tommytelford

Sorry Tony I think I may have misunderstood or not made myself clear. I have one starter battery and a bank of 2 which have separate feeds through the changeover switch. On the bank of 2 batteries the negatives are linked and grounded and one of the batteries has the positive feed from the alternator (via the changeover switch) and the charger / inverter, the other battery has the positive feed to the domestic fusebox and the 2 battery positives are linked by a heavy cable. The starter battery has the positive cable from the changeover switch and the feed to the starter solenoid and a negative earth cable as normal. I have tried it out by fully charging the batteries from the charger but with the TV on for about an hour, the lights on for maybe three hours (mostly leds), and the fridge turned to low the batteries just about last overnight

Sorry I have not replied to your comments before Tony but life has been a bit hectic of late. I have not been back to the boat for while but I am pretty sure that the feeds are not as you state, I think that the the positive feeds are from both batteries, I assumed that this was ok as they are linked but next time I am aboard I will transfer them all to the same terminal and see what hapens

I have 2 battery banks, the starter battery and two domestic batteries in parallel , the control is the big red knob type and the link cable is about the size of a pencil but the earth lead the size of a small finger. I have checked voltages on the changeover switch and they seem to be ok

Wondered if anybody can help. I have had trouble with my second battery not charging to it's full extent. I have replaced it with a new one but am having the same problem. Is it possible that the positive lead connecting the 2 batteries could be too small, the earth connection is connected to the 2nd battery which isn't charging fully

On our trip up north we arrived at Newbold after dark and moored up outside the Barley Mow. It wasn't until we arrived back to the boat after a beer in said hostelry that I realised we were moored on the water point. I set the alarm for 6.30 am and moved off the water point as soon as I could in the morning, I apologise to anybody I might have inconvenienced but I am pretty sure that nobody would have needed it after we moored and I am certain that nothing came by before I moved. On the subject of the Barley Mow I love the piano in the gents toilet complete with piano stool

I had until recently a Rivers Only licence which was renewed automatically and I was not charged for a Rivers and Canal Licence so I can only suggest that Phoenix V was unlucky to have been charged incorrectly. When I moved my boat onto the canal I phoned CRT and spoke to a very pleasant young lady and explained that this was a permanent arrangement and could they update my records, this was done and I received an updated account and 2 copies of my new licence in the post on Friday, all done and dusted within a week, well done CRT

How about posting the photo, somebody might recognise the subject

They were not, in the main foreign, as they called out to us as we passed, and as for breasting up to a boat with 25 p**s artists aboard, rather you than me

I have just had one of the worst experiences on the waterways last weekend. We are moving our from Roydon on the river Stort back to Mercia Marina on the T & M. This has, of course necessitated travelling through London. All was well until Actons Lock where there is a cocktail pontoon moored just below the lock, it was virtually impossible to moor before the lock due to moored boats, some had been moored and there was nobody aboard but one narrowboat was actually tied up to the lock bollards with probably 25 people sitting on the top of the boat, so there was no chance of them moving. We and 6 other boats were forced to drift around for over an hour whilst waiting to get through the lock. On Sunday morning we left St Pancras at 7.30am ready to attack the Camden locks and arrived at the lower lock just before 8. What awaited us made me feel ashamed to be British. Around all the locks were dozens of bottles cans and God knows what other detritus. The whole area smelt like a public toilet and there were probably 30 youngster sitting on the towpath having I guess been there all night, surrounded by dozens of bottles and cans. To top this there were 2 couples having sex on the towpath in full view of their friends and whoever else was passing by. This area is a major foreign tourist venue and people were already arriving as the various food places were opening. I cannot think what impression people will take back to there various homes. Apart from all this it is obvious that CRT have completely lost the plot with regards to the mooring problem in the area with boats moored up to 4 abreast and every mooring unavailable, also the green weed seems to be covering most of the water surface. Thank goodness this will probably be the last time I will travel through London as the whole canal system through the captital is a disgrace

Has anybody else been contacted by CRT about boat insurance. I received an email today saying that I had been randomly selected to provide proof that I have a valid insurance and giving me 28 days to respond otherwise my licence could be terminated. Not a great problem as I have all the necessary paperwork but just interested in ow many boaters are being checked

The guy you are talking about was Jed, he was a real character and very helpful especially if you were single handed. He was often on the Branston Lock and what he didn't know about the canal wasn't worth knowing. I believe that he may no longer be with us as the last time we saw him about 4 years ago he told us that he was very unwell. He helped me out by taking my out of date bottles of beer.He certainly liked a drink but was not your typical drunk, he loved helping boaters and if his help was not required he would sit by the tree and just watch.

If you are considering train fares the link below is helpful, I cut the cost of a journey from Willington to Ware in Hertford from £140.00 to £18.00 https://raileasy.trainsplit.com/main.aspx Chris

Loads on the grand union around Kensal Green area

No Blackrose I don't use my tools for work now and I had cleared the van out apart from the one toolbox as I was leaving at 5.30 am and intended to go to the marina after work, stupid I know. Thanks for all the thoughts guys

If they had broken in on Saturday they would have had a much better haul as I had been working on the boat and all my power tools were in the van, we went for a drink at the pub and stayed too long ( is that possible? ) and I forgot to empty it before I went to bed.

I have just had my van broken into and have had my toolbox stolen complete with tools. I now have to replace everything and apart from the usual spanners and screwdrivers etc. have any members got any favourite tools they wouldn't be without

Hi sorry I also posted a similar query on the general post but nobody came up with a suggestion. I am in a similar situation as I need to move from Roydon in August

Have just been informed that the Fish and Eels bridge at Dobbs Weir is to be replaced, the work will take about 5 / 6 months from the end of July. This will be major work involving the road being closed for the duration of the work. Wonder if anybody has heard if this is going to affect the navigation as I am intending to move my boat at the end of August from Roydon on the River Stort, I have checked the CRT site but there is no mention but the decision to proceed with the work was only made in the last couple of weeks

Sorry Tim misunderstood your sentiment Chris

I thought this post was going to be up beat until I read the reply from mrsmelly, why can't we give credit sometimes to C&RT, yes there are problems but they have a huge task ahead of them and it's nice when somebody gives the occasional accolade

1) I have nothing against boaters with no moorings except when I go on holiday or for a weekend cruise and find that there is nowhere to moor, the last time I came through London back to my home mooring in Roydon I had to do 2 14 hour days because there was just nowhere to stop 2) 20 miles in a day is a leisurely 8 hour cruise as long as there are not miles of non home mooring boats parked up (assuming lock free) 3) my crackpot idea in no worse than that put forward by CRT 4) My aim would be to make the waterways available for everybody and not just the few

Had a disaster with my van today. A huge gust of wind caught it as I was about get, I grabbed it but ended up being pulled out of my seat and ending up unceremoniously on my backside. It looks like a big insurance job as the door stay broke and the door went so far forward that the door pillar has twisted

I still find this whole constant cruiser thing a complete mystery. How on earth can drifting up and down a 20 mile stretch of canal be classed as cruising, it's a Sunday trip out with family and friends. I could easily do 20 miles a year cutting my lawn. Why doesn't CRT divide the entire canal system into, say, 10 mile zones which can only be visited once a year. Up to 2 zones can be visited twice in a year with a minimum of 6 months between the 2 visits. It wouldn't be too difficult to control this by using the same technology as parking zones in London , registering by phone, text or email.

Yes you can get a barge up the Stort but it is very tight in places,you really need to check your dimensions as some of the bridges are pretty low especially when water levels are high and some of the bends very tight.. I would suggest you do it in a quiet period as a big barge causes a fair amount of problems to other boats. I was originally moored next to a Dutch Barge in Hallingbury marina and on his occasional trips he planned very carefully in advance.

Just bought an Indesit cooker from Tesco Direct, £275 free delivery. Already converted, 500 wide by 600 deep. Comes with chain but I agree probably sensible to fit a floor bar. Very pleased works well