mikeyboy1966

Onwards from Ely, we overnight at prickwillow. no idea why but I didn’t take any photos at the days end.

We continue to Ely,where a quick stop off at the supermarket for forgotten items is required

At popes corner,the old west returns to being called the great Ouse and the river Cam joins it from the starboard side

Saturday,day2. we carry on down the old west to popes corner.

Some people refer to the old west as “a weed filled ditch” it’s not that bad,it can be shallow but up to know I’ve had no issues. our mooring for the evening ,Aldreth fen. miles from anywhere and very quiet,

Friday,day 1 we managed to get away a bit earlier than planned, we are heading down stream,1st through st ives lock,then Brownhills staunch onto the short tidal section then through Hermitage lock onto the old west river.

The engine is a Perkins 4108 lowline

The only thing unchanged over winter is the alternator,

I replaced ammeter with a digital battery monitor. the boat is on the great Ouse,so can run at decent speeds ,even if I rev the motor to 3k revs it doesn’t go over 20 amps

Hi all, im just home from 10 days on my boat and I’m scratching my head a bit!. last year when running a prestolite 70 amp alternator with a diode type isolator and an analog ameter it only ever showed 20 amps charging when 1st fired up. fast forward to this year after winter upgrades, same 70 amp alternator, victron argofet battery isolator, sterling power external regulator, digital blue sea battery monitor all new very heavy duty wiring. 3x 120 amp domestic batteries (new this year) it still only charges at a max of 20 amps dropping to @15 amps after a while. I’ve only noticed this week as the boat is hooked up to mains power in the marina and the batteries maintained on a victron 30 amp charger and we’ve only had weekends out leaving with batteries at 100%. on our extended trip with a dometic 80 litre fridge and a dometic freezer running the alternator was only just keeping the batteries topped up to @65% despite 6hr cruising days. I’ll take a good look at things next weekend but my immediate thoughts are the alternator is not very good?

Two weeks ago ,folk were having a pop at HW discounting a few boats for a last minute booking

EA volunteers will be manning st ives,houghton and godmanchester on busier summer weekends

I quite enjoy the locks, nice to have a chat with other crews when sharing the lock.

Single Perkins 4108

Starting Friday we have a week plus to take a cruise. we intend to head up the old west,through Ely.and explore the wissey,little Ouse and the river lark. ill take some pics, just got to get my last day at work out of the way! Fuel tank has 175 litres,plus I’ve @50 litres in “Jerry “ cans 100 gallons of water wasat 450 litres will see how that goes(might have misread the manual?) that said we’ve never run out of water.I’ll keep it topped off as there is a low bridge we would like to pass under on day 3. we may well be 2” too high

Yea but, if the numbers quoted previously are correct and only 8 boats of 84 are available and discounted that would mean the other 76 went out at full price, plus these 8 with a 40% discount. I certainly don’t think HW have their strategy wrong. if these boats had been available a week later I would have seriously considered one.(and I have my own quite nice cruiser on the gt Ouse) I guess if the discounting continues through the rest of the season you may well be correct.

Unless I’m missing something I’m not sure what the fuss is about. It’s a few boats for last minute booking next week and one or two for midweek start the following week. If I was HW I would also rather have the boats on the river,spending cash and using fuel . hopefully safeguarding local jobs and other businesses.

Nearly there ive installed a new “fixed” transom, new motor,controls,steering gear and electrics. had all the upholstery renewed as well.

Not sure about the caps,I’d need to look. im probably going down on Saturday,will message you

Bit longer than your requirement,but looks to be a nice boat, https://www.jonesboatyard.co.uk/boat-sales/sheerline-740-finesse-boat-for-sale-7439.html

I’ve got 2x4.5kg butane(blue) you can have if still required.

Let’s see if a 40 turns up at the right price. I’ve an eye on a 30 hp Honda motor but it’s right down in South Wales. be a 10 hr trip

My take on things, you really don’t need to spend a fortune on boat ownership, yes,it has yearly costs, but a simple older boat that’s been looked after such as maybe a freeman 22,could be bought for £10k running costs and maintenance aside, Its not money spent,as when and if you choose to sell or upgrade you either get your capital back or a sizeable chunk into the next one. boats,like houses track inflation. And like houses need to be maintained. take time to learn the market and if you chose carefully you could own your own boat.

It’s rated to a maximum of 40hp, a 10 would probably be more than adequate for river use,but I figured with a 20 on it ,I could use it on lakes and sea if the opportunity arose. and on the 100ft there is a 15mph limit so I could run it on the plane there which would be fun. Added to that,if I decide to sell it,I recon a 10 would reduce its buyer potential

Hmmm, not so sure, for the money being asked for a complete “nice” 10 plus year old package, I’ve got this boat,a brand new trailer,budget for a brand new tohatsu 20, and I’ll have cash left over