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I walked along from Wardle Lock to the dam, I could only see one boat that was damaged, window and portholes boarded up. CRT have 3 electric submersible pumps just below the lock and the water is coming up well. They have a portable cocooned generator on a flat just by the entrance to the Wardle Canal. When I stood by the pumps I couldn't hear it and wondered where they were getting the power from. There are 2 shared ownership boats there moored one behind the other. CRT have been along and put bungs in all exhausts prior to refilling the cut.

I’ve emailed Ian Lane who is the W Midlands boss: Dear IanWhen the pound between Minworth middle and bottom locks was closed for the embankment repair, we visited by road and saw the site. A large quantity of rocks had been put on the canal bed to aid vehicles being driven over it. I have photos. The lock landing and that area has always been very shallow and effectively unusable so I hoped that CRT would improve the situation whilst the canal was drained and obviously remove all the material that had been put on the canal bed.But no, today we tried to transit through this pound but not only is the lock landing just as shallow as always (can’t get within 3 feet of the side) but much worse, the short stretch of canal at the embankment repair is ridiculously shallow and with the rocks left on the canal bed. We ground to a halt in the middle of the channel with stones being kicked up into the propellor, sounding horrendous. We had 3 goes trying slightly different lateral paths but we got stuck each time. I dread to the think what the propellor looks like. In the end we managed to get through on the 4th time by opening all the paddles on the lock. This flushed us through but still scraping and banging on the rocky bottom. The level of the pound was not down, and at the bottom lock the bywash was flowing showing that the water we had to use to flush the boat through was wasted.Our boat draws 2’8” which is perhaps a little deeper than average, but by no means exceptional. We have to consider this stretch to be unnavigable until the depth is improved. And it will be all too easy for a boat to get stuck in the middle of the canal with no-one on the bank to open paddles etc.I was told by some contractors messing about with a dredging barge at the next bridge that this has been reported and CRT will be dredging it. But surely it would have been so much easier (and cheaper!) to have removed the material before refilling the pound? I’m sorry but it smacks strongly of incompetence in carrying out the repair, whether due to the contract not being specific about removing excess material before refilling, using contractors who have no idea about canals or a combination, I don’t know. But with CRT’s budget for repairs and maintenance already being spread very thinly, I suggest that you can not afford to waste money having to fix incompetently done repairs.As you might recall, in the past I have been supportive and appreciative of CRT W Midlands attitude and effectiveness, but this event has left me quite angry and fearful for the future of the canals if maintained to this sort of standard.Oh and can I suggest that the dredging be done as a matter of urgency and in the mean time, a stoppage notice be put out advising that the maximum depth of water is about 2’4” or less.Kind RegardsNick Norman

A friendly word of warning. Having looked quite recently at the proliferation of boat blogs etc etc on you tube be careful of which advice you heed as most of the vloggy bloggy people have no more idea than the man in the moon and many are recent liveaboards who wish to impart their " knowledge " to all and sundry. Its fine but owning a boat for a couple of years an experienced boater doesn't make!!

What a load of twaddle! a cruiser stern gives you another room if you have a pram hood and is a far nicer social area when cruising, most semi trads you have trouble passing another person because of the seat lockers , as for a trad having more cabin space its relative as the engine has to go somewhere, either just inside under the steps or in an engine room, either way it takes up as much space as being under the floor in a cruiser stern... I have had and lived with all 3 and would never change back from a cruiser stern. Rick

I find it funny that someone can get into such a Tiz woz over pump out loos cratch covers and lovely Pram hoods. I do love the description of a boat with a Pram hood looking like a clowns shoe. Not heard that before. Give Tim his due, it is nearly summer.

Well I have shared on my Facebook page in the hope that walkers, cyclists etc who appreciate our canals, and don't contribute in any way can help if they wish. Doubt most will. I don't currently have a boat, and so don't pay a license fee. I have made a donation as I want to give a little back

Just bin them.

Needed to fabricate a reducer for the raw water feed into a gearbox oil cooler. The old one was cast iron and had been repaired a number of times, so thought I'd make a new one. Made from stock parts, except for the square flange, which was flame cut. Tacked up and then stick welded with three beads. Job finished by welding on a boss to take a drain tap, hopefully stop it happening again.

Private as in not CRT administered and therefore you have to pay is what I meant; not that they were unavailable. I know the place as I once briefly lived in Warwick and I left my own boat there for a few weeks last summer. Maybe the OP knows this and genuinely wants to moor on the arm but unless it is a specific requirement I suspect the visitor moorings and a visit to The Cape of Good Hope is more likely. Is there a better pub in Warwick? JP

Might be back to basics time. I'm not familiar with Nationals but with an injector out when does it squirt diesel? where is the piston? just a tad before top dead centre? or is it quite a long way before or even a bit after? . My bet is on the pump somehow not doing what it's supposed to when it should. Good luck with it anyway, nothing more depressing than a ton of stone cold engine that just sits there refusing to start.

You may have unwittingly hit on the answer. Fit all boats with a holding tank/digester, and run the engine on the gas produced. Simples!

Imagine how nice that roof would have looked with nicely polished brass mushrooms! I know - it's never gonna happen on that boat unless there's a change of skipper! That pipe fender wants a scrub too. And a quick question: that roof paint - is it stolen? Only it looks a bit familiar...

Maybe he meant Rock Hudson!

I remember the smell from the Reliant factory at Tamworth and getting high on the fumes until the factory got knocked down and houses built.

You do not seem to have any rights under the Landlords and Tenants Act. It seems to me that you are hiring a boat for a long time. Are the moorings guaranteed to be yours or as long as you rent the boat and is the fee included in the rent you pay. Does it have planning permission for permanent and continuous occupation to be used as a home - and how much are the rates. The local authority will tell you.

If it only takes 2 minutes to take it down, why not do that and then ditch it to save messing about with the monstrosity in future? I am joking NW - mrsmelly wouldn't have been!

Would all the snow on top turn the boat over?

It really is unbelievable except sadly we all know with CRT it is a daily issue (a bit like like cutting grass that hasn't started growing yet) - classic public sector/charity disease - too much power with no accountability

But what if a lion comes in through your back door and there's a crocodile in your cratch, eh? Didn't think that through properly, did you! Three emergency exits are better than two whether you can think of a scenario or not - that's the thing about emergencies: they are by their very nature unplanned and unexpected. I wouldn't consider blocking one if I had more.

Mikes going to have a damp van

Also wise to have a decent monitoring kit to see if theres owt wrong when charging.

Thing with pram hoods apart from looking absolutely crap is that when its cold and you want to go boating you have to take the stupid thing down anyway on many canals and all the crap being stored under it is then in the way or ends up inside the boat anyway.

I think he may mean that sales are buoyant with all the boats heading South (to London)

With boats sales bouyant in recent years, I wonder whether it's people buying a boat as "cheap" housing, rather than something to go cruising with? Quite a few recent posts seem to be folk looking for somewhere to live, which happens to be boat shaped.

Quite. Could even be argued it was not stolen as there has to be an intention to permanently deprive the owner of possession or some such term. Setting it up on a canalside hard standing hardly seems to illustrate such an intention.

Struggling to find one in good enough nick. Might have to have a rethink on that one. Think we have almost decided that we will change the house first to something that will rent out easier. We have something in mind which I am currently working on at work but it could be a couple of years before it has gone through planning and actually been built! No rush I suppose. We are happy with NC and we still have plenty of places to explore with her.

Nope!

Perhaps something yo do with most people not believing everything they hear, see or read in the news

You need a "green zone" marking on those gauges Mark, and while you're at it - have a tidy up!

Yep completely agree. We are talking a modern boat for modern living, its not supposed to look like something from yesteryear. Having been a long time liveaboard with every stern type my first choice all things being equal is cruiser stern a simply much nicer place to be and far safer for moving around on. Trads are awful and my present semi trad is OK but neither one thing nor the other but the boss wanted to try one out so here it is and its a good boat. The stern doesnt matter much when living aboard other things matter more. The only thing you are wrong about Rick as USUAL is the poxy, horrific greenhouse on the back

Bit harsh dc! There are advantages and disadvantages to all 3 concepts and each has its fans, but personal taste is a large part of it. My personal taste likes the lines of a trad better, but as an engineer I particularly love the bone dry engine space my trad stern facilitates, and I quite like the more sheltered driving position without having to resort to a tent. I'd prefer it to be even more trad so that a small epping in a proper the back cabin added to my winter comfort and my engine had its own bedroom further forward, but Mrs Sea Dog vetoed that... on personal preference grounds! (I got to keep the torpedo tubes and the snooker table in the trade off) I can see advantages of the other options though, a more sociable rear patio being among them. Each to his/her own, eh?

I think the boat market will be even stronger this year. Massive interest already from the April 6th pension fund releases and boats now being able to get to brokerages after stoppages/floods/ice. The only quiet months are December and January. If you are buying, me sure you have a deposit ready to go as boats coming to market correctly priced will be snapped up by people on brokerages mailing lists the day they appear.

It's a bodge Richard, as Carl says, and they will no doubt be happy to leave it as it is until it does a Middlewich type collapse.

To be fair that is not a repair....It is a complete bodge . It is undoubtedly undermining the surrounding stonework so you will see stones falling in around it leading to even more obscene cement bag bodges. If you can chuck cement bags into the gap then you can lift the stones out of the cut and reset them correctly. No excuses...it is a terrible job that should have been condemned and reinstated at the contractors expense.

The Freight group was formed to look in detail at what prospects (if any) there were for increasing the tonnage of freight (currently about 275,000 tonnes per annum) carried on CRT waterways, the major ones especially. Ian was a valuable member of the group with his knowledge of logistics and freight generally. Mark is head of rail and sea freight (this includes inland waterways both in the UK and abroad) and organised and championed continued use of water for moving Cemex materials - inland waterway examples in the UK including the very long running movements at Attenborough (until pit closure) and the very large tonnages moved on the River Severn and Thames currently. He also owns a narrow boat and boats extensively! The Group, chaired by Dr David Quarmby (also a boater) produced a report which was accepted by the Trust to positively encourage freight on its waterways - the Commercial ones in particular - though the coal boats and other similar users were welcome users on the narrow canals. The group recommended making a start in the north east, prioritising the waterways radiating from the Humber because they offered the most potential, looking at developing a site at Stourton as the Port of Leeds. The group assisted with the revival of the oil traffic to Rotherham then stood down (but could be revived) as the task was finished and a steering group has taken the Port of Leeds project forward with designs, planning permission, costings, partnering with port operators, obtaining funding etc. It's expected that the sea dredged sand initiative from Hull to Leeds (Fleet) will start this summer (all being well) as a first stage in this development. In answer to the question of costs everyone on the partnerships and advisory boards is a volunteer, no-one gets paid. I would also echo Alan's point that towpath improvements, waterway art projects and similar activities are almost all funded by third parties. Regards David L

Good idea. I might beef up my own side hatch arrangements in that way. If I might just add a small idea for improvement? You're not trying to prevent someone opening the hatch from the inside where the padlock is, but someone may one day need to use that hatch as an emergency exit. Either hang an open padlock with the key in on the rings or use something like a drop nose pin or a carabiner which doesn't need a key. It's the metal bar bit that's doing the job of holding the doors together against outside attack, so it could just as well be easily removable from the inside.

Would she also help me with my poetry while I’m waiting? ... then it probably belongs to Dr Bob

To be fair, I don't think CRT are suggesting that the repairs won't be undertaken without this emergency fund raising, but if the appeal brings in contributions from folk who wouldn't normally pay anything towards the waterways then it's worth a try.

move to a cheaper part of the country the boat is a mobile home .

Yes, I agree. What I don’t see is why they then think that CaRT should have to provide those facilities for them. They made a decision to live on a boat rather than an over-priced tiny flat without firstly considering whether the rules and regulations required of them actually suited their chosen lifestyle. When they find it doesn’t suit they then claim that the rules should be altered to suit their needs. They should have rented a bedsit. Because they really don’t want to go boating.

Absolutely. The canals are part of a network of navigable inland waterways, not a solution to the housing crisis. What's next, permanently static caravans taking up all the hard shoulder on motorways?

They are campaigning on behalf of members who mostly don't want to 'travel', who wish to stay in one place without paying for a home mooring. They are not representing boaters they are representing people who want cheap and convenient accommodation on the waterways without following the rules and without cost. If that's not a threat to enforcement, bona fide continuous cruisers and leisure boaters I don't know what is.

Your not kidding! all the fiddly bits i had to do with a 4" grinder with a flap disk was literally a week of 12+ hour days and a complete night shift spent cleaning and getting rid of all the dust so i could paint, actually hoovered the boat 3 times then tac ragged it several times ... but hopefully if i get the 10 to 12 coats on i am aiming for it wont need doing again for a good few years to come Rick