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Hello, It's a bit short - about 150 yards long...and probably less than a foot deep...but a new arm of the Stort opened today!! Unfortuneately, it's not connected yet! Untitled by articulator, on Flickr Navigation is currently restricted to craft with a fairly large air draft!! Untitled by articulator, on Flickr

Excellent thanks.yes alan ive spent most of my live queueing at minshull lock 9 boats up 7 down over easter weekend

It's not always as simple as that, and when I'm doing long days anyway, and extra 1/2 hour makes all the difference especially when you are single handed. THE biggest time waste these days is the moor half a mile from the lock brigade - they have to wait 7 minutes for the boat leaving to pass them before even thinking about untying and then they pootle down the cut trying to get the boat lined up with the lock only to not notice the conditions around them and hit the lock wall with force 'cause they steered the wrong way. This isn't beginners, this is people who should have more sense! Had they had got their bow near the lock they could run it along the wall with opposite steering to get the stern out as the leaving boat left the lock saving time, bangs, work, and therefore be able to relax a lot more!! That surprises me, 'cause the two most used gate moving techniques with lines are thumblining and strapping the gate closed. The later was regular and designed use, the former accepted use by the GJC if not entirely encouraged. My Mother is very short of stature but managed until recently to jump the gates. I've been doing since before I was 8. Keeping the boat moving is the key to high speed lockage, this means lifting the paddles AS the gates close! Mike

One of our first ever trips was on a hire boat from Alvechurch. We were two adults and four children, two of whom could help with locks. We did the Avon Ring in a week, anti-clockwise. We like doing full days and although the first day was tough going (all the Tardebigge locks)as was the last, we had a brilliant time. Even moored up in Stratford for two nights, so we could have gone at a more leisurely pace and still made it back within the week. Good luck!

As well as name of the hirer you also need their address. The legal position is that the hire company's insurer will only be involved if the hirer reports the accident, seeks protection under the policy and co-operates with the insurer. This sometimes does not happen and you would then need to claim from the hirer. The hirer then realises that he has a personal financial liabilty and usually starts to co-operate!

and notable, within the context of this thread, as a Yorkshireman imitating a Londoner in order to sound "a bit fick".

I've not read the thread just the title. Reverse layout every time. The stern is where social action happens so keep it there not extending to the more intimate areas. The bow is where the master bedroom sould be, where the private action happens. Put the bedroom there with the loo in the middle. Best of all worlds. Would you have friends and guests tramping through your bedroom on land to get to the loo or kitchen or other social areas? If you want to have a social on the bow deck make them walk the gunwale or be selective. My layout is stern deck > onto kitchen = beer fridge, kettle > lounge for when stopped for social intercourse > loo. Bedroom in the front for US only.

With its water heating element out of use i'd say that a 1000w inverter would power it,but depending on how high tech it is Not being an expurt on such modern appliances i wouldn't like to say whether it would run on any other but a pure sine wave inverter. Being as the electricity would only be used to whirl the washing drum back and forth and perhaps spin it,you could drill a big hole in the back of it,inline with the drums spindle,insert an old cars starting handle or even your lock windlass and agitate the thing back and forth by hand. To spin it up by hand into the bone dry ready to wear mode will take a bit more energy. Hope this helps BSP.

I have never understood what the "Grease on electrical terminals" thing is meant to achieve.... I can understand it would be appropriate to coat e.g. battery posts with grease when they are stored on a shelf and occasionally bench-charged .... and I can see that a mated clamp on a battery post would also keep the corrosion at bay.... but I really can not see that coating electrical connectors with an insulating layer does much for assisting the passage of electricity or reducing contact resistance... Can someone explain please ? Nick

Well if you enjoy wasting time and effort, rather than using it to good effect, then good luck to you. But the OP was asking about ways of being more efficient, and that's why the responses are about that. Some people seem to take a perverse pride in doing things badly. I for one would not derive enjoyment from knowing that I was inconveniencing others. Each to their own I suppose.

The whole point of boating is to ensure that less boats can pass along a canal? Sorry, I hadn't realised that. You must feel free to relax as much as you like. Set of at 10, break for half an hour for elevenses. Two hour lunch from 12:30 to 2:30. Afternoon Tea at 4:00 - 4:30, and well, not really worth moving again then is it. However, when it comes to passing through locks, which are the limiting factor in how many people can actually enjoy many canals, dawdling and taking as long to pass through as two boats would take if operated efficiently is just inconsiderate. Now, of course you can suggest that 3 hours queueing for a lock and then finding another 3 hour queue at the next lock is just a perfect opportunity for a natter over tiffin, and often it is. However, do spare a thought for boaters who do have to get to a particular place by a particular time. Do think about the family on a hire boat, who are on the last day of their holiday, on what should be about 6 or 7 hours, who suddenly find that people operating a lock inefficiently means that they are adding hours to their journey. Do you imagine that their day will be made more enjoyable by the leisurely pace at the lock?

Is MJG on holiday....

I had never been in command of a narrow boat when i set off from Bristol docks on the 30th of april, i did bristol deep lock on my own, then on to the kennet and avon canal up to the thames, then on to the Oxford canal, were i am at the moment,(banbury) in 12 days, all on my own, what a very very steep learning curve. having a grerat time, apart from when the odd persons offers to help in a lock and opens the top paddles before i have my centre line on and there is a sudden rush forward in to the lock gate !i have made loads of mistakes. but have learnt from them. narrow locks, easy peessy, i just leave it in gear on tick over when exiting the lock , jump off shut the lock and hop back on, Oh i did need to slow the tick over first ! single handed, yes, if you take your time, no problem.