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Spruced up a pair of old life rings to finish of the recent re-paint of HATFIELD. Looks straight forward but it's stretched my patience, first off, during the painting one of them fell down and got covered in sawdust, while the paint was still wet. Then it was a struggle to get the lettering on, trying to apply a sticker to a curved surface doesn't work, had to end up cutting into individual letters and making a curved template but worked in the end. Finally, ordered some new 8mm man made hemp rope and they sent 10mm, so had all the holes to drill, at least nowt much more could have gone wrong. All worth it though, pleased with the results.....

If you make an impression of it in a bar of soap you might be able to find an old WW2 POW from Colditz that can make you one, they were good at locks.

I back metrication every inch of the way

Ah, that's why I didn't know. I am neither black, left wing, socially liberal, Afro Caribbean or any other daft definition relating to a society that I do not understand and which doesn't give a damn about me. I shall ignore it completely from now on.

Piss poor practice if that is the case, decent yards weld top and bottom continuously.

The real wonder, I suspect, would be if a surveyor ever turned up anything useful. Most surveys are so full of weasels they could house a menagerie. I know it's slightly different, but my last house structural survey basically said the house should be avoided because he didn't like the layout and there was a council estate half a mile away. He missed every single thing actually faulty.

Fenders are for stopping the boat banging the side when moored, always removed as part of untying.

It looks like someone has hacked a small section out to install an outlet and not taken the trouble to weld the ends, if you can find a mobile, canal based welder and a place to moor with a low towpath it should be possible to get it tacked back on without a docking.

Mine was on this day 2017 Thurmaston Lock No 46 GU Leicester Line

Its like religion then?

Are widebeams more fragile then. Mind you looking at the other post on here with the welding maybe fenders should be used more often.

Good Morning lasts till after lunch has been taken. Lunch is a boater's meal that occurs anytime between about 1130 (before is Elevenses) and circa 1500, (after is Tea) , depending on available supplies, the laundry, the cook, the caterer, the weather, the state of the road, opening hours and the price of cod in Grimsby last Tuesday, among other things. "Haar D'yer Do "is the traditional greeting to boaters you do not know well, but are not so far off your Christmas card list for them to need a dose of chimney. N

It's not an exact science, but it's usually around 3 when we say "good morning" and wonder if it still is. Then we check the watch...

Tropical ?

2005 waiting for one of the purpose built gravel barges to leave the lock. Voges canal

I'm in enough trouble if I miss the toilet pan - I dread to think how much bother I'd be in if I told her I was aiming for the bloomin' bidet! ?

Just what I've done today.

On another forum i frequent (not boating) a poster recently posted this in response to a question as to why so many people buy 'rubbish'. Ignorance is bliss. These younger collectors (which being in my early 30s, I must admit part in that group) do not visit the *forum*, they pretty much stick to facebook. They do not do research because they don't want to spend time doing so. Research is not instant gratification. And with so many of us (not me) living at home with parents, they've got extra cash to spend without doing that research or even caring.

Heard of that too. Tack welded and filler. If it was my boat would have a prod about on the strakes/hull joins looking for proper weld metal. This will quantify how much may need welding up.

If you have not paid the Surveyor it matters not a whit how good or bad the survey is, because the Surveyor has no contract with or responsibility to, you. Boatyard and "brokers" surveys are worth nowt. Always commission and pay for your own Survey or buy-in to a previous survey if you wish to avoid another lift out. N

We will see as time goes by. Yes it is not currently legislation but is the 'Route map' by which the Government intends to reach its targets agreed with the IMO in 2018. From www.Parliament.net Extract from "Written Statement" : Made by: Ms Nusrat Ghani (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport) ".........................By publishing the Clean Maritime Plan, the UK becomes one of the first countries since the agreement of this initial Strategy to publish a National Action Plan. The Plan is also the first cohesive national strategy to reduce domestic shipping emissions, as part of our journey to meeting net zero. A global transition to clean shipping is taking place, presenting significant opportunities for economic growth. Research undertaken for the Government suggests the global market for maritime emission reduction technologies could reach £11 billion per year by 2050, potentially resulting in economic benefits to the UK of £510 million per year .........".

Given your boat is over 4 inches narrower than ours was built to over 80 years ago, you should never wedge even with fenders down. I have never been beaten by a current lock, and never had to get assistance ( to date), though i have had to ask volunteers not to get involved when we have stuck. So I can say I have passed a seven foot and a half inch boat through Hurleston and Wilmcote locks in the last 10 years, so they are at least that. However our boat is only 57’ and many lockside are not parallel through 70’. Dont know if that helps answer your question. You also of course have a perfect right to lock with your fenders down. Its your choice, in the same way I have the right to take my boat designed for the grand union down canals designed for horse boats. At my peril.

....... and they never feel cold on the feet.

Not true, I thanked all that replied.

No, it is a way of donating them to somone else's propeller. They make an enormous thump on the uxter plate as they go round.

You should always seek professional advice and if not use an experienced person you trust with a proven track record in the business. Like everything the quality of Vloggers vary, these “Boating Beyond” said it was normal for a seller to survey before putting on the market, this is just wrong and dangerous advice, look what has happened to them.

always commission your own survey.

Thanks for all your help folks I'm working on all suggestions. It does need a lot of TLC, but its on its way to recovery now I know what I'm dealing with!!

We use a Nest thermostat and two external cameras as our house is empty most of the time. Thermostat set to 20 (adjustable remotely, as is the hot water). The cameras record either people or other movement, if you wish, then ping you on the phone with a video history. Our plumber came round yesterday, so the camera alerted me, for example. It also lets you have a two-way conversation with anyone outside. All this from 11,000km away! I got a Nest fitter to put ours in, and just as well as the existing thermostat was 'wrongly wired' and it took him a while. Cameras also installed by a fitter, as required rodding through the eves/high ladder work. Higher cost, but worked for two years, only stopping with power cuts but instantly up with power resumption. Edited to say we might not use Nest if we actually spent more time in it!

Just to be clear, this is NOT legislation. It is just a plan. The use of the word "capability" " designed with" "we expect that" etc etc is fodder for the lobbyists and I would expect, much like diesel transport legislation to be published with hardly a likeness to the "plan". FYI - Car makers make emission poison SUVs by buying emission credits from the likes of Tesla who put it on their balance sheet as income. In this way they can meet the emission requirements of the countries they sell in. All thanks to lobbyist scamming the system.

People complain that Nicholson's guides go out of date. I can just imagine the potential for complaints using a 1904 Bradshaw's. Jen

Don't about the lock but I can see the Beatles, crossing the road.

I’m sure Rick will answer for himself but my guess would be ‘because it’s a 48V boat’. Everything runs from his traction batts - that’s his storage system. So when it requires topping up for a couple of hours then the genny can do so, and a lot faster than could be achieved from 230V. You don’t see many 5kW 48V chargers around.

Wasn't Matt Gloss in an 80s pop group?

On this day in 2005 Gamebird returning to home base in Scotland after attending the IWA National Festival at Preston Brook Bridgewater Canal

Why is it brilliant? We used to get drunk idiots vandalising and trying to nick boats when I worked at a Thames passenger boat company. It's just a pain in the arse for everyone.

Kebtastic. Could have been nasty falling in like that too. I take it you made light of it suggesting you thought you would dive in and clear by hand?

OK, lets be clear about toilet roll and kitchen roll. Important info if you are flushing them away!. All paper products these days are basically cellulose fibre bound together with plastic. They vary with the amount and type of plastic. So in comparing toilet roll with kitchen roll. Toilet roll is designed to disintigrate the minute it hits water. The plastic is designed to allow the fibres to break apart very easily. Kitchen roll is totally the opposite. It is designed to let the fibres swell and take up water BUT NOT to disintegrate as that would be very against what the kitchen roll is doing. The plastic is keeping the fibres together. Toilet roll will therefore become a 'mush' when flushed away but one that breaks up very easily in a boat system (but maybe still not good enough for a vacuuflush system). Kitchen roll will become a 'mush' but will tend to stick together and not break up....and get stuck in many places in a boat system. You are therefore asking for trouble putting kitchen roll down any toilet ...even a house one...as it will clog up drains etc. Bonkers to use kitchen roll!

So are you suggesting that its perfectly acceptable for questioners to expect us to remember their details from 7 years ago? I don't think that is on just as I don't think not bothering to give the engine model is really not on when asking for help. On the basis of the opening question the engine could be a 1.5, 1.8, 2.2 or 2.5 with the 3.x series far less likely. There is always the possibility it could be a petrol engine although unlikely. So do we guess (which in thesis case would probably got the correct answer) or ask for clarification.