Jump to content

Leaderboard

Popular Content

Showing content with the highest reputation on 26/02/19 in all areas

  1. Is it just curmudgeonly me or are there others around who are a bit tired of hearing the bleat of folk who just don't want to pay their way and think that the canal and river system is a free to all funfair? I think I am not alone.
    10 points
  2. Wide beam narrowboats are shyte if you want a boat with width get something decent like a copy if a L&L shortboat or a decent copy of an English barge. Not something that handles like a pig and isn't suitable to move down any canal. IMO anyone selling a house to move onto a big boat in their late 50's early 60's needs their head examining as its a daft thing to do. I started moving back onto land at 60 as I realised that one day I would not be able handle 61'x11'6" 35ton barge on my own, 60ft narrowboat yes but not Parglena. Seven years later I'm still on and off the narrow boat and I can still deal with it, but then I have for the last 25 years had a home mooring so don't have to move every 14 days I also have a lifetime of boating experience behind me. Starting as a CC liveaboard late in life is stupid! Yes I'm being harsh but I'm telling the truth.
    4 points
  3. Absolute horseshite, I managed to do it for 5 years, both in the Midlands and also based in London. I then became self employed and CC-'d(for 4 years), only this year having to take a mooring due to various family issues. My London range was Leighton Buzzard to Hertford/Bishop Stortford and my Midlands range was Fradley/Leicester Ring/GU down to Dayton and up to Stockton. Sometimes challenging, always rewarding.
    4 points
  4. That's an interesting point. However I am not sure it is directly relevant here because the question wasn't whether the OP should move into a boat or not. It implied he had already done that or at least had already made that decision. There is only one absolute requirement on any boater and that it is to comply with the law. I note three early constructive responses to this thread from people I know to be active, long standing boaters and genuine advocates of the canals. Between them they also cover off most of the stereotypes we assign to various groups on here and outside of canals may have little in common. So forget about keeping CRT happy, let's put the OP in the pub with those three folk and see if he can convince them he can objectively read and apply the law regarding mooring and movement to their satisfaction. That would be a far better test. I guarantee if he can do that they won't give a stuff about what he does outside of that requirement. It really doesn't matter if you are retired and have a highly polished non-traditionally signwritten £100k boat on a marina mooring that only comes out on sunny bank holidays, or if you have a £20k Springer in grey undercoat tied to the bank in the middle of nowhere and have a job to go to. Neither has much basis in history but both are part of the fabric of today's canals. JP
    4 points
  5. Just a note to the OP. Referring to those getting involved in the discussion, even if they seem to be getting frustrated, as the "angry mob" doesn't actually help in making you look like someone wanting to uncover facts rather than just looking to stir up a fight.
    4 points
  6. CC'ing and having a permanent job are really mutually exclusive. You need to find a home mooring. You will mess it up for the rest of us. Home moorings are easy to find but will cost you. Living on a boat is not cheap.
    4 points
  7. Surely the big question (and this applies to many people) is - Are you interested in canals and boats, or are you just looking for a cheap home? If the latter then you could buy an old bus and forget the waterways.
    3 points
  8. This is the strangest thread so far this year. They can buy a low maintenance flat: I have one for sale. It will cost less than a boat per annum. "Universal Credit" is not something I can "claim", nor would I want to, nor would I sell a house and trot down to a food bank, I occasionally contribute to the food bank, it's not for people who are just a bit tired of living in a house. The government want folks to work till they are sixty-eight, that is 'cos they consider there are too many people scrounging off the state rather than working for a living. I think they have a point.
    3 points
  9. And if you are successful in proving that mooring providers do not have the right to charge for moorings, and therefore the implied right to enforce those charges, what will it acheive? Prudent riparian landowners/ councils included, will not provide any sort of facilities to incur the capital costs, the costs of maintaining, insuring and inspecting a facility up to public use standards, and potential HS & E liabilities. Prudent land owners will just errect Trespassers Prosecuted or similar signs to mitigate any liability issues in case of misadventure. Is that really the outcome you want? If so I think you will be doing the majority of boaters, who don't mind paying a fair charge for using a facility, a huge disservice.
    3 points
  10. I mostly live on the L&L, and I think a 60x12 is the perfect size for this canal and the rivers. The canal from Wigan to Leeds was built for 62x14 short boats, but lock gates sticking make that size hard work ... Ask @DRP how hard work it can be. It's too wide for the narrow bit of the Rochdale and it's too long for a widebeam to do the Calder & Hebble.
    3 points
  11. Why are they buying a boat? If it is to live on then a widebeam is good. If it is to navigate rivers and wide canals then a widebeam is good. If it is to navigate on normal canals and get from the south to the north then a widebeam is NOT the answer. They will not go north to south or south to north. It is too narrow. YOu will not get from London to the LL on a widebeam without coastal sailing. A lot of the so called wide canals are just not wide enough. I would advise them buying a proper boat first ...ie one that is fitted out. They will not be able to make decisions on the fit out as they will not know. I would advise buying a 2nd hand boat as it will have far less problems than a new boat. Yes, we bought a £140K new boat and the snagging list took 3 years to sort out, and that was never done properly. Buy a used boat then if your not happy buy a new one after a few years when you know what is needed.
    3 points
  12. What's wrong with getting yourself a mooring which gives you the the ability to travel to work that you require?
    3 points
  13. Generally anyone who asks "how can I do the minimum to keep C&RT happy" will end up in trouble.
    3 points
  14. A lovely cruise in glorious weather from torksey to Cromwell not a boat in sight
    2 points
  15. It was obviously a £5 full sesion
    2 points
  16. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  17. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  18. Agreed. There is however no pleasing some folk and they would never be happy whoever was in charge.
    2 points
  19. How would you ever know ??
    2 points
  20. What it will cost you to keep chasing your boat with public transport and your car would pay for a mooring. Having a permanent work location and CCing is not in the spirit of your licence to be on the canals. You will fall foul of the regulations at some point and it will serve you right for being such a .......................................
    2 points
  21. fixed place of work but want to 'continually cruise'. oh dear ......................
    2 points
  22. As there are often threads berating CRT for not doing things boaters think they should be doing I thought I would redress the balance. We used to boat on the Trent and Mersey a lot, particularly the North bit and I was impressed with the off side tree cutting they did which greatly improved the boaters line of sight and reduced the close encounters with overhanging trees. We have been on the shroppie for the last week and what a difference in woodseaves cutting! They are not quite finished yet but the difference is amazing. You no longer boat through there thinking that one of the overhanging trees which cut a lot of light would come down on top of you. Well done CRT! Haggis
    1 point
  23. Thanks dmr, rest assured I'll be on those locks and watching in a month or so. My normal precaution would be to close the stern door, tape over the vents with duct tape, idem engine access covers. Without a tightly closed cratch cover going uphill - nervous? Loddon and peterboat, thanks for your ideas on power/prop ratios. Loddon take note that the thread has skittered away from the Original Poster's question to one altogether different. Not my intention, but welcome. CanalWorld being what it is, quite a lot of members might have a lifetime of boating experience behind them. dmr, good point about fitness. I'm still spry enough at 74 to solo our narrowboat, and I remember meeting an irascible lady of 80+(?) who told my wife when she tried to help at a lock, to get lost but in coarser terms.
    1 point
  24. Finest selection of traditional bread in the country is made and sold at The Handmade Bakery alongside the Huddersfield Narrow Canal in Slaithwaite,(pronounced Slawit) It's almost worth braving the HNC to visit it. After eating their bread any other tastes crap and,dare I say it,even homemade.
    1 point
  25. I have no first hand knowledge of the Wigan to Leeds section as our boat is too long, but we have been through a lot of tight locks. Seriously leaky gates when going downhill is the big issue and this can sometimes make passage almost impossible. Its the reversing right to the back of the lock to get the gates open that gets tricky. Staircase locks can be particularly difficult unless you have a switched on lock-keeper and that is not guaranteed. If you settle on a 60foot boat then choose one that is able to handle a fair bit of water at the back without it getting inside, and go and look at a few locks to get a feel for whether you will be comfortable doing them. When it does go wrong its possible to get a lot of water into the boat very quickly. This is where a long cruiser stern type back end and wheel steering might just be better than a trad! (as long as the deck boards are well thought out) .............Dave
    1 point
  26. That is was tly the point I'm making. Ordinary loo paper is fine, but the stronger types and flushable wipes are not. I've had dump through and moderator toilets on boats for over 25 years without problems, but I always educate any guests on how to use them, which is with the sole exception of toilet paper nothing goes into it unless you have eaten or drunk it first.
    1 point
  27. Yes. The Britannia in Barking. The only Youngs pub in the area where I grew up. Propped up the back bar of a Friday night with a yoof called Stephen who is now better known as Billy Bragg. Closed as a pub and now a hotel but the bosomy caryatids are still holding the frontage up (I think) ETA Image from beerinthevening.com
    1 point
  28. Well I'm seventy this year with angina and I certainly hope to be still boating in five years...
    1 point
  29. Hi We have a 57ft narrowboat and as we are based on the Calder & Hebble, I would say the widebeam will fit in most locks at a push up to the Salterhebble 3 then you would have to turn back. Wish them good luck, its a good life just takes a bit of thought and lots of planning!
    1 point
  30. Please ensure your daughter does A LOT of research into living aboard a narrowboat. London is the last place on Earth to be moving to on a boat anyway and is so congested and getting worse that she has much to learn. It is an expensive way to live unless the intention is to be like a caveman. Please dont take this as deliberately negative it is meant to be helpful.
    1 point
  31. I’ve no idea why. I have never reported a post aimed at me (let alone a pm) in all the years I’ve been here. This is an Internet forum. It’s not like it’s important.
    1 point
  32. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  33. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  34. Surprisingly, Leeds and Liverpool "short boats" which were built to traverse the L&L were built to 62' X 14'. I have been over from Wigan to Leeds and back on one of these without too much trouble. Last year one even did the full route with a load on. so a 60' X 12' should have no problems. I'd agree that the traditional shape is better for these canals as the front deck doesn't mind getting wet and the prop is easier to get at when it isn't under a counter. Even with a weed hatch you could need long arms if the boat draws anything like a wide boat should.
    1 point
  35. Someone had better contact CRT if they think this boat couldn't cruise from Liverpool to Market Harborough. Published dimensions are to be read in combination are they not? Hence you can in some circumstances pass a boat that is longer than published if it is narrower. (Actually you can routinely pass boats that are both longer and wider than the published dimensions through many locks). I reckon it would have about 500 miles of cruising range and access to three of the six largest cities in England. What am I missing that others know? JP
    1 point
  36. It did. I apologised politely and shuffled over to the towpath, which I had hoped to avoid as it was largely paved with evidence of dog.
    1 point
  37. No, No, and NO again. Unless the controller manual specifically says you can do this DO NOT. The basic rule is NEVER have the panels connected to the controller without the batteries. Connect the batteries first, then the controller. So by all means disconnect the panels (one wire will probably do) and then the batteries and replace battery cable first then controller but never just disconnect the panels. If you do you may find the controller decides that you are running a 24 volt system and then 12V batteries will get very upset.
    1 point
  38. John White worked for Liverpool Boats before setting up on 'is own.
    1 point
  39. No use if a moderator modifies the result!
    1 point
  40. Lets have a referendum.
    1 point
  41. I suggest you ignore the negative posts and concentrate on the positive ones. There's no rule, written or otherwise, that prevents people who are working from cruising without a home mooring.
    1 point
  42. Try a canoe on the canal? So you want to have the benefit of using the canals without paying anything? Please don't join the canal community with that attitude.
    1 point
  43. You are under no duty at all - congratulations for understanding this point ? The chances of success are zero - as I just discussed above. A judge would throw out any case where the plaintiff attempted to enforce a contract against a third party who hadn't entered into it. You probably need to read the thread more thoroughly - my replies to Captain Pegg are the relevant bits here. There would be no requirement to lie to the courts, you simply shrug your shoulders and stay silent if asked who was in charge of your boat. It's up to the plaintiff to prove who entered into the contract. This is different to driving offences, because in that case there is specific legislation requiring the registered keeper to identify the driver, which is why some people lie.
    1 point
  44. The structure I understood was for canal workers
    1 point
  45. So roughly translated. "I don't give the proverbial tinker's cuss all I am looking for is being able to moor free. Even if it means eventually the mooring is removed." Thanks for making that clear.
    1 point
  46. Thank you to one and all for your responses ranging from the entertaining to helpful! I gather there is a strong bond among the narrow boating community if your banter is any indication. We have in fact booked with Kate Boats (out of Warwick) who we have found to be very helpful. Thank you all again and safe boating to you all. Derrick (Pa) and Sue (Ma) Kettle
    1 point
  47. 1987 was when Sevenoakes became two oaks!!
    1 point
  48. We came across a snake on the Montgomery once.......wait for it.....wait for it..... Oh, I can't be bothered!
    1 point
  49. Hi Just some friendly advice realy. If I were you I would stop spending and cut my losses. Doing an old boat up that needs just a bit of work will cost many thousands likely and a lot of work will be even more. We have all heard that term " Project " many times over the years and it often doesnt bode well. Remember BOAT stands for Bring out another thousand.
    1 point
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.