Redeye

Hi We've got one on the boat but I can't remember which model it is but it does look slightly different. They are expensive but they are really efficient and flexible. We have ours as a beer fridge set at 1 degree C. I ought it so we could also use it as a freezer by turning it down to minimum. I would highly recommend it! ​Cheers Andrew

My Harworth Heating PJ boiler is fitted with A Wilo pump that is super efficient (as little as 3 watts) this has worked just fine on a victron inverter for the last 4 years, it has never missed a beat. Andrew

I'm absolutely no expert but it is my understanding that most FMC Back Cabins ran pretty much straight without any kick up towards the counter. The rise in the gunwale gave the illusion that the cabin was tapering towards the counter whereas the cabin roof followed the line of the bottom of the hull. This was certainly the case with Bison in the old pre conversion photos, the illusion was maintained when we replaced the cabin which remains the right height for the original swan neck. It does look a bit strange when you first see it but I quite like it now! Andrew

Hi Pete, I assumed that someone had just transposed the fleet number when the boat was docked but may be wrong. Regards Andrew

Hi All I now own Bison, I wasn't sure when I first saw the video as Bison was never shortened but as mentioned earlier the cabin configuration was pretty unique and certainly looks like Bison. In addition Bison was fitted with a National when she was converted, the engine was moved to the back of the boat which is consistent with the photo. In the BWB liveried photo the carried the fleet number 298 whereas her original fleet number was 289 there are a number of photos around. The couple in the picture are likely to be Mr and Mrs Peter Lincoln. Fascinating Andrew

Jack and Jill bathroom is a term used for a bathroom between two bedrooms in a modern house

My experience is that once the boat is warmed through and the cuircuit including the boiler is up to temperature the unit only runs about 20% of the time. We have ours on a conventional y plan domestic system with timer and thermostat, the radiators are large column type which hold quite a lot of water so continue to heat for a fair time once the system has cycled off. I have never closely measured power useage so couldn't comment on 24h useage. We additionally bought a super efficient 240v circulating pump to run the system. I could check the current draw next time we run the system if anyone is interested but 5 or 6 amps draw on a 24v system rings a bell when running.

We had one on our last boat which was a Hudson and I virtually copied the arrangemet on our current boat. Our arrangement is bathroom immediately in front of the engine room which is accessible from the back cabin via the rear door. Main bedroom in front of the bathroom which is accessible from the other end in a Jack and Jill style. There is loads of space and it works well with two permanent cruising and a couple of occasional visitors.

An endorsement for the Bubble pressure jet boiler, works brlliantly and has never missed a beat as our sole form of heating. After having owned boats with Mikuni and Erbspacher I would never go back. All the burner components are standard Danfoss I believe. Andrew

I Agree, I suspect that photo was taken at Stockton a couple of years ago. They were on the dock as we were finishing off Bison. The butty was built by WFBco as a replica of what a Large Northwhich butty would have looked like. Alan is correct in that it's very straight!

This is a bit random but I have a small aquarium aerator blowing into the top of my tank, I turn this on during the day and off at night (the tank is under the bed) As the air in the headspace of the tank is being contantly vented there is no opportunity for smelly air to accumulate in the headspace or in the flexible Leesan pipes. Result no smell from the tank and no smell from the vent when we flush. Simple solution with no chemicals.

Hi Dpaws If I were to do it again these are the key components I would want. Large engine probably somewhere around the 50Hp mark to provide plenty of headroom to charge while cruising. Large battery the technology is improving all the time so it should be possible to size a battery to accomodate a weeks domestic useage without the need to charge and run the engine as an inefficient charger I guess somewhere around 1,000 Ah at 48V. You are going to send much more time using the battery to supply domestic electric that you will using it for propulsion. Battery running at high voltage say 48v or 72v this keeps the current manageable when charging. Inverter for domestic 240v Voltage dropper for domestic 12 or 24V 20KW propulsion motor for silent lock passage and low speed work. My current battery is 600Ah C20 at 24v driving a 5KW inverter this gives us enough domestic for around 3-4 days with non careful usage. If you can span useage between cruising periods you should be able to avoid running the engine while tied up plus a large bank allows you to charge at a high rate effectively using the headroom in the engine power. Just my view

That must be it!

DPaws I hear what you're saying but at the end of the day you're pushing a pretty much square box down a ditch. Sorry to be a bit crude about it but my boat swims pretty well in open water, it has a nice swim design and goes like the clappers on a deep river. On a canal it's a completely different kettle of fish. Electric propulsions works on motor vehicles due to the opportunity to regenerate power when braking, Powering a steel boat down a canal is just a long hard slog for whatever propulsion you use. If you want silent cruising through locks go for it the system works brilliantly. For me diesel all the way large prop slow speed wins every time when youre grinding it out on a shallow canal. I just cant see how efficiency wins when you've got 2" of water under the baseplate! I guess I'm a bit of a ludite but I gave it a go!

I found the moorings fine when we moored there last summer if you use the mooring pontoon on the upstream end drive the bow right up to the bank tie off and hit the pub. Pontoons are a bit on the narrow side but plenty strong enough. We actually had 2 boats brested up a 63' deep draft modern boat and my 70 converted Josher that draws about 2' 6" at the bow. No problems at all. The pub was great and the food was good with friendly staff.

Hi Jan, I can confirm it was a narrowboat. Regards Andrew

Emerald Fox Trent lock is a doddle if you take note of the warning boards and trafficlights which are licated at the tail of Sawley locks and Redhill flood locks. Before the invention of the new fangle diesel engine there was regular horse boat traffic around the junction with horses being ferried across the river on a ferry, your 10Hp should manage just fine!

All For what it is worth I built a hybrid system in a Les Wilson boat at 57ft. The boat was fitted with a Beta 38, 600Ah at 72 volts and a 3 phase AC motor operating at 72v rated at around 25HP. The technology has undoubtably moved on in the last 10 years but these were my observations: Electric power for high power work doesn't work, I have absolutely no doubt that the diesel engine is the best solution for driving the boat at river speeds, I burned out a generator on the tidal trent The electic motor worked supremely well at low speeds and during passage through locks Normal canal cruising consumed around 5-6kw on the electric to acheive a decent cruise speed on a typical canal. Power generation was very effective during cruising with the electric motor piggybacked above the prop shaft driven by a toothed drive belt using the regen facility of the AC motor. With the diesel engine turned off the freewheel capability of the PRM gearbox allowed the electric motor to drive the boat without a complex clutch arrangement The Bukh engine is not powerful enough to regen at a sensible rate and drive the boat at normal canal speed. I removed the system because the Beta 38 wasn't powerful enough to provide a fast enough regen at normal canal cruisng speed ( I could change the regen rate and there simply wasn't enough headroom in the engine power to acheive a fast enough battery charge). Hope my comments help, no calculations because I just built it! Andrew

Hi, Not overly popular on here but a harworth heating pressure jet boiler has performed faultlessly for us as our primary source of heating, best thing since sliced bread. Redeye

Bison has a 1113 engine fitted, bought from Sweeden and still fitted with the original Bolinders gearbox with growl at tickover, they are great engines, sound great and you can still get pretty much any of the parts that you might need. I wouldn't swap mine for anything. Bison was only ever fitted with a Bolinders engine when she was working so it seems like a decent option to me. There are a number of others floating about including a 1052 in Sandbach, the two in France an Holland and some others in modern boat. Not particularly desirable but a great piece of engineering although I am biased. Redeye

They are now looking to get a crane in to lift the car on Friday

Hi I've sailed an Albacore from the sailing club, they draw about 3ft and no problems, I suspect its pretty deep as a capsized boat needs a fair bit of water (20') and I don't recall seeing many mud stained sails.

Surely if running the Whisper gen should be giving 240v even if no current flows Andrew

I'm a recovering Hudson owner.....Does that count?

West or similar epoxy with either filleting blend or colloidal silica to thicken it up to fill the gap Should qualify as the modern alternative!