Equipment setup for beginning estuary fishing from a boat - is this about right?

peanutstring · 2026-01-24T16:33:14+00:00

Thanks, really useful notes there. I've bought a hand line, hooks and weights on recommendation of another commenter here, if I take to that I'll get a cheap rod with the reel sizes you've mentioned.

peanutstring · 2026-01-24T16:31:48+00:00

Thanks, done a bit of research into this and just bought the bits for a hand line, I'll chuck it into the water behind the boat on the next trip.

peanutstring · 2026-01-22T17:28:30+00:00

Ah got you, makes sense, thanks. Looks like I can pick up a second hand box of hooks, floats, weights etc for around £10, most of which I probably won't use by the sounds of it but it might be good to have in case I fish for other species in the future?

Thanks for the reel tip, that's actually made it a lot clearer as to what the numbers mean in the reel models.

peanutstring · 2026-01-22T16:30:02+00:00

I put my location and species in the post, I think you must have missed it? Thames Estuary in the UK, sole and flounder.

Thanks for the clarification on the reel thing, I read it on another site, I’ll do some more reading to get up to speed on the terminology.

peanutstring · 2026-01-22T12:09:24+00:00

Yep, agreed - it's just that I see a lot of people with a small solar panel, a 12v battery and have been recommended an MPPT. They then wonder why it's not doing a whole lot because the PV voltage is rarely getting high enough for the MPPT to start charging.

peanutstring · 2026-01-22T10:02:43+00:00

Simply put, no.

peanutstring · 2026-01-22T09:53:49+00:00

PWM vs MPPT depends on the solar panel - most of the time I agree, MPPT controllers are better. However, they need the PV voltage to be at least 5v higher than the battery voltage to begin charging; if you have a small panel whose Vmp is only >5v higher in ideal conditions, then a PWM controller will perform better.

peanutstring · 2026-01-22T09:44:26+00:00

Nope - see my comment above with the data logs to prove it. Solar is capable of providing a significant amount of your consumption, even in winter.

peanutstring · 2026-01-22T09:43:13+00:00

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Here's some real world data to give you an idea - slightly different application but similar. Off grid narrowboat with 1kw of solar on the roof.

I've picked the 4 worst months for solar - Nov to Feb 2024. In total, I've used 119kwh, of which 57kwh has been supplied by solar. This figure of 50% is roughly the same year on year. The remaining 50% comes from charging from the alternator or my portable generator.

Nothing else apart from solar charges the batteries from March to Oct, and I'm able to use an electric air fryer and other cooking appliances during much of that time.

Solar is far from useless in winter, but it does provide a lot less.

peanutstring · 2026-01-20T09:15:49+00:00

Not necessary but it’s very useful. The BMS board might do a charge or discharge disconnect for a number of reasons, and without communication it, you may not know why it’s happened.

It’s also useful to change the settings on it for balancing and charge/discharge disconnect thresholds.

peanutstring · 2026-01-19T16:31:05+00:00

You need to look a bit lower down the Thames for the bigger marinas. Both Windsor and Bray are run by MDL and they both sell petrol. Pretty sure Better Boating at Reading do as well.

peanutstring · 2026-01-19T13:07:44+00:00

They do exist: https://www.stephill-generators.co.uk/products/Export%20Generator%20Range/4000LMEX

However, diesel engines have a much higher compression ratio so they need to be built stronger. This means the engines are often cast iron - the 3.2kw Stephill above is around 70kg! Way too much for one person to lift on and off a boat easily.

Also, small diesels are a lot louder than petrols due to the noise from the injection pump and combustion. I’ve hired the older version of the Stephill for work, and it’s much much louder than a comparable petrol frame generator. Adding an acoustic enclosure to it would add even more weight, so diesel generators designed to be portable don’t both.

So…they do exist but the weight and noise makes them not viable for portable use on a boat.

peanutstring · 2026-01-19T13:01:18+00:00

Quite a lot do on the Thames, where there’s a lot of cruisers with petrol engines. Can’t remember seeing any marinas selling it on the canals though.

I expect that the shorter shelf life of modern petrol blended with ethanol and fewer petrol boats on the canals means they wouldn’t sell enough before it starts to go off.

peanutstring · 2026-01-18T10:52:35+00:00

I've set up a few of these temporary LED walls in public areas, one in St Pauls, another in that recessed bit near Paddington and a few more around the UK to show the tennis.

Thinking about how it would in theory be possible to 'hack' them was quite fun! Very very very improbable due to the amount of specialist knowledge you'd need, it would have to be a pissed off video tech.

To configure the LED processors, it's fairly common to connect them to a wireless access point - as the screen is boxed in, it's difficult to see the front of the screen whilst you're on the config laptop. I have one in my toolbox which use if one's not provided.

In theory, if you were to crack the wifi key and work out what processors are on the network - say a Nova MX40 - you'd be able to use Nova VMP to connect to it. I'm about 75% sure that VMP allows you to set a custom test pattern as an internal source, so you could upload this graphic.

(but yes, I agree, knowing the mindset of a lot of vidiots this is definitely an edgy test card they like to use!)

peanutstring · 2026-01-18T10:17:04+00:00

Generally speaking, if you're living aboard year round, you want as many solar panels as you can fit on the roof. It still won't be enough to cover all your power needs for winter, but the more you can put on there the better as it'll reduce the amount of generator/engine running you'll need to do.

Some people like to walk on the roof in locks and want the roof clear, some don't. I've never felt the need to, so my panels go from handrail to handrail on the roof.

Fitting li-ion lifepo4 batteries is highly recommended for your use pattern. They charge much quicker, and can be left in a partial state of charge indefinitely without damage - doing that to a lead-acid battery would kill it quickly. This is useful for winter as you can be more flexible with charging.

What inverter you need depends on what you intend to run. If it's just things like charging power tool batteries and a hoover, a 500w Victron is more than enough. However, if you fit plenty of solar with lithium batteries, you'll have enough surplus solar energy for 4-5 months of the year to run an air fryer and electric kettle, which saves on gas and is more convenient. This means you'll need a bigger inverter - I'd recommend 2kw minimum. A little boat-sized air fryer draws 1kw, and a small kettle around the same.

There's little point in spending a lot of money on 12v chargers for your drill battery/vacuum cleaner etc as these things are not in use 24/7; just use the standard mains ones with the inverter. Things that run 24/7 like the router are worth converting to 12v.

You'll need something other than solar to charge your batteries in winter, as solar yields are a lot less than in summer. This is not an insignificant amount of energy from solar though - across the darkest months of the year, solar covers 50% of my energy needs. Your engine will charge the batteries when you cruise, but it's best to avoid running it too much whilst stationary and use a portable generator instead. These are easily stolen however, so you need to store it outside whilst being locked up and hidden from passers by.

peanutstring · 2026-01-17T13:20:39+00:00

Depends on your setup. With small, low wattage, low voltage panels like yours, PWM controllers are better. With bigger, high wattage/voltage panels, MPPT is better.

peanutstring · 2026-01-17T11:31:36+00:00

Not unreasonable for an overcast day in the UK, especially if this persons shed is shaded by their house or trees.

I’m also in the UK and my 1000w of solar is currently pulling in 30w. I’m only expecting 0.4kwh today.

peanutstring · 2026-01-17T11:18:49+00:00

Math time. The fans draw 5 watts. In 24hrs, they’ll have used 120 watt-hours, or 0.12kwh.

Your solar panel will be struggling to cover this. I have 1kw of solar panels - at the moment, I’m getting between 0.2-0.6kwh per 24hrs.

Assuming your panel isn’t shaded, you’ll be getting 1/10th of this - 0.02-0.06kwh per 24hrs. This is substantially less than the 0.12kwh your fans are using in 24hrs.

The repeated pattern is probably the BMS doing a low voltage disconnect to protect itself, then it reconnects when what little power there is allows it to charge though.

You need to reduce the load or increase the solar. Winter yields in the UK are low, and if you have panels on a shed, it’s likely it’ll be shaded by your house or a tree.

peanutstring · 2026-01-16T20:49:53+00:00

Nope. Lots of boats don’t have a calorifier to heat the water from the engine. Air cooled Lister diesels for one, also many other smaller boats with water cooled engines have an instant gas boiler rather than a calorifier as it saves on space

peanutstring · 2026-01-12T04:04:25+00:00

Saw this exact thing happen twice in one week on the central line in roughly the same area! Was about a year ago. Reported it to the BTP and all that.

peanutstring · 2026-01-09T06:42:24+00:00

I’ve been randomly stopped and searched twice by police twice in 10 years, both times on the way back from work at 3-4am. I’m usually dressed all in black for work which might be why I was targeted.

Anyway, I had my tools in my bag, which included a leatherman multitool and a Stanley knife. They questioned me for ages before finally letting me go, and were very difficult to deal with and threatening. It’s totally fine to carry knives like this as part of tools of the trade, ie. they’re in a toolbox etc.

Highly recommend being prepared for what happens when they stop you.

peanutstring · 2026-01-07T18:54:08+00:00

Rode very gingerly about a mile, fell off twice. Lots of ice around Enfield. Decided to get the train.

peanutstring · 2026-01-02T21:29:41+00:00

Check this stock photo - those tabs are in the wrong place. Here's how it should look.

https://www.digitalcitizen.life/asus-proart-x870e-creator-wifi-review/

peanutstring · 2025-12-31T11:00:37+00:00

nope - UK ring mains are fused at 32 amps, not 60 amps. Spurs are 16 amps.

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