Norfolk Broads Petrol And Diesel Boats To Be Phased Out.

[floydraser]

There could be problems with humans:

Remote charging points being broken/misused/vandalised.

A new discipline regarding MOB safety procedures - how to make sure the power is switched off - big red button I guess? Or is that already in place?

[FlyingFortress]

As I have mentioned in another discussion I had cause to shift one of BB s hybrids last year.

Always thought they were just a box ticking novelty but I was actually quite impressed. 👍

As I backed away from the berth in total silence I increased the throttle and the diesel started. So there is a capacity for silent cruising but obviously as not an owner of one just how much I don't know. Still does not address the issue of a diesel starting to boil a kettle though. I suppose if, and that is a big IF there was sufficient electrical infrastructure then it would not be an issue at moorings.

I know this is a thread drift but allowing for poor Journalism I don't think our diesel boats are under threat of being banned any time soon.

[OldBerkshireBoy]

On 16/11/2022 at 17:50, OldBerkshireBoy said:

There is news story that will break very soon only I am not allowed to say!  

Can expect the EDP to report an overnight theft of all boats from a southern yard any time soon with pictures of an empty yard. 

Yes the yard is now empty!

[ExSurveyor]

50 minutes ago, OldBerkshireBoy said:

Can expect the EDP to report an overnight theft of all boats from a southern yard any time soon with pictures of an empty yard. 

Yes the yard is now empty!

The truth differs from the speculation.

[OldBerkshireBoy]

51 minutes ago, ExSurveyor said:

The truth differs from the speculation.

We all know what to expect when it comes to newspapers reporting facts dont we. 

[MauriceMynah]

Perhaps Exsurveyer's post should have read

"The truth differs from the facts"

 

[Smoggy]

7 minutes ago, OldBerkshireBoy said:

We all know what to expect when it comes to newspapers reporting facts dont we. 

You'll get modded with statements like that, newspapers and facts in the same sentence indeed, whatever next.

[OldBerkshireBoy]

2 hours ago, FlyingFortress said:

I know this is a thread drift but allowing for poor Journalism I don't think our diesel boats are under threat of being banned any time soon.

Getting this thread back on track, you are correct, there is no threat at all. It is all speculation at this moment in time. 

[oldgregg]

Indeed they are not under threat any time soon.

There is currently no viable alternative to having some form of combustion engine aboard a Broads hireboat.

I think the benefits of hybrids (whether that be series, parallel or even series parallel) are considerable now that the technology has matured and decent control systems are available off the shelf, but full electric is a long way off and hydrogen would be even more expensive.

 

[Vaughan]

2 hours ago, oldgregg said:

There is currently no viable alternative to having some form of combustion engine aboard a Broads hireboat.

So there is no point in quangos like the BA trying to make green "national park" publicity by banging on about it.

You will only persuade the public to change their ways and longheld habits, if it is an attractive and practical proposition. Spending thousands on something which will be less efficient and limit cruising availability by probably half, is certainly none of those!

As the BA rangers' launches tend to be kept in isolated wetsheds in remote locations, such as Irstead, this sounds like a rather expensive installation coming up.

Guess who will end up paying for it.

[MargeandParge]

Quangos wax lyrically. 

Regards Marge and Parge 

[Vaughan]

I have just thought : do they propose electric dredgers, serviced by electric cargo barges?  Or battery powered chain saws, for clearing fallen trees?

If they are really going to go "zero emissions" they are going to have to give it rather a lot of thought.  And no doubt, spend rather a lot of our money, tilting at windmills.

[JanetAnne]

5 hours ago, Vaughan said:

I have just thought : do they propose electric dredgers, serviced by electric cargo barges?  Or battery powered chain saws, for clearing fallen trees?

If they are really going to go "zero emissions" they are going to have to give it rather a lot of thought.  And no doubt, spend rather a lot of our money, tilting at windmills.

Sitting here watching the Oulton Broad dredger I think I can safely say its diesel usage and subsequent emissions are definately not an issue. 

[marshman]

Interestingly. whilst dredgers mud wherries are another issue, you will be interested to know that whilst the last tree surgeon I had on site did have the traditional chainsaws for the big stuff on the ground, he did use one of the electric chainsaws whilst aloft.

He was using ropes aloft and swore by his electric chainsaw up there - the chief benefit being they are light and you don't have the problem of starting them aloft! You can now get them up to 12" and you can easily carry a spare battery in your pocket. Watch them up a big tree and they spend hours adjusting their position, and not a lot of time cutting so in that respect they are much in use today already.

I was in the Acle Stihl shop the other day and they do are a huge mail operation with the electric saws being big business - in addition a lot of the professionals use the premixed petrol as that is not standard petrol but that long life stuff. The petrol saws are no longer surrounded by a haze of blue smoke and they are much easier to start - I have been using that stuff for the last 5/6 years and I think one of my cans dates back to that time and is still fine!! More expensive but worth it - they sell it by the pallet load!

[MargeandParge]

I know a gardener with an electric jobby means he can start early without disturbing all and Sunday

Regards Marge and Parge 

[grendel]

I have a small electric one on a pole for trimming my apple tree, I also know a lot of people who have gone over to the big 48V ones with standard size blades (18-20"), both because they are quieter,(not needing to run while between cuts,  and dont use fuel, they charge a spare battery while cutting from a portable power bank, and can keep going all day just swapping between batteries, they use them both for cutting down trees and clearing brush.

[Smoggy]

11 hours ago, marshman said:

in addition a lot of the professionals use the premixed petrol as that is not standard petrol but that long life stuff.

For occasional use you can't beat it, none of the gummed up carb from stale fuel, start easily straight away and run properly which makes it safer than a spluttering chainsaw grabbing hold of things as it struggles to rev.

[SteveO]

I have switched over to an electric chainsaw. Mainly because I was having repeated starting problems with my infrequently used petrol one. I am now thinking about going down the battery route for my lawnmower. Whatever the engine manufacturers say, it doesn't seem to like E5 petrol and I can't afford to spend an hour each time I use it draining the petrol, cleaning the carb, reassembling and refilling. 

[annv]

Hi The trick with any infrequently used petrol fuelled carburettor engine is to not just switch off but to shut the fuel off then run at high revs to drain/use up the fuel in the carburettor to stop the engine, this will stop the jets from gumming up, their is no need to drain the fuel from the tank just tighten down the air valve in the cap. John

[FairTmiddlin]

2 hours ago, annv said:

Hi The trick with any infrequently used petrol fuelled carburettor engine is to not just switch off but to shut the fuel off then run at high revs to drain/use up the fuel in the carburettor to stop the engine, this will stop the jets from gumming up, their is no need to drain the fuel from the tank just tighten down the air valve in the cap. John

Problem is a chainsaw never has a fuel shut off valve. Not in the 50 plus years I serviced them anyway.

[Smoggy]

Run the last tank with aspen and it'll start and run fine 2 years later with no problems, do the bulk of the job of regular fuel mix if worried about cost and finish up on aspen again before leaving the chainsaw in the shed for another 2 years.

[Turnoar]

I only use e10 super in anything petrol powered. Apart from anything else it works out far more economic than the small premium over the e5 shandy they’ve been selling since a few months back.

Aspen sounds like good stuff and that’s a good tip re just using for the final tank full as it’s a bit more expensive. Is the performance improved significantly, wondering if the Lerryn Seagull buoy racers would gain an advantage?

[Smoggy]

No power boost as far as I'm aware, just doesn't go manky like regular fuel.

[stumpy]

3 hours ago, Turnoar said:

 

Aspen sounds like good stuff and that’s a good tip re just using for the final tank full as it’s a bit more expensive. Is the performance improved significantly, wondering if the Lerryn Seagull buoy racers would gain an advantage?

Aspen is cracking fuel, we use the ready-mix 2T in our strimmer and rotavator on the allotment. Never had any starting problems after being stored for some months. £20 odd a gallon but with 25c.c. engines a gallon lasts a couple of years.

[NeilB]

Broads Tours have just announced they are building 8 x electric dayboats for next season, further details to come.

Unusual for a dayboat to have a weed hatch so I'm wondering if they are going for a concealed electric outboard or pod system, hard to tell from these photos.

Of course, dayboats are an easy win for electric power being back at base every night for charging and no domestic demands.