New electrics and inverter for Home James

Posted on 6th May 20206th May 2020 by admin

Since we bought Home James we have never been entirely happy with the electrics and the inverter.

So during Lockdown we decided to give it an upgrade, luckily Sandra and Jimmy from A.C.E. Electrics came to get fuel and water as there was no access to their own mooring and they had no work due to the lock down so I asked them to sort the electrics and the inverter. Time to pay it forward! They sent me a list of things they needed and they came back later in the week to carry out the work. Social distancing maintained and no one was on the boat the week before or the week after.

They did a great job!

New Isolators and wiring installed including a link switch to link both sets of batteries together in case of emergency.

New inverter is now 2.5 KW pure sign wave inverter and charger.

Earthing replaced

Home James has never been so sorted!

We are still open 4 days a week!

Posted on 19th April 202019th April 2020 by admin

We are still open for essential supplies, we are still getting regular deliveries of Gasoil (red diesel), solid fuel (smokeless, logs and kindling) and LPG bottled gas including patio gas and BBQ Gas

We have a good stock of many boating items but none stock items are a bit hit and miss, , many of our suppliers have closed down their smaller depots and are just operating from their main warehouses. Deliveries are also struggling to get to us, with most courier companies no longer guaranteeing timed (24/48hr) deliveries. If you need anything please give us a call and we will see what we can do.

What days and times are we open?

We are currently open;

Friday 10:00 am until 4:00pm*
Saturday 10:00 am until 4:00pm
Sunday 10:00 am until 4:00pm
Monday 10:00 am until 4:00pm

*Except 1st May 2020 as it my son, Archie's 3rd Birthday and I am spending the day with my family. It will be an unusual birthday for him this year as he will not be surrounded by family and friends. I am sure you will understand in these difficult times how important it is to spend time with your family. It was also my birthday earlier this month so we will be planning a family get together to celebrate when things return to normal, we will be like the Queen and have 2 birthdays this year.

Stay safe

Thorn Marine Covid-19 (corona virus) latest APRIL 2020 (updated)

Posted on 4th April 202012th April 2020 by admin

With the current movement restrictions in place all non essential travel is banned this also applies to canals, whilst this order is in place we have no option but to cancel all Day Boat trips. We have contacted all the people who have bookings for April and have either moved them to a new date or refunded them. We have taken the unusual step of opening up next years diary so we can move you bookings to 2021, this is only for existing booking. If you have boat booked in May we will contact you when we know how long these restrictions are going to be in place for, again we will either reschedule you trip for later in the year or next year, or we can cancel and refund your deposit. If you wish to contact us to reschedule the please call us on 01925 265129.

It is really the same situation with hire boats as it is with the day boat.

We will be launching a no deposit booking scheme for later in the year soon, this will allow you to book with confidence and you will be able to cancel at any point upto 7 days before hire, more details will follow soon.

Again let me assure you your welfare is our priority, we have updated our cleaning policies and are regularly sanitising all contact points, door handles, card machine, worktops, etc

The shop is currently only open 10am until 4pm Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. We will monitor this and comply with any government advice. We believe diesel, coal, water, gas, pump out, elsan, etc are all essential supplies and services. We are still getting supplies from all our suppliers and can order any special items in for you.

Boat Safety Scheme Certificates are temporarily suspended until 14th April 2020 please see the website for more information. Please make sure you read it as there is some important information on there! If your BSSC is due in the next 3 months, please get in touch with us NOW as we already have about ten on the waiting list, we will add you to the list and get to you as soon as we can.

https://www.boatsafetyscheme.org/about-us/news-and-press-releases/news-releases/nr20-001-covid-19-bss-temporary-suspension/

We are still booking in boats for maintenance and blacking so if you need work to be done please contact us.

Also if you are stuck or need supplies, etc then please get in touch and we will do what we can to help!

Thanks for your help and understanding with this rapidly changing situation, as and when we know more we will update the site and facebook, if you are unsure about anything, please give us a call and we will see what we can sort for you. The phone is on divert to Nigel’s mobile 24/7.

Please remember going to or out on your boat may not be deemed as essential travel by officials see the statements below form Canal and river trust and The Bridgewater Canal Co.

https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/enjoy-the-waterways/safety-on-our-waterways/coronavirus

http://www.bridgewatercanal.co.uk/news/article.aspx?ID=281&fbclid=IwAR2suLiYc-zq2DH_pHmtKCM2d_l7TtX0fYJVf1BcVb-uaKCNB-HmYwVMhpw

Keep Safe and Well

Margaret, Brian, Nigel and Dan

Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week

Posted on 19th November 20198th April 2020 by admin

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colourless, odourless, tasteless, poisonous gas produced by incomplete burning of carbon-based fuels, including gas, oil, wood and coal.

Anything that burns with a yellow flame produces Carbon Monoxide; fires, faulty gas appliances, candles, etc. Boat engines and generators also produce Carbon Monoxide.

CO can also be produced from the ashes from your fire, please ensure ashes are stored outside away from vents in a suitable container with a lid. Please see this form the BBC; Carbon monoxide warning over ash from stoves

Carbon Monoxide is heavier than air.

NO, carbon monoxide is slightly lighter than air, Carbon monoxide is 28.01 g/mol and air varies from 29-32 g/mol, depending many factors including composition, temperature, elevation, humidity. However two things to consider, firstly it is usually produce by fuel burning appliances, they produce hot gasses, hot air rises, second, it has been found that carbon monoxide mixes very well in air, with drafts etc. and will equalise throughout the boat.

It is CO (Carbon Monoxide) not CO2 (Carbon Dioxide).

Many people mix them up, CO2 can be dangerous at high quantities and is not good for the environment, but is generally harmless.

I don’t have any fuel burning appliances, i’m fine.

You can still get Carbon monoxide in you boat from you neighbours boat, engine, generator, etc.

All my appliances are Balanced flue (room sealed).

These type of appliances are safer than flue less or open flue, but only if maintained and checked regularly.

The symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning are not always obvious, particularly during low-level exposure.

A tension-type headache is the most common symptom of mild carbon monoxide poisoning.

Other symptoms include:

dizziness
feeling and being sick
tiredness and confusion
stomach pain
shortness of breath and difficulty breathing

The symptoms of exposure to low levels of carbon monoxide can be similar to those of food poisoning and flu.

If you think you have been exposed to CO please seek medical advice from your GP or call 101, or you think you have been exposed to high levels go to your local A&E.

The Symptoms of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning from Boat Safety Scheme on Vimeo.

For the best protection, follow the alarm manufacturer’s installation instructions as far as the space and nature of the boat allow.

But if the placement directions are difficult to meet on your boat, these are the ‘best practice’ points

Try to place the alarm:

in living quarters between 1m and 3m (on plan view) from the appliance
in living quarters fix alarms high up on a wall, but at least 150mm from the ceiling and where the indicator lights can be seen
in sleeping quarters have the alarm in the “breathing zone”, i.e. near the bed head
before fixing, test that you can hear an alarm from any position in the boat (or buy an additional alarm)

Don’t Forget to test them regularly, If it doesn’t work it can’t save your life!

Bottled Gas

Posted on 16th November 20198th April 2020 by admin

We have just re-negotiated our prices for some of our LPG bottled gas and it is good news.

If you currently have a Extra or Harris gas bottle the the cost of a 12kg Butane bottle has dropped to £25 for a refill from £27.50!

If you require a new bottle our bottle charge has now Dropped to £20 from £30

New mobile fire will be available soon from £99

What does this actually mean if you need a new bottle it will typically cost you £81.75 or £41.75 for a refill from a well known brand!

Ours are £45 for a new bottle and £25 for a refill, out bottles are a little bit smaller 3kg(easier to carry), but with this factored in it is still a big saving!

Big saving on patio gas as well!

Give us a Like or a review – Please

Posted on 14th November 201913th April 2020 by admin

5*’s on Airbnb

Posted on 9th November 20198th April 2020 by admin

We have hosted our first two guests from Airbnb, and we are feeling great as both have left us 5* review, proves we must be doing somethin right!

It is quite a unique experience staying on board Home James, we will be on hand to welcome you onboard and show you round, and are available during you stay.

If you are planning a trip to Cheshire or you have friends or family coming to Stockton Heath and are looking for somewhere different to stay? You can now book to stay on Home James for as little as 2 nights, It is currently only available during our low season November to February but if it works we will offer this all through the year when we have space available!

AirBnb

This is for static hire only, if you wish we can arrange a short trip at an additional cost, or if you wish to take the boat out for a break please book this through out website HERE or you can call us on 01925 265129 or email us at bookings@thornmarine.co.uk.

First Airbnb guests

Posted on 1st November 201910th April 2020 by admin

If you are planning a trip to Cheshire or you have friends or family coming to Stockton Heath and are looking for some where different to stay? You can now book to stay on Home James for as little as 2 nights, It is currently only available during our low season November to February but if it works we will offer this all through the year when we have space available!

AirBnb

Online booking and Airbnb!

Posted on 27th October 201910th April 2020 by admin

If you are looking to book a short break you can now do it through our website. Simply click the “Book a short Break” Button top right or on any of the short break pages, this will take you through to a booking page have look at the instructions, the system is based around a hotel booking system, so is not a perfect fit for boat hire but does a good job and it is free so we don’t have increase our cost to cover it.

Have a look here – Booking Page

You can also pay you deposit and balance online, we have teamed up with a company called FabPay, fear not they utilise SagePay as there payment gateway, it has the highest level of card data security (PCI DSS Level 1) and is 100% secure.

Fear not, if you do not want to book online we can still get you sorted either over the phone or in store, give us a call on 01925 265129 or email us bookings@thornmarine.co.uk and we will get back to you.

We have also sorted out pricing for next year, we have had to raise the prices a little £20-£40 for a midweek break BUT we have decreased the weekend prices by as much as £170! We have also added an automatic discount to the system, if you book a weeks break you get a 10% Discount and for 10 days or more 15%

Cheshire Cat

Home James

If you are planning a trip to Cheshire or you have friends or family coming to Stockton Heath and are looking for some where different to stay? You can now book to stay on Home James for as little as 2 nights, It is currently only available during our low season November to February but if it works we will offer this all through the year when we have space available!

AirBnb

End of an era at Claymoore Navigation.

Posted on 6th April 201910th April 2020 by admin

For over 40 years Claymoore Navigation have been on the Bridgewater Canal offering great affordable boat hir.

Sadly last month they closed their doors for the last time, the boats and most of the equipment were auctioned off and the site is now empty.

We have always worked very closely with them as we were in the same line of business, including hiring out each others boats and helping their customers when on holiday. They will be missed on the Bridgewater.

We are still in regular contact with some of the staff and they have found new jobs or are taking a well deserved break.

In November of last year we were asked to take over the running of Cheshire Cat, please follow the link for more information, she is what is known as a sponsored boat as in the boat is owned by a private individual who uses the boat occasionally but the rest of the time is let out on hire, manged by us. We still have space available through the summer if you are looking to book your break.

We are aware of some of their customer who booked in advance will unfortunately not able to take their holidays, as mentioned above we do have availability on Cheshire Cat, but our Dayboat is booked up weekends until Mid October and we have very few weekdays available.

We will have a second short break hire boat operating in the near future (in time for the summer), watch this space!!!!!!!!