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I used these videos to learn how to make my dinette cushions I am now making shaped ones for my bow seating Rick

I live very close to a canal and I often meet the CRT guys on the CUT working when I am out for a walk, almost all the folks I have met are friendly and have a "can do will do" attitude to fixing problems and maintenance. What I do hear a lot is frustration because they are severely understaffed, they know very well what work should be done, but they don't have the resources /manpower to carry out the work. I was talking to a CRT employee a couple of weeks ago (yep, stopping him from working) and he listed around 12 priority jobs that needed doing on the 4.5 mile stretch he was working on, of those listed, the time he had been allocated for the work would allow him to fix less than a quarter of the problems, he predicted that of the problems that he couldn't fix, several could easily lead to closure and emergency repair in the very near future. so he knew full well what work needs to be done and also that he can't do it. Despite this, he was clearly trying to do the best job he could, to the point that he was waiting for a work group to turn up on their way back from another job to help him fix a problem on a lock gate he couldn't manage on his own, this was at around 5 PM, when I got back 1/2 hour later, the other gang had turned up and they were still working on the fix. The guy I spoke was chuffed he been made a permanent employee after the winter and clearly determined to do the best job he could. I only speak as I find, my thoughts are, great guys, doing the best they can in a no win situation. Whilst I have been out cruising I have come across CRT workers with contrary behaviour and attitudes, we all have good days, bad days, what I also know, is many of the CRT workers do follow the canal forums, I would not like to think we are criticizing CRT employees without proper cause, coz it' wouldn't be helping to improve attitude/motivation.

Little Bump - How's the research going? Yes, The Caley is beautiful and unique and makes everything better; but I can't say that I'm biased in any way at all. Inverness is a little different from London but we also have quite wide locks and a huge variety of boats. https://www.scottishcanals.co.uk/canals/caledonian-canal/ https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/inverness/caledoniancanal/index.html

I think your train of thought is somewhat purist, or academic at least. It could easily be argued that THEOPHILUS lost 'any resemblance to a Middle boat' on its conversion to an ice breaking tug in 1942. Like all other existing 'historic' boats THEOPHILUS has since been subject to alteration suitable to its owners requirements, and this has included removal of the original cabin / engine room, at least two engine changes (with another in the pipeline), and multiple owners who have seen it used as an ice breaking tug / hire cruiser / pleasure cruiser / house boat / restoration project - with each owner making their 'mark' in its development to what it is today. Absolute and detailed historical restoration is a fairly recent addition to the 'historic' narrow boat world and I can count on my fingers those boatyards that are successful in this, but then all but the most dedicated owners cringe at the cost !!!! Restoration project is the part of THEOPHILUS's history that you are criticising, but what does this mean as most 'historic' boats have been subject to this at least once. Any restoration is going to be governed by a multitude of points, such as costs / time / who is doing the work (owner or boatyard) / skill availability / boatyard availability / availability of missing parts / interpretation e.t.c.. There are numerous 'historic' boats that have been restored in the past in a way that is easily criticised - but were of their time and certainly not how the specialist boatyards would do it now. Equally there are specialist boatyards now carrying out restorations that look O.K. but are not historically correct, but in the main the owners seem happy with them (there are exceptions). To be honest as good as Grand Union Canal Carrying Company Ltd. boats were when built, and they were far superior to anything else of the period, I would not want mine to replicate every aspect - and it will not do as I do not want to erase 82 years of history - some good and some not so good. As to the value of any boat the seller will always start off speculatively, but ultimately the market will decide

Indeed, as a CCer who has "ranged" around 50 miles in the last 9 months I also don't need to know (my interpretation of range being the duck-paddle distance from the two most distant points). In fact, I'd hazard to say that the point of the vagueness of CaRT's rules are that "if you have to ask, it's not enough". Two points, the furthest apart over the course of the year. It only makes sense. Are we not talking about CCers? What's your definition of CCers and how does it differ from CaRT's minimum guidelines? How far must a CCer travel before you'd consider them a genuine, valid, bona fide waterway user? Genuine question. This is a discussion, it's not intended to be personal. The OP asked whether it is possible to CC and work a full time job in London. This sounds rather personal to me. Since I suppose I'm one of these CMers, I'll try to defend the position. I neither have nor want a base (a start point), and I want to cruise the network at my own pace within the spirit and letter of the rules laid down by CaRT and the interpretation of them as seen by the legal system. I do not want to be selfish in this, and I'd really like to find some common ground to avoid the conflict between CMers, CCers and PMers. I'd rather like if all waterways users, especially boaters, could come together and love one another. I agree that CCMers (coordinated continuous moorers) are reprehensible, but can we at least agree that CCers who roam beyond a certain "range" are valid waterways users?

First class example of an utterly hopeless advert. A boat in kit form for £50k and cant even be arsed to include any photos or say the name of the boat!!

I float on the surface and do the duck thing - I call that swimming I do the fish thing and people call that sinking.

Point of Order M'Lud... Ducks don't 'swim', they float on the surface and paddle. Fish swim. Hope that clarifies things....

I don't want to knock your idea, I've never actually done it so I can only give my thoughts and opinions. I assume that the carper on the walls are a tight weave but even so carpets are incredibly absorbent and as they degrade become drier and fragile; fragile and absorbent doesn't make a good surface to stick anything to but carpets have a added bonus they are themselves are quite heavy and meant to be laid flat not upright. I think if you really must leave the old carpet up then you will need to do something to prepare it before applying the glue (which ever glue you go with) so that you're giving the glue a better surface to work with. In the same way that you would need to seal a newly plastered wall, I think you will need to seal this carpet. If you don't and you stick the new stuff directly on to the old it may go well for a bit but it may also end in tears and temper tantrums quite quickly which will leave you back at square on removing the old carpet anyway, only this time you've made it a bigger and harder job than it needed to be. My knee jerk reaction is to say use emulsion to seal it, it's cheap, easy to apply with a roller, yes it will take quite a bit longer than normal you dry but if you start really early and pick a nice hot day to do it this will help with that. If you do use emulsion don't use too much at once, two thin coats better than one thick one and all that. Another sealant (but just as a sealant) option might be that crafters white PVA glue, you can buy it 5L at a time and it's as cheap as chips; however I reckon it'll be a nightmarish experience to apply. Of course what ever glue you choose to use to stick your new carpet up with will work as a sealant too but I'm assuming it will be quite a bit more expensive and over kill for a prep job. Another possibly less messy and possibly easier to rectify should it all go horribly wrong it the heavy duty velcro which is specifically designed for holding up, mostly wood I think, wall coverings. Personally I wouldn't even consider sticking new carpet on top of old stuff, though I can understand why you want to do it, I think that the old carpet will continue to degrade under the new carpet causing the whole thing to lose its integrity and you'll end up replacing the whole lot much quicker than you would other wise.

Quite! And there will be quite a few boaters who oppose scruffy boats and will see this as a back door method of cleansing the canals and gentrifying them for their own use. The rub will come when politicians notice the banning of diesel engines in boats results in only a small dent in diesel sales out on the cut... The natural target for a test/trial of electric boats would be to make them mandatory for the hire boat industry first.

I'd argue that I wasn't a bit of a dick. Not that they comment on here but I know a few of the local CRT staff personally and I'm sure they would say I was calm and polite throughout. I think it may be down to a difference in scenario's. In my case, if I wasn't at fault then it would mean that the recent repair work was - the chief engineer that visited site was primarily concerned with making sure that was not the outcome (Despite my boat, and others of the same beam always having previously fitted through the same lock). In the more recent scenario on the GU, this wasn't a consideration - no one from CRT needed to defend themselves. I can see why the owner of this boat was a bit pissed off about all the derogitory comments about the situation, lots of keyboard warriors about talking crap based on hearsay and very few of the facts.

And if you lot keep whinging and whining about them they will get even worse, not that I have noticed any change in their attitude. I have noticed a change in boater's attitudes towards CRT staff though. Oh and now that the Canal and River Trust is a charity, whether you like it or not, chuggers do an important job in as much as they keep the money flowing in. If they don't do their thing the cowboy building companies will buy up the canals, fill them in and build build cardboard housing estates with garages that cannot accomodate a car on them then we will have nowhere to sail our boats. So I suggest that instead of whining about CRT staff on here give them a smile and a cheery wave even if they have got a scowl on their faces. Believe me they have every right to be scowly the way they have been shafted. Oh yeah, I am not employed by the Canal and River Trust.

I have restrained myself from joining in on this topic, but can resist no longer. In the 1950s and 60s, when Britain’s canals were falling apart, the attitude of campaigners was to push for restoration on every route we could. Dimensions were important.. The 1904 edition of Bradshaw’s Canals and Navigable Rivers gives “the maximum size of vessels that can use the navigation” as a14 ft 3 in beam for the section between Brentford and Braunston. When wider locks were later introduced north of Braunston similar figures were listed (see Inland Waterways of Great Britain, 1950 Edition) The notion of a 12 ft 6 in limit on the Grand Union Main Line was convenient for British Waterways, when that less than enthusiastic body was in control. The existence of the compromise freight barge Progress, built at 12 ft 6 in provided a useful example, but the Right to Navigate still existed and no formal change was ever attempted. British Waterways liked to suggest that 14 ft 3 in beam was acceptable south of Berkhamsted and 12 ft 6 in beyond, though narrow boats worked side by side over many other stretches. Why Berkhamsted? See the writings of the late Robert Aickman, the man who really saved our canals. “The Great Berko Mystery” he called it. In 1971 I took the Leeds & Liverpool short boat Arthur, 14 ft 3 in in beam, from London to Braunston – then beyond. I had been invited to do so by my friend Michaet Streat, who ran the Braunston complex (and also the Blue Line carrying fleet, on the Jam Hole Run). Being well connected with the canal maintenance staff, he enrolled their co-operation to the extent that, at one doubtful bridge in particular, they would come and dig away the towpath to free us. In the event we reached Braunston without difficulty, passing oncoming craft without problems (though we went through tunnels in the middle of the night). Once at Braunston we decided to see how much farther we might get. There were the “new’ locks, after all, but it was the bridges that undid us. At Number 103, half way to Napton, we stuck for several hours, as a working party evolved, drawn in increasing numbers from the boats we held up. I am forever grateful for all those good people, who helped in hacking away the towpath with chisels and who, when we were free again, cheered us on our way. It amazes me, still. that British Waterways, presiding over a regular traffic in narrow boats that travelled, whenever they could, breasted up in pairs, should have built a concrete towpath sticking out three inches and a half more than it should. If such a body really wanted trade this would never have happened. The path on each side, I might add, verged on the non-existent. Then, after a few more miles and locks, another bridge intervened. This was at the Blue Lias Inn near Stockton. There, though the width was alright, the bridge arch wasn’t.. From there we backed up, turned the boat around somewhere and, ultimately, took her off to France. Where, I might add, there are wider craft aplenty. And for good reason: they are more comfortable. They will keep on coming. And, however the arguments flow, let us at least stick to the dimensions for which the Grand Union Main Line was built.:14 ft 3 in, not 12 ft 6 in. And certainly not 13 ft 11 in. That was just plain silly.

Braunston Tunnel Detail From Date: 12/07/2019 08:00 To Date: Further Notice Type: Navigation Closure Reason: Tunnel Not Wide Enough Is the towpath closed? There is no towpath Skywalker. Location Closest waterway: Grand Union Starts at: Norton Junction Ends at: Braunston Marina entrance DESCRIPTION Due to a failed passage of Braunston Tunnel, where a widebeam boat has become well and truly wedged in the bendy bit 400 metres from the Eastern portal the navigation is currently unavailable. We are sending teams on site to remove the surrounding hillside, this creating a new cutting, at the same time we will be widening the canal to remove this obstruction and will be issuing a formal apology in the press for the mistakes made in the 1790's which have led to this unfortunate occurrence. We anticipate that the A361 Daventry-Kilsby road will be shut for 2 years and the canal for a bit longer. NOT to be taken seriously!!

I agree Pete. Each owner be they commercial or private individuals has, and shall continue to do so, left their mark on these boats whilst under their respective tenures and I believe that is no bad thing. If every boat were 'as built' that would make for some tedious sights. I concede that budget restraints will ultimately decide on what degree of 'restoration' any boat is likely to undergo but that shouldn't, in this day and age and with the original present for use as a reference, affect the overall shape of the boat. As one boat builder put it "it's as flat as a witches t*t and all welded". Does that not make it sanitised?

It's a bit more serious than that, your top bearing has destroyed itself by the look of the photos, the rudder stock should have slid up inside the rubber, it has ripped it out of the bearing. You need a docking and new bearing to fix properly.

It can take a lot of false starts before it locates, be patient and keep persevering.

Sorry to hear that Peter. You give your assistance free of charge and in good faith. Like "The Biscuits , I am Happy to recommend your services. I hope Lingy gets to appreciate all that you and Steve did for him. I expect all three of you found this trip very stressful.

Five minute walk to the pub (along the road, north to Leigh). And yes, the marina is finally finished (utility block opened last month).

This may (or may not!) be part of the kit....

Are they parked over a drain hole ?

But there is no starting point for a cc’er by definition ?

no doubt some expensive QC would argue that point to distraction, rather like some of the CMers hiding behind their polemic on this thread. I will always revert to remembering those selfless folk who restored many of our best canals; that seems a reasonable test of issues like this. They certainly didn't do it to facilitate the provision of convenient housing for some, subject to compliance with 'rules' that will always be disputed by the spongers. Would they be turning in their graves when they read some of the b******x written by spongers who are trying to define and justify 'minimum requirements' in threads like this? Just out of interest, what do such folk bring to the party? Do they do voluntary work to help maintain their favourite part of the network? In my experience the only thing they are interested in is finding, and then sitting on a convenient place somewhere on the bank of the canal. We have a similar situation with camper vans and other wheeled residences continuously parked on residential streets and parks in our city, to the detriment of the otherwise pleasant environment and the amenities enjoyed by tax-paying residents. If these situations are the consequence of the so-called 'housing shortage' then so be it, but that does not justify these actions. On the other hand, I would observe that most of the folk involved do it because they believe that they enjoy the lifestyle, like the hippies of the 60/70's.

Can we un-sraighten the Northern Oxford please and don't forget the locks up to Calcutt from Warwick. Oh, re-tunnel Fenny Compton too. Cheers Graham

I don't think that coordinated CMing is impossible, I just think it is unlikely and unnecessary to ensure a mooring, and it doesn't fit with what I've personally observed. There are many things that are possible that don't happen. The premise is that a significant enough portion of the boaters in London are doing coordinated CMing that it changes the character of boating in London. I'm not claiming that it doesn't happen at all, just that it doesn't happen at nearly the scale boaters who avoid London entirely are claiming. Like @Dave123 says, these are different issues. There are many occassions where such a boat moving service would be legitimate. Does CCing imply that you can never be off your boat? Indeed I myself had a boat sitter when we went on holiday, who moved our boat and stayed on it to ensure security. Though having a permanent arrangement where you have someone move your boat so you can live undisturbed by any actual BOATING is pretty ridiculous. The comments on that "boater"'s facebook post are mostly of disgust, I doubt this is an acceptable or common thing that people do long term in London. Clearly it happens, but I don't think this person represents anywhere near the majority of CCers. I'm a little confused by this. When you say "a certain range" what do you mean? What, in your view, is an acceptable cruising pattern, or an acceptable range and how does it differ from the common interpretation of CaRT's acceptable cruising pattern? You mention that you "regret the many extra restrictions and stricter enforcement". Are you saying that you'd like to occassionally cruise less than the stipulated minimum? Or simply that you regret that CaRT has to waste money monitoring this? As I understand it, CCers are expected to move at least a mile every fortnight, which works out to be at least 26 miles a year. If all boaters are moving randomly (i.e. not coordinating) I'm not sure that this is a small enough range to form a "thriving community". So really any thriving community is likely to be in breach of their licenses. Personally I think the current rules are sufficient and reasonable to allow boaters fair access to the waterways, and if anything, CaRT should come down harder on those that don't follow them. I also regret that people don't follow the rules and that we have to waste our license money policing them, but it's not fair to blame CCers in general for this rather than the ones who don't abide by the simple and minimal rules.

Not of interest to many, but it will be for those with outboard or 'drive-legs' on their boats. No connection, but having had said boats I do understand the problems of canal-speed handling with an outboard. The theory looks good and better than a huge 'flap' attached to the outboard leg. Improved low speed handling & steering : Outboard Steering Improved.pdf

I used these when I bought new foam for the cushions. https://www.thefoamshop.co.uk/contactus/ They took ages to dispatch. Nearly 10 days. When I went to put the new foam in it was a bit large for the zipped hole so I wrapped it in some thin polythene cut a hole in the poly stuck the Hoover nozzle in and sucked the air out causing a vacuum. Managed to get the foam in the hole ripped the polythene out. It now is a nice snug fit.

I’m amazed you stuck it out that long. You may have been well advised not to even start once it was clear you weren’t going to be directly assisting the owner as per the invitation. JP

All I can say is if you haven't had loads of embarrassing moments like this, then you are not boating enough. ?

one of the challenges and thrills of boating is occasionally trying to do the unlikely and getting caught out. The important thing is that although you may have appeared a little bit foolish, you got away with it and recovered the situation. Happens to me all the time. ................... even a wrinkly has a lot to learn !!

You've obviously missed the work of the Trust's Freight Group which has led to an offer of £3 million plus funding from WYCA to help develop 'Port Leeds' at Stourton along with a major port operator and the Trust. Planning permission is expected shortly with work starting early next year and opening hopefully late 2020 or early 2021. Euro money is funding an engineering study commissioned to review options including one for widening the lower part of Bulholme Lock which will enable vessels of 6.5-6.7 metres beam (Euro II dimension) to reach Leeds (current beam from Bulholme is 6.1 metres). The intention is to use these projects as an example to encourage similar opportunities elsewhere on the Commercial Waterways e.g. the SYN, River Severn or the Weaver. The Freight group report also supported use of the leisure waterways for freight where practicable but obviously opportunities are limited to 'niche' movements such as coal and fuel supplies, short haul etc. CBOA has opened up a dialogue with the West Midlands CRT and local authorities promoting the BCN in particular, but with the move away of industry from waterside locations there are no immediately obvious movements that could change mode. David L

Thanks for all the positive responses. You've made me feel a lot better. Not sure though that I'm entirely happy that its just me!!

Like many others it seems, my impression of CRT staff has been very positive (nine times out of ten, anyway). Somebody has mentioned a 'can do' attitude, which sounds about right to me. Over the years I've not only had all sorts of timely help from staff in terms of letting water down, operating a problematic lock etc., but several instances of 'above and beyond' assistance such as fetching us a can of petrol when we ran out, a bottle of gas another time, even an area manager driving to our boat to return a set of keys left in the services block.

I've never encountered a rude BW/CRT employee in 18 years & I don't think I've ever been aware of an obviously lazy one either. Has something happened to provoke the OPs feelings I wonder?

Getting an organic adhesive (polyurethane is typically used for bonding windscreens in cars) to stick to a smooth glossy glassy surface really needs an activator/primer for a long life bond. If you don’t use the activator/primer then you will get a good bond for a few years and then it will get progressively weaker. Having done some work with a car sunroof manufacturer I would recommend a pu system including the activator/primer if you want more than 10 years life. The glass primer is not the same as the metal primer, they do different jobs, and you do need both for the best bond.

Everything should involve Biscuits