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Is the price of diesel restricting boat use?


peterboat

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1 hour ago, peterboat said:

Normally they would have been at new junction end for a BBQ but the fuel costs were putting them off.

Barnby Dun to Sykehouse is 6 miles.

 

On the river NC used to do around 7.5mpg.

 

Let's be pessimistic and say these cruisers did 4mpg. They would use 1.5 gallon to get there.

 

Let's be extra pessimistic and say fuel is £2 a litre.

 

That makes the trip around £13 each way.

 

If someone is quibbling about that then "gin palace" boat ownership isn't for them.

 

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5 minutes ago, Mad Harold said:

The people complaining about the cost of fuel for a boat, are probably just" moaning minnies". 

I found the cost of fuel was very low on the list of boating costs.

Very true.

 

Pretty much every year for the 13 years that we owned our "mini gin palace", fuel costs were around a 5th of the cost of annual maintenance. 

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2 hours ago, The Happy Nomad said:

Some of you will be glad to know it seems to restricting long haul caravan use.

 

We have driven down from Calais to Midi Pyrenees over the last two days.

 

We would usually see loads of Brits hauling their wobble boxes down the A10/A20, and we would usually be doing the same had we not decided last year to book a gite this time.

 

Literally have seen no more than a couple of (incorrectly GB) plated car and caravans on our way down.

 

Some motorhomes but still not as many as previous years. Road fuel seems ever so slightly cheaper here but ISTR Macron gave the French a better duty cut than our govt. Its still not cheap by any means though.

 

 

There were a nice selection of vintage wobble boxes and vans on display at the rally today.

 

Was tempted by one that was for sale to put in the garden for a garden room 😀 

 

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Moved a boat after the Crick show to Great Haywood and noticed lot’s of boats just moored up and not moving, passed more hire boats then private actually moving.  Previous fortnight Sawley to Tinsley, same thing more boats moored up then moving. So I would say yes diesel prices is effecting movement. What I see are boats mooring up for longer periods, instead of moving every couple of days. The simple answer to Peters question is “Yes” but it’s effecting boat movement not boat use. Boats are just mooring up for longer periods and moving less frequently, them previously.

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1 minute ago, PD1964 said:

Moved a boat after the Crick show to Great Haywood and noticed lot’s of boats just moored up and not moving, passed more hire boats then private actually moving.  Previous fortnight Sawley to Tinsley, same thing more boats moored up then moving. So I would say yes diesel prices is effecting movement. What I see are boats mooring up for longer periods, instead of moving every couple of days. The simple answer to Peters question is “Yes” but it’s effecting boat movement not boat use. Boats are just mooring up for longer periods and moving less frequently, them previously.

If you are only passing how do you know how long they are moored up?🤔

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Just now, Naughty Cal said:

If you are only passing how do you know how long they are moored up?🤔

You can tell they haven’t moved for a while and also be talking to people on the canal, mentioning boats hogging the moorings. There’s lots more boats moored up what I’ve noticed this year.

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We are currently touring or boat is fitted with a Beta 43. 

Today I topped up or fuel tank at a cost of £151.

It is Fifteen days since it was last filled, so £10 a day for that period.  

We generally cruise for about 5 hours a day and run the Webasto central for about an hour each morning.

So something under £2 and hour to move our boat.

During our many lockside chats with other boaters the main topics have been health, and stoppages, no-one has mentioned costs.

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6 hours ago, BilgePump said:

The big gin-palaces (I'm thinking hundreds of hp in twin engines) must drink fuel, even when pottering. 

I have twin 170hp engines. Probably 8 to 10 litres per hour at river speeds. 60 litres per hour at 25knots. 

Needless to say we dont do 25knots very often. 

U boats are economical on fuel  by comparison.

Torksey cut is pretty full with boats rafted up right now. Earlier in the year the river was very quiet but that seems not the case just now.

Four sea  boats including us are going from Torksey  to Hull tomorrow and further out to salty water if the wind will just calm down  a bit.

The fuel cost is significant and I expect it cause people to reconsider their travel plans .

We are trying to make other economies to offset the boat fuel cost but really the increasing gas/electric cost  at home and inflation generally  is a much  bigger deal.

I think home energy costs  will cause people to economise by using their boats less more so than the cost of diesel .

 

 

 

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7 minutes ago, MartynG said:

I have twin 170hp engines. Probably 8 to 10 litres per hour at river speeds. 60 litres per hour at 25knots. 

Needless to say we dont do 25knots very often. 

U boats are economical on fuel  by comparison.

Torksey cut is pretty full with boats rafted up right now. Earlier in the year the river was very quiet but that seems not the case just now.

Four sea  boats including us are going from Torksey  to Hull tomorrow and further out to salty water if the wind will just calm down  a bit.

The fuel cost is significant and I expect it cause people to reconsider their travel plans .

We are trying to make other economies to offset the boat fuel cost but really the increasing gas/electric cost  at home and inflation generally  is a much  bigger deal.

I think home energy costs  will cause people to economise by using their boats less more so than the cost of diesel .

 

 

 

It won't really matter for your one trip of the year though will it?

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It’s been said there’s a financial pinch.

Maybe we need a tV program to show us how to save the pennies?
Stich our own clothes, that sort of things, use egg shells to tile the bathroom wall.

Should help the engine guzzlers no end. 
Get them back out speeding the harbours 👍

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2 hours ago, MartynG said:

I have twin 170hp engines. Probably 8 to 10 litres per hour at river speeds. 60 litres per hour at 25knots. 

Needless to say we dont do 25knots very often. 

 

 

Mate of mine has twin Caterpillar turbo diesels in his splitter. He reckons 80 litres an hour when planing. 

 

Each.

 

 

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2 hours ago, MartynG said:

I have twin 170hp engines. Probably 8 to 10 litres per hour at river speeds. 60 litres per hour at 25knots. 

Needless to say we dont do 25knots very often. 

U boats are economical on fuel  by comparison.

Torksey cut is pretty full with boats rafted up right now. Earlier in the year the river was very quiet but that seems not the case just now.

Four sea  boats including us are going from Torksey  to Hull tomorrow and further out to salty water if the wind will just calm down  a bit.

The fuel cost is significant and I expect it cause people to reconsider their travel plans .

We are trying to make other economies to offset the boat fuel cost but really the increasing gas/electric cost  at home and inflation generally  is a much  bigger deal.

I think home energy costs  will cause people to economise by using their boats less more so than the cost of diesel .

 

 

 

I came past you this morning, now moored above Torksey Lock, I think the wind moderates a little bit tomorrow, but rain is forecast.

 

Funny different impressions you get on the same bit of river, I came down from Cromwell yesterday with only 2 other narrow boats, 3 cruisers had left a lot earlier than we did, my overall impression is that it is pretty quiet on the river. There are 2 big dutch barges at Cromwell, I don't know if they are waiting until later in the week for the Spring Tides, but just the presence of them filled up a lot of the Cromwell moorings.

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7 hours ago, Naughty Cal said:

Barnby Dun to Sykehouse is 6 miles.

 

On the river NC used to do around 7.5mpg.

 

Let's be pessimistic and say these cruisers did 4mpg. They would use 1.5 gallon to get there.

 

Let's be extra pessimistic and say fuel is £2 a litre.

 

That makes the trip around £13 each way.

 

If someone is quibbling about that then "gin palace" boat ownership isn't for them.

 

It might be 6 miles from Barnby dun to Sykehouse, but the reality is they came from Strawberry island and its another mile or so to New junction end. All the stops at the lift bridges etc adds to fuel used as you know. So maybe it cost 40-50 squids return? This is a lot more than a few months ago, they are the ones complaining maybe their boats are more thirsty than yours?

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33 minutes ago, Wanderer Vagabond said:

 3 cruisers had left a lot earlier than we did

That would be us. We like to have plenty of depth at Laneham so we tend to go earlier than would be preferred by a narrowboat. But it was very shallow just below Cromwell.

 

I guess busy or quiet it a relative term. We have been used to the pontoon at Torksey being almost empty. It's full now with boats rafted up.

We had wanted to stop at Dunham but the pontoon was occupied.

 

The wind has calmed now. Yes rain is forecast  tomorrow morning.

But we have an interior helm for our morning trip to Gainsborough where we will wait for the time required to meet the next tide before the M180.

 

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3 hours ago, Naughty Cal said:

It won't really matter for your one trip of the year though will it?

We are out on the boat most weekends April to September including some long weekends . Did West Stockwith in mid May and will probably do so again later in the summer.

But yes just the one sea trip per year.ĺ More than most do from Farndon and from Burton Waters. 

 

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I’m currently more conscious of how much fuel we use, but not because of the cost. I’m stubbornly trying to use only HVO and the only way I can currently get it to the boat is in 20l boxes. The effort involved in that makes me think vary carefully about how far and how fast I go! 

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1 minute ago, Thames Bhaji said:

 I’m stubbornly trying to use only HVO and the only way I can currently get it to the boat is in 20l boxes. 

I wonder why the recent diesel price increase has not made HVO a cheaper alternative.

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8 hours ago, MartynG said:

We are out on the boat most weekends April to September including some long weekends . Did West Stockwith in mid May and will probably do so again later in the summer.

But yes just the one sea trip per year.ĺ More than most do from Farndon and from Burton Waters. 

 

Steady on with those sorts of trips 🤣🤣🤣

 

 

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9 hours ago, peterboat said:

It might be 6 miles from Barnby dun to Sykehouse, but the reality is they came from Strawberry island and its another mile or so to New junction end. All the stops at the lift bridges etc adds to fuel used as you know. So maybe it cost 40-50 squids return? This is a lot more than a few months ago, they are the ones complaining maybe their boats are more thirsty than yours?

Canal planner makes it an 11 mile trip each way from Strawberry Island to New Junction End.

 

I doubt they can make that a £50 mile trip. Even our mates Sea Ray with twin V8 petrols on carbs which is the most uneconomical boat we know could do the trip in under £50 plodding along on the river.

 

Travelling in a group you only stop at every third or fourth bridge depending how many of you there are, so that's a bit of a none excuse.

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3 hours ago, Naughty Cal said:

Canal planner makes it an 11 mile trip each way from Strawberry Island to New Junction End.

 

I doubt they can make that a £50 mile trip. Even our mates Sea Ray with twin V8 petrols on carbs which is the most uneconomical boat we know could do the trip in under £50 plodding along on the river.

 

Travelling in a group you only stop at every third or fourth bridge depending how many of you there are, so that's a bit of a none excuse.

They didnt travel as a group they arrived separately but left as a group, as I keep on telling you they are the ones complaining not me! I am currently at New junction end having moved from the lock,weather is a a bit wet and murky so I am doing a job that needs doing for a couple of hours. I have to be at castleford for Saturday so plenty of time

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1 hour ago, peterboat said:

They didnt travel as a group they arrived separately but left as a group, as I keep on telling you they are the ones complaining not me! I am currently at New junction end having moved from the lock,weather is a a bit wet and murky so I am doing a job that needs doing for a couple of hours. I have to be at castleford for Saturday so plenty of time

Epic voyage :rolleyes:

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No experience with bigger boats and huge engines, but for narrowboating it focuses more on getting the boat sorted so the engine is only needed for actual propulsion, ie any heating (space, water) and charging can be done by other more economical means, or managed properly so eg evening engine running isn't necessary.

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