Hireboat brings new questions

[JUMP]

Hi,

 

We would really like to live aboard staying local to Hemel Hempstead on the Grand Union for family reasons, so whilst saving to buy something small to start with we decided to hire a narrow boat over the new year, it was a great idea to do it at that time of year as it helped us get a real feel for all of the elements with not many moving boats about, We had a wonderful time & are still keen to live aboard even though we realized a 45ft narrow boat is to small for a fairly tall couple like us, so we have come away with plenty of questions, we will start with a few & add more to this post as/if we get answers…

 

 

Our biggest issue was height & space; do the widebeam boats provide plenty of height as well as width, surely there are othe 6ft + boaters?

 

 

Which then leads to where can you take a widebeam, we know they can go on the grand union but how far & what other canals could we take it on from the grand union?

 

 

Sticking with the widebeam questions, would they cost more to moor?

 

How long a widebeam would we need to get to comfortably have 2 bedrooms onboard?

 

 

Another issue we had was electricity, we had to run the vibrating diesel engine for 8 to 10 hours a day then go sparingly on the electrics & in the morning the inverter would beep telling us we are low on electricity, does this sound right ?

 

We are sure we have seen places that sell 110v televisions?

 

Surely that would save using the inverter for what seemed to run the power low on our hireboat?

 

But if we were to live aboard we’d need to run a washing machine & some sort of computer, how could this be possible?

 

 

We thank anyone who can answer any of these questions & in the mean time we continue to save...

[bottle]

Hi I will try to answer some of your questions.

 

Which then leads to where can you take a widebeam, we know they can go on the grand union but how far & what other canals could we take it on from the grand union?

 

http://www.jim-shead.com/waterways/Inland-...of-England.html

 

Another issue we had was electricity, we had to run the vibrating diesel engine for 8 to 10 hours a day then go sparingly on the electrics & in the morning the inverter would beep telling us we are low on electricity, does this sound right ?

 

Yes, it was a hire boat. Probably did not have a big enough battery bank. Not really designed for live aboard at this time of year.

 

We are sure we have seen places that sell 110v televisions?

Surely that would save using the inverter for what seemed to run the power low on our hireboat?

 

I think this maybe a typing error, you will need a 12v television.

 

But if we were to live aboard we'd need to run a washing machine & some sort of computer, how could this be possible?

 

Onboard 240v generator for washing machine, (can be used for all 240v appliances etc will also charge batteries via charger) can either be an add on to the existing engine or standalone. Laptop can be run from 12v if suitable adaptor is obtained (Maplins). PC can be run from an inverter.

 

Hope this helps a little may even bring up more questions.

Edited January 6, 2008 by bottle

[Pie Eater]

We purchased our 12 volt television from a caravan shop and they are also available from chandlers. With hindsight we should have shopped around more as they are sometimes available cheaper at places like Makro.

 

Steve

[howardang]

The Boatshare web site is another good source for 12v televisions.

 

http://www.boatshare.co.uk/

 

Howard

[debbifiggy]

Another issue we had was electricity, we had to run the vibrating diesel engine for 8 to 10 hours a day then go sparingly on the electrics & in the morning the inverter would beep telling us we are low on electricity, does this sound right ?

Bet you were popular ....

 

Look hard at every energy saving device in the book (including getting rid of that TV), invest in solar and wind energy. Why not check out the LILO site for more ideas?

http://www.liloontheweb.org.uk/

D

[Big Steve]

Most modern smallish (<22" maybe even bigger) LCD TV's run off 12v, they just come with a power supply built into the lead so you can plug them into the mains. Dispense with the lead and connect them straight to 12v, watch the polarity though.

[debbifiggy]

Bet you were popular ....

 

Look hard at every energy saving device in the book (including getting rid of that TV), invest in solar and wind energy. Why not check out the LILO site for more ideas?

http://www.liloontheweb.org.uk/

D

Forgot to say, as well as saving for the boat, don't forget to budget for a mooring as the area you are talking about is quite expensive and very very popular. Estimate cheapest around £1400 pa to more expensive at Apsley (with official residential berths) at over £3000. Best of luck.

[Keeping Up]

Our biggest issue was height & space; do the widebeam boats provide plenty of height as well as width, surely there are othe 6ft + boaters?

Many narrowboats have more than enough headroom, and bed length, for 6ft+ boaters. Total space, however, is a different matter.

[sueb]

Hi I will try to answer some of your questions.

http://www.jim-shead.com/waterways/Inland-...of-England.html

Yes, it was a hire boat. Probably did not have a big enough battery bank. Not really designed for live aboard at this time of year.

I think this maybe a typing error, you will need a 12v television.

Onboard 240v generator for washing machine, (can be used for all 240v appliances etc will also charge batteries via charger) can either be an add on to the existing engine or standalone. Laptop can be run from 12v if suitable adaptor is obtained (Maplins). PC can be run from an inverter.

 

Hope this helps a little may even bring up more questions.

 

Go for an inverter rather than a generator. Running the engine annoys the neighbours. If you have a mooring you will probably have 240v electricity. You will find getting a wide beam residential mooring difficult.

Wide beam boats are usually the same height as narrow boats otherwise they won't get through the bridges. There are wide beam hire boats around so you can try ot how about a house boat.

Sue

[bottle]

The original poster mentioned a washing machine that is why I recommended a generator. (stand alone or engine mounted)

 

An inverter would require a very large battery bank to run a washing machine and then the engine would need to be run for a very long time to recharge them.

 

Just to add that an inverter would be required for all other 240v equipment when the generator was not working.

[denboy]

recomend small washer 3.5 kg runs fine on inverters >1200w for example Candy LBAQ1000T zanus do one as well but cant find it anyware

[JUMP]

Hi,

 

Thanks for the response, most helpful despite the trail off on 12v TVs which really aint that important to us, thanks all the same..

 

Debbifiggy :- thanks for the mooring advice, can you tell us if we'd be right in thinking that mooring a widebeam at somewhere like apsley would cost double that & would they charge less if it is shorter, also can you get moorings for 6month & cruise for 6months & how would we go about finding other non towpath side moorings.?

 

Bottle & Sueb :- some interesting comments about invertors & generators, tell us more, what are the pro's & con's, with a generator would we stil need to run the engine each day, surely mounting a generator will vibrate the barge more & prob not look that nice either, however i can see power being more of an issue than space, perhaps we should have it all, invertor, generator, solar panels, turbins, hehe.

Edited January 12, 2008 by JUMP

[bottle]

Hi Jump

 

The size of the inverter will depend on your maximum load at any one time, example microwave oven rated at 800 watt will actually be approximately 1600 watt, toaster 1000 watt (These are just guides not actual loads) but in this case you would need a 2.6Kw inverter probably a 3Kw would be better for a safety margin and efficiency.

 

The generator would be of the same size roughly.

 

Of course you could use smaller ones and adjust what you use at the same time.

 

Our boat will be all electric, Twin alternators for charging start battery and domestics, 2.5Kw inverter and a 7Kw generator (onan)

 

Your question 'would I have to run the engine every day' no a charger, being run from the generator would take care of recharging the batteries.

 

There are different combinations on how this can be achieved, a separate multi-stage charger (not car battery charger type) or it could be combined with the inverter (a combi for example a Victron multi {not a recommendation just an example})

 

Edit: If you were travelling then you would not need to run the generator to charge the batteries.

Edited January 12, 2008 by bottle

[Chris Pink]

Bet you were popular ....

 

Look hard at every energy saving device in the book (including getting rid of that TV), invest in solar and wind energy. Why not check out the LILO site for more ideas?

http://www.liloontheweb.org.uk/

D

 

Well done for that link, i do get a bit brain-addled at the 'how do i run my electric exercise bicycle without running my engine' kind of questions.

 

Surely, surely surely the first power supply question on any boat that is not permanently attached to the bank (is this a boat? - discuss) should be 'How do i reduce my power requirements as much as possible?'

 

Washing machines and fridges do (even to me) seem to be the most missed piece of shore equipment (and the heaviest users of electrical power) but i would like to quietly point out that life is possible without either.

 

I have lived for 10 years now without an electric water pump (shock horror) because my foot is much more energy efficient - and my Whale Galley Gusher Mark 3 has a better flow rate than most shurflo pumps.

[debbifiggy]

Hi,

 

Debbifiggy :- thanks for the mooring advice, can you tell us if we'd be right in thinking that mooring a widebeam at somewhere like apsley would cost double that & would they charge less if it is shorter, also can you get moorings for 6month & cruise for 6months & how would we go about finding other non towpath side moorings.?

 

Think Apsley is a BWML marina. Am pretty sure they charge by length not area. Very limited wide beam berths (which applies to most places). Think there might be some nice berths at Brentford and also Engineers Wharf on the Paddington Arm (both very handy for summer hols Thames cruising). AFAIK all mooring contracts are for 12 months. 6 months gives you no right of return as someone else may have taken your berth.

 

Offside moorings between Denham and Leighton Buzzard???? Like rocking horse poo.... You might get lucky but there are a lot of people looking for the same thing. A lot of private ones have long waiting lists. BW don't do waiting lists but put them out to tender at www.waterscape.com

 

HTH, D