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When I worked at BT most of the custom chips were designed by us and fabbed by Plessey. One of mine had a quote from Dante Gabriel Rossetti on it.
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My boat didn't have a bow thruster, so I learnt to handle the boat, even single handing. However entering our mooring at Venetian a BT would have been very handy, especially on windy days. I always, when pushing the stern out, got on first then pushed off. Watching the stern of the boat drift away from you whilst standing on the bank leads to the use of some old anglo saxon language. It also leads to a dash to any part of the boat still within reach of a jump to get on board. I've only done that once and thankfully didn't fall in.
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Safe to seal a bow thruster tube with sealant?!
IanD replied to Poppin's topic in Boat Building & Maintenance
They vary, most are single-prop nowadays. This is mine, but I don't know how it was fitted onto the steel BT tube, and I can't see this in any of my photos...
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I found this too, then I bought some that supposedly didn't do it at about the same time as installing a DAB car radio in the boat. And guess what happened.... I sidestepped the whole problem by using internet radio on my fone instead and Bluetooth streaming the output to the the BT input on the radio.
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We used to do this regularly with 2 volt batteries when I worked for BT. The easiest cells to work in were the open, lead lined wooden box cells, were even individual plates cut be cut out and new or refurbished ones welded back in. Too big to be practical for a boat though. Perhaps Tracy was thinking of VRSLA's (AGM's etc), which are recombination cells, where any electrolyte is trapped in an absorbent mat. The oxygen and hydrogen evolved during charging is recombined into water to recycle the electrolyte. Totally irrelevant though as the OP has flooded cells.
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Safe to seal a bow thruster tube with sealant?!
IanD replied to Poppin's topic in Boat Building & Maintenance
The BT in mine is similarly close to the stem and is effectively inside the boat, but has a welded bulkhead behind it which extends up to above the waterline -- which is the *right* way to do it.... 😉
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Charging start battery from MPPT
blackrose replied to blackrose's topic in Boat Building & Maintenance
Does anyone have a VSR recommendation? I'm thinking 125 amp single sensing? I already have a 125A VSR between my start and BT batteries which splits the charge from my start alternator and also from one of my mains battery chargers. If I fit an additional VSR between domestics and start batteries that will then activate the first VSR so any charge going to my start battery would then be split to BT batteries. Is there any need for more than 125 amp VSR? My MPPT is 60 amp, combined chargers are 70amp and alternators are 70 amp each. Any brands to buy or avoid? There are lots of cheap ones on eBay. Would they be any good or should I be going for a known brand? -
For a short time I worked in a local office with several other groups, one of which was responsible for identifying land owners whose trees were threatening BT's overhead lines. They dealt with several tree issues per day and usually the land owner only got charged once. After being stung with the contractors marked up bill, they rarely ignored their trees a second time... Perhaps it was a London thing?
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Charging start battery from MPPT
blackrose replied to blackrose's topic in Boat Building & Maintenance
I probably won't bother with the VSR as the start and BT batteries are generally well charged and don't have any draw coming from them while I'm moored. I'll just parallel them occasionally to keep them maintained and make sure I switch the parallel switch off before it gets dark. -
Charging start battery from MPPT
blackrose replied to blackrose's topic in Boat Building & Maintenance
I don't really understand why I'd need a dual sensing VSR? The only charging source that doesn't currently charge the start and BT batteries is the solar panels. That's all I'm trying to do. I don't see why it needs to be more complicated than that? Can anyone recommend a suitable VSR? They all seem to be 140A. -
Safe to seal a bow thruster tube with sealant?!
Alan de Enfield replied to Poppin's topic in Boat Building & Maintenance
Quite a reasonable point of view - the 'problem' is that the boaters with Bow Thrusters are their own worse enemies - as is the norm - it is not all BT owners as unless it is being used you cannot tell if the boat has a BT. It is the 'boy-racers' who travel down a mile long straight going BRRRRRR then WRRRRRR, then BRRRRR then WRRRRRRR continuously making an "S-shaped" journey from side to side as they progress. Every boat making the BRRRRR & WRRRRR noise has a bow thruster, therefore everyboat with a bow thruster makes the BRRRRR / WRRRRR noise. (My dog had three legs ...................................) -
Thank you, I'm very happy with it. FYI the bow cabin and part of the space underneath it are bedroom clothes storage, basically a big chest of drawers more than 3' deep, with a stainless steel water tank underneath -- makes good use of the space and gains a couple of feet extra interior space. There's a bow locker in front of this with BT/ballast at the bottom and storage for anchor/hose reels/whatever above it. It does mean there's no well deck to sit in at the bow (though you can sit on the bow cabin if you really want to) so all the "outside" space is at the stern, which has enough comfortable seats and no engine noise to need to escape from (boat is electric/hybrid) -- which I find more sociable for the steerer anyway, hence also the reverse layout. All a matter of preference... 😉
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A few words that were in common usage when I started with the GPO in the late 60's were "pride in the job." As also indicated in the newspaper cutting above. This was applicable to many businesses at the time. As bean counters and poorley trained managers took over along with flogging the firm off to the stock market the employee became a disposable asset. All was looked at was profit and loss. Also in latter years of my employment with BT the constant threat of discipline for the most minor of faults was never far away. How can one have pride when treated thus?
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They take a lot of power and flatten batteries and (mostly) overheat quite quickly, and are often undersized and ineffective, so in the hands of someone who doesn't know how to use them they're a bit of a liability. There are exceptions to this (like the 48V Vetus Pro BT) but these are expensive and never fitted to hire boats -- in fact they're pretty rare on narrowboats full stop.
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Safe to seal a bow thruster tube with sealant?!
ditchcrawler replied to Poppin's topic in Boat Building & Maintenance
My BT is a curved fitting onto the tube, but reading this thread I thought maybe some were flat and needed a flat bit on the tube. I guess there must be a lot of people on here with bowthrustes for that information to rise to the surface. -
In and around the 1800's to late 1900's telegraph pole routes were common along canals. A strong possibility for them sited thus, was that Telegraph Companies, before and including latterly, the G.P.O., would only have to negotiate one wayleave with the canal company. If the routes went via local authorities / land owners several wayleaves would have to be negotiated, along with additional costs, time involved etc. There is one remanent of these mighty structures along the Coventry Canal between bridges 25 and 26. I did present a case to Historic England to have a preservation order placed on this pole. Whilst Historic England were impressed with the case I presented they said the pole was beyond their remit. I also contacted BT, Warwickshire County Council and Nuneaton & Bedworth District Council, none of them were interested. So when it eventually rots and falls over, that is it gone!
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It makes quite a big difference when mooring, to prevent the boat drifting away from the bank mine can be locked onto a quiet low-thrust setting just to hold the bows in place while you tie up. Not possible with many older ones which are noisy as hell, all-or-nothing, and only work so long as you hold the joystick over (and not for long). Sometimes modern technology is actually an improvement... 😉 Of course you can also use a centre line if there is something to tie it to or someone to hold it or you can be bothered to get a mooring spike out and knock it in -- but which do you think is the quickest easiest simplest option? Nobody *needs* a BT, but sometimes they can genuinely be useful.
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Safe to seal a bow thruster tube with sealant?!
blackrose replied to Poppin's topic in Boat Building & Maintenance
I think a flat plate is worse. How does a flat plate seal to the outside of a curved tube - other than with a load of bodged sealant? At least a BT motor is mounted on a curved bracket/seal which matches the curve of the tunnel. -
Another opportunity for incompetent jobsworths?
cuthound replied to Arthur Marshall's topic in General Boating
When I was a senior manager for BT it was essential that remote workers had a safe system of working. This is part of any companies duty of care for their employees Depending upon the specific site risk, this varied from phoning a central control to announce you had safely arrived and again when you had safely finished, to having to operate on site sensors every few minutes to show you were still active For really high risk work, such as entering underground chambers or live electrical working, two man working was mandated. -
If the wind was blowing you onto the bank you wouldnt need the BT.
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Thanks for the replies. The cable going from stern to bow to charge the BT battery is either 6mm or more likely 10mm (not sure which). I'm just getting a shopping list together so i can fuse this at both ends...
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Hello everyone. Long story short my BT locker got down flooded whilst I was filling the water tank. Don't ask. Freak accident. The result was for about a day my BT motor was submerged. I have removed it and dried it and it and the contactors work so there's still life in it yet. but from a 110aH battery I can't really test it properly. I would like to have the motor serviced i.e. new bearings, brushes etc. but as soon as I mention to DC motor "specialists" is a BT motor the drawbridge comes up. Does anyone know where I might get it looked at?
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Charging start battery from MPPT
blackrose replied to blackrose's topic in Boat Building & Maintenance
I have a BEP 125A VSR between my start and BT batteries. It's also an old model. They seem to range in price from £20 on eBay to over £100 for Blue Sea. The BEP one you mention is about £70. I wonder what the difference is? This one is supposed to be the best on the market. https://www.bluesea.com/products/7610/SI-ACR_Automatic_Charging_Relay_-_12_24V_DC_120A Don't all VSRs isolate the start battery during engine cranking?
