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In my opinion it is a shame as i have said so many times before on these threads that people choose to find loopholes ... such a shame the 1995 act wasnt written in such a watertight way people wouldnt be able to exploit it. As stated it was envisaged at the time the continuous cruiser status and license was introduced , the people who obtained one were going to legitimately cruise around the system and it would be pointless them having a mooring "ghost" or otherwise as they could be anywhere in the country, not just on one waterway in order to continue working or school their children in which case they would take a mooring in that specific area. I fully understand people saying they cant afford a home mooring particularly in the greater London area, well if thats the case , dont live there ... I am sure there are those that live in shared rooms in London who would love to live in a Docklands flat, but if they havent got the money it isnt going to happen ... Hopefully in the not to distant future it will go the same way as owning a car has, where the rules are crystal clear and if you dont abide by them you pay the price or dont own a car, simples! Then all the revenue that is used to pay shoesmiths to fight all these ridiculous battles could be used to further upkeep and improve the system ... if i had a choice i know which one i would rather my licence fee was paying for. My solution would be to fit any boat on a CC license with a tracker to show it was continually cruising around the system as in several different waterways around the country every year and if it isnt adhered to revoke the licence and pay for a legitimate home mooring in the area you actually live and have been found to regularly moor to hopefully put an end to the "ghost" mooring game. Rick

Just been out to check my ropes as the Soar is rising swiftly, and also had to completely re-tie the boat in front, bring it back from the wier as it was tied at 90 deg angles and about to go under at the starboard side. I wouldn't normally comment but this boat is owned by people who own an island and live on the river. The weather doesn't stop for Christmas, or me.☺

I have stayed quiet, but in light of the revelations on this thread I feel i must post... I actually went over to Sawley with the intention of surveying the damage to the drive leg on Kathleen, on inspection it needed a total strip down and repair, even doing the job for free it was going to be several hundred pounds worth of parts, seals, gaskets and oil. I phoned around a lot of contacts and found a complete working enfield outdrive to replace the damaged one for £250, whilst i was there i checked over the engine and found it needed the injectors cleaning and possibly new nozzles also the glow plugs needed replacing ... the total cost would have been under £400 as i also had a word with the guys at sawley who i happen to know and they said they would move the boat to where i could work on it free of charge and offered me any assistance i may need. I put the above to the OP and told him i would do the job for the cost of the parts as Sawley were confident they could recoup his money for him by selling the boat in a repaired state, I was absolutely dumbfounded when he said .... no dont worry about it it served the purpose of getting me on the water so i will take a hit the money doesnt matter ... so you can imagine how shocked i was to read this post. Rick

Is "tarting" the process of getting a girl going if she's a self starter, but needs assistance because she's a bit flat?

And if you have to use engine heaters too, which would drain a fair bit out before actually attepting to start. An old direct injection engine with no heater plugs but with de compressor levers can be wound up to speed by using the decompressors on a pretty low state of charge battery, fling the the levers over and away it goes. I could demonstrate this now on my Lister ST2. No need for U-Tube, just open a window and listen, anywhere within a 100 mile radius of B.Stortford.

In a recent thread, a comment was made regarding the high cost of heating when using LPG, however when looking at the heat output (Kwh) for each type of 'material', then taking into account the conversion efficiency the results may not be as clear cut as you may imagine. 1Kg LPG = 14.1Kwh and conversion is 90% efficient 1kg Coal = 6.9Kwh and conversion is 75% efficient 1kg of Smokeless fuel = 6.7Kwh and conversion is 75% efficient 1kg of Seasoned wood = 4.2Kwh and conversion is 85% efficient 1kg of diesel = 12Kwh and conversion is 90% efficient. Compare 'smokeless fuel' with LPG with Diesel LPG Cost of a 13kg cylinder = approx. £25, or, £1.92/kg. 14.1Kwh @ 90% efficiency = 12.69Kwh 12.69Kw costs £1.92, or, approximately £0.15 per Kwh Smokeless Fuel Cost of 20kg bag = approx. £11, or, £0.55/kg 6.7Kwh @ 75% efficiency = 5Kwh 5Kwh costs £0.55, or, approximately £0.11 per Kwh Diesel Cost per Kg (1.17 litres at £0.80/litre) = £0.94/kg 12Kwh @ 90% efficiency = 10.8Kwh 10.8Kwh = £0.94, or, approximately £0.09 per Kwh

In my experience , (i have both an eberspacher and a solid fuel stove) If i use the eberspacher as i did last winter on a 24/7 basis i used around 160 quid a month in diesel ... using my coal stove 24/7 costs me half of that and the boat is like a sauna even the far end is warm enough and without an eco fan in sight! Rick

Unlike those who choose to criticise C&ART, I have some sympathy for them trying to manage what is some poorly phrased wording in in the 1995 Act. The continuous cruising clause was introduced after consultation with a number of boaters who felt that the (then) proposed requirement to have a permanent mooring was unfair to those who genuinely cruised around the system all year. At the time virtually all those who lobbyed for the continuouis cruising agreement were regularly moving around the system, so the phrases "bona fida navigation" and "from place to place" adequately described their cruising pattern. It was not envisaged that, at some time in the future, hundreds of people would want to live on a boat and not move very far from where they worked, or had children at School etc. but unfortunately for C&ART the present wording, which does not define the precise meaning of "place", makes it difficult for them to enforce the Act in a manner whuich reflects the oringinal purpose of the agreement, and until someone decides to get a defining ammendment to the Act passed by Government, it will continue to present significant difficulties.

What is even more disappointing now is not this chaps attitude to wasting strangers money, but that of throwing away his families and friends money. Sad really.

I know but its not my way, i will help anyone if i can, just disappoints me the guy wasnt even throwing away his own money but that of others that had obviously worked hard for it ... a few weeks ago i spent 3 days on the cov with a newbie sorting out his boat for its B.S.C. ... didnt even charge him for my fuel just the M6 toll road .... didnt even text to wish me a happy christmas, but I will no doubt do the same again for someone else, just as others have helped me over the years when i have broke down. Rick

Most of us have the best of Intentions ,but Sometimes it is best to step back .

Its better than it looks now, been using it regularly for the last few months , the second hand water heater is doing a great job, and the gulper pumps out the water faster than it comes in so happy days

I'm struggling with this bit. How is living on a boat 'ecologically low impact'? My perception is it is substantiually more wasteful of natural resources than living in a modern, well insulated, or studio flat or house of similar floor area.

I have managed to get another 3 inches after removing the step since that picture was taken Headroom is about 5,8 now

Especially if you dont run your heating periodically through the summer and service it well before winter instead of switching it off in march and leaving it until october and then expect it to work faultlessly Rick

The Ground is Stony Barb ,too much of a Grasp of Reality for many of us to become Toy fan Evangelists ,Acolytes or Even Electrolytes(Lithiumists)

I once threatened to Drop Kick a fisherman after he sprayed wet ground bait up the side of my boat.

You just want your trousers to come back into fashion.

Tis a shame Tony has been removed again, He may seem a beligerant old sod but in reality to speak to he is sound. Whilst forum owners can obviously do as they see fit the problem is with Tony gone we lose a great deal of real life Trent including tidal reaches knowledge which is a great loss to any forum whatever the reason. First hand extensive knowledge such as his is thin on the ground.

Personally i like the fact i have 2 different sources for heating well 3 if i include electric when i am in the marina, like you say nice to switch the ebby on , mine warms 4 large rads in 30 minutes and makes the boat very warm very quickly, very useful if i want to let my stove go out to clean it or if i am low on coal, but like all things boaty its a case of whatever works for you Rick

They do fish on the deeper water in the middle and the shallows and drop off of the near bank too, but it's not so good closer to the angler or towpath traffic because movement and vibrations scare fish. There's a saying that fish scare at half an hour per pound, so a 2 pound fish will take an hour to become bold enough to get caught. For this reason you tend to catch the better fish in the far bank margins where they feel safe and the near side catch is usually small stuff. In fact most match anglers will try the far bank every now and then rather than fish there all the time. Any help?

60 foot, but then my cabin is as long as yours coz it's a proper trad, not a semi-trad with a long rear deck and shorter cabin.

Have you got a whole boat? or is it one of those tiny sixty footers or somett? they should be able to be heated for about ten bob If it is proper as in 68 feet or more then I submit.

All will soon be revealed. Dr Bob will be carrying out his research assisted by the DUCK early in the new year. The University of Oxford is going to publish the paper to assist the world.

That's exactly my (Macguyver) plan.

Yeah, I thought it was too soon for happy new years too. But if Sainsburys can have their Christmas stuff out in November I guess I'm ok wishing you and the rest of the forum a very happy new year with only four days to go. Happy New Year.

Just on the “hotspots” thing don’t forget that if there are different current paths in parallel, the one with the higher resistance will generate less heat, not more, since it will take a smaller share of the current. Power dissipated being I^2R. Only if the resistances are in series will the greater one dissipate more power. But apart from that I don’t have a strong disagreement except to say that the metallic parts of the battery are surely in fairly intimate thermal connection with each other, just split into the +ve bits and the -ve bits. It seems unlikely that significant very localised thermal differences would occur in metallic substances which by definition conduct heat well. Incidentally it’s intersting to note that whilst Mastervolt locate their charger/Combi temperature sensors on the side of the battery (and thus measure electrolyte temperature), Victron choose to attach it to the battery -ve post which presumably is in fairly intimate thermal contact with the plate material.

Drop shot techniques are not my area of expertise, but I'd only use the sort of line your using to moor the boat. For rod and line fishing, my main line for canal perch in winter, when the water can be gin clear, would probably be 1.5 lb with a bottom of 12oz to 1lb, and lighter still for pole fishing. Clearly, that's not what you'd get away with when lure fishing, but I think your problem is you're fishing far too heavy. Additionally, fish digest very slowly in winter, so they don't want to disable themselves with a full belly for a long period. Tiny baits and fine lines do the job on canals in winter, so try going fine on line and hook and use a small lure.

Strewth! What a kerfuffle. Still it could be worse, it could be happening to me. It's good to be reminded why I went from Integral Steel Holding Tank to ...... GRP Holding Tank to ...... Cassette Potty and then last year made the ultimate decision to upgrade to a couple of camping toilets (buckets with seats).

As Boris Johnson said in the article you linked to, “The rain it raineth on the just and the unjust, says the Bible, but frankly it raineth a lot more in Scotland and Wales than it doth in England.” But within England, it also rains a lot more in the north and west than it does in the south east, which is densely populated and needs a lot of water for farming, and thus the most vulnerable part of the country in a drought. Over the years a lot of effort has gone into keeping us supplied, for example bore holes down into our chalk hills and a lot of reservoirs fed by the Thames and its tributaries, and most of the time we get by, but being able to bring water down from the north would be a very good option to have. I think I'm right in saying that in the long drought of 1976 for example the north had plenty of water. So Pownall's Grand Contour Canal idea from the 1940s, discussed at intervals ever since, was to supply London from the north, with a further link to supply from the Scottish border hills as an optional extra. Since the Kielder Water reservoir supplying the north east was built, it's been found to be much more than adequate for its purpose (perhaps due to the decline of heavy industry up there, I don't know?), so the modern thinking is that it would be one of the sources of water. Given the potential transport benefits, easing the pressure on the roads and railways, my gut feeling is that the government should be taking the idea seriously. I wonder whether it should have been built instead of HS2. It's not a matter of Scotland giving the water away, because the water becomes more valuable when moved to the south east so if the plan is economically viable everyone can potentially benefit, and it just becomes a question of how the money from it is distributed.

The beginning of the story is " Solid fuel rules " here endeth the lesson.

There’s probably quite a difference between using the device to start an engine whose battery is just a bit too flat to turn the engine over on its own, vs using it to start an engine whose battery is completely flat and not contributing anything (in fact may be sucking up charge itself).

I was thinking of my clunky old Lister HA2 which was 2 ltr'ish @ 22hp. I'd rather have the torque and an effective hand start than sound like a bread van with the need to use sparky wires to make it whizz.

Leaking windows. What mrsmelly and dor said. Make sure you have clean flat surfaces before refitting. As regards 'bunging up' you are better off buying Loperimide from the pharmacy counter, it is the base for Imodium and much cheaper, no prescription needed. ( I have unrepeatable tales of being dosed with the stuff in ICU).

Interesting video, but is it that helpful? - not really, as it seems to feature a smal,l modern unit with a coil shaped 'cat' and after 5 hours burning has orange flames in viewing window. My OD4 burns with a nice blue flame on setting one after 2 weeks continuous burning. Really I prefer the uncomplicated 'British' way of lighting. KK you may have to up your game and produce a video about cleaning and lighting these stoves..

Ah yes, being paid mega-buck for gazing vacantly at the sky.

So why not just take a home mooring in the first place and avoid all the legal conflict, if taking a home mooring is necessary to defeat crt? Tony enjoys spending his time on such conflict. Normal boaters just find it an unnecessary and stressful distraction from their boating.

and mobile homes (including tatty caravans with no wheels) in alternate lay-bys on our roads?

Is the following controversial? Personally I think there should be more small collections of on-line live aboard moorings loosely scattered about the system, supplied by CRT for a reasonable fee. There is clearly a massive demand for them in some areas, for a variety of reasons, and many boaters engaged in 'bridge hopping' would be happy to settle on and pay for one of these. Happier boaters, less congestion in popular places (?), greater income for CRT to spend on canal upkeep. How could these marvellous moorings be funded? CRT should be encouraging local and regional councils and governments to become active partners in developing these online moorings -- indeed subsidise them; even run electricity and water to them. For a wide variety of reasons Britain is massively short of housing, and many local councils are desperate to develop more local housing ... because they are legally responsible to do it. You'd think they would welcome CRT's offer of partnership with open arms. Surely the development in a community of, say, a dozen such moorings to house a dozen local families, would be much, much, much less expensive than the usual alternatives of securing planning permission and local support to build the infrastructure (sewers, water, electricity, roads, ...) for 12 homes on a brownfield or agricultural plot at the edge of town or village. What about having to slow down when cruising past these wonderful new live aboard online moorings? Given that they would be newly built and locally subsidised, why not build them properly? Such as with: 1) good depth (>4-foot?); 2) indented slightly into the towpath where possible; 3) proper rings or bollards; 4) decent fendering. By 'decent fendering' I mean the installation of a type of strip fendering similar to that seen in coastal moorings -- made of shock absorbing composite materials in 'B' or 'D' or 'M' sections that protect boats and cushion movement. This isn't rocket science -- more 'rubber science'! With online moorings constructed like this, there would be no need to pass boats at tick over -- they could probably be passed at about 3mph without undue rocking, bobbing, shuffling back and forth. What's not to like?

I dont think anyone has a problem with people giving money to people as they see fit. This chaps attitude to then losing that money is however out of order. There is nothing wrong with having a dream. But that is your dream and shouldn't be the responsibility of others to provide.

Happy Christmas from the L&LC:

Or as an old work colleague once said to me "if you want sympathy, you'll find it in a dictionary between sh!t and syphilis!"

Why don't you just buy a boat and enjoy it, instead of trying to reinvent the wheel? Your last venture on the canals ended in a large financial loss and the way you've started again with all these ideas will only end with the same result. Just buy a suitable and appropriate boat that meets your needs and requirements and enjoy it, it's not that hard. If you are going to carry on with all your ideas and questions can you please put them in the relevant Forum like "Boat Building and Maintenance" or "Equipment" as your Thread will only go like your last attempt to get on the water and spiral into nonsense and irrelevance

Well I support the OP. There no need for boats to be very loud, though or course many are. It is just as selfish as boy racers with loud exhausts, people driving by with the windows down and car stereo on full volume etc. There must be a lot of boaters with tiny genitals who are compensating. As suggested try to engage in conversation, since understanding why someone is doing that may help. Hopefully the boater will move on at some point.

So fairly insignificant - a new 100 berth marina opens & C&RT closes 10 moorings across 60 miles of canal (or 90 miles if near a junction) To bring that into perspective : The River Soar (Leicester to the River Trent) is 25 miles The total Trent & Mersey Canal (Preston Brook to Derwent Mouth) is 93 miles The Aire & Calder Canal (Leeds to Goole) is 34 miles The total Navigable River Trent (Meadow Lane to Trent Falls / The Humber) is 93 miles. C&RT lose the income of 10 moorings at (say) £2500 per annum = £25,000 The marina must pay the NAA at 9% of mooring income at (say) 9% of 100 x £3000 = £27,000 C&RT recover their lost income - a net 90 new moorings become available driving the market price down - where is the problem ? If the boater doesn't want to pay for a marina berth there is always the option to CC.

I certainly thought so. Ever since BW decided to encourage others to develop offline marinas. Whilet I enjoy cruising past a few moored boato and looking at them, some linear moorings, such as those on the northern Shroppie go on for miles. It is these that should be targeted for reduction as it makes quite an impact on a days cruising having to pass over a mile of moored boats on tickover.

1000w = about 100Ah from the batteries. It may cost about 15p if connected to the 'mains' but if you have to generate that by running your engine you could be looking at 3 hours, at (say) 1 litre per hour, at (say) 80p per litre. Replacement cost of the 1000w = 15p via the mains £2.40 via the engine

As you say - this site IS a brilliant place for advice . Try to think of where else u might get such well meant , honest & generous information ? No one on this forum is trying to sell you anything, whereas you have an electrician who seems not entirely trustworthy & someone looking to take 5K off you tor a toilet . Who do you think is more likely to be impartial. Its s clear you are unhappy about the suggestion you want a floating flat or cottage . But that IS what you want is it not ? My suggestion was to consider cutting back power consumption as a way of assisting your power management. Well , this is clearly an unwelcome suggestion despite it being a very relevant way of managing your seemingly endless " wants " . Some will criticize choices . Folk are making very very valid points about your chosen toilet . It IS going to cause you a great deal of hassle for all the reasons mentioned above . The cost is a joke . But a diesel generator that WILL go a long long way to enabling you to power all tje gadgets your life cannot function without is too expensive . 5 K for a glorified pisspot or 7 - 10 K for a marine generator that will be worth its weight in gold to you - i 'd suggest that it isnt rocket science to see which is more useful . You can get a boat toilet for £50 - £1000 job done & use the rest of the savings for tje genny . People on the forum who are miles more knowledgeable tjan me are advising you to do some serious rethinking before you make costly mistakes .. but it isnt what you wanna hear is it ? , which is a shame but they are giving freely thier knowledge built up over many years . You should heed it because you re not likely to find better advice elsewhere No one is being rude , mean , obstructive etc . It would be lovely wouldn t it if everyone just said " yeah yeah of course you can , have what you want - it ' ll be a doddle " BUT it wouldn t be honest would it . If you ask for help or advice then you have to be prepared to accept the answers even if theyre unwelcome . You should keep posting . You shouldn t worry about what folk might reply but don t expect anything but honesty . cheers

Seems to me that one answer , or partial answer could be (& IMO should be ) to just simply " need " less stuff . I suspect there are many options for simply cutting down ones consumption of power - all this 21st century neediness is wearying . If u wanna live on a boat you have to accept first & foremost that ..... its a ...... boat . Its not a flat & if u want it to function like then you are likely to be looking at spending a huge sum of money to set up whats needed . For a start youre likely to need as big a solar set up as you can fit . You will almost definately need a big built in generator . These will go most of the way to cover your power requirements . As has been said by those far more techy than myself - quite simply , if u dont put back into batteries more than u take out then youre going to be fitting new batteries on a fairly regular basis . An expensive chore especially in winter when trudging back and forth along muddy towpaths . Another way to minimise your impact on your batteries is to cut back your needs . " worktop appliances" . What on earth does that actually mean ? On my boat a can opener is a gadget . A " worktop appliance " is a dish drainer . I do have a breadmaker though . Its called an oven . I think you need to reassess your needs .... quickly . Its likely you really don t need the gadgets you think you do . Deciding u dont need them isn t " going without " - its embracing an entirely different way of life , which requires a diffrent way of thinking . If you get into this train of thought then being conscious of power usage becomes semi automatic . Personally , & it may sound a little harsh - apologies , i think that unless you spend alot of money on " battery charging equipment " and spend alot of time thinking about " power cutbacks " you are heading for a difficult time onboard . cheers