ginbottle

Oh, thanks! 😢

Thanks to everyone for their help and advice. I decided to use the Aspen 4 stroke, mixed with 2 stroke oil, as that was what the Aspen company suggested. It has certainly reduced the smoke and starts well, but after running for about an hour, suddenly started making a harsh squealing noise! Nearly jumped out of my skin the first time and the dogs weren’t too happy either! Any ideas as to the cause of this, please?

Oh thanks for putting me straight, Floydrasor! I did think it was the BA.

Oh my goodness, Floydraser! Thanks for those tips!😱

This just goes to show how ridiculous the whole thing is... we heard from the BA that yes, we do need a safety certificate, but in the meantime, we can buy a short term toll for the boat!! so they are not saying we can’t use the boat as it might not be safe, they are trying to get even more money out of us! As it is, the toll, which is full price for a year, only lasts until the end of March, when all tolls have to be renewed! Added to this, the fact that for the first few months of lockdown, we were not permitted to use our boats on the river, despite being tolled! I will just not use the boat until the safety certificate is in place and I have paid a toll. I am not going to pay them any more than that!

It doesn’t have a cooking appliance! There is no gas on board and no sleeping accommodation! 😡☹️

That’s what I would have thought, Smoggy! No reply yet, Vaughan! oh, no! Regulo and The Q! 😡maybe I should have stuck with my rowing boat! They will probably say oars could be dangerous! Sorry, just feeling the world is against me right now!😢

Hi surely there must be a topic on this, but I can’t find it! I recently bought a small Dory boat and am having trouble getting a river toll for it out of the Broads Authority, as they say it needs a safety certificate?!! It has a steering wheel and electric start. They have asked for a photo of it, which we sent, but honestly??🙄😡please can anyone else tell me if they have been required to have a safety certificate for their Dory? There’s nothing to the boat!

Thanks for all the replies, most interesting. MauriceMynah, it is a Dory. I agree that 25hp is rather big for such a small boat and won’t be used to anything like full extent due to the low speed limits on the Broads. Marshman, Aspen has increased in price, as you say, not that easy to get hold of and we paid £20 for 5litre bottle. I think it is possible that the fuel that is in the dory tank might be stale as there was a lot of blue smoke and the smell of fumes, although the motor started on the second attempt and ran ok. I have only used it once as the rain has been relentless for the last few days.

Errmm size and shaft length? Gosh! 25hp, but no idea on shaft length? We will be using it all year round, as we live on the Riverbank, so end of season doesn’t really apply? We have a couple of other boats, so we do not have to rely on this little boat, but I just really like it! Our main boat has a normal petrol engine. We use it as a work horse, to carry shopping, logs for the wood burner, etc. up the river. My new (to me) little boat is purely a fun boat!

I received a reply from the company, who weren’t as slow as I thought they might be! They say I should use 4 stroke and mix it, so as the shop where I bought the Aspen fuel from will be closed now, I will try that tomorrow and will report back here, just in case anyone else thinks Aspen fuel might be a good idea! 🙄

Thanks, deebee29 I will try that! I just thought trying on here might be quicker! I have found this forum to be a great help in the past, but haven’t been on here in a while! 😊

Many thanks for the speedy reply! Why then do you think it says on the can of Aspen fuel that it is suitable for all ‘land based’ garden machinery? Do you think I am ok to put the Aspen 2 stroke fuel in my Mercury outboard motor? I can’t wait to go out in my boat, but would be embarrassed by the smoke that follows me! 🤔

Hi, I have recently bought a small boat with outboard and was dismayed to discover that it runs on a very smelly 2stroke Mercury engine. After googling, I found that 2 strokes are now only available second hand, as new ones have been banned! I consider myself to be quite environmentally friendly, so googled further to see someone had mentioned Aspen fuel as a cleaner alternative to 2 stroke mixture. We headed off to buy some, only to find that it states it is suitable for land based garden machines! Please help?!

We were returning back to our riverside shack last night at 11.30 pm and there were several boats around up river from Potter Heigham bridge, one crew paddling like crazy even in the dark...dedication? Or just a bunch of nuts?

Good luck, Mr. & Mrs. HemsbyPie, hope all goes well with the little one! The idiots responsible for this cyber attack should be charged with the most serious offence possible, as it has affected the most vulnerable people, the sick and the elderly. Doctors have been unable to check patients' medications, etc. This is no joke...it is threatening lives! As Regulo said, lock them up...a fine is certainly not enough!

The fact that they have a pre-printed letter ready to send out to people regarding this certainly speaks volumes!

Looks to be very interesting! I wonder if it is dog friendly...we've got four?

I can't even manage to copy and paste properly, Andy!

I reckon with a bit on ingenuity, you could rig this up to some kind of motor...... I reckon we might be sadly lacking in the necessary ingenuity...

I must admit, that was my first thought! In our case, easier and cheaper to gaffer tape a sponge to the end of a stick and reach round the side of windscreen!

The windscreen wiper motor has burnt out on our little Norman 20 and while trying to find a replacement, came across this... https://www.asap-supplies.com/electrical-components/windscreen-wiper-systems/hand-operated-windscreen-wiper#menu

Hi, Christie! Welcome from me, though I haven't been on here all that long myself, I am finding the helpful advice most useful. We have never hired a boat, as we bought an old cruiser so that we can float off whenever we please! Always wear a life jacket and of course, your children too! We have four small dogs and insist they always wear one, when on the boat. I've lost count of the number of times my husband has almost slipped into the river, while getting onto and off our boat! It looks really funny at the time and has been the cause of many chuckles, but wouldn't be so funny if he actually did fall in, as swimming fully clothed in very cold water would not be easy! I'm fairly sure a hire company would supply life jackets? Have fun and enjoy your holiday!

Isn't it strange, the number of people (myself included) who are gluten intolerant? All the larger supermarkets now stock a range of gluten free products, so it must be a huge and growing problem! What is being added to wheat these days and why? When did 'they' decide it was ok to add whatever it is, without any warnings to us unsuspecting consumers? I am so relieved that gin is gluten free!

I would like to add a HUGE thanks to NBN members for all the free help and advice they have given me. In the short time since I joined the forum, I have been really impressed by the kind and friendly attitude, mixed with a little crazy frivolity...long may it continue, please!