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I had a small success today and thought I'd share it here in case it proves useful to others. When shutting down the boat before lockdown last month, I managed to snap the key of the front locker. For a month I have read about ways of extracting a broken key from its lock; the articles all dismissed my first thought of "How about using superglue" by observing that this usually ends up with you gluing the broken key section irrevocably into the lock. All recommended using some sort of a hook to pull it out, but the big question was "how?" My wife had left a packet of "TePe" interdental brushes on the bathroom shelf, and these caught my attention. In case you don't know what they are, they are small brushes for cleaning between your teeth (see here if you want full details) that look like this: The brush part is about 1.5 cm long, and has 2 stiff twisted wires about the thickness of a hair. I cut the wires at the very tip and then separated and untwisted them; the bristles simply fell out. After folding one of the two wires back out of the way, I flattened out the spiral of the other and bent the tip back by about 1mm as a hook. There was just enough room to insert this probe into the lock, next to the broken key, and then rotate it by 90 degrees. On my third attempt the end of the hook engaged in the key, and I was able to pull out the offending item and leave the lock clear. Even better, the key had its maker's name (Lowe and Fletcher) and a pattern number stamped into the side, and I was able to order a replacement key from them on line. SUCCESS!

Bought a shiny new scroll saw, got bored, so made a little model of my Dawncraft 22 boat. It's about 3" by about 2".

Autumn into winter 2020 - Macclesfield Canal

Simply a nice rescue dog

No anodes, but it is 'shielded'.

This is why Bruce Wayne had the bat signal. How else would he get the call from the mayor of Gotham if the de Enfield's were hogging the party line?

It's the old definition of an intelligent person - someone who comes up with an idea I've already had ...

Fine if you never go anywhere Peter old bean. I am looking forward to a day when modern technology can catch up with old. I drive 150 miles each way to mums care home normaly and there is no charging point there even if I could get that far in one go. I visit kids and Grandkids 220 miles away so again hopeless unless I had god only knows how many thousands of pounds to mug away on a new car££££ At present I and millions of others do this in sub 2k cars in comfort and reliability with 400 mile range and 3 minute to recharge to full again at thousands of places anywhere UK. Millions of people dont have big car budgets and they still need to get to work and travel, shop etc etc, public transport is non existant for the majority of the UK. Although governments waffle about what they will be doing in nine years time ( They will all be long gone ) reality states that the government of that day will still need people to have affordable transport not shiny new Teslas, it simply isnt possible. Millions live in flats, terraced housing etc etc earning minimum wage.

Which is wrong but I could as easily say all boaters are dirty polluting wasters because I've seen a few occasions where dirty oily bilge water has been pumped directly into the canal

It depends on who has reported it and that we will never know. There is of course a difference between a report from a fisherman against that of a mother and toddler, cyclist, dog walker, naturalist etc. How do you know it is not a conclusion supported by facts? CRT said they had had reports recently not we have had reports over the last 5 years. Have you a reference which suggests the situation is not as report being what CRT say. Equally it could be suggested that all those posting here being boaters and in favour of the commercial use are stimulated by a separate agenda. Which is exactly why the situation ought to be investigated by a separate independent group.

It's because CRT now have a fishing peoples department and managers who dont know what a fookin boat is.

I am aware how fishermen are viewed by many on here and to a degree see where people are coming from, grumpy sods or the blood sports angle are both valid but many fishermen have and still are active in campaigning to clean up and keep waterways open and are often first to spot and report pollution events, I personally have reported a couple. Of course many boaters have and still do similar, the more who support this sort of informal monitoring the better. As reported the chap in the story comes across as a bit of a pratt but it could be a possibility that large boats are stirring up eutrophic/polluted silt and causing fish deaths if this is the case maybe something could be done or it might be a price worth paying for an increase in river trade and the reduction in road traffic. We could of course just shout "fishermen bad" and ignore a possible underlying bigger issue

It’s just a bloodsport...hopefully to be banned like other bloodsports...

Remove the houdini hatch and replace with steel & insulation. Trim the inside, paint the outside. Do you really need diagrams or written instructions for this? I thought better of you ...

Just ban the fisherscum....problem solved as they can chuff off and moan somewhere else!

Near one of my moorings, on a clapped out unlicensed cruiser lived a seriously dangerous guy who bragged sbout stealing from our boats, and that from local knowledge we knew it was true. He stole coal, diesel, generators and anything else he could get, broke into a few. Police wouldn't do anything, couldn't even be bothered to interview either us or him. None of us were particularly surprised or saddened when someone set fire to his boat, nor were we bothered that he was asleep drunk at the time. He and his dog (which had bitten enough people for us not to care about that either) got off and survived unhurt, the boat didn't, he shoved off somewhere and all the thieving stopped. Trouble is, the law is useless against most antisocial behaviour, however bad it is, and so sometimes you have to treat badly behaved animals like you do similar nonhuman ones. Rules only work against people who recognise their validity, and pisstakers don't. Thus CRT takes years to get a liveaboard off the water, and everyone suffers for that time.

Yes, they always have done for licencing. I was making the point that a BSS was also given on completed new builds, by CBA builders, which I thought was a good move as it generally meant an independent inspection was also made. I remember hearing of people with newbuilds, failing their first bss on a basic that should have been correct but clearly wasn't, on launch. Belt and braces! ?

Was it painfull ? Has it stopped you getting premature erosion or corrosion ? As long as he gets his bottom painted black every two to three years. ?

Thank you, but I was trying to offer a suggestion as to how these things could happen in general, I am sure there are specific issues particular to the waterway in discussion it could all of course be just down to a grumpy fisherman.

Polluted silt? Perhaps the fishists could campaign for it to be dredged?

Hi Alan, and thanks for the reply. Having been born, and lived in the Midlands all of my life, I am aware that most of the canal network in and around the Midlands is suited only to narrowboats, so we are probably going to be looking at the Severn or Avon, or canal further south. With regard to being near home, we will be selling our house , which is far too big for us now, and renting a property near wherever we fit out the boat, as we intend to live aboard the boat, hence the size. We have thought about potentially renting either open land or a unit on an industrial estate, but a marina would be preferable as there will most likely be a chandlery, and knowledgeable people on hand, should I need to ask for advice. I am fully aware of the Recreational Craft Directive, and the BSS having spent the better part of a year researching the task of fitting out a wide beam sailaway, and will in all likeliehood use a qualified surveyor at the appropriate times.

I think you may be referring to the 'Duracell Bunny' Duracel powered rabbits are something very different - do a google, or ask a friend

This is the Chateau de Faulin, which until recently has not been open to visitors. The lock-keeper at Lucy once said it was owned by"a retired professor of medecine from Paris", adding that he was "pas sympathique," but that was years ago. The Internet now says the building is indeed open, or an exhibition within a part of it is. We shall check it out next summer, if we are able. Ah, summer! See below.

Good news, j gingerly removed the pilot injector and cleaned that. Seems to have done the job.....we r back up and running. Thanks everyone for your comments ?

And not a fender tp be seen

That is just silly. I've taken narrowboats on the Severn, the Avon, the Thames, the Trent, the Weaver etc and all of them were enjoyable experiences.