sal garfi

Hello Phillip I tried to send you a pm but I don't know if I succeeded. Anyway, I think I'm right in presuming that you're the Phillip that we went with (in the old Norman 22) through the Audlem flight at the end of last month. If so, I hope you do get your boat sorted, waking up to a boat filled with water must have been very worrying! We had to cut our journey short at Nantwich, since the first lock at Hurleston was just too narrow to get our boat through. We got wedged in two attempts! Such is life. Sal and Barbie (Babs)

Too true!! I, for instance, can collect 20 litres in two 10 litr jerry cans, with a trolley, whenever it's required.

I'm just about to leave for Sawley from where my wife and I are going to take our Norman 22, with 15hp outboard, all the way cross country to Maesbury on the Wales-England border. We won't leave until the middle or end of next week and we've planned our journey, plotting petrol stations etc. Once we're settled in, in our new mooring, we can let you all know how we got on, though this will probably be in early October. Re petrol consumption, I'm presuming ca 1.5 ltrs per hour, and we envisage travelling no more than ca five hours a day. No matter what, it should be fun!

Yes.., this is the same in the UK, but the terms might vary from insurer to insurer.

Clodi and Neil.., we don't have mobile reception here near Devil's Bridge which is why we don't have a smart phone, especially since (until next month when I retire), I've been working mainly from home. Also, with all that's been said, I and the missus remember well the days before we had CH in this house, and we went away for long periods of time, even during the winter, and we didn't worry about low temps - we just turned the water off, and that'll be what we'll do this time. In truth, my main concern was keeping damp at bay as opposed to heat for its own sake, or even the pipes - especially in September - and this is only because this homestead of ours never gets much Sun at the best of times!

Well.., I'll look into Hive further, but I'm a bit old fashioned and I still have a dumb phone. But I'll catch up with the world one day. Then again...? Thanks!

Thanks All, I'm probably worrying too much. We're doing without CH right now, but the increased, and recent, rain is starting to get things damp which is why I've started to have a mild concern (we're exceedingly frugal with the heating at best of times!). Anyway, it's good to see that some people keep their temps as low as 7 degrees. We'd consider something like Hive, but we get no mobile signal here (we're in a deep cut valley), but if there's something else similar, we'd look into it.

Hello All, For the first time, I and my other half are going to take an extended trip on our little boat. For most of September we'll be moving it in a leisurely fashion from Sawley to the Monty, where it'll have a new home at Maesbury Mill. Now, our home is in the Cambrian mountains, it gets little Sun and it's old and very hard to heat, but since we'll be travelling in September, the weather in Wales could be dodgy, so we want to keep some kind of heat ticking over. I don't want to drain my CH oil tank, so I need to set my thermostat and radiators at just the right level, and of course, set the timer appropriately. So, with this being the case, what do you good folk do in similar situations? Sal

Well.., actually, I've ordered one and just got it yesterday, and yes, I discovered it doesn't pick up DAB. Ho hum..! Anyway, it souinds good so we'll be using it. Thanks for the update!

This might even be better for a penny pincher like me, but not being able to pick up DAB might cause me to go for the Tecsun. Hmmm?

Ooohh.., the frugal minimalist in me likes this. I'm a mean bugger, and with my broadband and telephone costing more than enough at home, I'd prefer to just stay with my pay as you go phone on the cut.

Yes, I agree that a smart phone is a tiny computer and it's something I need to get (and will have to) but I just haven't made the investment yet since I spend so mch time in a blackspot. Nevertheless I have been talking to people who've been telling me just what you say, so I'm inclined to get one sooner than later. I'm no Luddite on this (I work on GIS and GPS etc) but I'm also about to retire on a very meagre overall pension so I want to keep my 'call plan' cheap. Any advice would be welcome.

We don't have a smart phone at present (that's a long story to do with the fact that we get no phone signal where we live in the Welsh mountains) so for now the radio is our best option. I shall look into some of these suggestions - it's good to know that dab seems to have improved.

Hello All, I'm in the market for a good and not too costly portable radio for my little grp cruiser. I've found all too often that buying new radios has always been a hit and miss affair, with FM not always being easily received, so any advice from anyone would be welcome. I'll be moving my boat from Sawley to a new home on the Monty in September, so a good receiver for that part of the UK would really be welcome. I don't know anything about DAB reception, but I gather that it's patchy across the UK - I might be wrong. Again, any advice would be most welcome. Thanks, Sal

I don't think Nauticus 27s come with outboards, but Nauticus 22s do. Some people will question whether an outboard will give you 'peaceful' cruising. The preference, for reasons of safety and utility, will normally be an inboard diesel. However, people do do long distance cruises with outboards, it's just a matter of planning before hand (using the internet) to find the petrol stations closest to the cut. Also, the Pearson guides show petrol stations close to the cut. And when getting petrol you'll need good jerrycans (10 ltrs) and a good trolley!

Howdy, Mine's a 15HP Mercury, but 10 HP would do quite nicely!

Yes, Normans, like Nauticuses and Freemans, have a nice retro look, though the latter two are far classier. Saying that, there's another retro boat that's also quite fine. It has a sliding canopy and there's someone here on the forum who has one. I can't recall what it is but it's a really pukka boat. There used to be one on my jetty at Sawley called 'Galadriel'. A very nice boat indeed. By the way, there are also old style Norman 27s and 32s, with central cockpits, and they're very nice - quite!

I have a Norman 22 (with outboard), and I'm very pleased with her. We're even going to take her on a considerrable journey in September: from Sawley to Maesbury Marsh (via the Trent & Mersey, the Staffs & Worcester, the Shroppie, and then the Llangollen to the Monty) to what will be her new home. Anyway, the slightly larger Norman 23 can be found for sale relatively often. They are venerable and robust!

So this works aout at ca 1.4 ltr per hour. I think there's a trend here?

I appreciate that, and if, like sandgrown, I'd like to think that 1.5 litres per hour would be my average.

Well, the motor has recently been serviced, so 30 litres should do 15 hours?

Ooohh..., I'll only be going the speed limit, so around 3-4 miles an hour, and the boat's a Norman 22.

Hello All, For those who have 4 stroke outboard motors on their boats, can any of you give me an idea of your petrol consumption? I have a 15hp Mariner 4 stroke and I will be taking a long journey through the system this coming September (that is, if all goes according to plan!). Any info would be really helpful. Thanks! Sal

Bramley.., you are talking complete sense! I presently have an old Norman 23 which is a partial live aboard (for work) and I too would love to acquire a 32' Highbridge Crusader!

This sounds positive thanks! And this makes things clear too. Thanks!