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LondonRascal
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Posts posted by LondonRascal
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I've not hired this boat for the following reasons, so will share here:
There is no lighting whatsoever forward of the galley - you rely on the light from the two lights over the breakfast bar to somehow try and light up the saloon seating area. This is not going to really happen, so if was me a trip to Poundland and a 5W LED light bulb and a trip to Amazon for a clip up bayonet light fitting to plug into the socket in the Saloon and clip up to provide light would sort this - but not exactly what you should need to do.
There are no drawers to put away things, and storage is limited in the galley too. That cupboard to the right over the oven will get very hot when the oven is on - so not a good place to keep things that may spoil in a warm place.
The bunk beds are very narrow, but long but more suited for a child than adult and again no drawers of hanging space here just the cubby holes under the bottom bunk.
Double berth has a cupboard and hanging space - no drawers mind you - and is much the same as many a double on these forward steer boats, note the heads at the stern of the boat is a lot smaller than the likes of Bronze Gem, Clear Gem etc.
The engine is outside under the aft cover, hydraulic drive - so 'quieter' but you then get that annoying whine throughout the boat of the hydraulic motor driving the propeller, increased fuel burn and to my mind less punchy than a shaft driven engine of the same size you would find on the likes of Clear Gem, Bronze Gem etc.
You do get a full sliding canopy mind you - a more modern and bright interior with open plan living. I am not sure how well the boat would be suited for out of season cruising, as you have the same usual three heater outlets - saloon, bunk cabin and double cabin but the saloon cannot be closed off so all that heat heads out down the corridor.
Thing is, it is a cheap hire - even Rhapsody which is identical other than the fact you don't have a full sliding canopy (but do gain lighting int he saloon) costs more per week. http://www.richardsonsboatingholidays.co.uk/boats/rhapsody/ The above might not be an issue for yourself or others, but this is what has put me off this class personally and choose the likes of Bronze Gem over it.
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Brinks Belmore is another good example of a boat not intended for inland river use not only finding its ways on them but in hire - the mould being a Princess 30 and should have a couple of larger diesels and many had a small flybridge. Great for a couple and some friends to spend a day in the summer eating out in the rear cokpit before a fast dash to sea for an hour before heading back to Harbour - does not work so well on a hire boat, but for me I still love the maneuverability and clear separated areas verses the Broom 29 of similar size which does feel more pokey inside.
Older boats are easy to deal with, because they are so much more basic. It is usually better to get something that has not been through a bunch of private owners who have all had their take on how to do things and tinker about. While it might work in their home, messing about in a boat inevitably causes issues and when you inherit the issues and take it to a professional who takes one look at the spaghetti of wiring and lets our a tut and scratches their head you know you in for a big bill.
Hire boats can be 'bodged' too, but in the main they have to work to earn their keep and keep customers happy. If something like a starter motor plays up, or a fridge, or a water pump there is no point in keeping it going it is pulled out and a new unit put in. But as a private owner you might say 'well a new fridge is going to cost £500.00 so I think we will just learn to live with the fact it does not get as cold as used to'. Same for engine servicing - boatyards will keep their engines in tip top condition with regular oil changes etc and while many owners will do the same, a good number will not until there is a problem perhaps with the impeller that sucks thew river water in to cool the engine, or longer times between oil changes.
No Survey will cover things like what state the engine is in, or what the batteries are like - it is about the important aspects of the structure, hull and safety of things like gas pipes and storage of the cylinders and sea cocks etc. So regardless of boat these all have to be considered and a working knowledge of what looks ok and not is helpful - especially when looking at a boat you are interested in may effect the offer you put in based upon obvious remedial work that may be needed for critical systems.
When I post on here ideas about what you can do with boats and how life can be made easier or more convenient on board these are often options that cost many many thousands of pounds to achieve but that does not mean a humble 35ft ex hire boat cannot make the best 'home from home' for you. The biggest thing to accept with boat ownership is to know that things will go wrong and you won't be able to just call the boatyard engineer out and fix it while you wait. f your batteries are weak, and your boat has one for starting, and 2 for domestics, you are looking at close on £300.00 to replace for a basic set of replacements. A water pump would come in at over £100.00.
Now those that know me personally may well be aware I am boat hunting too - but in a very different arena and with no rush required but It makes it no easier between a 55ft to 60ft motorboats with perhaps 1,400HP of power or a 40HP single engined ex-hire boat. You will need to fix and change out things, so you will need to have a a fair sized fund after purchase to sort these things out. So, it is no good having a top line budget of £35,000 and spending it on a boat that costs £34,950 being over the moon and then not having the money to sort out the batteries, buy a new fridge, re-upholster the seating and put in new gas lines to pass the BSS.
So there is no need to rush into things - indeed, the looking, wondering, pondering, researching, going over and over things, beginning over again, and so on is all part of the process and very much exciting. The worse thing to do is jump in too fast and regret a choice as unlike a hire boat you can't take it back at the end of the week.
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I am not for saving the planet, frankly I think we (as a civilization) have missed the boat already and all we have any hope of now is to try and slow down the inevitable.
I am however for things that help reduce local generated pollution but I am by no means a 'tree loving environmentalist' far from it but I do like the idea that modern technology means a power system on a boat minus the need for a generator to annoy my local neighbors moored up with noise and fumes.
Electric cars have come a long way in a short space of time and how many people honestly hand on heart drive more than 200 miles in 24hrs? Sure some do and many more will like the freedom to do a 300 mile trip in one hit but for most of the time and for most people a car that drives and 'feels' like their typical 4 cylinder run-about will do just fine - the issue is cost. It is all very well stating how much the car might save you in tax and insurance and running costs but that is all added up over the average lifetime of ownership and people want things far more quickly.
Just as this has jumped forward the debate and push for more electric cars so we can take this into consideration about boats and power. You might like to read this paper The future of automotive lithium-ion battery recycling: Charting a sustainable course but this is a lot of the issue to - lots of studies and counter studies into every aspect of this sort of thing and who is right and what is best but frankly, the average Joe will not give much of a damn. If we did we would care more about where things comes from and how they are produced but we don't, we just like the end price.
You can now buy disposable lithium batteries in a package to re-charge a dead phone. Single use, charge the phone and throw away the battery - despite the fact the battery could be used many hundreds of times over it has now got to the price point where these small batteries are now seen as disposable. Then there are the many power banks now available for £1.00 in Poundland and Poundworld. Do you really think people will stop and think about how the chemicals used in these affected those community's who minded them? Of the labor that went into their production in a factory in a Chinese province on tiny wages? No of course not, it just is a cheap way to extend their phones battery and stay on Facebook longer.
So once you get over the larger picture and environmental issues and accept things as being basically screwed whatever you do, then I say go and embrace this sort of technology on the basis of convenience and life feels a whole lot better.
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I have been watching this chap in the US convert a coach to a luxury motor home - it is taking him so long and costing so much but my the results are nice. This is what a $50,000+ Victron Lithium 24vDC set up looks like.
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9 hours ago, smellyloo said:
One question though, do you think a bow thruster would be a useful addition or is it just the case of getting to know your boat well?
I'd say if the boat you buy comes with them, use them if it does not the cost of them and additional requirements so far as battery capacity all add up to at least a couple of thousand pounds, but often more when you factor in fitting, labour and wiring etc.
They have their uses - because you can get away with things really but they are not the difference between handling a boat well or not or mooring easily or not - they are simple a handy aid.
You also mention about size and would 35ft be a maximum? I have hired and solo helmed 44ft x12ft the larger boats are way more stable and predictable and less twitchy in wind and current so what I think would be a great idea, is wait for the season to calm down - mid October take a short break from Richardson's could be for a weekend - maybe 4 nights (it will cost the same) on on of their cheaper boats.
You've handled boats in the past so your not a virgin to it but doing this and coming a little outside your comfort zone on a boat you've not had to spend out many thousands of pounds and can return a few days later will give you great experience. For me my first was San Julian - a duel steer fly bridge style 32ft from Richardson's back in 2012 I think - right in the thick of it alone first time and learning how to do things solo. It gave me the confidence to then go on with larger boats, different styles and go further and tackle more challenging areas like mooring with an ebbing current at Reedham alone as the time passed on different boats.
It is not as scary as it might seem and a lot of the questions you really can't answer until you are doing it - and I know from my times afloat and videos it inspired others to give it a go themselves alone and like me gained a lot of pleasure and confidence. So no, 35ft should not be seen as a maximum it is what you are comfortable to cope with, how nimble you are, how strong to hold ropes so really it is more a personal thing than anything, for what suits me may not you.
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It might not be the height of fashion and you've got a pesky canopy to worry about which can be a chore when you are alone and have to get out to moor or back in once you cast off and it is raining - and it is down to you to do the toggles and zip up the zips. That aside, for a good amount of space plus and extra storage area/cabin for a guest then an Ocean 30 could be a good idea:
The above is on on the market for £19,995 from Waterside Marine Sales
Another option is a larger fly bridge model - wider side decks, loads more space and a nice double berth - this Aquafibre 37 is unusual has has twin 50HP engines (albeit older Perkins) but with care they will have many more years of gentle cruising life in them. Don't let that price tag over your budget put you off either, those twin engines will be putting many punters off I am sure (and maybe even you) making her harder to sell than a usual single engine set up and so the price can only fall.
The above is on the market for £32,950 from Norfolk Yacht Agency
Finally what about a 30ft centre cockpit? This lovely Broom Skipper is up just under your budget and the side access means single handed mooring is not going to be a pain. They are well proportioned with wheelhouse space, and you can have the forward cabin for sleeping and the rear cabin as seating with a table for dining and taking things easy if you do not want to use the Wheelhouse as a social space all the time.
The above is on the market for £28,950 from Norfolk Yacht Agency
So that is my three choices from what is on offer at the moment. I have found that the market for smaller boats at a reasonable prices has been pretty small. I suspect because people put theirs up for sale earlier in the season as since May to July is when sales tend to be more buoyant with long days and sunny weather. The next good buying season is when people go home at the end of this season and take a hard look at finances and decide the boat has to sadly go, but had been nice 'for once last season'. They tend to not sell as we come into winter time, so by early March 2018 having sat with little interest a buyer keen with waiting money has the upper hand and can often get a good deal to 'take it off their hands'.
Take time, look long and far (transportation costs to the Broads as not as bad as you think and savings from outside the Broads Bubble so far as price can cover it, and try to let head lead heart.
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38 minutes ago, grendel said:
Thats interesting Robin, I like the fact that output from wind is nearly the same as output from coal, but both are only about 3% each of the total.
But if you scroll over today Solar is proving 12% - that is not bad going for a country that does not get the best amount of sun and is in right up in the north of the hemisphere. Bit by bit things seem to be going towards a clearer future, the problem with wind is the turbines need so much work doing - an entire industry is set up doing just that because they are mechanical things in some pretty harsh places.
What I think we should explore more is tidal and wave power generation because it is predictable and constant unlike wind or sunshine.
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1 hour ago, macroft1 said:
We're on the water this weekend but I believe Salhouse is stern moorings?
That would count us out!
You could always come in alongside another boat 'bow in' to the shore then get to the shore by means of the other boats stern you are alongside. Always ways around problems :)
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To be honest, it does annoy me when with this ongoing view that electric cars are somehow no better off overall to run for the environment than traditionally powered cars be them fueled by petrol, diesel or even bio-fuels.
Some will tell you that electric cars have higher emissions when they are built than a ‘normal car’ production line. Then they will say that electric cars also use electricity that has its own carbon footprint and pollution and when you put these two together these factors are somehow something of a hidden secret that people like Tesla would rather hush because if it was really known it would negate any climate benefit of electric cars.
Rubbish.
One of the most irritating things when discussing electric car emissions is the way it’s always very black and white. In one corner you have the ‘zero emissions’ brigade and in the other the ‘worse than combustion engine’ people. But real life comes in shades of grey. Yes making an electric car has a bigger footprint so far as emissions go it is all about the fuel mix of the power you use.
Using coal powered electricity electric cars do nothing to cut emissions, using natural gas electricity they’re like a top hybrid and using low carbon power they result in less than half the total emissions of the best combustion car - manufacturing included.
You can find a wealth of details online about how manufacturing in different countries use different amounts of power – India and China are awful places to have stuff made because the power that runs their factories is coal based. This means building an electric car there has a bigger impact than one built in the likes of France who has a big nuclear powered grid.
Now from where I am in London and being told how bad the air pollution is on a local level borough by borough worries me and is very much on my doorstep. Yet out in sunny Hertfordshire they have things better so increasingly it is not just about what emissions are made on a countrywide scale but on a local scale and that is where zero emission cars (and even now single and double decker buses in London) make a big difference to the locality even if their 'juice' was generate by burning coal which on a larger countrywide scale added more emissions to the atmosphere.Electric cars are relatively new at a commercial scale at least, and are dealing with issues of cost, range and charging speed. Despite this they offer real hope for reducing carbon emissions and improving local air quality and limiting noise too. Electric cars are far from perfect (and I don’t just mean in terms of range - having sat in a Tesla Model S, their build quality is not quite up with a large car company) and I agree there are plenty of valid ways to have a dig at electric cars generally. But let’s not pretend that a petrol or diesel car can compete with an electric car in terms of emissions. It’s just not a contest.
Give an electric car the right sort of power generated in the right sort of way and it crushes combustion engines completely. This sort of thing is happening, over and over with farmers now turning not to harvesting Wheat but power with acres of solar panels. We have more wind farms than ever and so slowly but surely we are moving towards a more sustainable way to generate power.
Talking of which this cleaver website shows the status in real time of the UK National Grid and how much and where the power is coming from: http://www.gridwatch.templar.co.uk/
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Since John likes techy stuff this is interesting:
The DC Generator
The company states:
A unique variable speed DC marine generator; operating between 900 and 2000 rpm dependent on loads. The ability to run at varying levels means the unit intelligently adjusts its speed depending on the loads demanding power, therefore reducing running costs, emissions & noise. At 900 rpm the generator runs with incredibly low noise levels.
The unit is substantially smaller than a traditional generator of the same power capacity so will reduce space used on board a vessel. VariPower Marine will be available Q2 2017 with an optional sound enclosure.
By using the combination of variable speed generator with a lithium battery bank and inverter we can help you deliver on board power in the most efficient way currently possible. The final specification of your hybrid power system will depend on your individual vessel’s power loads and requirements, but whatever the size, our Variable Speed Hybrid Power System will save boat builders and owners space, installation time, fuel & servicing costs. At the same time delivering the benefit of silent power and reduced carbon emissions.
Our scalable solution allows power to be delivered from a far smaller footprint than a traditional generator and lead acid battery bank. The generator can be sized for average loads, not peak loads; and the lithium battery option offers far greater power capacity and cyclic life than a lead acid bank of the same size.
Personally I like it as it all looks so tidy and the perfect colour scheme - even their font choice gets my approval so this sort of kit is on my shopping list. This all from a UK based company which is always nice to see some cutting edge stuff from our shores, the only issue really is getting over the initial cost but that is sometimes what you need with systems that are being designed for your individual boat and needs to be a drop in solution if you don't want or know how to do it in a modular fashion yourself.
While Paul earlier pointed out that even if you had special sockets and plugs for electric craft it would not be long before the average Chandler had 'copied' such these plugs are not dumb. You can get cross over systems to a standard 16Amp plug
They have circuitry to allow communicate between pedestal and battery system for charging . I've found some online for sale, there over £400.00 so not the sort of thing the average boater will go buy just so they can run their £9.99 fan heater on while moored up.
I don't see all the above for the benefit of the environment so much, just removing as much compromise as possible with on board life compared to shore side living.
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Trust me everything is possible with batteries - it just costs a lot of money. I've been looking at some of these units.
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They are an 'all in one solution' to replace existing battery banks on boats. This version provides 10.2Kwh of power but costs just over £11,000 inc VAT. It can be recharged in under 3 hours, recharged up to 8,000 times and discharged to 90%. Try doing that with Lead Acid cells.
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Shame you can't get hire boats down here very pretty area and three great looking boats
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I mentioned this in the past, where it all went wrong was a good idea wrongly implemented with little future thought.
The Broads Authority still refer to these as 'Electric Charging Points' and you would not see anything in their publications about them encouraging their use to run 240v appliances on boats. But the fact of the matter is that is how they have become seen as being there for and used by both owners and hirers.
The Broads Authority had a good idea and intentions back in the day, but fell so short when they got off the shelf electric pedestals found in Marina's up and down the country and left it at that. This means anyone with the right lead can plug into it and use the power for any purpose.
All that is needed is a pedestal with a unique socket and plug (just as the electric car industry use) so a Tesla can charge at the same point as a Nissan Leaf but Mr Caravan owner can't plug his 16Amp three pin lead in and get some power.
The power supply is at many a location now so it would not be too much to consider creating a standard on the Broads where you began to have charging points that only electric craft could use. I recon since this would be to charge their systems up why pay for the power in the same way the current posts are paid for per unit?
It would never happen though but it could.
You could have an industry wide agreement where the Broads Authority reduce the toll for all an electric craft to a very small amount (if anything - say for the first 3 years nil toll). They then work with operators so that 1 out of every 3 new boats built has to be all electric and these then would only work with new electric pedestals. The fact only those electric boats could use them then you have the beginning of an actual infrastructure - imagine that! I recon they might even get some funding for this removing the need for the increasingly 'hated' Diesel engine and bringing quiet, green cruising to their National Park.
Using Lithium batteries more can be used, with less weight and more of their capacity can be used before needing a re-charge and charging of them would be far faster too - 3 or 4 hours to 90% charge maybe verses overnight with traditional based batteries.
Thing is this is Norfolk not Scandinavia so it will just be a pipe dream.
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15 hours ago, marshman said:
Would you suggest an application to the Lottery to fund it? Or just the Navigation budget?
I have replied to this on the thread about the dredging of the lower Bure as thought this more appropriate place to dicuss this topic:
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On the previous thread, Marshman said:
QuoteThat is what they did on CrossRail - the trouble is that the size of the "squishing" bit was huge!!
Would you suggest an application to the Lottery to fund it? Or just the Navigation budget?
To which I m using this thread to reply:
Well, when I contacted the Broads Authority about this they were looking at innovative ways to tackle dredging - reading between the lines the cost of development and research might be EU funded. Since things have changed just a little with us and the EU that puts the kibosh on that.
But, the problem is the way the rivers are dredged at the moment is just pathetic. It is incredible basic, hit and miss approach of a hired excavator on a barge with the operator guessing through experience where the last scoop was taken from and how deep and thus where to take the next scoop from. After a bit of time the Barge alongside is full with both mud and water and has a long journey to a site to have the contents taken out by another excavator. Meantime engine off and feet up for the operator of the dredger.
Management of the navigation is above all other areas in my opinion top of the pyramid so far as funding and importance goes. So often there are complaints about shallow water, and silting of rivers causing everything and how 'things were not like this 40 years ago'.
You can rely on studies all you like but as the Somerset Levels flooding showed in 2013/2014 good old fashion deep wide channels and dredging is needed to increase capacity for water to flow and without it things soon back up and slow down. I say it is time to spend now in a single solution.
Nobody likes to be asked to spend more out - from rail fares to gas bills, you rarely get to see any actual tangible change. The other issue that the Broads Authority has is lack of trust - if they said we need to increase tolls for 5 years to fund this new dredging system, many toll payers would not believe that after 5 years the tolls would reduce from the additional percentage needed to fund the project once it was complete.
Despite this, if we collectively as toll payers had top pay more and then saw this machine slowly making its way up rivers day in and out I recon it would be seen as worthwhile in time. It would be something we funded doing something we could see helping our navigation. I also think it would work, the slow 'scoop and suck' would stop a great deal of disturbance compared to a bucket going in, grabbing mud and raising it out through he water spreading silt everywhere in the process.
It could be used not to just dredge a channel on Hickling but the entire Broad. It could be used on every river and every Broad to universally create a minimum agreed depth and it could do so being accurately guided by the same sort of GPS systems Combine Harvesters use to ensure smooth and even and complete dredging.
The only thing different to this and other suction based dredging is the the 'scoop' blade which would slide into the muddy river bottom at a set angle and feed the mud into the suction head, along with the high speed cyclonic separation of solids and heating of the mud/slurry to remove as much water from it as possible. Now this would need a lot of heat - electric or gas - and that is not going to be very 'green' but it would need fewer barges to go back and forth to a site to then be unloaded, make the resultant material easier to move and a damn sight lighter - it would be like a damp Peat basically and the more it dried out the lighter it became.
At least if the Broads Authority could work with or gain funding from somewhere and Norwich University study the viability of a system like this would be a step - hell put it on kick starter and then sell the system to others around the world and license it to have additional funds coming into their coffers.
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The boat they are on is from the former Brunall yard of Fen Craft and is called Fen Challenger.
She was featured in the 1991 London Boat Show in the January of that year, so the people on her in the video were on the latest and newest most luxurious craft of their time and must of been among the first to hire her. Here is a photo from the brochure I have from 1992.
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My understanding is the site when built had permission and was built in such a way to deal with any contamination problems for moulding that went on there, and as a result is one of the few areas with actual written permission to be able to mould boats (hull and superstructure). This would appeal to Brooms to expand their business the rest of the site, boats and existing mould tools would of course not bother them one bit.
If anyone was going to want the mould tools I would say it would be Herbert Woods - not only have they not fitted anything out for some time, but with Barnes now having the tools to make Serenade and working with Silverline for Encore I can't see Barnes wanting them. Faricraft Loynes and Horning Ferry Marina are sorted for new boats and working with Haines more and more. Well know Richardson;s are doing their own thing too, so Herbert Woods is the odd man out.
Any GRP boat no matter in what state can come back to live on, the issue is the cost of the remedial work verses the cost of purchase.
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John first of all the use of an Inverter should never damage electrics so something was clearly not happy in your DC set up. You can by low wattage (300w) 12vDC to 240vAC Inverters that have crocodile clips - just connect to battery directly (I'd also add a suitable inline fuse) and then you can be safe nothing else 'down stream' will cause a problem with obtaining your 240v. For under £25.00 delivered from Amazon: http://amzn.eu/2m31z3a
Next up network (Vodafone, O2, EE or Three) and crucially their performance. Like Varnish everyone has a view on what is the best network but it is not just about coverage, it is about actual data throughput (both downloading and uploading) and from real world experiences the Three network is the most stable and fast for data - which all you care about when you want to get online.
At Beccles this weekend gone, I used 6GB (£30.00) of data on Three. This is because I live streamed in HD some of our trip to Beccles on Facebook and that took a big chunk of data, and then also had hours of music being streamed in very high bit rates using Spotify, along with video and photos, Facetime calls and iMessgaes/WhatsApp use - then others on the boat also used their phones connected to my unit.
That is pretty extreme to the average person, but you will note using Three enabled a reliable fast connection to make all this possible.
You seem to want to use a device to basically get on the Forum, get on to other websites, watch maybe some video like on iPlayer, or You Tube, check and send emails - nothing too much, no game playing the latest titles or expecting amazing speed and fidelity of sound . You want something light with a good battery life, a decent screen and a keyboard you also want a good value - so it all has to be a Chromebook. My Mum has had one for a while, never had a single issue, automatically updates no malware ever and almost instant on here is a decent one, brand new - this claims up to 12 hours of battery life too for just £199.99 delivered from Amazon: http://amzn.eu/1EXq8rt
So to sum up, if you had a MiFi unit (any will do if unlocked) and a Three SIM card in it (or just get the MiFi from Three with the SIM all in) that covers you for your data with good speeds and a reliable network over Broadland. A Chromebook gets you online in a lightweight, easy to use device with great battery life and keeps things on budget too.
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This might be at a scale version but I know these issues have been found in real life when a new engine might come out and thrust and vibration loads on bearings, couplings and ear boxes and how mounts the engine is on down to the fly wheel size and mass all mean this is a 'dark art' to get right. It not just boat building but true engineering and fascinating to follow.
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Upon our recent trip to Beccles there was dredging going on not far from the beginning of the first set of posts that mark the shallows on the lower Bure.
Sometime back there was a call from the Broads Authority to submit ideas for new innovative ways for dredging to be carried out – up for some EU funding too. This was after a failed attempt at a Dutch system whereby you suck up mud and spew it back out into the water stream as the current runs at its fastest during the ebb. Idea is the silt now suspended in the water is taken away from the river system.
I think what actually ended up happening was the current was never strong enough and lasted for sufficient time to succeed and the silt just ended up at the mouth of the Bure and Breydon more.
So I got in touch with an innovative idea but never heard anything more. Complicated and expense yes, but boy I bet it would do wonders (least I think it would). I have mentioned this before but will go over things in less detail again.
You have a large barge (or two) they cruise about the rivers continuously and at the front of the first barge a spade tool is lowed (think of a scoop) this is quite wide and ploughs into the muddy bottom of the river and as the silt slides up a large suction pipe takes it up. This means the barge system can continue to proceed along the river.
The ‘solution’ that is effectively mud and water is then sent into a cyclonic system (think Dyson) which forces solids at high speed out to the edge and the liquid water and silt falls down the middle and from there is fed through what is effectively a ‘steam engines boiler’.
This super heats the water/silt mix through a series of tubes and the steam produced is condensed and returns to the river as pure water. The heated slurry mix then is pushed out the end of the tubes and then is hydraulically compressed into ‘brickets’ (much the same consistency of ground coffee once it has been in an Espresso machine).
The resulting liquid that would come out of the chamber used to compress the slurry mix would simply be sent through a filter to remove the majority of the particles this ‘murky water’ is then returned to the river with a vast reduction in any sediment in it.
The brickets would then be taken to a waiting barge alongside as an almost dry, easy to manage and transport ‘square load’ by conveyor. These could then be taken to use elsewhere, perhaps even sold as viable rich compost for growing crops with.
The whole system would be able to move up a river and down and up covering the entire width and length before moving on to the next.
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As far as my memory serves, the speed limit sign as you head up river passed the Yacht Station is not of the usual design, I think it is a red '5' on a white background with a red boarder. I wonder if this makes it non enforceable to begin.
The problem with speed and why the Broads are in MPH not Knots is because when the speed limits were first talked of the point was to make them ways for hirers to understand - so they would be in MPH just the same as the roads.
As means to detect speed has come - from radar to now laser speed guns then are used from a fixed location - a moor boat or the shore so speed over ground has become the measure to which the Broads Authority use even though it makes little sense especially at locations such as Reedham. Furthermore when the speed limits as we've already discusses only came in as a means to control wash from boats. Going past the quay at Reedham with a fast flowing ebbing current would not make a blind bit of wash but coming the other way going against that same current flat out and you'd be causing a great deal. It all about keeping an eye for wash and so far it's stood me well over the years.
You could argue that it would be unsafe to navigate Great Yarmouth (through the Yacht Station area) at any time other than slack water - and then maintaining the speed limit would not be an issue, but that is not always possible. What I tend to do is once you pass the first advanced bridge gauge and the quay at the yacht station comes into view have a careful look along to see if any boats there look as if they might be departing because that can give crucial time to react if you have the current under you and someone lets go of their ropes and heads out across the river.
The most challenging time I have had personally is rounding the yellow post with a pretty strong flood tide behind me to be met by three yachts from Hunters desperately trying to get under Vauxhall Bridge with one then spinning sideways, just as a hire boat coming down stream ends up colliding with it and a right mess unfolding before me. The yachts at that state of tide, with masts down and no other means of control or propulsion should never have been there (that is just my view) but I guess they underestimated the power of the current they were up against trying to quant along against it. Sure was interesting trying to hold station keeping a fair few revs on astern.
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I know not if this could be achieved, but I noticed that her turning circle is pretty wide. I had a similar issue on a full size boat that was meant to have twin engines but had a single engine mounted transversely then a hydralic drive to the prop - Brinks Royale.
This present a problem - where do you put a skeg and rudder? They chose to get round this by not having a usual skeg and rudder affair but to mount the rudder some distance back from the prop on a top mounted tiller (there is a name for rudders like this which have no bottom mount but I forget it now)
Anyway the result was pretty vague steering as by the time the thrust from he prop passed over the rudder it will already have lost some power and some more complex matters will be at play. This seems the case with 'Baby B.A' where the rudder is of reasonable length but some distance from the prop. Could it perhaps be extended toward the prop or the prop shaft bring the prop close to the rudder for more 'bite'.
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1 hour ago, Victoryv said:
Back at work today, after a cracking weekend at Beccles, very envious !
Robin if you have any footage of our transit south over Breydon, would love to see it.
I have a little video of a Facebook Live Stream I made when heading south on Breydon - head on over to the NBN Facebook Group where you will find the recorded version. https://www.facebook.com/groups/norfolkbroadsnetwork/?ref=bookmarks
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Since the Bure and Breydon now falls within the control of the Broads Authority (I think until Haven Bridge) the actual speed limit past the Yacht Station is 5 MPH.
There is signage to this effect opposite the moorings as I have show below from one of my videos. If I am punching an ebbing current here, regardless of the speed limit shown by GPS I always slow to reduce speed and wash as otherwise your likely get a telling off from one of the guys manning the Yacht Station.
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Electric Boat Charging
in Broads Chat
Posted
It is fine Martin, and you'd need to teach me how Poker is played to begin as I can never get my head around it
We are doing a great deal nationally and locally in this country along with many others in Europe and and I am not saying it does not help overall - it does . Further, it inspires others to do more especially a generation of people who will int he next few years be heading out to work themselves and able to continue contributing to a more sustainable future of themselves and their children. but while we are trying to do more to pollute less, I don't see the same really happening in India, Russia and China or even my area of north London where recycling bins have all but been given up upon because so many residents just don't care and use them as they should be.
This is why my way of thinking comes about, and because there are many many people like me it means those in power or those with the positive drive to make change need to do a lot to convince me to. I am not predicating the world will end in a fire ball neither am I saying that a lithium batteries will be our downfall. No, it is far more simple: I am frankly to lazy to think too deeply into it all so take the 'what will happen will happen' approach.