Charging Points at 24hr moorings

[alexandlorna]

I personally agree with BB , the cost is nothing , and it works well in general

Yes it would be nice to get new moorings and preferably with electric , but that will only happen with toll increases

Surely if these posts are as well used as they seem to be , they are self financing ?

I know lots of folks like the simple life , and are happy to basically camp afloat , but I prefer comfort and happen like having anything I need onboard

[BuffaloBill]

I'm all for a proper overnight marina with full facilities.

Marina Keys would be a good one at Yarmouth for

instance, if it was cut back off river and a proper basin

constructed.

George Smiths at Wroxham would have been a good one

too if Clive hadn't snaffled it up 

As for people wanting all this WiFi and high speed

internet etc, why have you come to the Broads? You get

that at home and surely you come to get away from all

the fast pace of modern living. A decent phone signal

is all that's needed in case of emergences etc.

Shorepower? Yes as it saves the noise of people running

their engines for hours so everyone on board can have

a shower etc.

Like most people, we come down for the tranquility that the

area has to offer and chill out.

JMHO of course.

[Matt]

The other advantage of electric posts is that it can make out of season cruising a little bit warmer!

[ranworthbreeze]

Last December when we were on the boat we had to rely on the electric posts in order to stay warm, we had 2 x 2kw heaters plugged into the shore power, our heating unit had been returned to the manufacturer for a repair.

It was rare for us to use more than one card unless we moored up early.

To answer wombat nee blow-ups question the reason that there can be a deficit on the meter is that someone has pressed the emergency button on the post to continue its operation, this deficit is taken off the payment on the next card inserted on that meter.

Regards

Alan

[Soundings]

 

 

Shorepower? Yes as it saves the noise of people running

their engines for hours so everyone on board can have

a shower etc.

 

 

So how many electric points exactly do we need to reach this panacea? And is there enough mooring space to accommodate them all?

 

It is impossible of course but maybe that illustrates that boats are "over-berthed" and/or have hot water tanks that are far too small. There are alternatives to using just the engine to heat water and that does not have to include shore power. 

[BroadScot]

Lets go back to B&W Tvs you paid £10 to hire for the week, Tank of fuel £10 with £5 back at the end of your holiday, damage deposits returned. Oh yes, wooden boats with loo only unless very posh that had a shower. Ooooppps what a lovely dream I had.

 

Personally I think leave the posts as they are, price card wise. If it works for the majority, why change it!

 

 

Iain.

[alexandlorna]

The posts need to be spread evenly along the moorings and also have a suitable number of outlets , not 3 posts 1 boat length apart .

We have reduced from original 6 berths to a much more comfortable 4 and fitted a very large hot water cylinder , which can be heated 3 ways , engine , via Eberspacher hydronic heater and by immersion heater

But the immersion route is always the first choice for simplicity

[SPEEDTRIPLE]

I always used to be very critical of 240v on a boat, but since we borrowed a 240v hookup with 3 pin sockets and its own circuit breaker from former forumite w44nty a few years back, i`m now a staunch supporter.  If you`re on a hire boat, you can use one to charge phones etc,. even run the boats own tv etc if they`re 240v. The only thing you can`t do on a hireboat with one is heat the water in the calorifier / hot water tank. So if you have one of these hook-ups you can at least keep most of the charge in the batteries.

 

Lightning has a 240v system wwith shore power hook-up, but we`ll still be taking our 3 socket one along, as i think having a couple of extra heaters on the go might overload the system.

 

Roll on November, we`ll see how well it works.

[MauriceMynah]

I used to use a greenhouse heater just to keep the chill off in my 25 footer, worked like a charm!

[Soundings]

Nothing wrong in going back, Iain, not if the moving forward has proven not too work as well as what went before. I know you said it tongue in cheek, but modern day televisions do not drain batteries badly. What you have here is a Catch 22 situation - boats are meant for cruising and batteries can only be returned to a healthy state of charge if one cruises for a fair few hours a day - at least four I reckon. Of course not everyone manages that as many are far too keen to ensure they get a prime mooring complete with leccie. To achieve this they have to moor up early

[Soundings]

 

But the immersion route is always the first choice for simplicity

Why is it simpler?

[SPEEDTRIPLE]

I forgot to add, why does it have to be a minimum charge of £1.00?.  It would`nt cost any more to issue cards from 25p, to however much you would need for an overnight.

 

When we were there in June, we managed to moor at many locations with postsand all but one, the one at Loddon, had credit left on it. We never used more than 20p per night, so as i said, why not make them start at 25p?.

 

I also like Robins idea of a pay as used idea, where you can`t plug in til you`ve put your card in, then have it automatically turn off and return the card when you unplug.

 

Unfortunately, the current system is`nt perfect, but it is pretty damned good, but whatever system you bring in to replace it, no matter how it works, it will always have some sort of drawback.

[BroadScot]

Hi Neil,

 

Yes very tongue in cheek. Just my own feelings are not to pollute the moorings we do have all covered in lecky posts. With the odd exception, I have always tried to cruise for about a minimum of four hours per day.

 

Boats with very young kiddies aboard I can see the use of lecky posts for the heating etc. For us older folks, just put on more layers. Simples.

 

 

Iain

[alexandlorna]

Why is it simpler ?

 

Well for me anyway its a 30 second job to hook up , and then forget about it , I then run immersion heater , heating,  kettle ,microwave or whatever I wish , especially in the cold end of the season

 

Its cheap , does not burn my diesel , and is very controllable

We have two diesel heaters , one hot air (original and kept as standby) -not very controllable either , its hot or cold !

The other is a new hydronic system which heats the boat and/ or water and is very good , but diesel powered heaters are not ideal in extended use as they tend to eventually soot up and need stripping , so for me its simpler to use electric when its available and the other methods when its not

[imtamping2]

uuuuu hummmm

 

“You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time”.”

[ZimbiIV]

According to the eco worriers (sic) leccy is the cleanest, but where it comes from may not be, the main thing that bothers me is not the posts but the idiots that leave cables hanging etc.

We hook up if available for ease and comfort sometimes there is enough left in the meter sometimes we leave some on the meter so what.

Electric boats like electric cars will never work until battery technology improves.

The distance between the posts is just down to a planner who has all the qualifications but no common sense.

To go back to the as it should be boating brigade GET ASTRIDE YOUR LOGS.

paul

[Baitrunner]

How much does it cost to print, distribute, sell those cards. Probably more than 25p.

And I think you underestimate how much the kit would cost let alone installation charges and maintenance on a super sexy system.

I very rarely manage to get on a leccy point so just make do. Only ever had one problem when the batteries were on the way out.

JMHO

[Soundings]

No Paul, the boating brigade like boating, the self sufficiency that comes with it and the sense of adventure. Have you ever seen a 240 volt plug-in at a real wild mooring or in a quiet anchorage on the coast. Of course not. And that is the difference, broads boating is now about having a floating 5 star flat in a disneyfied environment. God forbid that you might not be able to use your microwave or electric heater when it is a little chilly.

[alexandlorna]

I think it all depends on what the individual wants , and no one point of view is correct

Some people get their kicks from shivering under a tent made of their rags and sticks, on a boat with no engine  , others want warmth , dry and yes a few comforts , but who can say which approach is correct , its what works for the individual that matters

Traditions are all well and good but nothing stays the same forever

Lets face it a few decades ago, you might not have been astride the logs , but they were certainly floating around you !

Be thankful toilets on boats have moved along with time ................

[SPEEDTRIPLE]

How much does it cost to print, distribute, sell those cards. Probably more than 25p.

And I think you underestimate how much the kit would cost let alone installation charges and maintenance on a super sexy system.

I very rarely manage to get on a leccy point so just make do. Only ever had one problem when the batteries were on the way out.

JMHO

 

If you buy a £1.00 card, you get £1.00 of leccy, so if you buy a 25p card, you will get 25p of leccy. Or are you saying when you buy a £1.00 card, they are giving you 25p of leccy free?. I don`t think so.  The cost of infrastructure to install these posts will all have been calculated into the overall charge for every unit supplied. So however much you spend on a card, the overall costs are factored in to every penny. So now matter how little you make the smallest amount, it`s already payed for itself.

[Soundings]

I think it all depends on what the individual wants , and no one point of view is correct

Some people get their kicks from shivering under a tent made of their rags and sticks, on a boat with no engine  , others want warmth , dry and yes a few comforts , but who can say which approach is correct , its what works for the individual that matters

Traditions are all well and good but nothing stays the same forever

Lets face it a few decades ago, you might not have been astride the logs , but they were certainly floating around you !

Be thankful toilets on boats have moved along with time ................

I agree 100% but the fact remains that the Broads is moving more and more towards Disneyfication and further away from what I call real boating. That is fine. My answer was to move my boating elsewhere...but I do love the Broads and have left with the feeling that those with a love of real boating are losing space to the floating flat brigade (who I do believe are the minority of registered toll payers). 

[Baitrunner]

Hi speedtriple,

I agree the cost of the card has all these factors included.

The point was if the printing, distribution, sales per card was let's say 20p you will only get 5p of leccy that then has to include the cost of the infrastructure. So maybe less than 0.1p of leccy per 25p card. You would be up all night with a bag of cards.

Ok this is all hypothetical but I hope it illustrates the point.

Alan also compared it to the cost of leccy in a marina but it is a different cost model. Shorter runs in a marina, guaranteed usage etc.

I am not against leccy points and like cheap, but even if you go out every weekend and use 2 cards each weekend it would only be £100 a year.

IMHO it's a fair price but it's all relative in my opinion.

[Viking23]

So with all these electric hook ups, what provision are the hire companies and private boaters doing about galvanic corrosion caused by electrical leakage, and a difference in earth potential of the supply, and that of the surrounding water?

Let's say a steel boat is moored next to you connected to the shore power, his anodes have seen better days, you connect your boat to the shore power, thus in effect you are connecting your hull and stern gear directly to his unprotected hull, via the common earth of the electric posts, so your anodes will then start to protect his boat.

People have fitted galvanic isolators, or isolating transformers, to help reduce or prevent this problem, but surely with more badly maintained boats on the system, and more hook ups, then this problem can only get worse.

Leaving an electrical supply connected 24/7 might cause quite a few issues if not provided for.

[ranworthbreeze]

On our 30 visits to the Broads I guess we will have used less than £40 worth of electric cards and we still have about 10 cards in our boat kit.

They are easy to buy, you can even buy them from the Broads Authority who will mail them to you.

Regards

Alan

[TheQ]

It's been interesting reading on this thread of the problems with posts / cards, personally I've not used them yet.

But when I get my Boat back from Boulters it will be Diesel Electric. (diesel generator, electric motor, battery pack for 3-4 hours if I don't switch the generator on). So at that point I will definitely use the posts, and if it works as it should, £1 for a charge up doesn't seem too bad.