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I'm SURE your tiller is at the wrong end....

Went through Glascote Locks on Monday. Absolutely disgusting that CRT didn't have any volockies operating this long and arduous flight. ?

Say what you like about CRT, but name one other large, national organisation you could expect to phone up and have a customer service experience like the one I had yesterday: "Hello, Canal & River Trust, how can I help?" "Is there any chance you could get hold of somebody at your Etruria yard? I think I might have left a set of keys in the shower at the service block before we left this morning." "Hmm... hold on and I'll see if I can get hold of the Area Supervisor, Alan Whitehouse, for you" [Brr brr… brr brr…] "Hello, Alan Whitehouse speaking." "Oh hi, I was just explaining that [bla bla bla]…" "I'm just at Etruria now actually... Hang on... I'm just walking round... in the shower? Yes I've got them. Where are you now?" "Barlaston, but we've only stopped for lunch really, we were hoping to head towards Stone." "That's okay, we can bridge hop. Just give me your number and I'll phone and check where you are when somebody's able to set off." Half an hour later Alan quite cheerfully hands the keys to me by my boat at Barlaston after all, explaining that he was planning to do a job down that way on Friday anyway and decided he might as well just do it then instead. Top marks I'd say. And they were already in my good books for offering to dispose of all my contaminated bilge water from Monday for me (see my earlier post) if I just left the containers out by the skip.

When I bought my boat, which has a macerator pump out toilet, I was advised to use nothing at all. This strategy has worked well, no smells noticed by me or anyone else. However when we had shareboats with dump through pump out toilets, there was always a smell a few days following a pump out, whatever we used. This is because the tank contents are exposed every time you flush the toilet. The only thing that kept the smell manageable with this type of toilet was weekly pump outs and lots of blue.

Thought this might interest some Black Prince fans. I sent Leighton at Black Prince an email to see if he had any more information about the '99 and '00 Duchess 6 SMART boats, and he said: "I’ve spoken to Pete who recalls that the hulls were a pre-cut kit, assembled by a company called George Prior Engineering based in Lowestoft. The shells would be then delivered to Stoke Prior to be fitted out here. " He also pointed out the following 2000 sister to Bumble Bee and Butterfly is for sale! Holly Blue 504759. Still has much of the original interior! https://narrowboats.apolloduck.co.uk/boat/black-prince-65-cruiser-stern/601185

Yes but Ray Bowen will give you a much cheaper quote than going direct. Tuckeys wanted over £5k from me but give them a call and check for yourself.

Yes, I think that is exactly so, the post war period is still about within living memory and was better recorded, certainly photographically, and I think in a lot of cases people look to this period for historical reference, and tend to overlook what went on before. I am pretty sure that this applies to graining. When the number ones were working some boats seem to have been extremely well decorated, far more so than the fleet boats. I recall hearing that Charles Lane would pay the boatyard more to make sure that his boats were the best painted, and I would imagine this included the graining as well. The Freindship’s cabin is grained in two colours, with more detailing and to a higher standard than what we would now consider normal, and I remember Ron Hough telling me that Frank Nurser used to grain the cabin beams in mahogany in earlier days. I would agree that he basic, repetitive comb graining that we are more used to was a later economy. Regarding early Grand Union cabins, there are enough photographs to suggest that grained cabins were not uncommon, if perhaps not the norm. There is a passage in Susan Woolfit’s Idle Women where she describes the cabin interior on the butty Dodona, the lower part,side bed and drawers were dark blue, and the rest was ‘white; not cream, as in the other boats, but plain white’ ( page 154 ). There are several pictures of cabin interiors of trainee’s boats, predominantly Woolwich boats, I think there was a link to a series of photos some time ago ( the Monnington collection? ) which I don’t have to hand, but I do remember thinking how rough the woodwork was. So on to rudder collars Little Woolwich, restored as built. The large washer under the collar is threaded onto the top of the rudder tube, and is tightened and screwed down onto the wooden pad beneath it. The top of the tube comes flush with the top of the washer, the spigot of the collar fits inside the tube, and the flange of the collar sits on top of the washer. The rams head, dolly, and hook are all original. Little Woolwiches differ from big ones in that the decks are completely wooden, whereas on big ones the cants and decking are mounted on a steel deck

Scruffy boats are best. Then come boats with logs on the roof. After that, anything with a motorbike on the back. Internally, you can judge a boat by the number of musical instruments it holds. Obviously, if the engine goes thronk ponk rather than tickertickerticker you've got a winner. Will that do?

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

Doesn't sound like a metallic knocking, can't really identify much of a knock at all really. Might be an idea to get the injectors checked though. Before you get the spanners out just check the engine mounts are bolted down well and that one or more is not perished or moving around. Same goes for everything else that's attached to the engine. Does it make the same sound at different revs? if you grab the top of the engine whilst its running and try to stop it vibrating does the noise stop? And if the engine is not running can you rock it and does anything knock. Others will know more.

It does much improve things, I have done it before. This setup is a webasto so the dosing pump is seperate which is good in one way but I forgot to have this done when it was fitted so I get the clonk clonk My previous boat was webasto and it was virtualy silent in and out the boat. If you change for a webasto there is a first class guy on fleabay sells recon full units that are brilliant. I bought two off him and keep one as a spare. He also services and replaces parts very much cheaper than anyone else. I am a very satisfied customer of 3 years liveabord useage.

I see her all the time, it's nice to have a break

After going up Lapworth we go on a bit and stop just past the Bluebell Pub. After that its a longish but lock free day into central Brum. Some people do overnight at Kings Norton but I wouldn't. Heading out of Brum Northwards I suggest a day to Woverhampton. The old main line is more interesting than the New. At Wolves there are safish but "no access" offside moorings, but if there is space go into the old BW yard opposite the moorings. The great Western pub is a proper black country boozer with some good railway stuff and its only a ten min walk away. Next day go down the Wolverhapton 21. Start earl as there might be an empty pound to sort out, then go onwards up the Shroppie or Staffs and Worcs as you fancy. An alternative is to go through the big Netherton tunnel and then have a visit to the famous Swann/Ma Pardoes pub. People do overnight just beyond the tunnel, but there is a boat club just a little further who can probably fit you in for the night. Next day is another flight of locks (some a little urban and some very interesting) and then on to the Staffs and Worcs. Farmers Bridge and Aston flights are something you should do once in your life but the other routes are nicer. .................Dave

Asda smart-price bio washing liquid keeps all our poo in order, it does froth a bit when emptying we use a capfull for 20litres. Must be the cheap smart-price version not all others work. bung 3-4 bottles in, use tank as normal for a week and it should be done.

Thanks everyone! We've just stopped in Braunston for a sarnie, fighting my way up the hill now. We are re-remembering how much we miss boating again now!

Except there is no need to 'duck under the tiller' if the steerer stands on the footboard (slightly ahead of the end of the tiller) as per design / intention. Steering whilst standing alongside the tiller is a modern and quite hazardous practice

The straight answer is yes. Well, at least probably, in most people's mind. I think it's probably best to get your head around different categories or groups rather than hierarchy. Different types appeal to different people. So very vaguely (and maybe slightly tongue in cheek);- Ex-working boats - a bubble of its own inhabited by people who don't know any other type of boat exists. Keep out. Enthusiast boats - built by a long standing boat builder with a nod to tradition. Will have a proper traditional stern with a boatman's (back) cabin and a slow revving engine in it's own engine room. More frequent examples on market will be Norton Canes, Les Allen, Canal Transport Services but also renowned boat builders like Roger Farrington, Roger Fuller and Steve Priest and a few others are out there. May all look overpriced to you. Bling boat - the boating equivalent of a mock Tudor mansion. Pretensions to the above and of a high quality but including fake rivets and exaggerated steelwork features. Examples are SM Hudson, RW Davis, Barry Hawkins. The latter two branded some boats as "Northwich Trader". The owners of this type of craft believe they are at the top of the hierarchy. Good solid boats - could be any style but will probably have a modern reliable Japanese engine in a box or under the rear deck, quite possibly a Beta Marine (marinised Kubota). Probably a bit contentious to list but maybe Orion, or a shell by Colecraft fitted out by others. May have non-traditional signwriting. A sin in the eyes of owners of the first two categories. The interior will be wood and will not be white. Exterior may be overly polished on some examples. London liveaboard - mutton dressed as lamb. White panelled interior, modern appliances, big tiles in bathroom. Like a floating flat. Operational engine an optional extra, any number available on market. Probably an old example of the above that's outlived it's natural purpose on the canals. Ex-hire boat - a misunderstood type of boat that is looked down on by owners of blingy boats and shiny examples of good solid boats. Good examples can become excellent liveaboard boats. May be a better bet than above type. Springer - the exception that proves the rule. Thank God. JP