dmr

The bottom (or almost bottom) lock on the K&A Crofton flight is the same. I overheard a couple of boaters discussing what idiots CaRT were for doing it so wrong, though I suspect it was actually the clever man who originally built the canal who did it that way. How deep is Fall Ing lock? If a lock is shallow then it makes total sense to put the boards on the inside as if they were on the outside it would be difficult or impossible to get a boat into the lock. ...............Dave

That should work, but the battery guard looks like a simple voltage threshold detector and this might give some problems. What is the inverter driving and how hard is it working? and how much trouble are you in if it spuriously cuts out? A sudden high current demand might activate the cut out well before the battery has got down to what you consider a dangerously low state of charge. You probably don't want somebody trying to use a hairdrier to shut down your fridges etc. ...............Dave

Best to take the tank right out and fit a plastic one. This is a big job. 200l is not a bad size. Depends on what type of bog you have but with a dump through and careful use a 200l tank should last two people for well over a month. Unless your boating lifestyle makes pumpouts difficult I would try to live with what you have. However if the tank shows signs of rust then it might be worth doing. ............Dave

I have heard that in the days of the Berlin wall a man crossed from East to West by dropping down from a pylon on to a cable and pulling himself along the cable over the wall. Only effect reported was a tingling in his bumhole, but if I was hanging on a cable with armed guards everywhere I reckon my bum would tingle regardless of the electricity. .............Dave

Strictly he would need 6, but maybe he could just move really quickly. ...............Dave

But this is a technical discussion, one can argue about politics (though no longer on this forum) but one can't really argue about engineering because no matter how much one does argue the result can not be changed. OK, if we have three guitars and each plays a middle C at the same moment then what note would we hear????? I know of at least one forum member who does have three guitars on his boat so maybe he will help here. ..............Dave

Its a linear system, if we add (or subtract) two (or 3) bits of 50Hz electricity then we get a different size bit of 50Hz electricity. Adding is a linear operation. Only a non linear system can generate a new frequency. Draw it out in the time domain! ..............Dave

Surely its only 50Hz? The phases will be out of phase but a vector sum at any location will still be at 50Hz. More importantly the OP should be careful with this post as he is technically stealing energy from the electric companies and so could get into right proper trouble. Didn't a block get fined a few years ago for installing a transformer in his garden shed to take electricity from the overhead power lines? ..........Dave

This forum has learned how to do a company search, but then also to draw all sorts of dodgy conclusions. Its very easy to set up a company, half an evenings work, and its done for all sorts of reasons, some dodgy, some totally fine. The figures of "net worth" might be totally arbitrary. One reason for getting a Ltd is that someone is doing fine as a sole trader (for which no public accounts are required) and so wants to protect their trading name so sets up a company with minimal value/assets just to register the name.. Sole traders can not protect their trading name any other way. ..........Dave

There are nesting boxes fitted to some gates on the K&A and at least one of these is occupied by a family of grey wagtails. ...............Dave

Its pretty easy to replace the brushes yourself and they are generally available on eBay, but note that it might be critical to modify them before fitting by cutting through an earthing bar. Whilst replacing them you can get a good look at the state of the slip rings. New brushes should confirm that it is brushes rather than the black box that is at fault but I still suggest you get new bearings fitted. The black box should also be opened up every year or two to remove any build up of dust etc. ................Dave

The alternator produces about 300v (three phase) like Nick says. The field current is controlled by the black box to control this voltage. So do take care when measuring voltages. I was thinking it might just be a warming up fault in the black box itself due to self heat, but from what you say it really sounds like an issue in the alternator so this is most likely the brushes. Brush failure can lead to a transistor failure in the black box. The alternator really does need a rebuild every 2000 hours or so else the bearings might fail and this makes a much more expensive repair. Cox's will do this but a good local auto electrician might be able to do it for you. It will most likely need a press so is probably not an easy DIY job. .....................Dave

Do the brushes and maybe sliprings need replacing? Also, its a good idea to get the alternator inspected and rebuild every couple of thousand hours. The belt needs to be tight and that gives the bearings a hard life. Is it a black box or silver box jobbie? Can you start the engine from cold with the TP turned off, get the engine hot, then turn the TP on, and tell us what happens please? ..................Dave

I really think you should actually disconnect the Adverc and see what happens, and also inspect your brushes and slip rings, rather than just telling the people at Adverc about these things. .................Dave

Almost certain its on the river in Bath almost opposite where the K&A canal joins the Avon. Is Google Satelite the same as Google Earth? if so the images can be quite old and its only this year that boats have taken to "mooring" in that spot. ....................Dave I wonder if the whole thing is a set up to complicate the ownership to get the navigation authority off the current owners back for a little while? Or maybe it was a tabloid newspaper bidding to make a good story? ..............Dave

Some Sumsungs did odd stuff with the memory, are you sure it really can go up to 8? I think some could only go to 7 'cus they used some of the high memory address space for summat else. .................Dave

I reckon this boat, and one or two others, have moored in a sort of no mans land, so its quite possible there will be some delays in deciding which authority, if any, is responsible for removing the boat. They are on the off side almost opposite where the K&A canal joins the Avon, so might be just outside CaRT waters on the short run up to Paultney weir. The bank they are moored to is effectively wasteland, so its possible that Bath Council have no control. A while ago a Dutch barge managed to anchor in that bit of water for ages. ..............Dave

We are trading at the Middlewich festival this weekend. Found a really good spot (a bit in the winding hole but it that appears that is ok during the festival) but when we tried to get in a big rock on the bottom prevented us getting snugly into the bank. So, if I advertise this rock on eBay do you some think somebody will buy it and take it away? and how much money might I expect to get? ...............Dave

Deep underground in a dark tunnel dug out maybe 200 years ago and half full of cold dark water..... anyone who does not get just a little nervous must have something wrong with them. Boat interior lights are indeed a good idea, for me they make the inside of the boat look like a safe place that one could retreat two in an emergency. Keep looking straight ahead and concentrate 100% on keeping the boat in a perfect straight line, maybe even go a little faster, then no brain capacity left to worry about anything else. ..............Dave

Get a dirty and rough plastic boat, use it to hone your boaty DIY skills, Live on it for a short time to hone your boaty liveaboard skills. Sell at a profit. Do the same again (better and more efficiently this time) Sell at a bigger profit and buy your narrowboat. Have watched several K&A boaters do exactly this. ...............Dave

If the pitting really is only 1.5mm deep then a shot blast and epoxy blacking is usually considered the best solution, and a good thing to do anyway. ..............Dave

I have no real hands on experience of raising boats, others have. I reckon you will need a big pump and generator and another boat to carry this pump and generator, plus someone able to handle this boat on a slightly tricky bend on the river. You will most likely need a diver or very brave swimmer. You will be in full public view and probably have quite an audience. You will most likely have no insurance for what you are doing. If you manage to raise it and then it sinks again right at the junction of the River Avon and K&A canal section (just a few yards from where it is now I think) then you are going to be very very unpopular. ..............Dave

Its sort of "squatting" on a bit of river marginally outside of CaRT ownership so has probably already upset the local council and locals. Access is only from the water on a river that can flow very quickly at times. Do you have any plan for raising it and towing it away?. CaRT will probably not want to co-operate. If you can get professionals involved the cost of recovery may well exceed the value of the boat. I suspect the owner should really be paying to get it removed but is hoping that you will remove it for him and pay him for doing so? ................Dave

Over winter it took us 6 months to "do" the K&A from Reading to Bath and back to Reading. We did not have time to get down to Bristol. We are doing the Shropshire Union now, been at it for 1.5 days so far and I reckon we can get the rest (to the Middlewich arm) done tomorrow. Could have done it in less time if not for the endless lines of moored boats! ................Dave

We CC full time, but spend every winter on the K&A going gently end to end. In the summer we travel extensively but at 71 foot can't do the Pennine routes, but with that caveat its my opinion that the K&A is the best. Macclesfield and Peak Forest, Weaver, Nene/middle level/Cambridge, and a few bits of the L&L towards Liverpool are the other good bits. ..............Dave