Smoggy

Aw you spoil all the fun MM.

Marine weld did my fuel tanks, good job done in the time stated.

My marina fees went up this year (not much) which I thought a bit un-sporting of them, they've not done that in the past 9 years I've been there.

Don't be daft Griff, that's next weeks price hike. (probably not a joke!)

Nah it's old age and neglect on my part Vaughan, I never remove for winter as I don't lay up as such just chuck some freezeban down the strainers when I leave it if the weather is likely to get proper cold and leave the taps open, it may have only been changed once since I bought the boat in 2015. This winter has seen the longest stretches of non use (a month at one point) due to swmbo having problems following an accident and me having a double hernia op early december but still no layup, the impellors were in place through the lockdowns too.

If anyone needs a spare volvo impellor they can have this one cheap, only one owner from new... I'm thinking I may have done the other side more recently as I had issues getting it to prime and put it down to body wear so machined the base out to take a jabsco wear plate at the back along with a new cover, this one is still un-machined so I probably forgot to change it, oops!

Sounds like a normal hermes delivery.

Just a little reminder for folks to check impellors for the new season, I recon I got my money's worth out of this one. Only pulled the pump due to a leaking seal, next visit must change the other side one too, I think this one has been in since pre-covid so certainly due. The white residue is not salt crust it's the developer spray I used to track the water leak as I thought it may be the inlet pipe o ring.

I can move my boat 30 miles on the broads and I'm certainly not organised, it's an easily done trip in a day and a boat on a river don't look suspicious when no-one knew it was stolen. I read elsewhere it was still on the broads and now in the hands of the BA and not badly damaged so a good outcome from a bad occurence, I hope the gits that took it got caught with it.

A forward steaming light but not spotlight, a steaming light would be no brighter than the stern light so would not light the way, it all depends on the length of the boat of course as smaller boats would just need an all round white light. Spots have their use but not for general running. A badly placed spot will mean all you can see is a pulpit rail and nothing past it. Have a read here. https://www.svb24.com/en/guide/navigation-lights.html

A bright light at the bow is positively frowned upon (and I think possibly illegal) as it ruins anyone elses night vision, you will be surprised how well you can see at night as long as you keep any internal lights low and ideally red or green. You will need the proper nav lights too, a foward steaming light should be shielded from the helms view.

I can live with £16.12 extra, it'll be the least scary cost increase for the year. I've saving my kidney for the diesel bill. Our toll is only about £16 higher now than the last EA licence was going to be for the great ouse in 2012, hence the move to the broads, I'm not moaning about it.

@BroadsAuthority A question maybe Tom can clarify, I just got the toll through and had a smooch through the schedule of tolls and spotted the bit about great yarmouth and lowestoft harbours not being covered by the BA toll, as I understand it this was always the case and that harbour dues were waived by the port for vessels passing through to/from the broads, is this still the case or have peel ports changed this policy? A call with the port said I "probably" wouldn't get charged but nothing definite, any chance you can find out for sure for me? GY has always been my choice of entry/exit and don't fancy getting £68 slapped on me each time.

I didn't know they did a discount for dwarves, isn't that discrimination towards tall visitors?

That's wrong, boats can still use red after april and the 60/40 thing still goes, NI have a change for boat use but not the rest of the UK, construction plant and the like have to use white after april.

Hows diesel prices on the rivers looking?

I chucked some floating plastic balls in mine so the water movement and level could be seen through the lid, I need to replace as they have now sunk, must have absorbed some water or split. Something in behind the spring?

I recognise that one, good to see they got it re-floated...

Why the twin weed strainers? Is that not a an extra opoortunity to suck air in and run the impellor dry? A bit overkill for a broads boat I'd have thought. I've never yet had much crud in my strainers but as I do most of my boating on the southern rivers that must have a big bearing on things.

Congratulations, soon you'll be reminiscing about the old days when you had money and nothing needed fixing, no need to worry about those issues again, ever!

It was built by the Italian navy and helps it steer when retreating.

I had to change the bulb base for one with two contacts but I had one laying around but would have been easy to redrill and solder new wires in place with solder blobs for the contacts. If I did it now I would probably run a strip of leds down the middle in warm white and fill the rest with a bright white led strip. The fluorescent strip lights in my current boat have led strips inside now.

I had the lights linked on my old boat, the one in the bog I modified with an on-off-on switch and brake/tail light bulb so it was tame for a night time visit but bright for a shower, worked well.

Very true, I've had one just step out into the road without so much as a glance as I was turning into a side road so far, old boy without earbuds too not the usual suspects, I'll stick to old school survival tactics myself.

When a bowsprit is hurtling towards them I think they might just realise that hard pointy things have right of way over soft squishy things.