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Showing content with the highest reputation on 13/07/19 in all areas

  1. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  2. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  3. I used these videos to learn how to make my dinette cushions I am now making shaped ones for my bow seating Rick
    3 points
  4. 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.
    3 points
  5. 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
    2 points
  6. 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
    2 points
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  8. 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?
    2 points
  9. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  10. 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!!
    2 points
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  12. I float on the surface and do the duck thing - I call that swimming I do the fish thing and people call that sinking.
    2 points
  13. Point of Order M'Lud... Ducks don't 'swim', they float on the surface and paddle. Fish swim. Hope that clarifies things....
    2 points
  14. 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.
    2 points
  15. 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.
    2 points
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  17. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  18. 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.
    2 points
  19. 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.
    2 points
  20. 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!!
    1 point
  21. You'll be amazed, I know - there is more than one person called Chris!
    1 point
  22. Words from the Apollo Duck advert for BALDOCK "This is an original 1936 boat with a full length conversion. Originally built at Harland and Wolff yard in Woolwich she has a working history and equally a history as a comfortable residential craft.Presently based in the Midlands she has been stripped out internally to the gunwales in readiness for turning into an exceptional living space.The most recent survey indicates there is some tidying up required to an overplated rear swim but overall the boat is in sound conditionThere is a wealth of new and unused equipment which can be re-used ... essentially there is everything needed to refit the boatGenuine reason for sale (old age !!!) "
    1 point
  23. It was not a fun trip on the whole for any of us, it's fair to say. I won't be discussing details, it wouldn't be right, not least because Stephen is not on the forum and Lingy told me he's been banned. Lingy did appreciate me staying on to operate the locks (and do some steering) after Stephen went home from Saddleworth, but he was angry with me over various things, and in the end dropped me off by a bridge where there was a bus stop, which turned out to have a bus 30 minutes later into Lichfield, from where I got a train to Euston, so my journey home wasn't too bad. I think I've learned a few things from my part in this trip which I'll apply in the future (plus a basic understanding of the BMC 1800 raw water cooling system!), and I won't let all the trouble put me off doing other trips as crew for strangers off the forum, it's been my first bad experience. As for the boat, it's a project boat which he's now done enough to to get it near to home where he can easily work on it, but I get the impression he has the knowledge needed to do it up and make it pretty good. I won't identify it because he may not want me to.
    1 point
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  25. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  26. No, but 99 others will. Bona fide navigation is (to quote a learned friend) is temporal and not geographic, if you are having to stay around a point, (for work, or whatever) your reason for moving is simply to comply with the 'law', given the choice 'you' (not necessarily YOU) would probably prefer to not move and have an easy life. In my opinion : Those that have no geographical tie to an area can CC, those that have a geographical tie cannot - If one is prepared to cruise (lets say) 50 miles and commute into town then they could CC. This of course is not what the law states and hence the thousands of threads and millions of words on the subject.
    1 point
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  28. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  29. 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.
    1 point
  30. Ah - I agree and I hope as good as said so in my first post on this subject. I thought you were on about absorbing moisture. There is no short cut on this job in my view. Two choices, pull the old carpet off or stick new carpet to ply and screw it over the old but that is a bodge.
    1 point
  31. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  32. Firstly the old carpet is probably falling to bits due to UV stabilisation no longer working from age, so the disintegration is only gonna get worse, sealed or not. Secondly, the sheer volume of paint/pva/whatever needed to soak all the way in/through to saturate and lock up the fibres in the carpet backing makes it a non starter in my opinion. Best is to bite the bullet and remove it but if you cant face that, encapuslate it to contain all future disintegration by covering it with new plywood screwed in place through the old carpet into the original backing board at about 8” centres all over. Then finish the new ply in paint, carpet or whatever you think looks good
    1 point
  33. Yes!, for the sake of historic correctness the aqueduct should be replaced with a wide one, and at the same time all those wide locks on Hatton flight need to be demolished and the old narrow locks re-instated. ...............Dave
    1 point
  34. Whispergen's use the inherant inefficiency of a Stirling engine to heat the water, whilst driving a small generator. Stirling engines, being external combustion e times, can use any heat source. If diesel is banned Peterboat could still run it, probably by burning £50 notes to provide the heat source. ?
    1 point
  35. 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
    1 point
  36. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  37. 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
    1 point
  38. 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 !!
    1 point
  39. Ok what if you get 2 or 3 days without sun how many hours per day then? I have the maximum solar 500watt I can get on my boat without affecting the working of the boat. Yes there is vacant roof space but that is in the "sweep" of the centre line so panels wont last long there. Who is going to provide the canal/riverside charging points ? Suppose I could fit a decent genset to recharge the batteries
    1 point
  40. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  41. Well if anyone thinks they are taking either my vintage boat engine or my 40 year old Land Rover off me they can jog on...it’s about time we stood up to this political bullshit. How about banning all air travel first?
    1 point
  42. 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
    1 point
  43. 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!!
    1 point
  44. 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.
    1 point
  45. The CRT chap that came out to us at about 8.30 pm on Monday evening when we were stuck half way down the Rochdale 9 was very helpful, and got us on our way again. We liked his cheerful manner and his willingness to get the problem sorted. We also appreciate that CRT have such people available to help out and solve problems, and not just during normal working hours.
    1 point
  46. This^ contractors round here are awful, Rothen Group I believe. Had one scrape his hopper all the way down the side of our boat on a dead straight bit of wide canal, not another boat to be seen and he was going a fair pace as well. When we objected to this the teenage steerer asked my OH if he “wanted to make something of it?!” So we did. We rang them and crt and kicked up a right old stink! This was 2 years ago on the north Oxford. Thankfully the guy that seems to drive their boats past us on the Ashby is rather more experienced, and nicer.. ?
    1 point
  47. 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?
    1 point
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