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You can normally let friends use it on a non-commercial basis. If they replace the diesel and food they use that's fine. If you ask for contribution to ongoing costs you would have anyway (licence, mooring) you've moved over to commercial use. If your friends happened to leave the boat a gift of a nice bottle of plonk I imagine that would be fine. Don't think that your question is unusual though. I spent an hour last night dissuading a non-boating friend from buying a narrowboat as a rental proposition. He just saw the cost of boat, cost of licence and compared them to weekly hire rates and started seeing pound signs.

Buy a big genny, two large dogs and litter the mooring with empty beer cans. I absolutely agree it is very annoying when you pick an isolated quiet spot and some person with limited imagination decides it's now a party mooring. Entirely understandable on visitor moorings when we all need to bunch up and consider others, but out in the wilds ... infuriating. Rog

Well that escalated quickly didn't it, I must admit I thought your post was slightly flippant and didn't deserve the more shouty responses. Anyway I'm off for a bit of homemade ginger cake, made with real gingers

I don't mind BBQ's as long as I;m not the one that has to operate it. Nothing worse and more stupid than hanging over the hot, smokey, stinkin thing on a hot sunny day, why I like to sit upwind of it. I like traditional picnics, with a cheque table cloth spread upon the grass wolfing down lovely cool salmon and cucumber and egg and cress sanwiches and cake with the kettle singing away for tea on my paraffin pressure stove. And a bottle of Port.

Quite agree, we had one a few days ago, no other boats around and one came right up and buttoned up to us, like you say WHY, we are sociable folk but still dont understand the mentality, i chose to be on our own as i needed to use my generator without disturbing others. Im sure we'll still be criticised for wanting to keep a distance.

Sometimes a moored boat is a good sign that you can get in around that spot where you might have silting elsewhere...

Let me just clarify something, I am aware that anybody can moor anywhere they like. I do not expect to monopolise the best mooring spots, I am not anti social and I do have a life, one I am very happy with BUT when I moor up I try to moor well away from other boats if at all possible. Maybe everybody is not as considerate as I am.

have you seen the enormous arrays of wind turbines along the Dutch coast? negativity such as this is unhelpful in reducing climate change and air pollution. of course I may be entirely wrong; you may be able to show that the carbon footprint associated with the manufacture and the use of (and the pollution within the city arising from the use of) an electric boat is more than a diesel boat - please feel free to prove your point.

I suggest you may need to change the microswitch in the pressure switch as it appears to be worn out and lacking the correct hysteresis. Also lubricate the operating arm of the switch mechanism with silicone grease. It's an easy job. If its the same switch as on my Vacuflush I bought the replacement switch from RS. A search on here will find a post from me with the part number. I the mean time I attach some files which may assist. The switch is probably this, check visiually that yours looks the same (though some seem to be reddish brown rather than white) http://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/door-interlock-push-button-switches/0575539/

Of course the electricity to power everything will generated by fairie dust....not to mention the resources needed to make the batteries & electric motors....oh and the limited life of said batteries when compared to a well maintained Diesel engine.

Thanks to a past post from the boilerman, my interest in bread making was revived, this led to a dabble in cake making. So anyway just for interest here's an example of my recent attempts Malt loaf Jamaican ginger cake Loaf on it's second rise

Only just. If I was about 4" taller I'd be crouching. I have several of those little mini life rings decorating the boat. I can do one from a photo if you like. Free for you guys as you've all helped me so much in the past.

Thank you both, we had a feeling that may be the case Just for us it is then! That's no bad thing.

I remember that well. Nottingham on a Sunday morning. Having accepted Mr. Pailins' kind offer of a tug of war, mum and dads tug made short shrift of Sharpness and dragged her towards the offside bank on the first pull. Joel came next when she got a bladeful. I went in to clear their prop in true sportsmanship fashion and promptly pulled a BW vinyl banner off their blade. I think in the end it took both Aquarius and Joel to hold Wyrd still and eventually we 'let' them win....or something like that! Joel is a lovely boat and well worth looking at, not one of your common Woolwich or Josher thingymabobs! Kind regards Dan

The LNER inherited 8 canals along with many docks and harbours: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_and_North_Eastern_Railway Scroll down to 'anciliary activities'. Edited to add: https://www.lner.info/forums/viewtopic.php?t=11181

Ian helped us on the same section last year. His help and advice was very welcome. I’m a Volly on the Gargrave/Bank Newton flights on the L&L and have to say that neither the Vollies or the seasonal staff are precious about which locks we work. I will go wherever needed and will often stay with boats through both flights if that’s what they want. However as a boater I have experienced what happens at places like Atherstone where some Vollies don’t like to move away from certain locks and I do find it a bit strange when there are several folks in one spot. Each to their own, but please don’t tar us all with the same brush!

I know its 'Brexit' but it is regarding the RCD and affects Boat Building & Maintenance. Extract of the site rules "Postings about waterway legislation, regulations, management, navigation, moorings, maintenance, and finance are permitted". Subject to the transition period provided for in the Withdrawal Agreement, as of the withdrawal date the EU rules on recreational craft and personal watercraft, and in particular Directive 2013/53/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 November 2013 on recreational craft and personal watercraft will no longer apply to the United Kingdom. This has in particular the consequences set out below for recreational craft and personal watercraft placed on the Union (EU-27) market as of the withdrawal date. We will no longer need to build in accordance with the RCD - even if we wish to sell within 5 years. Bexit - RCD Implications.pdf

I only picnic in the winter, I prefer Danish Blue.

Each of the brothers who are the owners of Wyvern have a boat like this. As well as James Griffin's Ocean Princess shown above, John Griffin has one called Avonturier. These boats cause much concern when steered from inside with the lights out through Braunston or Blisworth tunnels. You simply pass a boat with a tiller at the back, but nobody visibly holding it. A further unusual boat based in the Stoke Hammond area also has both wheel and tiller steering, but also has 2 engines, 2 props, (and 2 linked tillers). EDIT: "Avonturier" operating in "conventional mode".....

Not as considerate as I am does not make any body inconsiderate , it just makes them less considerate. You are correct, mooring next to me was not a reason to object, which is why I never approached them and objected. I merely asked the question as to why, when the river bank is empty as far as the eye can see. It was a slightly light hearted rant that has obviously ruffled a few feathers.

Talking sense is not what the pretend green governments want to hear Biz. all this crap about leccy powered vehicles when air travel with jet engines is to double over less than the next twenty years. I will fit a leccy engine in my boat when air travel becomes ilegal. I wish I could make use of a leccy motor like Peter does but for my lifestyle its a non starter.

Please point out the part of my post where I call anybody "inconsiderate". I await a satisfactory reply.

i have plenty of power to round up, but I like to take things easy which is why my system suits me, I foresee a time when its going to get expensive to run diesel so have planned accordingly, what I do wont suit everybody but it suits me, and thats what boating is about

As do I, but you can't get into places like Limehouse safely without rounding up and entering against the tide, and to get to the Medway you need to punch the tide for an hour or so in order to make it on one tide. Not that I am doing these journeys any more having ditched the ditches needed to get there.

Here is a tip for you. You know the numpties that have signs on their roof saying " Tick over " you need a big sign saying " Diesel Generator running every evening "

I was surprised to see on the news last night that the UK is way up near the top of the 'world' list for number of wind turbines. Wind power delivers a growing percentage of the electricity of the United Kingdom and by the end of April 2019, it consisted of 9,702 wind turbines with a total installed capacity of over 20.8 gigawatts: 12,904 megawatts of onshore capacity and 7,895 megawatts of offshore capacity.

Is the life ring for a Hamster?

Try the search facility on here, top right on my PC. Essentially, it's a non starter. I have, in the past, borrowed a vehicle belonging to someone else, and avoided mentioning costs. I filled it up with diesel, and that was after the event.

^^^ that from StephenA. The insurance policies I have had in recent years have allowed unsupervised use by friends/family. One was for a NB fully comp and the others 3rd party only. Each insurer will vary and it may be that the policy price will reflect this.

https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/media/library/723.pdf

And very similar to my experience with a Victron Charger (I'm glad I had separate units) I think anyone with experience of boating will NEVER put all their eggs in one basket.

You may also find that a 'leisure built' boat does not comply with the 'commercial safety standards' (example : having all hull fittings a minimum of 10" above the water line is compulsory for commercial -rented - boats but not for leisure boats)

I occasionally participate in a photography forum and I am open mouthed in amazement at the number of pictures folk take these days. One contributor said he had just returned from holiday with 15,000 photographs, yes you read that right, 15,000. he must have had his finger permanently stuck to the shutter release. What the **** is he going to do with that many pictures? he won't live long enough to look at them all it's just baffling.

That makes sense. But then again, I can imagine some crews getting cheesed off at missing out on the chance to set the lock, if that's the experience they're looking for. I suspect there'd always be some boater left with a grievance whatever the volunteers did or didn't do. I don't know if this would apply to calls about volunteers cos I've never made one, but FWIW I've always thought the main helpdesk is very good at directing calls to the right place (usually a local office).

I was told once that 'we don't help single handers as they know what they are doing, we only help hire boaters as they are clueless' or words along those lines. Best vlovkie i've had was coming out of Birmingham where he went ahead and set the locks for me, most helpful, last time on the Hatton flight the official vlockies ignored me, and just shut the gate behind me by their hut and went back to their cup of tea, a couple of locks later, an autistic lad who helps out once a week asked if he could asist, and set each of the following locks for me, in the pouring rain, again most helpful! At the Knowle flight i had a vlockie complain she cant get any painting done with the constant boats!