Moondaisy

Having tried several things, I find that a wooden (get the waterproof kind or use proper boards!) floor with a nice rug to keep your feet warm in the morning is a good combination. Get a decent-sized rug so it doesn't slide about. I find my rugs get vile in winter, so I buy cheap IKEA ones and chuck them when unspeakable. The current fashion for laminate flors seems to be part of a deep confusion - people are trying to make boats look like trendy flats. Perhaps the fact that many fitters are kitchen-fitters has led to this trend where no boat flavour is left (however nice). "He " gets a nice engine and some brass to polish. "She" (reverse or modify if relevant) gets a shiny kitchen just like the one at home, so needs to make no concessions to being afloat. The whole design of the smart new boats owes everything to urban flats and little to narrowboats. Not to say this is wrong, but interesting.

I have recently fitted a NASA monitor. brilliant. delighted with it. I hear from others that their service, when needed, is excellent

I have 2 Solara panels (sem-flexible) from Barden batteries. I am pleased with them. They are running my fridge, lights, TV, pumps and radio etc. They will not, of course, run kettles and so on. Mind you, it's sunny and the longest day-ish. Hardly worth switching them ? These panels bend enough to stick them to the curve of the deck and you can walk on them. barden are very good with technical advice. Cheers

I'm sorry - owing to my echnical incompetence, I managed to "lose" this blog. If you want to see more, please go to: http://moondaisycruise.blogspot.com/ Cheers

I stand corrected ! I look forward to it.

Racism, Sexism - now Enginism.......I hope life in the shark-infested waters of the Middle Levels is not going to be too hard for someone with a modern engine. On the bright side, I do have portholes and, more importantly, a source of cheap cigars. However, I feel you should keep your gang exclusive. As Groucho Marx said " I have no wish to belong to any club that will accept me as a member"........ I should hate to be torpedoed on the final approach to Bill Fen and remain as a permanent hazzard to navigation.

Not a tease ! It's a Beta - which I thinks is the sort they fit in Kubota diggers ? I'm afraid it's not a wonderful vintage machine - much as I love them. Sorry to disappoint.

Many Thanks. I hope our paths cross sometime. It seems a good place and I am looking forward to a change of scene from the north west where I have moored for the last eight years. No - mine's just a digger engine. Sorry.

Pubs closed ? Good grief ! Fortunately I shall not be there for about a month.....but thanks anyway ! It's new territory for me, so Ilook forward to it. "Police advice" ? I thought this would be a peaceful area.....is there more than meets the eye ? Regards

Thank you ! Thanks ! Very useful Heading for the marina later in the year - via London and the River Lee if all goes to plan ( it won't). Thanks

Anyone got any special advice ( I have the guide bookbook) on navigating the drains to Ramsay ? I hear the locks are hard going, but is there anything I should know about floods restrictions, licenses etc? I would appreciate hearing about anything difficult anyone has had to contend with. Cheers

Inspired by the activity at Easter, when historic boats gathered in Chester a few yards from my mooring, en route to Ellesmere port, I cleaned the boat and decided it was time to be on the move. I am lucky to have the time to do a long trip this year - previously it has always been "back to work a week on Sunday"............. but the downside is that I have to watch the £££££££ Last Pudsey Bear Day, several people bid for a day out on Moondaisy with lunch thrown in- sounds easy, but getting dates fixed almost impossible. However, Saturday and Sunday saw the last two promises honoured. we got as far as Beeston Brook, where the excellent Chas Hardern operates his hire fleet and boatyard. We raised about £500 - all of which went directly to Children In Need. Next stop - to pick up crew - is Market Drayton. Audlem Thick will have to be singlehanded, so the challenge is to get past the "Shroppie Fly" without a rough night.

.....but I want one of those boats where the lights are always on but the battery never needs charging.... also, where a white sheepskin coat remains....well, white !

Have a look at Avtex TVs on the website of Capital Stores - they seem to have the best prices ( as far as I know) They also do a suction-fit antenna which is powered from the TV so no extra wiring is needed. Haven't tried that as I have an amplifier on my aerial already, but the 19" set is great. Cheers

Wrote you a rambling reply - not sure i sent it. let me know if you don't get it, but, from personal experience,: 1. 11" Nextbase" from Currys Digital 1.5 amps, 12 volt design. Digital/ freeview - all built in 2. Avtex 11", 15" or 19" - try Capital Stores online. Both excellent. 19" set uses around 3 amps. Maybe a bit more for DVD (built-in). Does everything

It's horrendous - but part of a process to make boating an expensive pastime. BW have, it seems, always wanted everyone off the cut and into marinas - that way they don't have to collect mooring fees and chase contiuous cruisers around. It will be a sad day when they succeed.

I am impressed by the look and spec. of the NASA battery monitor. Has anyone fitted one ? Is it easy ? I would use it to monitor three 110a/hr batteries on the domestic side. My technical knowledge is a bit thin - so any advice would be welcome !

Can't comment on freezers. I let the supermarket run one for me. My Shoreline 12v fridge is the main power consumer on my boat: with two large Solara pv panels (getting on for £1000 worth, I'm afraid) I run my engine for around 20 minutes a day in summer. I have no gas, so five minutes in the morning for toast and coffee keeps things going til tea-time. Another fifteen minutes in the evening heats the water and lets me use a very low consumption "Nextbase" tv for a few hours. I have fitted l.e.d. lighting throughout ( warm white - the cold white are awful) and they have negligible power consumption as far as I can tell. The only time I run the engine otherwise ( except, of course, for cruising ) is to run the washing machine or occasional power tools. I have left the fridge running for four or five days when I have been away,without flattenening the batteries alarmingly - although they were fully charged when I left the boat. However, if I'm away for a while, I give the ducks the benefit of the doubt and feed them the contents of the fridge and switch it off. Space around the fridge helps and I also drilled some holes in the work surface above the fridge. I am not sure that made a lot of difference. Seems to me that p.v. panels are worth having, although expensive, but it seems to depend a lot on "lifestyle" Some people just demand a lot more power than others. When I run the washer, I use the hot water and extra charge for showers, ironing, and any other boring stuff. In winter, I switch off the fridge and store stuff in the back end of the boat. No point in heating one bit of the saloon and trying to cool another. Cheers

There is, I blieve, a problem at thye Ellesmere Port end of the S.U. Motorway works there as I recall have inserted a bridge too narrow for widebeams. Don't take my word for it, but do check. No problem through Chester itself. RiverDee not recommended without a pilot - the weir is tricky.