PaulG

You use the tide to your advantage to get to places. Boat speed through the water - say 5 knots. Plus tide - another 5 knots. Ten knots total = pretty damn quick! The advantage of most DB's (Luxemotor, etc) is that they take the ground quite happily, so in decent weather conditions you can just anchor and let it dry out. You do need reasonably flat sand and not rocks, of course.

I'm assuming you'd be joining the Severn via the broad locks from Diglis Basin, and your boat is a narrowboat. The Severn is really wide at Worcester so you should be able to wind reasonably easily without going downstream first. If the flow is sufficient for you not to be able to wind here, it might be an indication that it's safer not to be on the river... There is a pontoon for lock use immediately downstream of the lock, so another option is to exit the lock, stop on the pontoon to pick up your crew, and then swing the boat on a line.

There's a lady of a "certain age" moored opposite us in the marina with a 70-or-so-foot Hudson Tug. She goes off cruising by herself for months in end.

For practical purposes, I don't think you would notice the difference between a 38HP and a 43HP engine. Depends on the power curve, how well it is matched to the prop and gearbox, etc. By "gates", perhaps you mean "paddles"? Just learn to use the paddles. There are locks that have a strong "draw", and others where you can just whack 'em wide open. My boat is a 55 footer with a 27HP engine. This is perfectly adequate on the canals, and perhaps a little underpowered on the river. IMHO 38 HP will certainly suffice.

So, pottering up the Severn on a lovely sunny day yesterday, and I thought I detected a whiff of smoke. Sticking my head down below for a moment confirmed that something was indeed smoking. Eventually I discovered that some grease from the throttle/gear linkage had dripped onto the lagging on the silencer. I think the unusually high temperatures had melted the grease, so I had a bit of a wipe around, and the problem was solved. The silencer is lagged with the standard "silvery stuff". I don't think the grease had soaked in - it just sat on the surface and smouldered. I'm wondering whether the lagging should really get that hot. Does it need another layer? Opinions please...

Did you notice the riverside houses in Welford? Not too much poverty there...

I assumed that the OP was referring to the external fuses that Sterling recommend to be fitted to the 12V supply cabling. If that is not the case, then my previous comments are irrelevant.

It is worth checking with the Sterling installation manual before changing the fuse rating. Despite the generally recognised princple that the purpose of a fuse is to protect the wiring, not the equipment, Sterling do state in their currect operating instructions that fitting a fuse that is larger than the one that they recommend will invalidate the warranty. Dpending on the age of your unit, this may or may not be relevant.

My inverter is a Sterling 1500w unit, and the recommended fuse is 50A. 25A looks a little on the small side This listing shows fuse dimensions and available ratings. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MIDI-STRIP-FUSE-30A-40A-50A-60A-70A-80A-100A-120A-125A150A-BOLT-IN-FUSE-/221954533949?var=&hash=item33ad856a3d:m:mrK89_pT9W5DXuvSELCygTQ

I think you will find that it is your responsibility to keep out of their way, rather than the other way around.

If you don't mind, I'm not going to expand any further on this subject.

Oh, come on! Surely you have been been traumatised? At the very least you must have suffered some whiplash? Get your claim in here!!! http://www.slatergordon.co.uk/personal-injury/road-traffic-accidents/whiplash-injury-compensation-claims/?infinity=ict2~net~gaw~ar~77160673357~kw~claiming%20whiplash~mt~p~cmp~S%26G%20|%20PI%20|%20Google%20|%20Road%20Traffic%20Accidents~ag~S%20%26%20G%20|%20Google%20|%20Whiplash%20Injury%20Claims&gclid=CJT5rf2q3M4CFVXGGwodLpoCKg

To misquote Clint the Squint: "When a man with a [plastic rowing boat] meets a man with [many tons of narrowboat]" ...

I don't think that there is an "official plate" in the same way as car numberplates are specified. The metal plates are for poor people who can't afford fancy signwriting. (Good job I read that before posting. My spell checker changed "fancy" to "fanny", which conjured up all sorts of strange images in my head)

Unless your name is Alan Fincher, It seems...

Maybe he needs peak-to-peak and not RMS?

As CRT (in exchange for some money) have recently given me permission in writing to take my boat onto their waters and have categorically stated that they will not issue me with a licence in any form that can be displayed, it seems clear that it is not an offence not to display your licence. In the opinion of CRT, that is.

Correct. The relevant Byelaw is here: https://pla.co.uk/Environment/Byelaw-49-Prohibition-of-discharge-of-sewage-to-the-Thames

Or a bread roll sandwich?