it works.

No doubt they will have some fantastic expensive plan and take great delight in making a few more mindless videos to tell us all about it. .....more enemas maybe !

That Netgear router is one of the most expensive but it is very capable. However I believe location to be the most important factor and then antenna efficiency another key. The most basic 4G router can achieve up to 150 Mbps which is more than adequate for the average user who will rarely see greater that 50 mbps over their 4G network.

I have 4 x 110 Ah Lead Acid domestic batteries which are wired in parallel through an isolator switch. They are charged by a 70 Ah alternator and the boat has an Adverc charge management monitor fitted. The battery bank supplies 12v to the boat domestic systems. They are also connected at 12v to a Stirling Marine Combi Inverter Charger giving 240v 1600w from batteries or 12v 65A battery charging when on shoreline. I am considering changing to a hybrid inverter which is rated at 240v 2400w from 24v with 50A solar mppt input and 40A battery charging capability. Question is - How do I connect the four batteries to provide a balanced 24v to/from the new inverter charger and also keep the 12v systems, alternator, adverc, etc balanced across all batteries and with the correct isolation switches? Thanks in advance.

Hence my original post being a straightforward question with no suggestion of promoting anything illegal. "Anyway, before I accept his offer of payment in several hundred litres of red diesel I need to know if I can actually use it in my boat without getting caught up in some legal wrangle with the team working for Her Majesty."

Nice idea which i am also very interested in. I have a idea to put in a folding single of similar design, but not with the topbox arrangement as i would like the window to stay usable. However i would like the single to have the possibility to be able to be extended out to 4ft or so when down, with the extra 'mattress' section also being stowed away when not in use. Time to do some sketching and find a decent boat fitter to make the space i have work.

Well between boat heating, decent sized generator etc, I will have a go, the rest might have to be 'given away' to friends.