grahame r

Name and shame!!! We have a Francis Lamp that was made in 1965 and the chrome was just starting to show its age. I had the chrome removed to leave the more impressive (IMHO) Brass which I then laquered and it looks beautiful. The people who removed the chrome had to grind it off, took ages. We are liveaboards and burn fossil fuels but there's no problem with this attacking any metals other than the flue, which is stainless and has turned a nice shade of blue.

We do now! Good piece of marketing.

It seems to be largely a matter of the sellers expectations. Once they've convinced themselves that the boat is worth £30,000 they are reluctant to accept that the real figure should be £15,000 a couple of years trying to sell it can change their minds so try to find out how long it has been on the market and as Richard says if you see a bargain then get in quick BUT GET A SURVEY BEFORE COMMITTING TO BUY!!!!I

Chris Pink is probably right about your battery, if you've just bought the boat then the old owner is unlikely to have renewed it recently. There are numerous threads on here about battery charging and battery capacity calculations. If you have halogen or other high energy lighting then changing them for LEDS should be high on your priority list.

If you stay on The Thames then East Street, between Osney Bridge and Osney Lock are free for the first night, The Punter pub on the corner of East and South Streets is highly recommended for food. Continue down and Christchurch Meadow just below Folly Bridge is free and very scenic especially as students are finishing their exams and celebrating.

Did the engine not turn over or did the lights go dim?

I don't quite understand, did your domestic battery/ies go flat or your starter battery? If it was your starter battery then either you have a charging/alternator problem or your battery needs replacing. If it was your domestic then you really need to look at how much power you intend to use and what size battery bank would be suitable and then how to charge it. I don't think a portble jump starter type device is a practical long term solution.

I think the salient point is that, from experience, the galaxy S3 is hugely superior to a dongle. We cruise a lot and this year we have been able to stream live tv the length of the navigable Thames. We are now on the K&A with everything still working at Aldermaston. We've never been able to get any signal for TV, dongle or phone at Pewsey so time will tell just how good the Galaxy is. We'll be in a week or so.

On the Galaxy tethering and wifi are separate options. So is my Galaxy ,in wifi mode, connecting in the same way as a data only device? it certainly appears to be better than the "ordinary" phone connection to the internet.

I'm no expert on this and may be imagining this but I think there is a difference between tethering and wifi. I have a Samsung Galaxy S3 and recently on the Upper Thames between Oxford and Lechlade the phone reception was very poor, to the point where emails weren't being updated from morning to evening, however on activating the wifi and connecting to my laptop the emails were immediately updated and I could stream live TV. It seems to me that I'm getting a far better internet connection through wifi than simply on the 3G phone connection.

Staines free, Windsor £4.00, Maidenhead £8.00, Marlow £12.00, Henley £8.00, Wargrave free, Reading free, Goring free (you'll be lucky), Cleve free, Wallingford £4.00, Shillingford £20.00 (avoid), Abingdon free, Sandford free, Oxford (Christ Church Meadow) free, Oxford (Osney lock/brigde) free. These are all proper moorings, there's lots of others less formal, don't stop early, don't be afraid to ask if you can moor alongside, nobody ever had to drive all night because there were no moorings!

You should have asked for four candles.

I bought mine from Richer Sounds and the guy there told me that the built in DVD players were inherently unreliable. Happily their excellent 5 year extended warranty makes this their problem rather than mine, as long as I can get back to one of their branches to get it sorted. I'm on my second and it's not quite a year old.

12.2v is 50% State of charge when the batteries are under no load. As your inverter is on constantly this will not be the case and a lower voltage may be indicated with the batteries still above 50% charged. I believe a smartgauge addresses this problem and gives a more accurate estimate of State of charge under load. Certainly 12.5 to 12.7 volts going into the inverter is healthy.

The fans in the floor are an excellent idea, I believe you can wire them in so that they only come on when the fridge compressor is working and they will also help to keep the bilge free of moisture.

What a lot of people new to boating don't appreciate is how far the floor of a boat is below the waterline. As a general guidline a modern boat will have a draught of about 30 inches, the depth below the floor is unlikely to be more than 6 inches so the floor will be about 2 feet below the waterline. If the boat is then built say 5 feet above the waterline you will have 7 feet of headroom and a boat that will go under all bridges under normal conditions. Lady Muck is right about overall sizes, maximum length and (especially) width boats are difficult to handle and very ugly.

Lee Valley Marina, Stanstead Abbotts 20 mins, which is the longest I know. I was told today that the Environment Agency pumpouts on the Thames will only take cards sold at that location, ie you can't buy a few cards and use them at differnt pumpouts. I was told by a Lockkeeper so it must be true.

Yes, that's understandable but it is a lovely trip and will save you at least a full day's travel as opposed to going through London. It's easier if you can find someone who has done it before and has a VHF radio (and licence) to go with. We'll be doing it twice this year, on 12 May and probably 8th or 9th of August and would happily assist. I would think if you give your dates on here there's a fair chance of finding someone to go with.

Has anyone ever had one fail?

My wife, Sue is also disabled and unable to negotiate difficult terrain, however we have a substantial gangplank and with my help she normally manages. On the odd occasion I have had to leave her alone on the boat I have found BW (now CRT) very understanding. I would agree that special dispensations for disabled boaters should be considered. It just seems to me that too many fit and able boaters seem to have forgotten how to moor is less than perfect conditions.

If you want to stay for a long while is it not reasonable to find a non-official towpath mooring?

Your biggest problem will be ensuring you don't miss the turn from The Thames onto the Grand Union on the way back, it's not properly marked now. I think officially you should have a VHF radio but you'll be OK from Brentford to Teddington. An anchor is always a good idea for any river. Have you thought about going out at Limehouse? It's a great cruise and will save you over a day, and you'll still get to see London on the way back.

I assumed that you know The Thames is tidal at Brentford, the PLA produces a handbook, availble on the net, to get your timings right.

When you say "down The Thames" do you mean Brentford to Limehouse? If so then the entrance into Limehouse can be a bit tricky. If you mean upstream towards Reading/Oxford then it's a doddle.