Running Engines After Dark.

[Microbe]

Moored at the the Commissioners Cut. Another boat at the mooring has just shut the engines down at 20:17 hrs after being moored here all afternoon and starting them up at dusk. Is it just me that finds it inconsiderate, selfish and rude. I was hoping for a quiet end to the beautiful day.........🥺

[oldgregg]

I think the guidance is 8am - 8pm so they weren't too far off, but I think most people would tend to want to have the engine off before then. 

The problem is that people aren't great at planning and also electrics seem a total mystery to most, so they run the engine when the lights start to go dim rather than perhaps mooring at the end of the staithe and letting it run during the afternoon to make sure there's plenty of charge.

[floydraser]

Doesn't help the argument about boats not putting out much in the way of emissions either.

[PaulN]

Is this a problem of poor batteries that need replacing and poor alternators. I know hire companies say run the engine for 5 hours a day, but surely 2 or 3 hours cruising should keep the batteries topped up.

Last year a large hire boat moored next to us at Beccles and on the side it said quiet electric cruising. The occupants disappeared up the town and then the standby generator kicked in and we had that for a couple of hours, as it wasn't plugged into the shore power! 

When we moor on the 24 hour moorings without power e.g. as at  Womack, we never run the engine. All our lighting is LED and the TV and even the microwave run perfectly well from the inverter. We tend to boil a kettle for washing up (gas), this stops cold water going into the hot tank and so we still have nice hot showers in the morning.

Can't an information sheet on battery management be issued? We will all have to think about this with our cars in the future.

[oldgregg]

I see two things here.

Firstly, the reason they say 5 hours a day is that yes perhaps 3 hours at decent revs will be okay…..

But that’s not what people gently pootling round the north will do. 3 hours of 4mph isn’t going to achieve very much. An alternator’s rating is its maximum, not what it produces at low revs.

Yes the boats should have larger alternators and I’d argue maybe effectively a hybrid drive not so much for the silent running but just so you get the 10KW motor/generator topping the batteries up nicely. But they’re costly and hirers won’t understand them.

Secondly - An information sheet isn’t going to be read or understood my most hirers, unfortunately.

[NeilB]

26 minutes ago, PaulN said:

Last year a large hire boat moored next to us at Beccles and on the side it said quiet electric cruising. The occupants disappeared up the town and then the standby generator kicked in and we had that for a couple of hours, as it wasn't plugged into the shore power!

One of these pulled up next to me at Neatishead a few weeks ago, quiet it was not!  I don't understand why they have spent so much money on a new boat and expensive hybrid system, batteries etc only to skimp on the genset.  It was creeping into the moorings with the genset running at 1800rpm through what sounded like an un silenced exhaust - bit like a Connoisseur exhaust !!

I know you can get gensets that are virtually silent, so why not use one?

[Bikertov]

Sounds like a good argument for around 200-300W of solar to be installed on a boat - that could give a nice bit of top-up for the last part of charge on your batteries that can take quite a while using the alternator compared to the bulk of the charging cycle.

[LondonRascal]

This is not going to be a popular opinion but if you are on holiday - regardless of your boat or its cost and you want to heat some water up, or use the microwave onboard, is it so wrong to start your engine? Yes to many it would be seen as selfish and wrong - and I might also agree if it was say 10:30pm, but just after 8pm - no I don't really see a big problem.

I am guilty of this, indeed far later than 8pm - albeit I am on a Broad alone or some out of the way wild mooring, but I feel just a little more relaxed about this sort of thing. I think we have to learn to accept that for an increasing majority doing things that some may regard as anti-social is normal life to them, and if you do not talk to those who do this (not in an impolite fashion) they will not know they are doing anything that might annoy others. It is why I am so fed up my next door neighbour constantly complains about people 2 doors down to me, but will not talk to them because he is worried of 'making a scene'.

[Troyboy]

There is nothing worse than an engine droning away till the later hours. 8pm is more than late enough. Poor planning in some cases and complete inconsideration in most.

[YnysMon]

2 hours ago, LondonRascal said:

This is not going to be a popular opinion but if you are on holiday - regardless of your boat or its cost and you want to heat some water up, or use the microwave onboard, is it so wrong to start your engine? Yes to many it would be seen as selfish and wrong - and I might also agree if it was say 10:30pm, but just after 8pm - no I don't really see a big problem.

I am guilty of this, indeed far later than 8pm - albeit I am on a Broad alone or some out of the way wild mooring, but I feel just a little more relaxed about this sort of thing. I think we have to learn to accept that for an increasing majority doing things that some may regard as anti-social is normal life to them, and if you do not talk to those who do this (not in an impolite fashion) they will not know they are doing anything that might annoy others. It is why I am so fed up my next door neighbour constantly complains about people 2 doors down to me, but will not talk to them because he is worried of 'making a scene'.

Well, I don't blame you at getting annoyed at your neighbour who moans to you but won't complain directly to the offenders. On the other hand, I can understand if he doesn't want to get on the bad side of neighbours, particularly if he feels vulnerable in some way. We've all seen how neighbourly disputes can get out of hand.

However, getting back to the running of engines etc. I'm of the opinion that if we start to accept that anti-social behaviour/selfish behaviour is not a problem, then we have really lost it as a society. 

[rightsaidfred]

The 8.00 -8.00 guideline should never have been published, bye law 84 is the definitive and applies at all times, its not just noise that's the problem either  fumes can be an even bigger problem, I am sorry but anti-social behaviour is unacceptable anywhere and everywhere without exception, while it would be good to point out the nuisance being caused I can understand some peoples reluctance given the potential risk involved approaching some people these days.

Fred

[OldBerkshireBoy]

Can somebody tell me what does bylaw 84 say?

[CambridgeCabby]

29 minutes ago, OldBerkshireBoy said:

Can somebody tell me what does bylaw 84 say?

 

[OldBerkshireBoy]

16 minutes ago, CambridgeCabby said:

 

So taking bylaw 84 to the letter in the world that we live in today, I cant start my engine at anytime! 

[Broads01]

13 minutes ago, OldBerkshireBoy said:

So taking bylaw 84 to the letter in the world that we live in today, I cant start my engine at anytime! 

I wouldn't read it like that because starting your engine doesn't always give "reasonable grounds for annoyance", it depends when you do it, proximity to others, the volume and the length of time you run it for. The problem with the wording though is it's not definitive - it's a judgement call as to whether you could annoy someone or not. 

[OldBerkshireBoy]

Somebody, somewhere will always find a reason to complain but yes my post was tongue in cheek.

[CambridgeCabby]

The bylaw 84 (1995) which I quoted I agree is too general and not specific enough, and who decides what is reasonable or not ?

On BA 24 hour moorings the signage states not to run your engine outside the hours of 08:00 and 20:00 , I can’t (currently) find a corresponding bylaw to this, also does not state no running of an onboard (or otherwise) generator outside of these hours and I concur with the earlier post that some of these hybrid boats generators are louder than many other boats engines.

Another noise that I have found to be quite irritating is some boats diesel heaters which have insufficient sound suppressing , and these are often left running all night.

[Andrewcook]

Hi, I don't know whether it is a Private Boat or a Hired One but I had one that was Hired and asked him to switch his Engine at 9 PM as I gave enough time for it to do so He Apologized as the Boat Yard did not tell those rules about that. The Next day, I telephoned the Boat Yard concerned I told them directly to tell their Customers to hire their Craft of the Night time Rules from * pm till 8 Am. As to having lovely Chug around the Broads does spoil things for a nice quiet evening.  

[YnysMon]

6 hours ago, CambridgeCabby said:

Another noise that I have found to be quite irritating is some boats diesel heaters which have insufficient sound suppressing , and these are often left running all night.

Agree with that completely. One of the worst night’s sleep I had on the Broads was when moored next to a boat at Rockland St Mary. They kept their heating all evening whilst they were in the pub (!) and then all night too.  

[SwanR]

The issue of noise from the heating is an interesting one. I tend to think that if you’re boating at a colder time of year then it’s to be expected. 

[BroadAmbition]

The issue of noise from the heating is an interesting one. I tend to think that if you’re boating at a colder time of year then it’s to be expected. 

Agreed it is

What is not 'expected' is yards / owners failing to fit sufficient silencing so as to make the noise intrusive for their neighbours

Griff

[YnysMon]

51 minutes ago, SwanR said:

The issue of noise from the heating is an interesting one. I tend to think that if you’re boating at a colder time of year then it’s to be expected. 

Yes, whilst I didn’t get much sleep, I didn’t get very annoyed about their heating being on overnight as they weren’t doing anything ‘wrong’. The experience made me rather wary of side on mooring in the colder seasons when on shore power though. If they hadn’t been on shore power there’s no way they could have left the heating on all night.

I thought it rather silly and wasteful to leave it on whilst they were at the pub though. 

[MauriceMynah]

I have no idea of the external noise my heater makes, nor do I know how to do anything about it if it is noisy. 

 

I have been woken by other people's heaters, and have not had my blood pressure raised by the experience.  I think it a general boating noise, and part of my boating lifestyle 

So, all I shall add is, try to chill a bit more, and fret about the important things in life. If you need to know what's important, ask Chelsea14ian, he might be able to give some guidance on the matter.

[floydraser]

Whatever the rules may be and where ever you are on holiday, I always think that noise late in the evening would make it difficult for those with young children, trying to get them to sleep. I was taught that consideration of others is more important than my choice to do whatever I want. 

"I'm sorry, I wasn't told the rules" = "Whoops, I tried it on and and got caught".

 

[Troyboy]

The diesel heater is an interesting take on the noise issue. I remember being at Ranworth and the boat moored next to me had the diesel heater on most of the evening. It was very noisy but people need to keep warm I suppose.