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We didn't buy our Eco fan. We were given it by a boater that was giving up boating. I doubt we would have paid out to buy one new, especially reading so many people rubbishing them on this forum. We tried it and it definately made a difference on our boat. Our back boiler went a few years ago and we have not bothered replacing it as we do not need the radiators on I know if the radiators were on it would be warmer again at the back of the boat but it is warm enough, even in bitterly cold weather. The added advantage of not having the radiators on is we don't have the irritationg noise of the central heating pump working (and draining our batteries) during the night. For us the Eco fan was a winner - so much so that we have sent it off this summer to have it refurbished at the princely cost of £25 and we thank that kind fellow who gave it to us and allowed us to experiment whether it would work on our boat every time we see it whizzing around.

I never needed a freezer...until I got one and now I have two, one for raw materials and one for finished product and they still get so full I often contemplate a third overflow freezer. ...and yet she still married Rodney.

I once stopped below BOA lock in pouring rain. The lock was set for me but gates close. I went up, across the road and opened them then trudged back to the boat. Someone had closed them again! So off I went again but the well meaning someone had gone so I opened them again and once more returned to the boat, cast off and motored gently toward the lock. THE BLOODY GATES WERE BEING CLOSED AGAIN! I leant on my horn but no response so I used the boat to push them open. No, these gates do NOT close on their own. The only reason I close gates is because I've had enough of self important know-nothings whining about it.

It's not rules, it's blanket guidance for people who can't think for themselves and make sound judgements in differing situations. What is the point of closing all gates and leaving paddles up as mentioned above for instance? Surely, the request should just be to leave a paddle up? Closing gates has become something of an obsession over the years to the extent that I've had people close gates when I was approaching a lock. Sometimes I close gates, sometimes I don't, it depends on the circumstances. I like to think I have the intelligence to make a sound judgement rather than blindly follow, what someone thinks are, rules. Keith

If you are winterising, and have a water filter....drinking water filter ....take the ceramic assembly under the sink to bits too. They hold a lot of water and will freeze and crack if not emptied out. I love winter on the boat...keep cruising if you can, it's peaceful, and often beautiful, and so cozy in the evenings too. *drifts off into memories of last winter, wading through floods to reach the boat, cold and sodden after work, to be met by a wall of stove heat and the smell of stew bubbling on the stove* Edited to add: also be prepared for the slight change of ambience on the forum, as cabin fever hits in later in the winter!

If you don't like the sound of water then why move next to it? These snobby dits are the very reason all NB need to come with air horns. Just to let those living next to the canal that you are on your way.

I work on the basis that all the time everything works there is no need to worry. I have never had any real idea of the state of charge of my batteries and the last set lasted 10 years. With your minimal usage I would suggest the same, if it aint broke don't fix it. Those who are unable to get by without an electricity supply like the national grid have to fuss over batteries way too much for my liking.

As a single-hander I can see the logic of leaving gates open, really I can. However, if you feel strongly enough about it to consider ignoring the rules, you should be lobbying CaRT to change the rules, not just doing whatever pleases you. If YOU are leaving gates open whilst 99% close them then YOU are being selfish and anti-social. It's quite simple really, you are getting the benefit of not having to close gates whilst also getting the benefit of having others close the gates ahead of you. In other words, taking without giving. It's not about blindly following rules for me, it's about having a level playing field for all boaters. I could take the same attitude as the 'gates-open brigade' on here. Then I wouldn't have to get back off the boat when leaving a lock in order to shut gates. But until such time as that becomes standard practise, doing this would tip the balance unfairly in my favour. I'm not prepared to be that selfish. Obviously, when the local rules say to leave gates open, that's entirely different. Another point which was made to me by a regular holiday boater is that you shouldn't assume that there's an equal chance of the next boat coming in either direction. Hire bases tend to have fixed changeover days which means that on those days, there's a steady stream of boats all heading off the same way, and then coming back the same way a week later. I've never hired but I been the beneficiary of this when going against the flow, it just never occured to me before.

Yes it is worth it. Opinion is the operative word there Martin. My stove is in the front with two bulkheads seperating it from the back doors. The day I bought my eco fan I went for a few pints. (as usual). The differance is when I returned and opened the back doors I felt heat coming out for the first time ever. I have felt this heat each time I open the doors when the stove is lit. I also experienced the "no need to curl my feet up on the couch anymore" as there is now heat near the floor. As a result I am sorry to say you and others who slag off the eco fans either have not tried them, or have boats where the heat is able to spread by itself without need of assistance. Those of us who tried the eco fan and found a differance KNOW they work and are not just sharing "opinions". We have the proof. You have your snake oil. As for deluded??? No. I'll leave it at that mate.

The more I read and discover about British Waterways and their past activities. The more I read about how and why some of those dark practices were conducted. The more I begin to wonder if the new incarnation as a charitable organisation still embraces the 'old' ways. I suppose there is going to be a hangover of issues inherited from British Waterways by the charity. What I am not seeing is an organisation divesting itself of its old reputation and its apparent need for secrecy. I am not seeing an organisation that has changed its ethos from that of British Waterways. So I anticipate that there will be for the foreseeable future this continuing us and them mentality. In a way, the 'deafening silence' on the issue from any BW apologists is for me a very significant indicator to the veracity of what's been aired previously. It seems that you can't defend the indefensible either from a moral or even principled perspective. Allan, you're not alone with displaying some bias. Whilst I try not to, I am as guilty as the next from having a pop at CaRT. I do this from the position of frustration of knowing what needs to be done and knowing that things are only getting worse. That airing an opinion and thereby stimulating debate is usually a productive task in the short term. And may go some way to guiding and stimulating opinion in the long term. What I had not anticipated with a simple question about the making of inland waterways bylaws was popping the lid off a long playing machiavellian drama. ​I think its all summed up in what seems to me to be a strange twisting of reality. Of being put under the duress of vexatious litigation for revealing information that is provided under the stringent terms and conditions of the freedom of information legislation. You get taken to court by an organisation with limitless funding for wanting to sharing information that was joe publics right to have sight of. Is it me or has someone lost the plot altogether.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPd7n6hCxxU Good expanation and shows one inaction at end...

Thanks for posting the link Delta

Same here. What has been rather missing is anybody putting up a reasonable counter argument. I will admit to some bias on this topic as some years ago Nigel Johnson threatened to sue me for suggesting he was a liar. I will also admit to some further bias as BW threatened to take legal action against me if I made information provided under the Freedom of Information Act regarding bonuses available to the public. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the information ended up on Wikileaks to be found by Nigel and others. On a lighter note, my favourite bonus target was one set for Simon Salem to 'employ the services of a mystery shopper'. I still have difficulty in understanding why BW thought it was a shop and what the mystery shopper was actually buying. The key long term targets are described in The Evans achievements. I suggest that anyone who thinks that CaRT should be able to promote bye-laws that criminalise boating activities reads about 'Four Square' on page 3.

There was quite a long thread on this not so long ago. Basically shutting gates on exit is a waste of time and energy. Those gates will need to be closed at some stage, so why not wait until there's good reason for doing so. We only shut them if something's following us, and generally Lynn will paddle down and help the next boater open the paddles. When you leave gates open, there's a 50/50 chance you are aiding a boater coming toward those gates, they can then cruise straight into the lock, no hovering around revving engine waiting for someone to open them, it especially aids single handed boaters, as they can enter the lock without stopping and climb up the ladder saving them lots of time and effort. However many gates end up shutting them selves anyway. However leaving the gates open doesn't overly inconvenience the boat coming the other way, the chances are the gates would have shut them selves anyway, if they don't, it's not exactly difficult to close them, you have to stop anyway so it only adds some additional minimal effort. Rules and guidelines are years old and out of date and largely pertain to when locks leaked to a much higher degree, the loss of water argument no longer holds water, forgive the pun. Unfortunately we live in a world where people can't get by without rules and regulations, when the world might be a better place if some common sense and logic were applied.

We've been out to Braunston once already to look at the first boat Papodil liked- it turned out to be unsuitable (for liveaboard CC-ing: no solid fuel stove, everything 240v and no 12v sockets). We looked at another two or three, one of interest and Papodil went on a trial run on it the following week with Delta, but it is now under offer from someone else after the marina weren't able to provide sight of some of the paperwork that was mentioned in the advert but found to be unavailable to check, which became something of a dealbreaker. We also went to Rugby boats, but there was nothing suitable there at that time, but they are going to get in touch if something comes in.