Alarming Discoveries. This is Why Some Boats NEVER Leave Marinas
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 พ.ค. 2021
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After two weeks in the marina, getting the bottom blacked and a roof repainted we are almost ready to unplug from shore power and start cruising again. We’ve got a few narrowboat tasks to tackle but first… Let's take a moment and appreciate the hard work we’ve done painting the roof. In this film, we add the finishing touches to our home and show you what really happens when a narrowboat goes cruising off-grid.
What to do when all power on a boat goes? What if your batteries go flat? How to jump-start the flat starter battery? We are covering a lot in this one. Enjoy!
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That roof looks very impressive. A reward for all you hard work. Paint has to harden after it has dried, so you were wise to protect it. Boating is not the idyllic life some people imagine it to be. I'll be binge watching the next episodes to see what the power problem was. Thanks for sharing.
I say Marina made a stupendous job of that ordeal. 👏, Miles did ok too.
Keep cruising guys although it appeared very stressful you both handled it very well. That’s life!
The way you two cope with adversity is truly amazing! Congratulations and best wishes for the week ahead!
You two have such remarkable resourcefulness and resilience: down - sometimes - but never out! I love your lifestyle - challenging occasionally I know - but overall just wonderful. Thanks for sharing that lifestyle. 💙😀
Thank you for your kind words Kath, sending you our love 💜 xx
Living fully off grid in our van, we fully understand them issues!!
A woman of many talents, miles is a lucky guy ,have more adventures, stay safe, 😁👍
I love a girl Marina who isn't afraid to get her hands dirty and a Guy like Myles who is really organised and knows what needs to be done. On a boat you can try to forestall disasters but the unexpected always has a habit of catching you out at the most un opportune time
You've both worked very hard I'd say you need a day to relax and just enjoy life.
Luvz ya guysXX
It's in the DNA... Russian's not afraid of hard graft and the "made and make do" attitude
Dave is fantastic, he has helped us out so many times and taught us so much along the way. We’re only 6 months in to being on our boat now and have had so many problems but we now take it all in our stride and don’t stress anymore. There is always somebody who will help.
oh my gosh guys so sorry to hear about your issues , well our home has hit issues whats happened to trade persons all they want to do is rip you off when your down , i have a foot injury my hubby has a slipped disc and boy are we being taken for a ride ! but hey there must be someone decent out there ! we will pray for us both ! my love liz x
Sue Hall
Love your channel ❤❤❤
So Sorry you had a bad time after leaving the marina.
I had a 60ft narrow boat till 2006 When we sold bought a pub for the family to run sold that in 2018 still miss the boat. I am in my 70's do I watch your channel and 're live my passed live good luck to you both Love Sue ❤❤❤🌷🌷🌷🍷🍷🍾
Amazing.
What a time you two have had! Hope everything improves and batteries are working well. Thanks for sharing the hard times too. 🌻
"I need an angle grinder in my life. I just realized how essential it is." ~ at which point I went into laughter therapy mode because, Marina, that's the first time I've heard a woman say that! And you know what...at the rate you're going Marina, you'll soon be a right proper mechanic - good on yah mate! Between you and Miles, y'all are living life large. Great video. Stay safe - be well - many blessings. Namaste
It wasn't clear whether the wiring to the new switches was on mains or battery but if the light switches are on a mains circuit, please be sure that they are earthed. If the wiring behind the switch comes into contact with the metal plate, you will become the earth conductor.
So lovely to see you both working away doing the jobs that need to be done. Take care. Xxx
You will get it sorted
I hope this is the start of the road to recovery from all the faults. Fingers crossed. Chin up guys. Doing a great job.
Well that was eventful!
Hope it's now all sorted and you are back to cruising without any dramas.
Cheers,
Chris
We live off grid in rural Alaska so I understand entirely about twelve volt systems. Our advantage is we can charge with a pull start Honda generator. We do have some solar but it does little in winter when it can be dark from ten to three. Our main lighting is propane which provides a little heat along with light. Love your green fields.
Have only recently found your channel and am now engrossed,enjoying catching up from the first vlog,I'v learnt so much in the few I'v watched so far,and you are such an engaging likeable couple,Marina is mesmerising,the vlogs are beautifully made,thankyou,
Pete x
Good luck, I hope things get resolved soon. Thanks for the videos.
Looks amazing! Hang in there!
great episode
It isnt always plain sailing and its good to see the struggles as well. Hope you are both well.
So Happy even with gray skies
Marina, Miles, Great Vlog a always. Wow you have had a few distractions lately, but you keep smileing. I love the way Marina will get stuck in with a job, like changeing batteries etc. You two are fab. Take care.
So sorry you were having so much problems. It was interesting to view this vlog as it shows not all cruising is like a walk in the park.
Well done! A lot of the hard work is now done for a while. Time to enjoy just being out on the water. Next stop . . . sunshine and warmth ☀️🤞
You’re a very industrious couple. All that work you have carried out, virtually on your own. You looked very confident changing those light switches. Well done Marina and a great job on the dingy by Myles. Snow, then sun and that awful cold wind we’ve all been suffering from. Unlucky about the batteries, the earth lead certainly needs to be connected to the chassis.
Great resilience on show... Very cool..
Eureka a smile back on Marina's face ... new .battery charging .........."mushroom vent looking happier"
You two are such beautiful souls :)
Don't lose heart guy's, it's all sent to try us! your doing a fantastic job and the way you guy's are coping with the situations I have the up most respect and best wishes for you. It takes some doing. Take care and stay safe..
Amazing job grate work guys
Thank you so much Andy, thanks for watching 💜 xx
Aww, I’m really pleased you got sorted. I felt for the two of you when everything started to go wrong. Where’s an electrician when you need one, although your engineer was a god-send. Things can only get better, can’t they?
Take care, Richard
Great to watch again well done keep pressing on better days to come take care 👍
Your filming is so good makes me feel I am on Alba too.
You will have great stories to tell with all the memories of your traveling the canals, a long life lays ahead enjoy it.
We will indeed, thank you so much for watching William 💜 xx
Well done you both deserve a medal to scrap and paint a nafrrow boat roof is a task in itself you need a cover for the stern so you dont get so wet when your cruising we did this 30 years ago and really miss it . At least miles you have from russia with love with you i think its dotsidanya. Correct me
Marina , your a star 🌟
Hey guys, it happens to us all. Keep your chins up and don't blame Zender for escaping, Take care of yourselves and the roof. Bear xx
Wow what a first day away from the marina. When crushing is over you two need to write a book with pictures it could be a best seller. How much fun is this can't wait tell next weeks video stay safe God bless.
Life is boring without a few “scuffs” - stay adventurous! Thanks for vlogs, always appreciated.
Thanks for sharing guys . . .another great video. Such a shame about the batteries and power loss. The joys of narrowboat life I guess. Take care both of you.
The saying is “It doesn’t rain it pours”!! If it’s any constellation, I live in a Victorian house and recently had a leak at the front of the house and then at the back all in the space of a couple of weeks costing a fair amount to fix. Constant upkeep! Would love to buy a cookbook of all of your healthy and nutritious meals! Even if it were basic in the way it were printed, stapled together or something. Could have a cool name like Suppers on Alba. You seem to often be rustling up something tasty. Always enjoy watching your videos with my cats and fiancé! Feels like I know you both so well following your boat life story 🚣♂️
We hired a narrowboat from Devizes wharf last weekend and were hoping to see you along the way. Hope batteries okay now 😌
First rule of troubleshooting look at the last thing you worked on. Did you drag a solar panel through the water? Solar charger controller.
Second rule, connections.
Learning to use a meter isn't as hard as you might think.
You should cut the entire feature off that dingy and make a patch that's bonded from both sides of the hull. I recommend going over to Mads' channel (Sail Life) and watch any of his hole repairs. The same kind of philosophy applies to the dingy. OH and there's two more things: 1 the cleaner the area where the glue up is the better (like welding in aluminium), and 2 use baby powder to stop fiberglass getting into your skin. Cheers.
So good to see a lady getting stuck in to changing a battery. Wow Marina well done! Hope my batteries hold up this year now I'm out on the cut for at least 6 months. The batteries are at least 4 years old but I'm obsessed about mooring up in the sun for my solar
Quite an Adventure you had there. Howdy from South Jersey. Stay safe friends.
I think with all your battery problems, all your viewers ought send you ‘positive’ thoughts.
Good luck with everything
Connecting a high power cable to batteries when you're not sure where it goes can be potentially very dangerous. Could even cause a fire. It's really not a good idea to connect cables when you don't know where they should go. It might only be 12v but the current is massive.
Great video as normal. Noticed that you cleaned the glass door of the fire with something from a spray bottle. We use the ash on a damp tissue that works really well! Dave
Check your alternator output. Need 13+ volts to charge / start
A day in the life!👍👍👍
What a eventful vlog l was so pleased to see u on the move again, after the hard few weeks giving Alba a good lick of paint and making her look gorgeous 😊. What a shame for u both that u had a run of bad luck with things going wrong, u could honestly tell it was stressing u both out by ur facial expressions fingers crossed that all goes well for u 👍. Hopefully its just a loose wire on ur solar 12v system, start at one end and follow connections. Keep smiling because next week u will be laughing about it all. Take care 💜xx
Thanks so much for watching Simon. Solar is still a mystery, our engineer checked it out and he said it should be working haha The new set is on its way!
I really feel for you. These situations are stressful, let’s hope the problem is sorted now. Maybe worth considering getting a small generator converted to LPG as a backup especially in winter.
This and oversizing your solar (which is actually one of the cheaper things you can do) is a good insurance policy for any liveaboard CC. Easy to say as it all costs money, but it will save you money in the long run. Bricking a new set of LA batteries has to be a soul destroying experience and one I intend to avoid at all costs.
your Faux Sheppard's pie looks fantastic ....recipe Please..
🤗🤗 Just thought I'd send u both a hug, me thinks u might need one after all that!
Aw, sorry that y'all had such a stressful time. That not-shepherd's pie looked pretty good! And speaking of pretty good, y'all turned that stressful time in to a pretty good and interesting video.
Thanks so much Scott, so glad you enjoyed it 💜 xx
Yes Myles 🤖 great robot!
Hope the batteries are holding up alright. You two are very handy 🛠️😁
Right for solar panels check the wires for any faults as make sure power is in the wires then check using meter the power is going to your charge box note both section should be fused in some way usually quick blow fuses some times they can blow then check switching as in the converter bob power box depending on types as those trickle charge your batteries with the correct voltage as voltage is the important part. Also check all connection points clean them and make sure power is there. As solar Panels will give electric even in clouds just not the same power rate. as amps or watts. Volts should not change. Things are usually something simple that goes wrong make sure batteries are not draining when everything is switched off.
Clearly every boat needs a Marina, no matter how many Miles it might travel.
Wow, must have been very stressful for you guys. Hope things are getting better now?
I admire your stoicism.. If it were me, I would be grinding my teeth and pulling my hair! I know nothing about electricity what-so-ever.
Hi M & M from a Kiwi M, the only thing I thought about the roof painting was the colour, I thought you may get a bit of glare from it being white. Easily fixed with a pair of sunnies. Enjoying the vid's. cheers from kiwiland
Are metal switches a good idea especially n the bathroom? Hope your earthing is good.
sounds like you have a short in there somewhere.
also if the blocking diodes fail or are missing you can drain batteries as the solar panels work in reverse.
get your engine charge circuit running first and maje sure you have a meter on your leisure bank to monitor them.
then add the solar back in.
The new drawer bottom looked like MDF, if that is the case, highly recommend to paint it all over. As MDF will swell in damp environments. Happy cruising.
It is, thank you for the tip, great idea! 💜 xx
The best way to test a battery is an analyzer for about $30-$40 US from eBay - punch in the lead acid , CCA & Ah - displayed is floating charge, CCA & good to bad - useful for watching the life by comparing new test to years later when cold weather reduces a weak battery to dead. Plus some in this price range tell the starter current, voltage ripple & ... TH-cam has many videos on these battery analyzers. Oh I test marine batteries before I fish, wheelchair gel batteries , car, boat & lawn mowers.
Excellent video, Awww but I did feel for you when every thing was going wrong just remember bad luck doesn't last for ever good luck for your next video hoping the good luck has returned ☺👍
Weal in the end your food looked good:)
You two need a a portable battery jump starter, I have one for my truck and I have already used it to jump start several other vehicles, it works brilliant well worth the money. The actual unit I have is about 10"Lx4"Wx2"D, and 18000mAh lithium. Besides jump starting, it will also charge other electrical devices and has a built in emergency light, of course it needs to be charged as well but it holds a charge for a long time. You could also use a variable speed angle grinder, besides grinding, you can sand, wax and polish with it as well.
That shepherds pie looked pretty good actually
you need to take those terminals on the new battery and the ends of the wires and clean them and make them shinny , just using new lugs is not enough, they need to have the normal; corrosion cleaned off to make good contact.. yes even new parts need some tlc once in a while to make them work proper. CCHHEERRSS
It has been very weird weather for May this year, very cold.
hi guys me and my loverly hubby used to be as proactive as you two , then remember aging is not a good environment, being in your lifestyle its only when one of you get ill that you realise that life can be so hard , good luck ! our love stay safe and look after each other ! our love paul and liz x oh guys so sorry x
Thank you so much for watching Liz and Paul, sending you our love 💜 xx
Jesus - you guys really aren't getting a break at the moment.
The upside is that step by step Alba is turning into a brand-new narrowboat! Her monetary value must have doubled by now. ;-)
Have a good one and fingers crossed that you get at least a week of problem-free cruising!
Tripling the value as we speak hehe We are learning lots, that's priceless 👌
Have you checked that the alternator is charging the starter battery. Should have about 14v when engine on. Also some times the alternator can flatten the starter battery if the rectifier has gone bad in the alternator. Thanks for sharing
True, though 10V-ish voltage usually means one of the six cells is dead/shorted...
Why you change light switches when you should change the wires instead?
Also, loosing power may be an inconvenience, but overdischarging the batteries is definitely a very big problem, i suggest a battery protector (which disconnect the battery if the voltage goes too low) or at least a battery overdischarge alarm + a main power switch to disconnect the batteries.
(You still loose the power but, at least, you didn't loose the batteries also!!!).
A small emergency generator (with manual start) may also helps.
the best solution consists in separating the electrical system into two independent systems; if something goes wrong, you still have power on some appliances (this option requires an extensive rewiring job, which could be a great option given the state of the wires!!!)
You should have painted or put a silver back box on the switches
Just sorted my bow thruster and the bracket on my 240v generator. It would be a simple thing to do but a year ago I broke my back and smashed up my left arm. Ten times as long but needs to be done. I need a couple of days off just to get to some normality.
Marina, you are a special lady, Miles is very lucky. Have you checked the alternator charge rate?
The nightmare of electrics! full marks for your stoicism under so many accumulating problems, and doesn't it always happen when you're on a bit of a high having achieved so much, peckers up, well done Dave, onwards and upwards. I know the next one will be smiles cheer and blue skies. guy
Question :-Were the battery’s discharging ( going-flat ) before you changed the light switches ?
If Not :- Recheck all renewed or disturbed switches for incorrectly or loose connections .
As this would cause a short circuit ( current going to earth) hence battery not holding its charge overnight .
If Yes :-then you have a short circuit ( somewhere ) in the electrical system . A qualified electrician should be able to find the particular wire circuit very easily & quickly.
Don’t replace the battery bank just yet !i.e. util the short circuit has been correctly Discovered & rectified
Then run the engine to try to recharge the existing batteries .
P.S . Also. check the alternator is charging &has a tight belt .
"We need to bash some soul in to that chimney" :D It is a good bet that normal cruising will accomplish at least some of that before the summer is over.
Now see, there's a reason to leave the marina, if you never left then your chimney might remain forever soulless.
Ahahaha that's the way to think about it 😂
I need a Marina in my life. Sorry Myles!
If you run a diesel for long periods without any load you will wreck it, the bores 'glaze' and you will lose compression. If you need to use it to charge batteries while tied up put it in gear so it is loaded. Keep having fun! Mike
Love your vlogs….you inspired me to buy a boat and I’m moored just past you, her name is Alice May at the moment.
Oh wow, that's amazing, when did you moved on board?
Why don’t you spray your light back boxes silver to match the light switch rather than white. Will look. Might have a nicer finish. I do find it strange your leisure batteries where low unless unless you have an issue with your alternator, might be that your solar was topping up but only now when its failed are you finding alternators not up to it. I’d suggest taking readings at batteries when engine on and off, just in case Hopefully your batteries sit around 14 + Volts with engine running, before dropping back down to 12.8ish volts.
Another nice video
Could your light switch replacement have caused a short circuit on the steel body of the boat? Have you thought of getting a second 12volt battery from say a scrap yard and buying a 12 volt battery charger you could keep the second battery charged on a regular basis then use jump leads when a emergency crops up?
Interesting vlog! I can't believe the issues you had AFTER leaving the marina. What a lot of stress. And As I was watching the dinghy drifting away - I was "I DO NOT BELIEVE IT!" Just as an FYI - one of the mid roll ads was 17 minutes long. I don't know if you have any control over that but that is excessive. TH-cam is taking advantage! I will watch ads to help out vlogggers, but not when they are that long. We are Patreons - so we are supporting anyway - but we do like to help out a little with the ads.
Hi Justine, thanks so much for heads up and for being so thoughtful! No unfortunately we have no control over what ads are put on. If you watch from patreon you won't get any ads, your support is much appreciated 💜 xx
I always carry a generator and jump pack for this reason. But wished i had a spare regulator after mine snapped last night and emptied my gas bottle.
Better now than, have to do it later.
Hi Marina Myles,sorry you are having trouble with your battery’s it happens to us all things don’t seem to last now days,looks like you are doing all the hard work battery’s are very heavy come on Myles give your lady a helping hand ,think you have some electric problems just hope you know what you are doing I would hate to see you get hurt or do some serious damage,,love the blog till next time take care keep safe keep warm,John 👀🍺🌹🥂❤️🌈🔧🔧🔧🔧🔧
Good morning guys. Calling in from Nz. Gee that episode was quick. Generally speaking, wet cell batteries at 12v should have a 3-4yr life. Beyond that, brilliant. Solar panels not charging strange.!! Wish it was safe to come over, because I could check things out first hand. Free. Just give me a feed r shepherd pie. As payment. But please please please, use real meat. Lol. Love you guys. Keep em coming. Atb from down under.
It sounds like something is draining the batteries, or it's not charging. If you turn everything off and then disconnect the +ve battery terminal, you should be able to measure what current is being drawn, if any. You can use a multimeter for that, or an LED light so see if something is drawing current when it shouldn't be.
If you've got power last thing at night, you can always disconnect the battery until morning so you know for sure whether the battery is discharging itself of not.
You do know you can get chrome light switch backs ?
hi do you guys go live i love your show
Hey lovely, thank you for your kind words! We have done once for public, but mostly do livestreams for our patrons 👌