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Showing content with the highest reputation on 04/06/18 in all areas

  1. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
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  4. I agree that back in the 60s this was the case. If it hadn't been for the IWA and others back then we would not have the canal system we have today, bad as it is in places. The problem now is that all these groups, including the IWA, all have their own little agendas and seem to me to be working against each other. Until a coherent, collective, consenus of opinion prevails boating will be pushed further and further back down the agenda in my opinion. Reading this thread I get the impression that the diversity of opinion on the canals is reflected here. As has been said the reasons for rebranding have gone above a lot of boaters heads. I don't agree with some of it I will admit but, to an extent, it is neccessary. About getting more awareness of the canals that will only come with education. Open days, canal walks and school and young people organisation's presentation. I know a lot of you poo hoo the educational side of C&RT but it is an essential part of the fund raising scenario and the youngsters of today are the boaters, canal users and C&RT employees of the future. I am involved with the Canal and River Explorers, and in my opinion, this aspect of C&RT cannot be ignored by anybody.
    3 points
  5. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  6. CRT have done a great job alienating what could have been a group of core ambassadors with this rebranding....I think not bothering to change the licence paperwork is just the last straw...it would have cost about £20 of someone’s time to change the pdf but shows that boaters are the bottom of the pile.
    2 points
  7. Just to follow up on this - I had the fuel pump replaced last week. This weekend I did about six hours running, most of it running hard on the tideway and... no recurrance of the problem. Fingers crossed, I hope the problem is now solved.
    2 points
  8. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  9. You have a fridge that can ride a bike?? Fantastic!!!!
    2 points
  10. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  11. As a Johny come lately, that's me not you by the way, I am living on the back of your and others previous efforts for which I thank you and applaud you. New logo, whole threads on that, personally I don't like it, but accept its done now. The most important thing to me now is the future of the network. I can understand, but not in all of its detail, the problem that has to be addressed. So I have to ask myself Do I accept the reasoning behind the new strategy? On balance yes Do I accept that to achieve their objectives a new management structure and quality directors are necessary? Again yes. Do I accept that a re branding exercise was necessary so soon after the last on? Not fully but pragmatically am willing to accept it has been implemented if it means energies can be directed towards the future of the networks. Is it important to lobby, pressurise and keep on track the new board? absolutely. Is Richard Parry the man to be taking us forward and to tackle the difficult challenges? On what I've seen so far I would have to say yes. Should we give them stick when they get things wrong? Absolutely I don't think they would expect anything else. On balance I accept their future strategy. How it pans out I've no way of knowing.
    2 points
  12. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  13. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  14. Usual arseholes out in force again I see. Someone new dares to ask a question, someone else gets nasty because they know everything there is to know about boating, how dare you ask a question do your research we don't like where you intend going lets take it as an opportunity to get nasty for no effing reason whatsoever, then they get all butt hurt because the newbie dared to stand up for themselves & then rest of the usual crew join in... Post count (just for sh*ts giggles)... Dicks! Bring on the banhammer!
    2 points
  15. Excuse me. As I said I am 'thinking about launching at Watford', I am researching, I am just about to order a boat. I am a single mum and buying a boat on my own to live on is no small feat; it's exciting yes but also incrediby stressful owing to the hundreds of decisions to make. I absolutely want to make sure I am not going to be forking out twice for haulage. I came on here to double check as I thought the community would flag up a problem that I can not forsee from using the internet alone for research. It's a perfectly good question from someone not in the know who is about to embark on the biggest purchase on my life that will swallow all of my life savings in the hope I might just be able to pull off a nice home for my daughter and me to live. I didn't come on here to insulted thank you. Dicks!
    2 points
  16. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  17. Had exactly this on our old CRK3 powered boat, bugger to start with low fuel level, ok with full tank. Did all the checks round joints and the lift pump and filters, etc. This made things better but never cured the problem. The fuel take off from the tank was via a dip tube fitted to the top of the tank, It turned out that that the tube had corroded and had pin holes in about half way down, probably at the fuel / air boundary, the previous owner didn’t run the engine much as it was on shoreline in a marina. New take off tube fitted and started every time regardless of fuel level.
    1 point
  18. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  19. And, boy oh boy, do some of those attempting it need to practice! Nice to see if done right, but a pain in the arse if you are held up by a crew that consistently fails to do it right. The problem I see, is that whilst you are theoretically keeping an old technique alive, in the old days they left the paddles up, and just motored out leaving the gates open, so it was a genuine saver of both time and effort. However, if you need crew on both sides of the locks to drop paddles, and close the gates once the boats have left, in general they could also have opened the gates, and avoided having to get the gate lines off the boats and correctly set up on both sides!
    1 point
  20. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  21. As the OP has declined to answer the questions in post 1, he is probably doomed to buy new batteries every 18 months for ever. Or more frequently. I get the feeling we have given the wrong answer. We are all supposed to be saying yes inverters wear out, buy a new one and everything will be fine!
    1 point
  22. I can't picture what you mean by the holes in the engine block. I suspect you mean the holes in the engine feet that the mount studs go through. If so then yes, loosen the to nuts on the stud and try sliding the engine through any clearance between the stud and hole. However I doubt a mallet would shift it. I would disconnect the coupling and the try to lever the engine sideways. If there is no clearence I think you may have to lift the engien and file the holes in the feet. try Eeyore's solution first.
    1 point
  23. They certainly are, and this is still practiced today - as is strapping top gates closed in narrow locks (where there is still an accessible strapping post).
    1 point
  24. A few more photos on my blog here hoping to get some more later so it will be updated throughout the day.
    1 point
  25. Waterway Engagement Monitor (WEM) Adaption of an existing tool The Waterway Engagement Monitor (WEM), an online monthly survey, is the Trust’s primarily tool for measuring brand awareness, engagement, participation and people’s motivations for use of our waterways. This online monthly survey focuses on both use of the waterways such as volume of visitors to the waterways, frequency, activity type, visitor satisfaction, motivations and demographics as well as eliciting information of strategic importance to the Trust about the levels of brand awareness, appeal and advocacy within the wider population. The Trust will use this tool to measure and evaluate some of the OMF indicators at a national level. This continuous survey (operational since 2004) is currently managed by BDRC Continental on behalf of the Trust. Between 2004 and April 2015 it was administered using a telephone methodology but moved in May 2015 to an online methodology with a sample drawn from online panels. A nationally representative sample comprising 960 adults across England and Wales are interviewed each month, totally 11,500 adults over the year (and the sample is weighted to represent the England and Wales adult population. There is an even distribution of respondents throughout the month in order to smooth vagaries of weather and other extraneous factors. All survey respondents are adults aged 15 or over (although information is collected on ages of all household members including children and ages of all child participants in waterway activities). Data is weighted to the national GB population profile in terms of region, sex, social grade and age. It will provide a national and regional benchmark against which local community surveys and towpath intercept surveys conducted within the Longitudinal Study Areas and project-specific evaluations can be compared. WEM has been adapted to include the survey questions relating to: • household demographics; long term illness, health problem, disability; ethnicity; • alternative mode of sustainable transport; use as a location for physical exercise; awareness of and value of waterway to local area; and length of time lived in current neighbourhood; as well as • the self-reported, attitudinal and perception indicators, linked to the six OMF domains. Since April 2016, the Trust has included the four Office of National Statistics (ONS) four measures of subjective wellbeing. We intend to compare these results with the UK National Statistics for the same period when published by the ONS later this year. The above was taken from https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/refresh/media/thumbnail/33802-canal-and-river-trust-outcomes-report-waterways-and-wellbeing-full-report.pdf What is interesting is that Section 8 of this report describes future plans Our planned activity for next twelve months Our activities during next twelve months will focus upon: phase two of putting the measurement and evaluation infrastructure in place to support the outstanding OMF / outcome indicators; collatingthestatisticalevidencetobeabletoreporton,andapplythevaluationmethodologiesto the different OMF domains and indicators for inclusion within our second Outcomes Report; the first phase of retrospective project evaluation work, to help build the repository of evidential case studies, testimonies and examples for effective ‘storytelling’; developingapropositionthatenablestheTrustto‘capture’theoutcomesgeneratedbyothers using our waterways as a platform (charities, clubs, social enterprises, etc); and using our outcomes work to inform our public policy and public affairs work and our response to devolution as well as provide strategic direction on the Trust’s activities and interventions as part of the business plan preparation process. There then follows 7 pages (of a 123 page report excluding appendices) and nowhere does it talk about this re-branding exercise
    1 point
  26. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  27. Please can you explain which bit of 'rebranding' was necessary. The purpose of the exercise was to increase the brand awareness from 36% to 40%. Brand awareness doesn't just mean matching a logo to an organisation, it means being able to tell someone else what that organisation stands for in terms of values and makes people wish to associate themselves with it. If this wasn't happening to the extent,in percentage terms, CRT had decided was important (and remember this is an arbitrary figure dreamed up because it is higher than the current figure) then what is needed is a huge advertising (or educational) campaign, not a new brand that means when asked (on day 1) only 1% will know what it stands for. In my view, which is not worth more than anyone else's, the prudent approach would have been to explain to 35,000 roving ambassadors (licensed boaters) what CRT were trying to do, enlist support, advertise in newspapers and on television, with the 60K and if that fails blame the swan and bridge and the font with serifs.
    1 point
  28. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  29. Obviously taken to heart Big Dick Parry's Naturist Health Service.
    1 point
  30. Some very good friends are in the area and taking the pics for me, next update will be tomorrow now, photographer will try and get as close to the action as possible. The engineer I mention is very clued in on this sort of thing and his insights have been invaluable.
    1 point
  31. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  32. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  33. Many years ago I did a 26 mile walk with about 350 otherssetting out from a school in Quorn, Leicestershire. A short distance from the school we all 350 of us crammed onto the towpath, much to the delight of the fishing match participants who were already there. Much hilarity and good natured banter ensued.
    1 point
  34. I wouldn't care less what logo a sign a Berko had as long as it said "No widebeams north of this point"
    1 point
  35. The problem is how to persuade individuals or organisations to part with their money. It will cut no ice whatsoever if, when someone asks the question "what do I get for my money", you refer them to a piece of nonsense dressed up a a serious research project. Yet this is exactly what CRT are doing.
    1 point
  36. I use a philips screwdriver that has had the shaft cut down to approx 2 inches long to operate the hand wheels on the Nene locks.Works great. Some phone numbers for middle levels you will need- Stanground (must give 24hr notice) 07824600470 Marmot Priory 078248217737 Salters Lode 01366382292 If you are more than 60ft let Salters Lode know you are coming. The best bit of the Ouse starts at Popes Corner where you turn off for Cam... Going that way myself tomorrow so will watch out for you all-I am in a 67ft Tug ☺☺☺
    1 point
  37. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  38. No it was set up because some out of control mods with power complexes decided they didn’t like their views and so permanently banned them with, in most cases, no warning or explanation. One of those people decided to set up TB and the rest is history. oh and I checked the “MtB is a prick” thread, it was in 2016 so surely you’re not still sulking about it? Started by EmmaB who was an obnoxious loudmouth on here too (not banned though). There were a few who supported the theme of the thread and a few who disagreed with it. Sounds like a fairly normal situation, you can’t expect everyone to like you! Especially when you rarely miss an opportunity to slag of TB whilst (as you freely admit) not actually going there.
    1 point
  39. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  40. We just had a new member on there, lots of fun and banter and no unpleasantness. I have just posted a lengthy and hopefully helpful tome in response to a question about mooring in Birmingham. So actually you are quite wrong which is not surprising since you have no idea what you are talking about.
    1 point
  41. Off shore they would spend a day blasting, next day if the weather looked right they would flash blast it again to remove the ginger and then if the paint inspector gave the OK airless spray it. The inspector would take air temperature, humidity with a wet dry thermometer and steel temperature, as they sprayed he would do random wet film thickness checks. If you get a few days of marginal weather the paint inspector is not a popular chap.
    1 point
  42. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  43. Then there was the 'young girl (last year) called Miss Max who asked for help and advice, she received it, still bought the boat and had tremendous problems. I PM'd her and offered assistance (turns out lucky she didn't accept), other members actually went to help and were subsequently accused of offering help for 'services', she eventually closed all of the air vents and painted the whole boat in black bitumen paint. and was never heard of again. Do a forum search if you want to see what happened. Not everyone wants to hear the truth when they ask a question - they are rally looking for a response "gee your doing great, what a great idea, forget the rules just do what you want, anything goes in London"
    1 point
  44. I wondered if OP meant magel or similar …… hmm. three great minds collide in unison.
    1 point
  45. Given they managed for a year or more when Chasewater was drained, I don’t see that turning it off for a day or two or whatever it was would take it from higher than normal, which it certainly was on Sunday with all the rain, to be 12 inches off normal. That is a awful lot of water that has gone somewhere, and I don’t think it can be explained by lockage. Sure continuously topping up fron Chasewater could keep the level up, but where has the water gone?
    1 point
  46. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  47. The bottom appears to have got a lot closer to the top. That’s a hell of a lot of water to have lost.
    1 point
  48. Nice. Looks like Butchers Bridge?
    1 point
  49. Yes London - because the waterways are wider for a craft this size. You have no idea how much research I have done nor what experiences I have, what my situation is or my plan - none of you. As far as I am aware no one has any more rights than anyone else to the waterways; and experience does not always make a person wise, nor well mannered it seems on here. One thing I am certain of though is that as long as I am on the water I will always offer my help if it's asked for, however old I get.
    1 point
  50. You probably aren’t still here, but if you are and by way of explanation as to why the responses were somewhat hostile, London has become pretty much a no-go area for leisure boating because it is full up with people living on boats because they represent a cheap way to live in a very expensive city. Wide beam boats are obviously more problematic because they take up more room. Some people feel almost as if the public facility of the canals in London have been taken over by squatters. if you had said you were taking the boat somewhere else I think you would have got a different reaction. Personally if “London” plays a big part in your decision to buy this boat, I would think very carefully about what the future might hold. The year on year increase in live-aboard boats in London is unsustainable and sooner or later steps will be taken to curtail it. Probably sooner.
    1 point
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