JanetAnne

I have 600w of solar (at12v) on my houseboat charging 4x130ah batteries and it runs everything perfectly including an occasional toaster. Then again, it has to, no engine and no shore power!

Your inverter will run your immersion heater nicely - for about 90seconds! On paper it looks perfectly feasible but, in reality, you'll just hammer the batteries into submission. I always go for a twin coil calorifier even if the second coil is not going to be used. The price difference is not too much and it does afford flexibility in the future should your onboard systems be changed.

Sadly the early registration numbers don't follow build dates. I have A839 on a boat that was probably originally B72. A839 being a number issued to a boatyard that rebuilt her back in the day. Another boat carries an 'F' registration that was issued when it was refitted in the 70's but was originally a 'W' number. That original 'W' number is now on a different wooden boat that was built at the boatyard nextdoor to where mine originated! Some yards seemed to have had blocks of numbers which they used as boats were completed whereas other builders just registered individually. Up until just a few years ago the BA had a complete set of records for all the registrations but, in their wisdom, they deleted the lot when the new GDPR rules started to come in. Before then you could ask for the complete history of your boat just like DVLA once offered for your car.

Speedo's Grendel, speedo's

Sounds like it. Saw her at Cox's last week looking pretty good. Sadly I reckon I can name a dozen or more woodies that have been taken off the broads in the last few years plus about the same again that have been broken up. There are very few yards willing to get involved in wooden boats these days and just a handful of skilled craftsmen left. It's getting harder to be able to guarantee a future of these old tubs, but, if anyone wants to get involved...

Those birds you were with the other night are missing you

If you head upstream across Breydon and then along the Waveney to Oulton Broad you are not only going up whilst heading south, you are also heading downhill because the tide is higher behind you than in front. However, heading along the Waveney up stream, you could ultimately be heading towards the sea at Lowestoft, so, at some point, you must surely be heading downstream whilst continuing your upstream journey downhill with the tide behind you. I think that's right? .

If it's your 'first offence' or your registration numbers first offence, you normally just have to pay the outstanding charge with no penalty. When I have a car on the back of my transporter I have to remember to remove it's rear number plate or they try to charge me for it even though I have paid for the vehicle carrying it!

I always suggest giving your newly prepared area a wipe over with white spirit before committing to varnish. The white spirit, whilst still wet, will show you exactly what the finished article will look like as well as showing up those inevitable missed bits.

That mahogany is going to look fabulous mate. Well done

If it was my yard I would be looking at every fuel bill for that boat since easter, adding them all up and dividing by the weeks out. That'd give the yard a decent average figure for that boat. If it turns out it's a thirsty bugger then they could say so, otherwise, maybe the figures will help to see if there's been a mistake?

I would have thought such a high figure would have caused questions long before asking the hirer to pay, unless £400+ a week fuel bills are more common than we think?

For the sake of the Broads, can I point out that neither Oulton Broad nor the Waveney from OB up to and including Beccles yacht station are littered with the dead bodies of swans. In fact, having travelled that stretch a number of times over the last couple of days, not a single body was seen littering any part of the journey's. To be fair, one of this year's cygnets was found ill and collected by swan rescue who said it may have been bird flu but they don't test. A second swan, again found ill, had been struck by a car. Of course all that could change quite quickly but, right now, our swans are very happy and keen to relieve anyone visiting Oulton Broad of their bread, swan food, corn and anything else appropriate despite the headline grabbing sensationalist journalism doing the rounds!

Anybody recognise this? Water Rail has a stowaway (the one on the right)!

Send them a walk round video showing relevant garden fences etc with Seren in the shots.

Helen, you are not the first people this year to forget WR's mudweight. I won't embarrass the other culprit ... yet! I'm actually pretty pleased that you caught that stray underwear before it reached the propeller. Result!

Half way there old boy!

I may hire it myself right quick...

Sad to see Jolly Richie go. It always seems full of happy excited kids

It was to do with the rudder stock. Just a failed very old previous repair. Nothing dramatic, the bilge pump was hardly breaking into a sweat A few woodies have suffered with extra leaks this season caused by the wood drying out excessively in the heat of that beautiful summer. Water Rail is so dry you can see daylight through the transom planking joins and the cabin side joints, especially aft. Of course, the rain will soon swell everything above the waterline back up again but it's a bit draughty until that happens.

I'm in!

No collar or ID ? A friend for Seren to take home....

I hope that naughty boat is behaving itself again now?