Alan de Enfield

Reported11 hours ago. The owner of a 'pirate boat' has described how his barge has been left stranded after a stretch of canal suddenly emptied for the second time in six months. Army veteran Dave Marshall, 53, awoke on board his canal boat — known locally as the Manchester Pirate Boat due to its distinctive decoration — puzzled as to why he found himself pushed up against the wall on Wednesday morning. When he peered outside, the reason became immediately apparent; a stretch of the Rochdale Canal beside New Islington Marina had almost completely drained. It marks the second occasion the canal has emptied in the past six months, raising serious concerns amongst a small community of boat owners at New Islington Marina. David, a self-confessed eccentric, waded through the shallow waters searching for a wallet his friend had misplaced. He came up empty-handed on the wallet front, but did manage to retrieve two iPhones and a pair of false teeth. He said: "When I woke up I thought 'why the hell am I pinned against the wall?' I looked outside and I could see there was no water again. I was like 'Jesus'. I was supposed to be taking my boat into dry dock to have it pressure-washed, for resin treating and painting." He described the sudden draining of the canal as 'dangerous'. He added: "I've seen three people fall in here. If you fall in this, what are you going to hit and how far are you going to fall?" He and fellow boat owners said last September's sudden draining of the canal was caused by a leak while he attributes the latest incident to a botched repair at a nearby culvert. Boat owners raised concerns back in September that the debris lining the marina bed could puncture the hulls of wide-bottomed vessels. The charity, which is responsible for maintaining the canal, pointed to a nationwide water shortage triggered by an exceptionally dry spring and summer the previous year. Water levels at Islington Marina remained low on Monday afternoon, though no boats had run aground as yet.

If that is true - its ridiculous - next they'll be saying they cannot charge for a mooring, or any services provided. Its so stupid - its probably something that the Baton Twirlers have come up with Be interested to see the statement, if you can find it. Are you thinking of this old thread where it is said that a marina selling aboat on brokerage without an RCD etc etc is unlawful ?

A frayed knot

And taken the tree with them ?

The build nimber is incorporated in the engine number and is on the plate fitted to the engine, The manual gives an illustrated breakdown of the engine number.

Pretty much as I suggested a few posts ago - and, I think, has been in every insurance policy I've had.

One of us being poorly advised . They pay a very high taxation rate (78%) on profits. The North Sea operators paid £5 billion tax in 2023 The OBR has forecast that taken together receipts from offshore corporation tax, petroleum revenue tax and the energy profits levy will raise £4.5 billion in 2024/25. Receipts are forecast to fall in future years to £2.0 billion by 2029/30 as energy prices and production decline. Source : https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn00341/ Companies operating in the North Sea pay four main profit‑related taxes Ring Fence Corporation Tax (RFCT) – Main rate 30% on profits from oil and gas extraction, with a “ring fence” that prevents losses from other business activities from offsetting these profits. Supplementary Charge (SC) – 10% on ring fence profits, with no deduction for finance costs. Petroleum Revenue Tax (PRT) – Zero‑rated since 2016, but still in place to allow losses from decommissioning to be carried back against past PRT payments. Energy Profits Levy (EPL) – A temporary surcharge on ring fence profits, currently 38% (raised from 35% in 2024), due to end on 31 March 2030 unless triggered early by low energy

There is no guarantee he'll find the 'big ones' - I have not used a surveyor for the last 17 boats I have bought, I had a survey and paid for a full survey including the extras "for machinery and gear" it got a clean bill of health, so I bought the boat. Came to move the boat from the marina and found the problems - It cost me over £60,000 to get it 'fixed'. Started legal action against the surveyor and my Solicitor told me I didn't have a leg to stand on - the surveyors T&Cs exclude any mistakes they may have made, or problems they missed, and, it was only valid on the day of the survey (the boat could have been sabotaged by the seller after the surveyor left the marina) If I went to court I'd not only have to pay £1000s in my own costs but I'd have to pay all of the surveyors legal costs as well - many more £1000s. A survey CAN be an arguing factor with the seller, but don't expect it to have found all the 'big faults'

You (not the seller) would be expected to pay the costs of having a survey done, this includes 'getting it so the surveyor can do the survey'. As has been said it would be the norm for the owwner/seller to take it for a 'last run' and save you the travel expenses - Maybe the owner works and cannot afford to lose 3 days work (1 day each way and a day for the survey). If you were to hire someone to take the boat then you'd be looking at £150-£200 per day + expenses. If it feels like the 'right boat' then forgo the survey.

But they would than pay £billions in tax to the UK Government instead of the Norwegian, Iranian or ............... Governments

Not necessarily - the immersion heater is NOT the calorifier - it is simply an additional (optional) electrical heating element, your calorifier could function perfectly, but the immersion heater dfinitely will not work if it is not connevted to 220v AC (mains)

The BSS does allow for 'straight thru' piping but it must be protected where it goes thru the bulkhead to prevent chafing. LPG pipes passing through metallic bulkheads or decks must be protected by the use of sleeves, grommets, cable glands, bulkhead fittings, or equivalent. If the pipe is not protected (or installed via a bulkhead fitting) it will be a BSS fail.

The left hand side switch is rated at 6 amps and I would have thought would normally be / should be the one that works the immersion heater, which will draw just over 4 amps if it is a 1000 watt element. The one next to that is rated at 16 amps, and would 'normally' be the one that provided power for the the rest of the boat (battery charger, toaster, etc etc)

Why is it ? The likes of Tesco etc are going to buy a wee bit more diesel than "John on the fuel boat" and will get a large 'quantity discount'

No question "is there anything else we should know that may affect the quotation" etc etc It would be simple for them to add another couple of words and make the question ............ If you answer (honestly) 'Lithium' then they can ask more questions re battery chemistry, installation etc etc. I have found that it does not benefit you if you try and hide facts from the insurers. IF you are found out, you go on a black-list and will pay very high premiums, if you can get insurane at all.