valrene9600

My sterling 3000 has the equalisation function and i thought it sounded good but as i couldn`t quite understand the instructions to turn it on i phoned sterling. They told me NOT to use the function for the same high input electrical problem tosher states. They also said it`s not needed as a 3 stage charger takes care of it anyway.

FIVE pages "define continuous cruising" FIVE Fffffflippin pages. It`s there in black and white in the BW blurb and if it`s not clear give them a ring. Met a youngster about 20yrs old (I`m touching 60) back in rickmansworth 7 months and 3/4 hundred cruising hours ago, he had a small plastic cruiser no licence, no ins, no BSC. After spending most of the day making a noise with a motor scooter revving etc he walked a few boat lengths upto my boat and apologised for the noise explaining all i have alredy stated plus he wanted to get the bike going so he could get a job and get the boat legal. I suppose he was bridge hopping near to the job centre, didn`t ask none of my business. My only thoughts were nice fella and "There but for the grace of god go i" So i don`t worry about people overstaying or hopping that`s for them to worry and perhaps some are working but can`t afford a mortgage or house rent with all the other bills that come with bricks&mortar. Those boaters could be you or me in a different life. Yes i know some say we should report un-licenced boats etc, well fine if that`s the way you want to live your life i won`t knock you as long as you don`t knock me for wanting to leave folk alone and c/cruise for the rest of my days. Now i suppose we`ll have 5 pages of why we should be informers, well go ahead you won`t draw me into it. Anyway folks this is a great forum full of info and very helpful knowlegable people.

A couple of days ago on the Sth. Oxford just on the edge of Banbury a woman fell off a hire boat and her foot was hit by the prop. A friend who was following me helped get the boat into the side by which time she was laying on the towpath. Luckily there was a path leading to a road and a paramedic car arrived. a second friend following said the medic was bandaging her up and it looked foot shaped but plenty of claret so hopefully the prop gave her a glancing blow rather than puuling the foot into it. I passed the boat just before this happened and she came round a bend leaning right out over the water pulling on the tiller like she was steering the Queen Mary so perhaps her feet slipped and slid down the side to the prop.

27,000 LICENSED so taking the 8% figure the 27,000 must be 92% so roughly is that total boats 29,300 2,300 un-licensed. I stand to be corrected if the maths is out.

Been trying to google for the boat count figure but having no luck so might just phone Watford t`morrow as i would be interested to know how many are floating on the system with no license.

BW know how many are licensed. Its been said 8% are un- licensed BW did a boat count So they must know the total counted to know the percentage un-licensed Is that clearer for all

Yes i do understand 8 in every 100. how many boats do BW think or no are on the water. They say 8% are un-licenced.

8% of how many? 30k boats on the water maybe. Anyone know the figure.

I am a C/cruiser and i travel all over. Moving into a different area as and when i feel like it and mostly keeping within the 14 day/5 day/48hr etc mooring restrictions. Sometimes i return to a place soon after leaving (a week or a month) but this is perhaps to access another canal. ie Braunston down Sth Oxford returning to Braunston to go south on Gd. Union. BW don`t mind this, after all you are continually clocked by BW staff all over the system and you can`t tell me that BW don`t have a very good idea where i`ve been the last 12 months or so, it must all get logged on a computor at Watford. Seen many overstayers as i go and bridge hoppers, what they do is there business and it`s upto the landlord to organise his tenants not me. I live and C/c for a quiet life.

I use a candy 1200w run either from the stirling pure sine wave 3k inverter with the engine running or from a Kipor 2.3/2.6 kva pure sine wave genny.If i use the genny it also charges the batteries although because the inverter includes a 100amp charger the genny goes on overload so i have reduced it down to 75amps and no probs. In both cases the w/machine temp is set to 30deg and i add a kettle of boiling water at the start thus reducing the heater element being on for long. Now i am going to try without the kettle and set the machine to cold wash and see if the wash is as clean.

Done that 2 yrs running. 1st via T&M and this year via Shroppie. Enjoy yourself and i hope you are going down the lift onto the Weaver.

No way do i believe that customs&excise will allow fuel to be sold from the same tank at 2 different rates of duty. The fiddle factor is to great.

Saw `Laplander` i think on the Coventry Nuneaton area about a week ago.

I know nothing but find all this interesting and somewhere along the line i am learning a bit. Now tell me car alternators? i have read somewhere that car alternators are no good on a boat, something to do with the engine revs not spinning the alternator fast enough or have i not understood what i read?

Yes ok i f..... up. I am just a virgin boater as i said before. Survived all my working life with the trades i knew and now i`m trying to learn as much as poss to survive the rest of my life. My deepest respects to all the people who have years of boating and mechanical experience. Just give me break while i learn. Still made some chuckle and that`s not a bad thing. THANKS

I have sterling regulator on my boat. From what i`ve read seems a good idea. But have also heard stories that it cooks the alternator by lying to it and demanding more charge. I have been a liveaboard now for 18 months C/C and it seems difficult to know who/what to believe. Similar to another post i made re Vetus/G`box. Bit like when living on land when every now and again some one decides don`t eat beef or eggs etc. Perhaps i should adopt the same attitude now as then and just carry on as normal. ie eat the eggs etc stick to the sterling reg. run the engine in gear as per Vetus Reading/hearing some things could make life aboard as stressful as living on land. But no chance of that in my case i came on board to chill out my last years on this planet and that`s what i will do. This forum is a great place for advice and views on products and i think it`s a personal thing what you decide after reading all members contributions.

I have the Vetus 4.15 together with technodrive g`box, TMC40 i think. Raining hard here in cheshire so not about to look. Also it has the Vetus water lubricated prop shaft assembly. Now this gets it`s water via a tube from the weed hatch which is fine as you cruise or run in gear stationery. So if i run out of gear to charge batt`s then the prop shaft gear gets no water to cool it and will overheat, which is on top of Vetus instructions re bore glaze another reason to charge batt`s in gear.

Just done the Lanny. I draw 2`3" and had no problem. Go and enjoy it.

I have a vetus and the handbook says it must be run in gear for battery charging. I understand this prevents glazing on the bores. Many people have said to me as they pass that it`s a lot of .......toffee and they run in neutral. But as i said to them Vetus make them so they must know what`s best for the engine they make.

Came across Dawn/Dusk on Llangollen recently and they pulled over at i think the Montgomery jct. to let 3 boats pass as they were going slow which with their length on the Llany was expected. They were moored in the basin at Llany for 2 nights. In my opinion a very considerate skipper and i think it`s nice to see what are working boats plying their trade on the system. Plenty of room for all.

Have just seen HOLLY on the Middlewich arm. Thought paint looked new so asked the guy on the back and he said it was holly. No name or company signage just fresh company colours. Popped into Middlewich boats and spoke to Trish and yes Holly is out on her first hire since her kidnap. Had a nice chat about the whole scenario but best if things not put in print at this time.

You know reading this topic with all the talk of the mental state of Mr King i sit here in the countryside on the Llangollen and i just silently say to myself there but for the grace of god........ I don`t need to steal a boat as i have my own. I haven`t the pressures of a land based life that cause people to have perhaps a mental breakdown. IF this man is ill, and to leave your name address etc and hope to diissapear on a boat something is going on, he has my sympathy. Everyone has a right to their views on his punishment but just like our english weather we have no control over what this might be so lets just be thankful the boat company has its property back and if Mr King needs help he hopefully will now get it. I would guess the boat will be craned out as the insurance company will want the boat back in service asap to lessen the claim against it.

OK thanks. I will contact Vetus