Viking23

I think you need a single lever control, first to engage gear, and then increase the revs. I am pleased you are learning in a proper manual car, an Automatic is easier in theory, but means you are limited to Automatics only, that could limit hiring vans etc in the future. When I accompanied my daughter just before her test, she had very poor clutch control at traffic lights, and often stalled, she went into automatic panic, she just didn't have enough revs on starting off. So I took her on to Cannock Chase where there were sleeping policeman on the quiet lanes. I got her to park just touching the ramps, it was only a few false starts and stalls, and she got it, those extra revs were needed, she got used to that, and never stalled at ordinary traffic lights again. Simple but very effective. I then took her on to a local multi story car park, late evening and we practiced reversing into the parking bays, then we practiced parallel parking on some quiet side roads. You don't need a driving instructor to practice, practice, practice. Learn the technique, then next night and most evenings... practice practice etc... Practice reversing around corners, and three point turns, and one of the most difficult, holding it on the clutch at the top of a hill, and not rolling back, then pull away safely. Do they still do this one? not one you could do in Norfolk lol, where are the hills, maybe problem in London too lol... Over exaggerate head movements when looking left and right, don't just move your eyes, the examiner can't see this. We are all wishing you all the best. Take care, Richard

I too would report a situation like this, and have in the past too. All's you are doing is reporting a situation as you see it at the time, it is the Authorities decision to act on this if they think it is appropriate. I reported a day boat that was trying to cause a collision, he came in front of us at speed and slammed it into reverse hoping we would run into him. He tried this several times, so we knew it was deliberate. We have a Honda 15 on a light Viking 23, so we could stop quicker than him, and on the last attempt, we reversed in a "J" turn, that Jeremy Clarkson would have been proud of lol, and went the other way at speed. (keeping within the speed limit) I recon he was due to get the boat back to the yard so didn't follow us. However, Broadsbeat got to the yard before they did and dealt with them. I doubt they will be back.

Why am I not surprised that Grace was the first one to respond to this post lol...

It only needs one sober crew member to be in charge of a boat full intoxicated crew, and in general, as long as the antics are not putting others or them selves at risk, or risk damaging property or ruining the enjoyment of others, then what is the main issue? I guess the main issue is the fact that there is not one sober crew member on board ! Under these circumstances the boat needs to be impounded and the crew placed in an area where least harm can happen to them or others. Do they still have cells at Police stations lol ? 24 hours to sober up, plus charge them overnight accommodation costs too. With modern antifouls, keel hauling wouldn't be that effective these days lol.

To lift or not to lift, that is the question. If the boat has not been lifted every two years over that thirty years, then the owner has saved himself the price of say 15 lifts, if say each lift was £200 ignoring the cost of any antifouling, then he has saved £3000 so is the current value of the boat worth £3000 less than it's market value? I doubt it. The owner has been quite canny, others might say lucky too. When a boat is over a certain age, value is more down to cosmetic condition. Eg if original gel coat, age, condition of engines etc. General state of repair, eg a new canopy could add £1000 Can the boat be used straight away, or does it need new upholstery? The fact that it has been in the water so long is a testimony to the build quality of the day. There are many grp boats over 40 years old on the system, at the time of build, no one knew how long these would last. What I do suspect is that more modern boats are not as tough as they used to be, time and experience has proven that they don't need to be. Just my thoughts. Richard

I thought my comment re spiking with a knife might scare someone, but it's what I do before I paint windows lol I have a skill of splicing new wood into old frames, and 15 years later, still sound. If I was fitter, I would have loved to work shadow a Martham craftsman, not that I need to on GRP, but because I admire their skill. Long may craftsman who work with these old woodies continue to develop those skills, but more importantly to pass those on to the new generation. I hope there are some apprentices around, put the clock forward 15 years and you will probably deplete the work force by half, due to retirement etc unless we are training up the next generation. Think on this, if you replace every plank and timber on a boat, when does it stop becoming the same boat? I think of Trigger's Broom, several new handles and many more new heads. Trigger thinks it's the same broom, " here's a picture of it, What more do you want?" lol

Well without the new planks, she would probably sitting even lower in the water by now. Do owners of Woodies get clues when a plank is rotten, ie more bilge pump operations, or do they just go snap, and you sink. or I guess something in between, after all, you can't spike every plank with a knife just to see how soft they are. Richard

With all these comments good and bad about "That Bridge" it certainly deserves to stand there as it is for many more years to come. What else would we talk about if "That bridge" was bypassed. It is a bonus to get through, it's where we aimed to be on busy bank holiday weekends, 3 hours non stop cruising point to point from Stalham, Well, we often stopped over for a breather at St Bennets on the way. But if it was Saturday afternoon, and we were ahead of "The Fleet" from Stalham, then... we would press on lol. To me, it is my favourite boating place in the UK. Some parts of the Thames are getting close, but a long way to go yet lol. Richard

Given the choice of £20 return, or damage to the boat and self pride, then the pilot is the way to go. I fully respect that. Personally, I was never wussy enough to use them though....lol... Our Viking 23 could get under with the windsceeen up on very low water days with no cross winds, 4-5 mm clearance on the edges of the screen. Then I changed the way the screen came off, and we could remove and replace mid river. Off every time after that close shave, the bridge has different clearances, the roof slopes aghhh... when you are 4-5 mm away, you can see the change, and boy, that close there's a lot of brick and stonework missing We got under once with under 6' showing in the office, I aligned the top of the boat through the bridge and against a similar boat the other side of the bridge. With the screeen off, the spot light tilted... off we went... full throttle through the bridge. Certainly less than an inch to spare, that was quite scary, lol The problem is, with your own boat, your trip through the bridge is probably the first that day, that week, that month, even the first of the season, however, the pilot has probably taken a few smaller ones through to get a feel of the cross winds and currents before taking the challenging ones through. They also have a mm accurate gauge in their office, and accurate tide tables, so they can predict the levels and I have seen them drawing up a list of boats in height order when very busy and manage to get them all through. They are certainly skilled in what they do. I must admit, when I was younger, I wanted to pilot boats through. You will always remember your first ever passage with your own boat. We had launched at Martham, so our first time was down stream, for some reason, I find that more intimidating than going upstream. Richard

I wonder for how long modern timber is seasoned, some is left for years with spacers to allow air circulation, others kiln dried, which from my "O" level wood work days was quick and modern, but not as good as well seasoned timber. As I mentioned, some timber is simply cut and used, called green wood I think, and great when working with oak framed buildings. There are places for unseasoned timber, but not for a boat? Re dry rot, I find it quite ironic that it takes hold in damp conditions, I once found some near a shower I was renovating, all plaster board and plaster removed, down to bare brick, and rotten timbers bagged and removed and a few gallons of dry rot killer with cuprinol 5* to finish. It travels through mortar and brick, and I ended up spraying in an adjacent room as a precaution. I must admit I find microbiology a facinating subject, as an engineer most things follow the laws of physics, logic takes it's part, but with micro biology... I guess there are many things that surprise you. I am certainly intrigued by this project, and look forward to a satisfactory conclusion. Let's hope you can get it sorted and you can get back on the water as soon as possible. Richard

I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned it yet, unlike boats, with a car, we keep to the left of the road. lol A habit hard to break lol.

I think I know what happened to your first car, I know that Griff wanted to help, so he chose this car for you. Great choice. However, it was cancelled at the last minute, as there wasn't a blue fender on board. Lol Good luck Robin, tip... when reversing into a tight space, don't keep reversing until you hit something, and then go forward. Also when slowing down or stopping, don't slam it into reverse and increase the revs, in theory it should work, lol. For a laugh, have a listen to Bob Newhart's " The Driving Instructor" someone will give a link lol... get you in the mood for sure, but more likely get you back on the water lol. Richard

I had to smile when I read your crew abandoned you "before" you went through "That Bridge" surely you would have been better placed to have locked them in the cabin lol... I remember back in the 60's people be offered free one way rides through the bridge, human ballast, lol... Due to risk assessment and liability, can't see that happening now. In the 80's Porter and Haylett had 200 litre plastic water barrels that they placed on the side decks to get their fleet through Hoveton Bridge, happy days lol.

I know you guys like me to bring news from the Thames, but this links both. On our Marina, a guy owns a wooden 1930's ex Broads Authority launch, might be River control or waterways, but was moved from the Broads to the Thames in the 1960's. He has all the history, and it has had only one plank replaced since new. He's not expecting to replace any more. Well, I might guess which will be first now lol... Wood was high quality and plentiful before the 1960's, you only have to look at the modern hardwood window and door frames to see how soon they start to rot. With modern timber, I have seen trees growing in the morning, cut down in the afternoon, ripped into target sizes, and loaded onto low loader in the evening on their way to be sold on. Buy a pack of 10 laths from wickes, then stand back as you cut the white plastic rip cords lol... If you don't use the timber right away, have a look a few months later, and it looks like a used pipe cleaner, all twisted. I'm sure if these were fence posts, they might start to grow again. (joke... I know only the outer layer of a tree is actually living lol) Richard

In an open forum where people are trying to help and /or offer advice it can only be based on speculation, maybe poor materials, maybe work not completed as described, materials not up to the standard required for the application, there have been no accusations only ideas that need to be considered. Most peple are only trying to help you. Maybe if you didn't want to have it discussed on open forum then maybe get the problem resolved yourself from the start, and advise us of the outcome. Have I missed something here... Aren't forums used for open discussions, which show as many views and opinions as possible? In your first mentioning of the problem, the fact you mentioned that some planks were only fitted in 2014 seems to me that you were surprised that they were that recent, or have I misread that comment too. I take on board "Griff's" surprise as to the short life, I know Griff has done his own share of replanking over the years. Richard.

Even Wickes softwood left untreated would last longer than that. I would ask the question whether the plank(s) in question had even been replaced at all. I would go back to the original yard and get them to explain why a new plank allegedly fitted by them would barely last 3 years. If you are certain of all the facts and have written proof of the work completed, then it would be in the forums interests to know what the outcome was and only then, the yard involved. Give them a chance to rectify the work. Three years is not fit for purpose, I feel a small claims action taking place. What are your rights here?

An opportunity for me to throw some information in. We have an earler version of the Electrolux three fuel fridge. We use it on gas 1,2,3 positions on the knob, when moored and overnight, 240V on shore power, with it's own thermostat, then if we have full batteries, and the petrol outboard is giving out 6 + amps we divert this to the fridge. No thermostat, no control, although I have been temped to make my own thermostat, but the current draw maybe as much as 8-10 amps. Author now pauses to see if anyone can see a potential breach of the BSS... No... OK gas fridge on a petrol engined vessel... ooohhh... Ours Is perfectly legal, has passed a fair few BSS on different waterways too. We had it modified by Wilderness boats, Corsham near Bath, to have a flame trap and balanced flue fitted, the pilot light is enclosed in a flame trap using a fine gauze. I understand there are limited models that can be modified and then have the approval paperwork to support it. Hope it helps, but might just fill in a few misconceptions. Best regards, Richard

There are many reputable companies that design and fully test galvanic isolators, they are designed to withstand all what can be thrown at them, this is one of the reasons that they are bulky, heavy and of course, at first glance, expensive. These will withstand many many cycles of faults without failure, they are well over designed. I think you'll find that the manufacturers will recommend testing them after such a fault. Please contact them, check their website. It is the other so called galvanic isolators, built in a shed that may not have test results to go with the unit. These could be more vulnerable to early failure. In fact, in America, they don't readily accept the "European type" as there is no automatic way of testing them, for particularly open circuit on the earth. Things like this, sit in the bilge, corrode away, never tested. The Americans have opted for the next generation version, this has a fault indicator, and if the indicator illuminates, you simply dig a hole and bury the unit, and buy a new one. You will now start to see these appear on the UK market, maybe it's the next generation units that we should also look at. I hope it helps, I have done a lot of research on these, some information excellent, and some, diabolical, misleading and dangerous. Standard Isolation Transformers designed for the application are great, the only down side apart from cost, is size and weight. There is also the issue if you chose one that is too small, with too low a VA (Wattage) rating. Then you need to upsize, and the old unit becomes obsolete, or can be sold on. I will mention about "other" isolation transformers, some uneducated and misinformed have a go diy'ers, I will not insult engineers by calling these people Engineers, have decided that they could take two of the yellow industrial 110 volt ac isolation transformers, and wire them in series to create an isolated supply to give 220/240 Volts. DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME !! Will it produce an isolated 220/240v ac supply.. well... yes it will. But don't get too close, and don't plug anything in. Is it legal, and once more, is it safe? The answer is NO, not in 1000 years. So what am I talking about...? 110 volt transformers are designed to take 220/240 volts, drop it to 55-0-55 volts. Only 55 volts above earth, survivable if you shared a puddle of water with an electric tool. However, the insulation of the transformer only has to withstand 55 volts, now placing two of these transformers in series to give 55 - 55 55- 55 to give 220 volts clearly shows the earth or 0 volt has to be disconnected, and now the upper 55 volt terminal, is now sitting at 220 volts, where the withstand voltage, ie breakdown voltage is only designed and tested for 55 volts ac This is clearly a breach of the original design, and as such will be illegal and of course unsafe and a risk to persons and property. It can never be awarded the CE mark of conformity in this application. So please avoid anything to do with these. If you have a boat with what looks like this type of installation, best to disconnect and take professional advice. I hope this helps some to avoid the pitfalls and stay safe. A properly installed electrical system on a boat can be perfectly safe, but like most things, they do require regular maintenance, inspection, or testing. Best regards, Richard

I did a lot or research, and I designed and built my own, there are a few iffy designs on the internet, and in a well known boating magazine, which has been slated. The reason being is under fault conditions when the unit might draw the full supply load, as this goes through the diodes, then these can heat up, burn out, become open circuit as well as a fire risk, and you can loose your safety earth. I have used 4 sets of bridge rectifiers that can individually carry a minimum of 50 amps when fitted to the correct size heat sink, the fault surge current may exceed several thousand amps, and the voltage in excess of 600 ac, so choose your components with care. Some time ago I saw a set of 4 single diodes on ebay, that claim to make a galvanic isolator for boats, it was a kit, the buyer soldered it up, wired it in, and the seller claimed it was effective. No... it is not, under fault conditions, which ironically is when you really need it to work, the diodes can overheat, and burn out. They are not capable of taking the surge current as they are not mounted on a large suitable heat sink. There is no fail safe or redundancy. I used the double bridge design, which allows led indicators to illuminate if the DC voltage exceeds the turn on voltage of red led indicators. This can be a good indication if the leakage currents are getting out of hand. Luckily I had a spare heatsink, it was about 5" long, 4" wide 2" deep made of aluminium, extruded in the form of a large surface area heatsink, similar in size to the well known suppliers of Zinc Savers, this is no coincidence, more a case of getting your calculations right first time lol. Hope it helps. It is also not just about the quality and specification of the components, but also about size of wiring, quality of soldering, insulation and general labelling of the unit. I am sure many qualified and experienced electronic engineers can design and build one too, but if starting from scratch, when you see what you are buying when you buy a good quality unit, you are actually getting a good piece of well engineered electronics, with good back up and support, with hopefully a long service life. Not for the amateur engineer. Hope it helps. Richard.

I totally agree with you 100% BUT... For the BSS inspector to test the installation they would require specialist calibrated test equipment that can measure the rcd leakage current over various currents and log the time and check vs standard tables. He would also need MCB and fuse testing equipment to measure a range of fault currents vs time. The boat in question being tested would require a shore supply capable of supplying the high fault currents too. He would also require earth continuity test equipment, and he would need a lot if experience to sort out the bird nests of wiring that evolves over the years on most boats. To test a galvanic isolator would require specialist equipment too. The BSS inspector would require specialist training, and technical updates, as other products are brought to market. At best only a few inspectors would go that extra mile, at best you would see BSS inspection fees triple or worse. At the moment, the BSS look to see if connector pins could be live under fault or normal conditions, they don't even check to see if 32Amp to 16 Amp adaptors are fitted with either 15 or 16 amp fuses to be legally safe... YES another dig from me to get those unfused lethal adaptors outlawed, actually, they are outlawed, as they are not legal. So use at your peril, and if someone is injured or property is damaged, you might find yourself in court, and the insurance company wiping their hands of the situation. I have successfully stopped the sale on ebay of some of these adaptors when I explain their personal liability. Electricity and water, with amateurs who might be inebriated with alcohol, allowed to connect up 240 volts with potentially wet hands in the pouring rain... hmmm... with an electrical system that has never been tested to test the effectiveness of breakers etc... So how many electrocutions are reported? One is too much... Richard

I fitted a galvanic isolator to our GRP cruiser, the only thing in the water is the Honda outboard. We have shore power that connects to the battery charger, and fridge, so the fridge is earthed, so is the gas copper piping, so is the Propex warm central heating, via the copper gas pipe. The fridge also connects to 12 volts dc and the electric starter motor of the outboard connects the negative of the battery to the chassis of the outboard. Plenty of unforseen routes that can connect the engine to shore earth. I was not convinced of this earth connection, so I placed a multimeter set on dc across the shore power earth and boat earth, and I measured 150 mV dc This is one way of testing the galvanic isolators, now 150 mV is high enough to cause galvanic corrosion, the higher the dc component, the worse it is. Some of the 150 mV dc is caused by dissimilar metals, aluminium, steel, stainless, alloys etc. For the leakage current to cause a problem it would have to exceed over two volts dc to cause the back to back diodes in the galvanic isolator to conduct. If you measure an ac component of current across the shore earth and boat earth, this might be a couple of volts if you have leaky or faulty mains equipment, then this can put the diodes into conduct mode, and dc will start to flow, making the galvanic isolator obsolete, and allowing galvanic corrosion to take place when you thought you were safe. So proceed with caution, they are not fool proof. You also have to test the galvanic isolator regularly, and after every rcd or mcb trip, or over current. An over current fault could blow the diodes in the galvanic isolator gaving the effect of disconnecting your safety earth. I can see my outboard anode, and so far holding up well since November last year, when I first connected to shore power. I test my galvanic isolator with a small 9 volt battery with a current limit, and measure the dc voltage across the terminals, both forward and reverse biased, depending on the design, you might see between 2-3 volts dc during the test. There are testing procedures on the internet, and on Galvanic suppliers websites, so make youself familiar. A great device, but treat them with respect, test them regularly, but they are not fool proof. Richard

No... there is a minimum closure time for the glue to work, unfortunately women don't keep their mouths shut long enough. Ohhhh... I could be in trouble here lol...

Forgot to add, re swapping Calor gas, you can exchange propane for butane if in the same range of bottle sizes. Unfortunately not all dealers know this, so insist they call their Calor supplier on the day.

I must admit, I don't like araldite, I much prefer Plastic Padding Chemical Metal, good for bonding ply to grp to make backing plates and stays put when you place it. As long as it's not too heavy lol. You can drill it tap it, fill oversized and worn screw holes in wood etc. Despite it's name, it's an insulator too, so can seal delicate circuits or cracked instrument cases etc JB weld is also a great product, expensive but even better than Chemical Metal, in my opinion of course. Must get some gorilla glue for the boat, it's the only glue that I find that can restick soles to trainers etc... Richard

When superglue first came out, it claimed to stick anything to anything... I had to take mine back... I couldn't get the lid off lol...