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Showing content with the highest reputation on 20/02/17 in all areas

  1. One thisng they NEED to do is to standardise as per EA licences to Length x Beam At present historic pairs are unfairly penalised while widebeams get away with it
    7 points
  2. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  3. I think its worth settling down and reading the whole thing . Order in a pizza as it ll take you a while to read it . It begins with boundless enthusiasm and energy and ends miserably & is probably the best account of how the " i should buy a boat " idea can go dreadfully wrong . In my estimation the OP is probably the most sensible potential buyer thats been on this forum in yonks ,and i doubt that similar mistakes will be made . But when budgets are low its easy to be seduced by nice interiors etc . I think the old idea of " buy the worst house on the best street " is a notion worth bearing mind . By this i mean try to put the hull and engine above all else and then the interior . By no means easy , but its important i think . I think you really ought to go and see lots of boats in / slighly above your budget . LOTS ! Have u been to Whilton marina as a " for instance " . You 'll get to see lots of boats , lots of layouts , in varied conditions inside & out . But be wary of actually buying from them , just go mooching there aa they let you do so by yourself unaccompanied and you can have a real nose around them . I think you are wise to check moving costs etc in advance and your approach to buying , so far has been sensible but its so easy to buy a lemon . Don t rush into anything - the lengthy thread linked to above will highlight what can happen when enthusiasm overtakes caution and common sense . Apologies if all this appears " patronising " - its certainly not meant to but i think you and indeed anyone needs to be on your guard when the budget is low . Get a picnic , banquet , pizza in & settle down and try to read that thread - its a real eye opener .... unfortunately cheers
    3 points
  4. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  5. My experience of consultation is that it's a period during which they allow people to express their opinions, before the do EXACTLY what they planned all along, but now being able to blame us. Rog
    2 points
  6. Jeeeeeeeeeeesus h you know what. Thank the Lord for good old cheap and cheerfull batteries that bin every 2/3 years rather than all this faffing about
    2 points
  7. There was a drain tap sticking straight out by several inches at the bottom of my diesel tank. The problems were (1) that it was very vulnerable, being next to where I step down into the engine bay so I was frightened that one day I'd kick it and snap it off and (2) when opened, the diesel spurted straight out so it was hard to catch it without any spillage; however it was extremely convenient for letting out any water from the bottom of the tank (or just checking for it). I asked at a couple of boatyards and they both said that yes it would be easy to swap the straight adaptor for a right-angled one, which would cure both problems; but the job could only be done by first draining all the diesel from the tank as otherwise too much would gush out in the short time between unscrewing the tap and then screwing in the adaptor and then the tap again. However, thinking hard about the problem, I calculated that a mere 5% reduction in the air pressure at the top of the tank should support a 2ft head of diesel, and that this could be achieved by sealing the breather and then draining enough diesel to increase the volume of air above it by 5%. I reckoned that starting from a reasonably full tank, it would need only about 1.5 litres of diesel from the sealed tank to give this result. Today I found the courage to try it. I bound the breather up tightly with cling film and opened the tap (after removing the bung in the end) to fill an old milk carton with diesel. Sure enough, before the 2-litre bottle was full the flow of diesel from the tap ceased. I unscrewed the complete tap assembly, and replaced its straight adaptor with a right-angle one before replacing the tap (using PTFE tape to seal the threads). In total I reckon that maybe just 5cc of diesel escaped from the hole, to land on my absorbent sheet below, and then the job was complete. The diesel in the bottle was clean apart from a tiny bit of crud that had washed out with it, so I carefully decanted it back into the tank then removed the cling film. Job done, in about 10 minutes. SO once again it proves, never listen to the experts who tell you something can't be done!
    1 point
  8. Laundry Service to the Rescue! Hello everybody! I run a laundry & ironing business in Blisworth, Northamptonshire and have recently acquired a customer who lives on a canal boat. She has a family & dog and saw one of my adverts in the village. She told me about the problems with using a laundrette and was relieved to find my service local to where she moors up which she uses on a weekly basis. I had a "light bulb" moment and guess that there must be other boat owners/users who struggle with their laundry, especially as lots of laundrettes are closing and some marinas do not have laundry facilities. Help is here! So, when you think of doing your laundry or even look at your laundry basket and sigh, not wanting to complete this task... think of me and enquire how my services can help you. Private message me for more information regarding prices or to book a service through my webpage: www.timesavers.freeindex.co.uk I look forward to being able to help you with your laundry or ironing.. or both! Thanking you in advance! LaundryLady
    1 point
  9. My impression of Oak from watching the video was that it was a mash-up of reclaimed hardwood doors and panels from various bits of old furniture melded into a framework of veneered ply and hardwood trims. Celtic Pride seems far more purposeful in its design and, in my opinion, more pleasing. Neither are really to my taste. However, I trained as a bench joiner many years ago when it was 'uncontroversial' to be working with Brazilian Mahogany and, looking at these eye-watering prices, I could be tempted to literally get back to the drawing board.
    1 point
  10. Surely nearly anybody who is committed to buying an ex working boat is prepared to wade through a few "off piste" posts that don't directly relate to ones actively for sale right now. It is a fairly specialist thing to be buying, and skipping over a few posts that may not interest you will be just about the easiest thing you ever do in pursuit of your dream boat. Pete has already been able to add extra information to his extensive records - I think the diversion is worth it for that alone, as few other people are prepared to invest the effort in trying to have the most complete and accurate record possible. The diversion has also led me to learn that Pete's records are more accurate than a published book written by those who actually owned and operated the boats in question. Will I be "warned" if I continue to go off piste, then?
    1 point
  11. Sounds dangerous to me, best thing to do is burn it.
    1 point
  12. The volunteer data checkers will be assigned a new role covering unkempt and unsightly boat roof reporting. The hand held devices will take a photo and a letter/email will be sent out warning the boaters that a minimum of 50% of the boat roof must be visible within 14 days or the licence fee will be increased by 50%. It is not a licence on the rivers, I believe it is a registration fee.
    1 point
  13. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  14. You'd better refer yourself to a Mod . . .
    1 point
  15. lol - attaching those should be fun
    1 point
  16. Its a well known and widely documented fact that if you have the King of batteries " Mr Trojan " then they must be given names and read a story each night before bed and being tucked up with nice fluffy blankets and a good drink of water. If this regime is not strictly adhered to they do indeed sulk.
    1 point
  17. Actually, the severely blunted front end might also make sense with an ex-Canaltime cruiser! Edited to add 'cruiser'
    1 point
  18. That leads to the nuclear reactor, explains why the boat doesn't have a proper engine
    1 point
  19. Yes I was thinking that as were others but to implement would be hard especialy as people who move between licensing authorities could often become unstuck cost wise. One thing for sure though I suppose is that whatever kind of boat we all own there will only be one winner............no maybe two........Anglers and cyclists.
    1 point
  20. Yes agreed but its going to be a big can of worms isnt it. I do also agree with Nigel above re the damned BSS thats been a crock of crap since its inception and yes as a for instance this boat is ten years old and so has twin diesel tanks to supposedly cover the fact of red diesel for heatin/propulsion blah blah........When I stop boating I am still seriously considering getting another seagoing boat to live on as the legislation is less!!
    1 point
  21. A "phased cost change" over "X" years for existing owners, may be a suggestion? Don't "historic" boats already get a discount? Just asking, as I don't own an historic boat. I may get worried if CRT imposes a licence on my "historic narrowboat captain" when I take him to shows.
    1 point
  22. I understand that completely Tim.. but as you will agree there are x % more wides now than ever and I like many others do feel that the price should be proportionate Chris
    1 point
  23. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  24. when we were looking at boats we went to look at 3 on the same day (having narrowed down the list a lot based on the adverts), all were roughly the same age and advertised at very similar prices, initially we thought we were most likely to buy the 3rd boat but were looking at the others just in case, the least likely was thought to be the 1st. The first had very tidy paintwork externally, a battered and green pram hood and internally someone had tried sanding down some of the woodwork (poorly), also someone had removed all of the seating from the saloon (presumably they used a sofabed or similar) overall a boat that was shown in honest condition with nothing tarted up or hidden, in one of the drawers under the bed was a folder containing the manuals for every bit of equipment along with the original drawings for the boat and numerous invoices for work that had been done. The second was a little rough on the outside (almost to the point of needing a repaint) but had a fresh BSC and was tidy inside, lifting the boards at the back revealed a very oily bmc engine (which was a surprise as it was advertised as having a beta), 9 inches of water and a bilge pump with the wires cut off, we stopped looking at this point and had serious doubts about the BSC that was at that point less than 2 weeks old. The third looked great from the outside but we found that we hated it as soon as we got inside... can't explain why but it just didn't fit for us. We ended up making an offer on the first boat that was around 30% lower than the asking price and after haggling buying it for a little over 19% off. we decided against a survey (but I would not advise this unless you have previously spent a lot of time on/around boats). Almost 2 years on I am still sure that we got the right boat, our biggest issue so far has been a loose screw that jammed the throttle control at half throttle. One silly thing to check on any boat which sounds silly but could easily destroy your enjoyment of the boat.... check that you fit in the bed, one of the boats we looked at (2nd or 3rd) had a bed that looked fine but was only 5'8" long, at a touch under 6' tall neither moe or my partner would never have been able to lie straight on it
    1 point
  25. Agreed , I think though , as is often said you can tend to " feel " that you are looking at the right boat once youre inside it or looking over it .... in the flesh so to speak . The camera never lies has got to be the least accurate turn of phrase ever created . I remember several boats looking great on the duck and being bobbins in real life . Being a cynical old sod means that my mentality would be that id rather look at a boats interior and see some floorboards that need fixing , and old tired kitchen that needs replacing or dull boring wall panels that might benefit from a splash of paint than be enticed by a boat thats been painted throughout in " London Narrowboat White " , has some " metro " tiles put up in the bathroom and an " all the rage " laminate floor . It just , to me , screams "'rip off " or " old banger spruced up " . Most of em in real life probably look like a bad episode of 60 Minute Makeover . I d prefer an " honest " boat if i d a low budget . Not a dump as such but just something that needed a bit of doing up . This is how my boat was when i bought it . Nothing about it sounded alarm bells , it didn t appear tarted up and that appealed to me . The idea being that hopefully the hull and engine are sound and i can do the tarting up myself ..... and enjoy doing it . Once id thought " this 'll do for me , it has potential etc " then the brain really kicks in i had to consider the hull & the engine . My lack of knowledge meant that this could be determined only via a survey . If the hull , steelwork and engine were not good enough then id walk away . This are just my thoughts of course but to me the fundamentals are paramount the rest is furniture to be sorted in due course . When the OP visits boats , as is often said , you ll know if its suitable for thier purposes quite quickly , within a few minutes id even say and from there the purchase can be considered more seriously . But i think looking at boats in the flesh is infinately more worthwhile than mooching on tinternet to get a better idea of what thier budget is likely to buy them & remove any rosey coloured tints from spectacles . There really is no substitute for it cheers
    1 point
  26. But at least with those you get a brand new boat, rather than 17 year old boat..... ........ or, in fact, for the price being asked here you could have two brand new boats!
    1 point
  27. The hire boat timings is the the most important factor - for much of the main season the hire companies would hope to have the majority of their boats out and price accordingly so that the school hols is not quite such a big factor, although it may impact private boats usage. More important, however, is the time of day. Most people on a schedule do not like to 'waste' time so pour into Llangollen late in the day (we were there last year in Spring Bank Holiday) so if you are prepared to work around that factor it is not too bad. Of course, the locks, especially Grindley Brook, can be a cause of delays as well, but treat that as an opportunity to go out and help people who are still in the learning phase (aren't we all?) We came out of Llangollen basin around 4pm (for complicated reasons) and moored by Plas-y-Pentre Bridge 34W which is a good spot and has a view of the aqueduct in the middle distance. We arrived around 6:30 and were somewhat astounded by the number of boats that passed us through the evening on the way into Llangollen, until after dark. Where they moored we knew not!
    1 point
  28. I mean no disrespect guys, but .... I have never used a guide in the himalayas. I have never used a guide in over 30 years of climbing, at a reasonable standard, all over the world. I know nothing about the severn estuary, nor the avonmouth tides, (which is why I asked) and of course I will do some research. I will ask on a sailing forum about navigation and pilotage in the upper reaches of the severn, like I asked on here about transiting canals. I asked about canals here because I know nothing about them, and quite fancy a go. I would have charts and tidetables for the severn, as I had whatever available maps, and route descriptions (when not attempting new routes) when climbing. I appreciate that someone taking a narrowboat down the severn estuary after only ever cruising canals, may require a pilot, seems like sense. But a small sailing boat most certainly does not require one, regardless of whether I know the area or not. I had no clue about the areas I have sailed in, until I went and had a look. I simply asked advice and took the charts and tide tables. Now, back to the canals, good pubs and great stopping off points
    1 point
  29. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  30. Electrolytic action between two dissimilar metals will cause the softer material, in this case the whitemetal, to erode away. It causes pits in the bearing face which fail rapidly when loaded. It seems to be a common thing with Lister and Gardner engines (and many others) that have been laying around for a while. It seems to be worse in older engines with lower quality whitemetal than is commonly used nowadays. The magnetic influence of the planet also has a hand in this and it's pretty common to round up these effects under the term "brindling" The higher quality white metal in use today is far less prone to it but rest assured that even now engines can fizz away if the conditions are right.
    1 point
  31. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
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