Tales Of The Unexpected?.........

[vanessan]

1 minute ago, andyg said:

Don't gas bottle's automatically change over when one has run out ?? All the boats I've hired recently certainly have had this function fitted. Or was it a case of both bottle's being empty. I thought hire yards fitted this system to stop customer mucking about with the gas supply. 

That’s always been the case as far as I know, just a matter of swapping the fitting over. The second gas canister was full but needed the spanner to achieve the changeover. 

[twowrights]

We're on an older one, Bronze Gem 2 and it's spotless. And if it's good for enough for Robin and Shelia ...

[andyg]

26 minutes ago, vanessan said:

That’s always been the case as far as I know, just a matter of swapping the fitting over. The second gas canister was full but needed the spanner to achieve the changeover. 

No they have an automatic change over fitting. I've run out of gas before and the yard has brought new one bottles out. But I've never had to change from one bottle to another. 

[vanessan]

18 minutes ago, andyg said:

No they have an automatic change over fitting. I've run out of gas before and the yard has brought new one bottles out. But I've never had to change from one bottle to another. 

Not all boats have automatic changeover although hire boats might these days I guess, I wouldn’t know. On ours, we change the fitting over ourselves. 

[ranworthbreeze]

We change ours over too, its a case of using the bottle spanner and changing over the regulator from one bottle to the other.

 

[NotDeadYet]

I have a general dislike of gas on hire boats, so very happy to be hiring an all electric boat this summer. 

[Cheesey69]

Usually, a pipe from each cylinder goes to a regulator which can select from each bottle or indeed, none at all. 
so you can draw from each bottle without disconnecting it. 

[Vaughan]

12 hours ago, NotDeadYet said:

I have a general dislike of gas on hire boats,

That is your free choice, of course.

It would be interesting to hear how you got on with your all electric boat, after your holiday.

[Smoggy]

I have a deep dislike of the all electric approach, just makes for more running engines at anti social hours wether main engine or generator and both have the same risks as gas with exhaust gasses.

Gas has been working fine for years.

[OldBerkshireBoy]

At the moment I dont see how a well designed and correctly maintained electrical system might lead to more running of engines at anti social hours as long as recommended hours of cruising per day are observed seeing as these boats are so new.

[annv]

If you have to run the engine on a all electric boats this defeats the purpose of having batteries or more likely not enough batteries to save money and sell more diesel and you don't have to run the engine longer if size/output of alternator is correctly worked out to maximise charging rate/time, cost cutting methinks. John

[WherryNice]

Don't some 'all electric' boats have a hefty generator that has to run whilst cooking etc? 

[Smoggy]

Yes there were some that got moaned about as the genny was louder than the main engine, can't remember who's fleet though.

[Helian]

We are "all electric" and have 2 new 110A leisure batteries but you can't use them to cook from. We also have a factory installed (built in in the engine bay) generator for when we need to cook, but a mains plug in is not available.  It's much quieter than the main engine and we try to finish by 8pm but not always possible.

[Smoggy]

So what is used for a kettle? Genny or inverter, 2x 110ah seems low for that sort of usage.

I'm thinking of a late night brew after the pub and a genny kicking in to cheer up the neighbours.

[Helian]

Generator or mains. Batteries will not support kettle. Obviously we would not start generator late at night. 

[NotDeadYet]

10 hours ago, Vaughan said:

That is your free choice, of course.

It would be interesting to hear how you got on with your all electric boat, after your holiday.

Yes, I look forward to that.  To explain my dislike of gas, I have seen several 'incidents' involving bottled gas and thus have a healthy regard for the safety aspects.  I love gas as a fuel source, though!

[NotDeadYet]

Whoops, I've generated a rather cynical discourse!   Look forward to reporting back in due course.

[vanessan]

34 minutes ago, NotDeadYet said:

Yes, I look forward to that.  To explain my dislike of gas, I have seen several 'incidents' involving bottled gas and thus have a healthy regard for the safety aspects.  I love gas as a fuel source, though!

I’ve been boating on the Broads for nigh on 40 years and I honestly can’t remember hearing of any incidents. I don’t doubt there have been though, any examples?

[vanessan]

Having returned home after 26 days on the boat, the grass is a tad long. No problem though, there’s always a little helper - 

[NotDeadYet]

1 hour ago, vanessan said:

I’ve been boating on the Broads for nigh on 40 years and I honestly can’t remember hearing of any incidents. I don’t doubt there have been though, any examples?

To be clear, my incidents were not on the Broads, but they did involve boats.

[annv]

A properly installed generator should be almost silent i had one on my last boat (although i  didn't cook with electric) it was more noticeable inside than outside, the loudest part was the water dripping from the exhaust, running engines when moored and statutory that can be heard is not acceptable these days there are lots of insulation deadening types on the market and if its water heating a 50 webasto type water heater is silent running and most economical and heats water almost as fast as you us it. John

[Vaughan]

4 hours ago, Helian said:

but a mains plug in is not available. 

That is presumably because shore power points on moorings are only a 32 amp supply, designed to run battery chargers and small appliances.

If boats start trying to plug domestic cookers into them, the supply will very soon trip out.

[Helian]

3 hours ago, Vaughan said:

That is presumably because shore power points on moorings are only a 32 amp supply, designed to run battery chargers and small appliances.

If boats start trying to plug domestic cookers into them, the supply will very soon trip out.

We have a proper (110v) marine cooker, NOT a domestic 240v one! 😬 It works with 240v 16a shore power via transformer and our 4kva 110v Koler gen. For the record kettle is also dual voltage 😊. No supply tripping.

[annv]

I have just built a new bungalow when wiring was installed in the kitchen i said that although we wanted all gas i wanted the electric supply to be installed for a electric cooker i was told that you didn't need a large amperage cooker supply as apparently modern electric  cookers can run of a 13 amp plug we ended up with gas hob and electric micro wave cooker and oven which runs of ring main through fuzed switch so i guess modern boat electric cookers will run from 16 amp socket,  it still dosint work as well as our previous gas one did BUT!!! our smart meter only goes into amber when oven is on,   they said that house hold gas ovens were going to be phased out in a couple of years time. John