Nige123

So has anyone else found that Wide beam boats seems to upset people? I think this may be due to envy from our Narrow boat friends, all that space not, having to squeeze past each other, not rocking about went you get up & move about, making moored boats (That are not tied up right) move back & forth due to the size of them....... Now I have a wide beam & a Narrow before you start the abuse so get that fact right first off..... I myself like boats.... I have about 9 or 10 boats of all sizes & shapes & I get on with most canal/river/sea users (expect Thames rowers they must all die)

Sorry a trust?????? Trust must be another word for get people to work for free & pay to use what they have built & then suck the money up.......... I looked on CRT's job page a while ago & found 2 jobs. first was a man to walk 18 miles of canal through London & pull out dead junkies from the canal, fix broken stuff in all weathers £18K a year...... second office bod to make money out of moorings £60K a year + expenses......... I know what one brings in more money to the trust but I know what one most of us would like to see after a hire boat rams the top gate at a lock....... We just don't value workers any more the very people that built our play grounds are now looked upon as well a bit stupid a bit thick & dirty....... stay back children you may catch a work ethic!

Tim this was my question ie what is the best group to join to get things done? I found the one I listed joined & donated some cash to them as they do seem to be doing something......

Hi I was just wondering if we have a boaters union? If not is anyone (maybe a retired person with experience in this area) willing to start one? I think as CRT is busy collecting as much cash as it can & employing as many out of work City folk on crazy money to order volunteers to do work in place of skilled paid workers... I think we need a group to keep things in check as CRT gets heavy handed with canal users & I know some take the p*ss & need to play the game! I think a group that could promote moor-along-side stickers in places like London & Bath so we can all visit congested areas & find a mooring & fight for more marinas, water points, pump outs, removal of fallen trees & sunken boats....The list goes on.... CRT are set to take over the river Thames soon & I have been told by some lock keepers that pump outs could be closed as they don't make a profit? (so what we go back to pumping out over the side at midnight?) lock keepers cottages could be sold off (bonus for the top brass at CRT I bet) You can look up CRT books on line & I would take a look if I were you just to see what happens to your hard earned cash & remember this is a Charity......... I may have found what I was looking for: http://www.bargee-traveller.org.uk/

What total rubbish....... I have had wide & narrows on the K&A for about 10 years now & my 12ft wide makes no more wash then a narrow in fact it makes less then my narrow due to the wide flat bottom.... cutting the trees back on the K&A would help ALL boaters....

Macerator toilet & yes it does use lots of water even on the turned down setting I have it on..... Vacuum loo may be an idea.... We have a king size bed & the tanks fills most of the space under the bed.....

Yes I could do but as I pay £3k a year in boat fee's I feel The Thames is partly mine & would never sh*t in my own back yard.... Water is water.... London & the area around it drinks many millions of gallons of good old Thames H2o.... If we think back to the dawn of time I bet most of us are drinking someone or somethings wee? I don't think this is a serious answer to my question........ expect a lot more like it (I've been here before)

So 18 months+ & life on my boat is fine & this is why. I have 10 x 100w semi flexible solar panels stuck on the roof so I get 1000w (100amps) of power when the sun is out & when it's light I still get power to keep my fridge/freezer etc going. I worked out 6 panels would do me so I fitted 10 to cover overcast days & it works with us not thinking about turning power off to save batteries (4x 200amp hours + 3 110's) Most days I'm on 100% by 12 noon or earlier and run the washing machine (I rent a boat out so do lots of towels & bedding) I run my washing machine on filtered river water & that has worked well & does not empty my water tank. In fact the filter system worked so well that I made & fitted a filter system to supply my tank with filtered river water & again it works so well & I don't have to think about tying to find water every 2 or 3 days (I have a euro-cruiser & they have very small water tanks) So as I spend all summer out on the Thames I don't have to worry about water or power anymore, but my last problem is Poo tank? I had a massive 1 fitted & get just over a month before I have to empty it.... What ideas do you have on ways to solve this one? Not composting loo's that's just nasty......

Just to add my 10p worth..... I have 10 100w semi flexi panels on the roof of my 12ft x 60ft & it runs through a home made 200amp controller.... I have been running it for a year now & it runs my 240v fridge/freezer TV wife's hair dryer & curling thing & everything else on board... In the summer it's done charging by about midday if the sun is out & we start to run the washing machine etc to waste power... I have fitted same panels to other boats & they love them as I stick them on the roof so they are flat so tree branches can't get under them & rip them off the roof & with care you can walk over them.... Most I have fitted just have 2 or 4 panels (200w or 400w) & I install them in parallel so if one panel goes down you still have the others working, this is less efficient but more reliable as all it takes in a chav with a rock & you got no power...... (24v sounds like 2 12v in series) I have just got a narrow boat to add to the fleet & will be sticking some sheets on the roof soon but I may try the new roll up ones that you can stitch together or maybe just stick (sorry) with the ones I know & trust.... Solar is a must I would say on any boat. My mate has an old town class & could not fire her up due to not enough power in his battery bank, so we went to the pub for a bit & came back to a full set after a few pints..... If interested my panels cost £150 for a 100w & £200 for a 200amp controller (yes £200 not £1600) they are no fuss no frills have a volt meter on the front a dump load & a charge button, you can also use them on wind power as it has a dump contact set so you can heat your water for free & not over speed the turbine..... I can fit systems & my rates a cheap.... Reading area on Thames

you should always read all content in ALL POSTS..... This was not just 1 guy but 3.... 1 seemed to be texting 1 was talking about his wifes cars MOT & another one that just seems to be a ball scratcher.... Like the others around said "It's a true art to walk that slow" & "No they have to lean on the vans to stop them rolling away" Now if you paid me £50K a year (saving of 125K) I would run CRT & send them out with a saw on each van so when not WORKING they could cut back some trees so the people that paid my wage would be happy..... all joking aside for one moment CRT took in more cash last year & as far as I can tell by my bit of water way things are not better, Live aboard (not calling them CCers) are being hounded so boaters 0 fat cats 1 well done CRT......

If you are self employed everyone wants a cut & you end up with zip.....

Wow you have a computer that hears forum messages????? now I want one of them to go with my new phone..... & if this is to taxing for you see if that real cool computer has a little red X in the top right hand corner... well does it?????? well click on it & hey presto no more me..... then we are all happy.... Your still here right? *******

how true.... I phones seem to be getting bigger so this must be the I Phone 22

like it.......... Humour I like that... will some one help this poor sod? no I donate all my money to charity..... anyone guise what charity?

my god you are a rare thing on here..... I do all kinds of work & the other day I had to wait for the customer to get some gear... on her return she almost fell over as I had trimmed her bushes (No funny coments please) as I said I don't feel you should be paying me to sit in my van doing sod all.... From this 1 act I have just got 3 recommendation's totalling over £7K.......... This is my work ethic & it seems to work well for me.....

cool....So can you pay for my next licence? (I've been told your prices are a bit steep)

LOL now that's an idea...... Well I won the lottery a few years back & have no need to work you see.... The other posts can be explained to you by a grown up that can define Humour for you... bless.....

well I went past the van to get to my van & he was sitting on a chair with his feet on the table & after a trip into town to get a weeks shopping he was in the same position & this was the same as when my wife passed by to get to her car.... & as for Boat Friendly WHO T F do you think pays for his phone?????? I hear people bleating on about unlicensed boats what about waste of the money collected? that is a true crime........ Anyone else here working for CRT?

CRT worker? sorry you like to be mysterious I can see that.... ;O)

The van this hard working lad is in has a full canteen with tables & comfy seating.... The phone looked to be a nice one unlike mine as you see I am self employed & can only dream of owning a new phone so I don't tend to study phones that much as it upsets me too much.... now don't get me wrong these lads need the right gear to do the job...

Well I had to see it with my own eyes.... My Dad told me of such things in WW2 when we had our backs to the wall & a brave few did the impossible against all odds (& the odds were grater then we can imagine today) The brave lads from CRT all dressed in splendid CRT sweat shirts are fixing the lock gates just down from our mooring you see & I have had the pleasure to witness first hand the effort they are putting in on our behalf I have never seen in all my many years on the building anyone that could out Tea brake these boys.... & one brave lad is texting so hard he will no doubt be going home with blisters the brave young lad.... I for one will be looking forward to paying my next river licence fee (& many of my neighbours) & lets not forget the city boys that have new jobs in the top ranks of CRT I bet they are like minded & doing what is needed to take a charities money.... Well done boys very well done (Tears now rolling down my cheeks)

Hi all just to add my 2p worth.... I have posted here before about my power generating set up & after 6 months + of living aboard I can give an update.... I have 10 100watt semi flex 12v panels on my roof & run them in parallel (12volts) to a home made 200amp 12v controller (I can make you one for £150.00 also works with wind power & has a dump load connection)... I also have a Honda EU30 generator & a 80amp smart charger as part of my charger/inverter set up & I run the generator once or twice a week to condition my battery bank that is 3 135 amp hour + 4 200 amp hour batteries..... I run a fridge freezer washing machine (3 loads a week + cold wash) tv my wife has all the normal lady items like hair dryer heated hair clamp things & likes to use a sewing machine to make stuff.... We also have lots of lights on every night & waste power on sunny days as the controller trips out by midday most of the time..... I read up for hours about the technical details & as a sparky that works on boats it just made my head ring...... so I thought I would use old school thinking & came up with 600 watts of power being what I needed so then went another 400w for over kill... A total of 1KW gives me a good supply of power & I can go away for weekends & don't need to worry about the freezer melting food etc in fact I did go for about 3 weeks without running the generator at one point.... So cost..... each 100w semi flexible panel cost me £120.00 each 200amh battery cost me £100.00 controller cost me about £80.00 to make used EU30 (Like new) from ebay cost me £1250.00 (an EU20 would have done but EU10 is to small to run the 80amp charger) so about £1700.00 + a generator & I have the power..... Hope this helps the people that need it & if you want a controller my number is 07973 233 717 Nige