dmr

If you plan to liveaboard/continuously cruise then the size of the water tank is most likely the main factor controlling how long you can stay in one place, this can be particularly important in the winter when there are stoppages. Get as much water capacity as you can unless you want to drag water containers up and down a muddy towpath, which is pretty common. We have 1000 litres, With a lot of washing machine use and showers this will over a week. When we were frozen in and went into "economy mode" we made this last about 4 weeks. .........Dave

Are you sure this is stove glass and not just ordinary glass???? Stove glass is special stuff and even the cheapest eBay sellers charge more than that. £25-£50 is about what you should be paying. Keeping a spare glass is a really good idea but its no good keeping one that's no good! "Fastglass" on the www are pretty good. .............Dave

The new generation of laptops using the Haswell processor are fast and use a lot less power so are ideal for use on a boat. Currently a bit costly though. ...........Dave

The older Maplin 12v to 19v (selectable) power supplies work well and are "tried and tested". These are the ones with the round end. Now discontinued by Maplin but you can still find them on eBay http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CAR-AIR-DC-POWER-Adapter-supply-for-HP-Pavilion-Laptop-/231018217739?pt=UK_Computing_LaptopAccessories_PowerSupplies&hash=item35c9c2410b Link above is the black one (80watt ish) The slightly bigger silver one is better, 120wattish I think, but much harder to find now. The newer maplin "brick" style one is more expensive and its spec suggests it might not be happy at battery charging voltages, especially if you charge at 14.8 to 15. Whatever one you choose a standard car cigar lighter socket will almost certainly melt so you will need to fit a better connector such as the DIN car connector. The one in your link might work, you will have to get one and try it. If you do please report back! Radio interference can be an issue with these things. must go, there's a funny yellow thing in the sky, need to cut some wood. .............Dave eer

The canals you mention will both take a full length boat, but You don't say were you are starting from and which other waterways you propose to use!!!! .........Dave

All this jargon and technical terminology is very outdated, indeed the whole concept of describing things for what they actually are is much too complicated, just call everything you need a "narrowboat solution" .............Dave

If you mean chequerplate then its difficult to get anything to stick as the raised bits take all the wear, and even etch primer wont last long here. There is a two pack aluminium primer form Jotun that I would like to investigate, has anybody tried it? However looking at the weather I see little prospect of any painting jobs for quite a while yet! ............Dave

I confer with Nicknorman here, the gain in amp-hours from equalisation does often appear to exceed the amp-hours put in. Not many chargers can do an equalisation voltage so check the specification carefully. 20 amps should be ok but only just. If like us you have other stuff running whilst you equalise then remember that the consumption of these devices subtracts from the available charging current. Although an equalisation is properly done only once the batteries are fully charged this is not always an option, especially if it involves engine running, so starting the equalisation a bit early should be ok (it works for me). ............Dave

It would be really good to have more recycling of all types at the CaRT rubbish points, but its very obvious that a minority of boaters (and locals) seriously abuse these facilities. If we had a waste oil tank I suspect it would be used for bilge water and even cassette contents. Polluted mixed liquid waste of this type would be a major financial (and environmental) problem. ............Dave

I also almost sit on the fence, I am loathe to question anyone who has done scientific experiments, but then I know that there is good science and bad science, and even science sponsored by the marketing men and politicians. My engineering intuition (which is sometimes wrong but mostly right) says a single skin flue is the way to go (and is what I have done). I accept that if a stove has a draw problem then a twin walled flue will be a big help, but most boat stoves actually manage to draw ok so a twin walled flue will just put useful heat up the chimney rather than into the boat. If a twin walled flue is going to put more heat into the boat, despite a colder flue, then the stove temperature must be increased significantly and mine is hot enough as it is, ............Dave

Its really a case of getting the tools that you need and know how to use. No point in getting a torque wrench if you don't have the knowledge or confidence (or desire) to do a cylinder head etc etc. Go through the (impressive) lists above and ask yourself honestly "would I use that tool ?" and also "am I prepared to learn how to use that tool? " but in general get as much as you have space for! ..........Dave

It reminds me of the old joke that sailors on the Solent always crack when they see a "gin palace" going past..... What sound do the engines on a Gin Palace make? One Gallon of Diesel,Two Gallons of Diesel, Three gallons of Diesel....

I believe a horsepower is actually quite different to the power of a horse! The concept of a horsepower was popularised by James Watt and other Steam Engine builders as a marketing tool, so even in those days you should never believe what the marketing department says! .........Dave

Trouble is there is also the return line (spill rail/leak off) so you would need two flow sensors and have to take the difference between them. On some engines the return flow is greater than the fuel used by the engine so then you will be taking "a small difference of big numbers" which is notoriously inaccurate. ............Dave

The Eastern K&A is or was officially closed due to too much water, It was pouring over the top gates faster than it could get out the bottom paddles so the bottom gates won't open. There is also various damage due to all this water. I believe CaRT are happy for continuous cruisers to stay put for now. A few of us wanted to move and CaRT helped us through a damaged lock. I reckon the canal is open again now and CaRT have just not bothered to send out the eMail. The biggest problem for CCers is that the towpath is very muddy! ............Dave

But this of course is not the definitive answer, especially from a local guy. A different CaRT man may well give a very different answer, and next week some senior CaRT person may come up with a new set of "rules". This is why boaters keep asking for one set of rules enforced fairly and reasonably. I am sure I have read (from CaRT) that if you spend time on a 24 hour mooring, then move to an adjacent 48 hour mooring then the time spent on the first mooring counts towards the time spent on the second. If it wasn't like this then you could have 14 days on many visitor moorings just by shuffling up and down! ............Dave

I think you should see the rules a bit like the Bible, or even the the Quran, Its a set of moral guidelines and if you follow them you will co-exist peacefully and happily with your fellow boaters. However if you try to find a literal interpretation then you become a fundamentalist and there lies the road to hell. (at least in the winter) .........Dave

If you want really small the pipsqueak from Salamander looks good. I have only seen one on a boat and the owners really liked it. Might be a waiting list just now though. ............Dave

Its a long way to go for a holiday in a little plastic cruiser, though we have seen a few people doing it in open "camping" boats so anything is possible. There might still be a couple of moorings at Caan Hill but otherwise, unlike elsewhere, I don't think there are many available moorings. Enjoy your holiday, in my humble opinion the K&A is the best waterway in the country. .........Dave .

I believe you will encounter all sorts of problems on the K&A, Its mostly shallow, you can't get near the bank for much of its length and what moorings are available are occupied by continuous moorers who don't have jobs but do have drugs. The locks are very badly maintained and although originally 14 foot wide have subsided to such an extent that 6 foot 10 boats regularly get stuck. But seriously, the K&A is getting a bit busy and it looks like enforcement might be increasing, so don't make this big journey unless you intend to make at least some attempt at continuous cruising! And 6'10" is no problem. .............Dave

It is a very small amount of water and will not hurt you or the boat. Do not worry about it. Other things can happen which let much much more water into the boat and so save your worrying for these. Do not block your mushroom vents, though dying will of course stop you worrying. Also there can surely be very little rain left up there and so a hot dry summer is just round the corner. .........Dave

All the marketing stuff, and many stove experts, like to say "cast iron is the material of choice" for stoves, whatever that might mean, I strongly suspect that a well made welded steel stove is a much better machine. .............Dave

I hope its true, the real question is how did they survive as long as they did?

I propose two general rules for battery selection. 1 If you REALLY have the knowledge and motivation to look after batteries, and have the technology to do an equalisation charge, then get Trojan type batteries, otherwise get the cheapest you can find. 2 If your batteries are incredibly difficult to get at then consider sealed batteries, otherwise get standard open batteries and check the levels from time to time. ...............Dave

However...there is a very small beach just under the jetty where the red jet docks, but only at low tide. Many years ago the council leader proposed building a beach just inland from here and heating the water with the geothermal source. Everybody said he was was mad but it might have been the best thing to ever happen in Southampton, the "city of missed opportunities". ..........Dave