Tag: Narrowboat life

A trip on an electric Narrowboat ?

Recently there was a 92nd Birthday in the family. (Happy Birthday Nan!)

Previously on my maiden single handed trip to Hungerford, I had set up a camera on the front of the boat and had intended on just seeing what sort of things it would see (as I’d be at the back driving and doing the locks etc).

Then it turned out that my wife’s Nan would probably enjoy seeing the footage as part of her 92nd Birthday party coming up.

That’s far too long babe!

So my wife exclaimed when I said I had a couple of hours footage across two days and a few locks.

So the editor came out and I set about the trimming session.

You can only use what you have

More importantly, you can only use that which you pay for and in my world, I’m bottom of the spend list so I run Linux on an old notebook type of laptop.

My android phone comes into it’s own with video editing too as I can add text and other cool modifications to the videos too.

The finished video

The editing process isn’t very complicated but a 6 minute video takes upwards of 3 hours to cut down from 2 hours.

The camera I used was recording and saving every 5 mins of video, so there were lots of separate videos.

The software used on Linux was OpenShot and this lets you import your videos and place them on the timeline with effects and other tweaks.

Much of the travelling shots are sped up by 4 times and this removes the sound. However there are plans to make more videos but that’ll be later this year probably.

Once the video is cut down and I’m happy with the length and content. I can move it onto the phone. This is a laborious task as the notebook needs to convert / export it’s finished video and that takes around 3 hours to complete.

Once the OpenShot video is on the phone (USB transfer is still slow but works), I can then open into a video making software and add text to the video and any other details I need.

Stick it online

Once I am as happy as I’ll be or have just lost the will to continue, I upload the video to YouTube.

Once in YouTube, the video is scanned for copyright infringement and is available to view.

I scroll through the video and pick a presentable cover / title screen as this is what viewers will see as the “thumbnail” for the video and start telling people it’s online via Facebook and other social media.

Its online!

Once I have done all the above, I go about writing a short blog entry about the subject too (just like this one).

Having videos online is a mixed bag of “how many people have seen it today?” and “maybe it could do with music”, through to “They said they watched it and liked it!” Type of wonderment but overall, it’s nice seeing that little “viewed” figure climb over time and knowing someone else may have enjoyed it too.

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A change is afoot

So, as you know by now, this website was created to link people together and provide helpful little interesting information etc.

I wanted it to provide a place to go and have a short read on things that might be of interest or could prove useful for you the reader 🙂

I started strongly and posted a few blog entries but things in life took a turn and I now find myself afloat on the Kennet and Avon river / canal system.

While that particular story is long, complicated and full of injustices, I won’t detail it but sufficed to say – I am now a “water gypsy” aboard our family boat “Phoenix”.

What’s Phoenix?

Phoenix is a 37 foot narrowboat that we have owned for a decade or two now.

The original boat was called “Jade” and started life in 1972 as a hire craft. Yes, that meant that she spent most of her time either moored up doing nothing or was being bashed from pillar to post by some under experienced holiday boaters.

After her career as a holiday boat, she was sold on and eventually became someone’s home for a spell.

Sadly, as the story goes, the owner pulled up to a pub and went inside for his daily “rest”.

Little did he know that just before he arrived and moored up, the boat in the mooring spot before him captain had already been in the pub and started an argument. The argument ended and the boat left.

“Jade” was wrongly identified as the boat the argumentative captain was on and someone smashed her window and threw in a lit petrol can.

At the time, “Jade”, her owner and his dog were living aboard but only the dog was aboard during the fire. Happily, the dog jumped out the broken window to safety but “Jade” didn’t fair as well.

Due to the costs involved in making a narrowboat, “Jade” was fiberglass from the gunwales up (The bit folks walk on) and sadly after multiple gas can explosions on the boat, she was completed topless and full of burnt history when my Father purchased her.

Over the years we have seen her given a new roof and she was renamed to “phoenix” as it was the most fitting name for a boat reborn from flames.

Another important decision made was to make Phoenix an electric drive vehicle and we have spent much time and effort (mostly my Father as he is an amazing mechanical engineer) and she now travels mostly silently until she needs to regenerate electricity.

The generation process currently is a huge diesel generator that has to be run to put charge back in the drive batteries but it is without a doubt the most enjoyable way to travel on water.

What’s the plan?

The plan is simple. In order to reduce the amount of time to regen the electrics, solar has been ordered and should be being fitted over the next couple of weeks.

This solar power will trickle in and put charge back into the batteries while in daylight so this will help during the summer months.

So far, Phoenix and I have been from Newbury to Hungerford and I am hoping that this will extend as more power can be generated.

Down sides

The biggest downside to an electric boat is range. As with all electric vehicles, the recharge process is the bit that takes the longest time but as technology improves it is getting better.

There is no fridge really. That causes the odd visitor a bit of an issue if they like milk in their coffee or tea as I don’t currently have a reliable way to run the fridge yet. As my Father says “A fridge on battery is just a short circuited battery and that wont last long” He is right and even with a more efficient fridge, the power still needs to come from somewhere.

Post Conclusion

The idea of living aboard a narrowboat and changing your view whenever you like is a powerful draw but the practicality of emptying porta-loos, finding a water supply and the work required to get to these things (not to mention shops etc) isn’t as simple as it would be by road etc.

I AM SUPREMELY LUCKY! to have a wonderful family to support me and not a day goes by without them being heard in my heart and thoughts.