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Hi everyone, new and old :) Just wanted to pop in and say hello, Emma and I got married this weekend and were having a boating mini-moon. We've hired hector and we are going from falls Bridge to crick and back. We are currently moored South of Hillmorton locks for the night and will be going through Braunston tomorrow. So if any of you see a couple on a small boat with a tug deck and a just married sign on the rear fender please stop us and say hello! Happy Easter everyone x

No we are not experienced boaters at all yet, which is why I'm asking silly questions. Trying to figure out which kind of boat to live on, & where. Before we get any kind of boat on any kind of water we'll make sure we know a good deal about what we're doing. We are living in Ireland until next year when we move to the UK, which is home for me - my mother lives in Surrey. Also, at the moment anyway, dealing with a small budget, & being handy handy people we're tending towards the idea of a boat that might need some work doing, interior-wise anyway. I do like the idea of going a bit coastal, as long as we knew what we were doing We are both pretty sensible.

Are we sure it’s closing?? I thought it was just an Easter sale....I was in there on Sunday and there wasn’t any talk of it closing...don’t want unfounded rumours starting!

A typical narrowboat uses 1.25 - 1.5 litres of diesel an hour, so hard to beat on economy, although that old Mercedes motor is about 40 horse so shouldn't be a gas guzzler. The Broom might be a nice choice for the Norfolk Broads or some wider rivers, but if you really want to explore the canal network you either need a narrowboat or a narrow beam cruiser. You'll be restricted by beam on canals with the Broom as has already been said, but also by air draught at approaching 2 meters. There are many low priced narrow beam cruisers to choose from. However, if you intend to be aboard all year, I'd strongly recommend something well insulated with a solid fuel stove. Before you splash out, I'd also suggest you hire a boat and see how you get on.

The various arguments discussions regarding this point generally suggest securing the warp to the upstream end of the boat and having the anchor close to the steering position.

Are you absolutely sure you know how to and are able to look after them properly and keep them fully charges as much as possible, plus do you have the equipment to equalise them now and again. If any answer is no then ponder on the fact that you can wreck expensive batteries just a\s fast as cheap ones. Personally I feel fair quality dual purpose ones treated as consumables probably give the best cost-benefit ratio for most people. Others differ.

And pulleys can be swapped from one alternator to another. The more difficult is ensuring that the mounting is compatible and the pulley ends up in line with the other pulleys in the system. Things can be done with washers to stack it out. Jen If it spins backwards it takes electric out of the battery and makes the engine go faster, which takes more electric till the batteries are flat. (Not really) ?

Congratulations. When is the next photo of the month competition, by the way?

Think it was more like a MC freaky Friday but for longer....and with more useful stuff!

Just to add....the flyer said 25% reduction on everything from 19th April till 21st April. So you are too late if you missed it!

Depends what you mean by "fancy". The m4 aqua can be had for about £25 refurbished. It isn't a great phone but it is 4g and does the job. I'm also not sure what you mean by "tended to" as mine has sat on charge with the hot-spot switched on "untended" for over 2 months now. Should I be watering it or something?

Are these proper mountaineering carabiners, or the sort of thing that is used in a dog lead? Mountaineering krabs have a typical breaking load of around 2000kg and essentially just don't release when put under to much strain. Climbers would die if they did! Jen

I got these for my birthday last month...

PM sent

We had a pair of traction Batteries in Helvetia, the first lot lasted more than 13 years, and the second lot were about 9 years old, and still holding their charge, when we sold the boat. What I have never understood is balancing, and as far as I know we never did it. However, I did always make sure that they were fully charged before we left the boat, even for a short period of a few days, and that regime does not appear to have done them any harm. perhaps i was looking after them correctly without knowing it!

Ha! That explains everything!

I don't think so. You seem to be trying to find out something about living on canals, and as your thoughts are not well formed (because this is still just an idea) some of your questions are a bit naive. How could they possibly be otherwise? Stick at it, ask more questions. Do be prepared to answer questions too, it will help. And 'I don't know' is a perfectly valid answer Richard

Not sure about that. The insignificant people that live in the countryside are seeing whats going on, but the important people that live in the cities, especially London, are very isolated from these things, but they do understand traffic jams and other things that impact on their high paid jobs and theatres/restaurants, so maybe the protesters have got it right this time, but I am concerned that its the "usual suspects" who just like a good demo rather than those who really grasp what is going on. When water is in in short supply I think us boat dwellers are going to be at the bottom of the list so no strategies will be of much help. Its early April and the Rochdale is now closed due to water shortage. ..................Dave

Although I agree that this is not a good canal boat, a draft of 32" is not the big issue, and I speak here as someone who has lived on a boat that draws about 31" for 10 years and traveled extensively, though I confess today was a bit of a bummer, and tomorrow is probably gonna be worse. ................Dave i

Well, time passes differently in the fens... I'm afraid I have yet to find the menu option to turn off the stamps. For Easter we set forth from Ely and made our way to the Wissey, overnighting in Hilgay after a five hour cruise. The following morning saw us continue on to Stoke Ferry via the massive marble run of Wissington sugar factory. The better half is convinced that the narrow channel belongs to the set of a Mad Max film, where overhanging gnarled trees grasp and claw after after you whilst you glide pass the towering mass of bridges, gantries, cranes and pipes. Aside from Wissington the Wissey is very much the prettiest of the east anglian rivers in our view, with its narrow tree lined banks giving it the feel of a rural canal. After Stoke ferry we returned to the Ouse and made our way to The Ship at Brandon Creek, the staccato bark of the Lister reverberating off the high banks as we opened it up on the long river drag. Dinner was a chicken and leek pie whilst watching the sun set, a very satisfying end to a seven hour day. After a night moored adjacent the A10 we were eager to get away and cruised slowly down Brandon creek at a little over idle, threading our way through the long lines of moored boats. Eventually we crept past my favourite building in all the fens, a dilapidated clapboard farm house that I've been watching decay for the last few years. Grebe and swan nests were much in evidence before we moored up at Hockwold fen, our favourite overnighting spot. You can sit on the bank in the evening and gaze out across the rushes listening to the lapwings and geese. In the half light one could almost convince oneself that you had travelled back a hundred years. That is until a brace of fighters take off from nearby Lakenheath and scream their way into the north sky. This morning we had a couple dozen heifers on the bank gazing through and licking the windows. We took the hint and cast off, slowly pottering back to Brandon Creek EA moorings where we sit now. We took advantage of the warm day to scrub and varnish her offside. This may have been a mistake, I'll have to go out shortly and peel off all the flies that have landed on the drying woodwork before the second coat... Hope you all have a wonderful Easter, Robert, Storm and SARA

I’m impressed. You have far more staying power than me then!!

My boats full of web developers, they all come abseiling down from the vents and hatches.