[Solar panels]

I used Midsummer, seem pretty good to me, they respond quickly to emails, etc - and great prices!

 

https://midsummerenergy.co.uk/buy/solar-panel-kits

[Another Sunk Boat.....Banbury]

2 hours ago, MtB said:

 

I'm not sure where you got that idea from! It's widely understood in my own circle of friends and acquaintances that poverty and all the traits that tag along with it have been with us since the dawn of time. In fact I'd suggest there is less poverty here in the UK nowadays than in decades and centuries before, mainly as a result of the welfare system which developed in the last century. You only have to read Dickens to see how people used to live and how far we have come in lifting the masses from poverty. 

 

One thing that IS clear about poverty is that no matter how much help/welfare/benefits are made available, there will be a tiny proportion of people whose free-will decisions keep them in dire straights however much is done for them. But the larger proportion of people who do get helped and lifted out, tend not to get noticed.

 

Agree with you very much though, that could have been (and might still turn out to be) an Orwell quote. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have noticed that it costs a lot more to be poor nowadays

[Another Sunk Boat.....Banbury]

12 minutes ago, dmr said:

The problem with scruffy boats is that the public visiting the canals (and house dwellers) don't like them and this gets us all a bad name.  Due to lockdowns etc we've spent a fair bit of time out in the sticks. Sometimes we were alone, sometimes a passing boat moored in the same pound for a while. The locals were almost all friendly and wanted to chat, but when a really untidy boat moored close then there was an immediate and obvious change in public attitude.

This is an observation, not a judgement, and I really don't know what the answer is.

 

I agree. I am in Banbury but just took the train down to Bath for family and Christmas. Went for a walk along the canal and couldn't believe how many decrepit boats were moored along there, they were almost countless, just went on and on, with really nice boats occasionally moored in between- doesn't give us a good image or name does it. Had thought of cruising down there in the spring when repair stoppages end - I think I may have changed my mind now!

[Another Sunk Boat.....Banbury]

4 hours ago, dmr said:

People live on crappy boats for lots of reasons, some just want an easy selfish and cheap life, others have drink and drug addictions, lots have no money for various reasons. I have varying degrees of sympathy for these (ranging from zero to a fair amount), but the scary one is getting old because that's going to come to all of us.   A few years ago we witnessed a bloke in his 80's getting removed from his boat by his family and the CRT welfare officer, he wanted to stay on the boat but his family wanted him to stay alive, a difficult decision. 

 

I agree with dmr, how far can you take compassion before you just meet a wall or rudeness and walk away?  Thing is, our independent lifestyle is also independent for 'casualties' in our society. Apart from the Banbury sinking on Boxing Day morning (night), just yesterday, only 800 yards or so further south on the Oxford police broke into a boat due to concerns of boating neighbours. NB Whiskey Mac - they found the owner dead, probably for a month. Neighbours had talked to him about how he was but he refused all help. I was told that he looked ill and yellow in the face (liver?), he was believed to be a heavy drinker (I was told) .. .after not running his engine or using coal for a long while boating neighbours called the police. So sad really, as had he accepted help when it was offered they would have whisked him off to a hospital - but what can you do? You can only interfere so much and then you back away.

 

But, the thing is, and this is actually easy to see. The three dimensional personal space that humans create is an exact analogue image of how their mind is. This is something humans cannot hide. Look at the sunk Banbury boat, with all the junk on it ,and you can see, clearly, exactly how Steve's mind works - you can use this, this 'first tell' in any situation -- go forward and help, or walk quietly away!

 

 

 

[Another Sunk Boat.....Banbury]

He is old. When I spoke with him a few hours after it sank he was not distressed at all, to me he seemed really cheerful, which surprised me (I gave him a pair of dry socks and a towel). I may be wrong but I think that he had enough of living on board and the effort of looking after an old boat, he had already applied to the local council for housing - in the long term his boat sinking is for him a good thing as it makes him properly homeless - but, please, I may be completely wrong here!

 

Re the mess of leaves on the towpath. Was completely neat and clear but when the CRT laid the diesel catcher floats they also raked out all the leaves and put them on the towpath, so not the owner, but the CRT as part of their management of the sinking.

[Another Sunk Boat.....Banbury]

The Banbury boat. Steve the owner is in his seventies and pretty weak. His engine is crank handle start so he hasn't been running it .. all a bit of a mess really, as you can see by the loads of rubbish he had .. he told me that he had a leak under the bow ... but he didn't do anything about it. Had been listing for a while, getting worse, and a number of us tried to get him to get it sorted, including Tooley's, but he became offensive at one point and wanted to be left alone. He didn't pump out - don't know why .. maybe no battery power for the bilge pump? Eventually it crossed the line and sank 4am Boxing Day, his dog woke him up. Down to CRT now I guess as he hasn't any money to get it lifted nor repaired. If he had insurance they wouldn't pay out as was a pre-known existing condition.

 

 

[My propeller - thoughts?]

5 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

But unless you state that, no one is going to know what your level of experience is, folks go to a great deal of effort to try and explain why & what is happening (assuming that by the question you have little experience) when all along you probably have 1000's of hours of Narrowboating on Rivers / Big canals but just not used to the damp, muddy ditches. 

I disagree. Regardless of experience in certain areas I came across a problem that I didn't know the answer to, so asked the members on here and received my answer, the condition of the Oxford on some sections, and my mind relaxed. I thought I had a prop problem but now I know that I don't. I will always ask for help when I have a problem I cannot work out - wouldn't you??

[My propeller - thoughts?]

On 29/10/2021 at 12:13, doratheexplorer said:

If you're doing walking pace on the south oxford, that's about right.  I'm not sure what you think the problem is?

 

I wouldn't get too hung up on rpm either; for all we know your gauge doesn't read accurately anyway.

 

If you're making steady progress and, crucially, the steering is responsive, then carry on as normal.  If the steering starts to go vague and the speed drops off, then you probably have something round your prop, and right now that's probably leaves.  Give a blast of reverse and you'll blow them off.

 

How much narrowboating experience did you have before buying yours?  Methinks you may be expecting something which isn't realistic.

 

Experience? Well, back in the day I was assistant operations manager of a 16 boat hire fleet and shared all servicing and repairs with the ops manager. I owned a 65' trad Colecraft and navigated the Kennet & Avon, the Thames, Oxford, Grand Union .... I would say that I have sufficient experience .... was a genuine query, now answered as I now know how shallow and muddy the Oxford can be and how it can really slow a boat in certain areas.

[My propeller - thoughts?]

Thanks for all the info above. I went through a different section this morning and max revs became 2000 (didn't keep it there as caused that side wave on the bank) and it went well again - I think it is the canal that brought the problems that worried me.

and thanks re fuel flow and revs - interesting. Shall leave it all as it is - now I know more about gearbox, engine (flow and revs) and the shallow muddy nature of the Oxford-  thought something had gone wrong as it was ok on the Grand Union

 

[My propeller - thoughts?]

Agree re the 1500 as max hp is listed at 2,500 ... so will adjust  the fixed speed adjuster upwards, see if that makes a difference. Yes, it is smoky at full revs ... hhmmm .... old engine, probably needs rebuilding!

[My propeller - thoughts?]

Thanks all - is a Lister LPWS3. Gearbox is a PRM Delta TA20. Manual says ahead/astern 1.53:1, 2.09:1, 2.82:1. (why does it have three ratios? - no idea)

New gear/engine cables, properly adjusted, no slack. Full revs is normally 1500 but sometimes goes up to nearly 1800 (deep water or downwind I guess). I didn't have this on the Grand Union, or never noticed it, so my thoughts is either shallow narrow water creating drag or there is some slip in the gearbox. Prop has no fouling and isn't slipping. (Yes, lovely big weed hatch - good point, will measure it).

Maybe the original set upback in '75 just wasn't powerful enough? Just that when I was thinking about the whole drive train, well, that prop looked a little small for a 50 footer to me - but what do I know?? 
Looking at the manual and is says that minimum full load speed is 1500r/min so I think I will look at the max setting on the speed adjustment too.

[My propeller - thoughts?]

Hi, have had my boat, (now named Pilgrim) for a month or so and have been cruising for a fortnight. I seem to lack thrust ... sure, it poodles along but can only go at walking pace. The assembly seems to be working well, Lister 3 cylinder, Delta 20 gearbox .... I am now on the Oxford which is both shallow and narrow so am aware that this may cause drag, but yesterday I was going into a not very strong headwind and just could not get enough (more) thrust and was going really slowly ... took a photo of the under rear when boat was being blacked - what do you think of my prop? 1997 50ft trad. Looking back I wish I had measured it but looks like a 16 inch .. what do you think? Should/could I upgrade this?

I don't want to thrash along causing tidal waves, just have enough thrust to move it faster when I need to ... seems slow to stop and reverse too, although I can see a lot of prop wash - or perhaps my last boat (20 years ago) had more power and I am comparing to that.

 

 

[How long should a paint job last?]

Theo - that "paint job" is appalling .... have they never heard of "preparation is everything"?

 

I too am not fond of super-glossy smooth, but I would have expected better than that.

 

The last time I prepped a boat for painting cordless sanders didn't exist so was quite a lot of muscle work (and copious sandpaper) .. but now? A dry couple of days on the cut .....