Nautihamstern

You might want to make sure that your connectors to the controller are properly protected against accidental touch (IP 20 classification) since a voltage of 80 volts is potentially lethal.

Things are moving forward. Last week we got hold of a gal who knows a guy who'll lend us a tuba and yesterday I managed to get a banjo playing friend to join us. This means that we are now a bona fide jazz band Is it ok to play live music at moorings during the evening, provided that we shut up by 10 pm? Is there any particulatly suitable places for an ex tempore performance in the vicinity of the Stratdord canal? Outdoor stages? Benevolent pub owners?

Thank you for your advice, all of you, we're really looking forward to this trip! Another thing: Does anyone happen to know where I could borrow or rent an Eb tuba for our little group? Our tuba player will get there by herself, but bringing a tuba all the way from Finland could prove to be a problem...

I'm considering one of these: http://www.svb24.com/en/seatec-electric-folding-bike-pedelec-blizzard-36v-8-7a.html Not for keeping on the boat, it's too big for that, but for commuting to work (25 km one way). It's either that or an electric kit for my full sized bicycle. I'm too lazy to do all the pedaling myself...

My family, together with three other families have reserved two boats from Anglo-Welsh for the week after midsummer. We'll be starting from Wootton Wawen on Monday afternoon, unless we get caught up in the jazz evening that apparently is held in the Anchor Inn the same evening, in which case we won't be going anywhere the first night Any suggestions on where to go from there? We don't want to hurry or feel pressed for time and none of us are very keen on big cities. A rural setting with nice pubs, villages and museums seems to be the thing for us. We'll probably make our own entertainment, since most of us are jazz musicians and/or singers.

How about this one? http://www.toplicht.de/en/shop/schaekel-fender-ausruestung-und-zubehoer/steuerrad-ruder/steuerrad-zubehoer/steuermann-klappsitz

How about a combination of a smoke alarm, a CO2-alarm and an automatic fire suppressing system? There are smaller versions of sprinkler systems with either a pressurized vessel containing the extinguishing agent, or a electrical high pressure pump providing water for the system. I don't think they are very expensive and might give a reduction in insurance costs. As I understand it, these systems are widely used in homes in Norway (mandatory?) and nobody dies from domestic fires there anymore... There are also portable extinguisher systems that react to open flames. Cheap and cheerful and might save the day...

These two won't empty your bilge completely but when it comes to capacity, nothing can touch them... http://fastflowpump.com/Emergency_Bilge_Pump.html http://www.aes.net.nz/ESP.HTMl

These two won't empty your bilge completely but when it comes to capacity, nothing can touch them... http://fastflowpump.com/Emergency_Bilge_Pump.html http://www.aes.net.nz/ESP.HTMl

How about rinsing the flush tank with vinegar (or even mould remover) once in a while?

I've never actually tried biological washing liquid, but most other products, and a couple of them do work but, as I said, they cost a lot of money in the long run. I also don't want to fill up precious space in the tank with watered down solutions. Shit stinks. Hence, probably, the expression "smells like shit". Calcium nitrate is probably the cheapest way to deal with that fact. An old t-shirt might do the trick for some people, but the idea of having litres of refuse sloshing around in the boat in an open container, very close to both the dining area and the sleeping area simply isn't a good idea in my book...

Svenskt kaffe får man väl via Internet, precis som mat och pittpumpar? Isn't it possible to buy swedish coffee through the net?

Yep, just calcium nitrate and nothing else. Calcium nitrate doesn't have a very long lasting effect compared to enzyme based products, but it doesn't matter. If you check the dosage recommendations on the commercial products, they say you should add more every whatever day. Thatäs easily done with this stuff, just throw in a handful more, it really doesn't cost anything... The product I used is a common fertilizer in granule form. I bought a 25 kg bag of the stuff at the local shop for farmers. Here, they call it "kalksalpeter" or "Norwegian saltpeter". Wikipedia knows more. Hell, no! I just discovered Indian cuisine ...

After testing every bloody product on the market to get rid of the nauseating smell of dead rodents wrapped in putrid fish sometimes emanating from our porta potti, I found one that actually works! The price of this stuff is naturally high so I checked the ingredients. The active ingredient is calcium nitrate, the same stuff you can use on your lawn or whatever. It's just common fertilizer. Don't use ammonium nitrate, by the way. Forget commercial products, especially those containing enzymes. One big bag of fertilizer costs a tenner and will last for ages. Just pour in a big handfull of granules and a pint of water after you've emptied out the thing and voila! No more smelly cassette.

Vinegar is quite efficient in removing unwanted smells or growth. Add a couple of liters, fill the tank to half full and massage the bladder ;-) and pull some of the solution so it fills all pipes. Empty amd rinse a couple of times ghr following day.

As far as I've been told, the theoretical life span of a GRP hull is around 20 000 years. The hardening of the resin continues for about 100 years (unless heat treated at about 70 degrees Centigrade for about 24 hrs). If a GRP hull gets a big kiss from a badly handled steel hull, I guess the life span shortens quite a lot, though...

Are you allowed to go boating drunk on the canals? Over here in Finland, the legal limit is 1 promille at the moment and if you get caught with any more than that, the fines are quite hefty. Enforcement isn't easy, since there's a lot of water to go boating on here, and some boats are quite fast, but if someone is plastered on a canal, it shouldn't be that hard to catch them, would it?

I ordered a Fiamma Bipot 1520 yesterday. The price is low enough that I won't bother with trying to find a spare holding tank for it, I'll just buy another one if the first one seems to do a good job. I want a spare holding tank for when we don't/can't find a suitable place to empty the toilet for a week or so. What made me choose the bipot (except for the price) is the obvious ease of use, with a large and well placed handle when I need to carry the holding tank. I hate the fact that the holding tank of our current chemical toilet, a Visa Potty, is unbalanced and awkward to carry. 20 kg is a lot to drag around if you have to walk like Quasimodo on the account of the tank hitting your leg for every other step you take...

According to the document the hob is dangerous if you turn the kettle holder upside down, use rusty gas cylinders, force the holding mechanism or store the gas cylinders in an unventilated area...I don't think any form of cooker can be considered safe if one has not got even a basic understanding of how to use it, the exception, maybe, being a Wallas diesel cooker that won't work anyway. At least over here, the gas cylinders are cheaper to use than "normal" gas bottles ( I go through about 5-6 of them during a summer) and as far as the barbeque is concerned, there is no possibility of overheating of the gas bottle. The one thing it doesn't have is a flame watcher, so if the flame goes out, it will not shut off the gas automatically. Hence only safe to use outdoors (or under close supervision). I store the barbeque in a unventilated locker and the gas cylinders in another, ventilated, locker and always try to be at least nominally sober when I use it... http://search.boatsafetyscheme.com/media/133084/nr005%2010%20exploding%20gas%20canister%20puts%20two%20norfolk%20boaters%20in%20hospital%20%28bss%20web%20vesrion%29%20jul%2010%20final.pdf When someone gets hurt when changing gas cylinders in a cockpit whilst burning candles and smoking cigarrettes it is sad, but issuing a warning against portable gas stoves because of that is plain ridiculous.

This one is brilliant. I've used mine on the boat, on shore, even at home under the extractor fan (-19 degrees celsius outside takes precedence over "only for outdoor use" labels):

Has anyone ever tried building a genset from a (diesel?) engine and an alternator? It would seem to be a much easier solution than first producing 230v and feeding that to a quite expensive battery charger... Running the boat's own engine is not really an option for me on account of glazed bores etc. and besides I'm just of a curious nature...

Finland caved in (or rather gleefully embraced the possibility for higher tax incomes) a couple of years ago. For a sailboat owner like me nothing much has changed. The fuel price went up from 90 cents to 1 euro 25 cents (and is now at 1 euro 50 cents) but tyhat doesn't bother me, who use less than 100 litres per summer. It is much worse for the owners of fuel guzzling three story wave creating monster boats that use thousands upon thousands of litres per summer, but I despise those gits anyway, so I will gladly pay a little more as long as they suffer... > One potential problem arises if the coast guard or police decides to take a sample from my tank and check what I'm running on. The turnaround in the tank is slow enough that it will surely contain traces of the old diesel for a year or two yet. This could mean that they can fine me a ridiculous sum of money plus slap on a recessive tax that could amount to a sizable portion of what my boat is worth... explanations and pleadings would probably work just as well as ever. Luckily I have yet to hear of anyone ever being harrassed in this way, at least in Finland. Bob knows what will happen to us this summer if we sail to Estonia, Latvia or other countries (Sweden doesn't count as another country, nobody even bothers to announce their arrival from Finland to the authorities there anymore. I tried once, just to check my VHF and rthe answer was in the line of "...ok, well, have a nice stay..."