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Me thinks this project may not have been fully thought out and permissions and practicalities sorted out

I've often said that Robert's team at Aqueduct are one of the most professional outfits on the cut. It is reflected in their charges though - very much a case of getting what you pay for. There do seem to be a lot of boaters who expect champagne service at lemonade prices.

Three from Berkhamsted in spring 2020.

It's as clean as normal diesel, and greener (amount depending on how it's made and from what) -- much greener if it's recycled cooking oil. Whether it's cleaner or greener than other energy sources depends on what they are... ? We shouldn't let the quest for perfection stop us using something that's better but not ideal, it's still better than doing nothing until something perfect comes along. When it does, then you can switch to it ?

Or, recoup even more by being richly rewarded for coming and doing mine once you've got the hang of it...

The pressure on some Elsan points would be greatly reduced if the tin snail brigade weren’t using them as well...it seems this is much advocated on various snail forums. Pity that CRT keys are so wildly available to those that pay nothing.

I provided contact details for the boatyard crane less than a mile from where they want to go. What more help would you suggest? Electric tractor on the towpath ...

And they had a little boat to get to town

Chiropody ...

That's why I said "at a glance". If the OP was trying to be helpful they would have posted the link that you did. All saw when I opened the site was a jumble of images that I expect were supposed to lead to sub areas. I did not see any belts and as my feelings were the same as TheBiscuits I did not waste any more time on it. As far as I am concerned it had all the hallmarks of spam.

Interesting concept, this one about lower prices for boaty things. And electricity prices going down? CRT have obviously been told to clear up pollution, which they will do by banning stuff. Sorted. Boaters' problems resulting aren't for CRT to sort out, any more than the coming ban on installation of gas boilers in housing is the builders'. We just get lumped with it. People are starting to panic about pollution and global warming and a solid fuel heated, diesel powered boat doesn't really have much of a defence, nice though they are.

Under your licence Ts and Cs you accept that CRT cannot guarantee that the canal will be available for navigation. Of course you can send them a bill, but don't expect it to be paid.

I'm fine with people giving their opinions, but I'll only take seriously the opinions which have some understanding and knowledge behind them. I think the fact that some people have benches/steps made of unsupported 18mm phenonic ply (albeit not quite as wide as mine), reassures me that my fully supported constructions will be strong enough.

I think the key to this is building a relationship with the people who work on your boat. I have. over the years, got to know well an engineer, a fabricator, a dry dock owner, a BSS examiner and painter/signwriter. Each prefers to be contacted differently: text, email, phone etc. All of them call back or reply the same day. I agree with Ex Brummie about meeting face to face. When I had our butty rebuilt I used to make a two hundred mile round trip each weekend for six months to discuss the next stage. In this way there were no misunderstandings on either side and the work went very smoothly. I may have been fortunate, but there are some really good tradesmen/women out there. For example, I recall the time I had broken down and needed a new water pump. The owner of a chandlery, whom I knew, but not well, not only replied to my message but drove out specially with the part. I think I've posted before about the amazing service and excellent communication I received when I had to have a new hydraulic motor a couple of years ago. So not all gloom and despondency

???????? What are you on about? Context please. Then you may get some answers or are you Eastern caravans trying to generate hits to your website?

I hope you enjoy your visit to the southern Grand Union and London.I usually spend the "off season"( Nov-March) on the southern Grand Union mooching about and spent December 19 -Feb 20 in central London,where I also volunteer for CRT. Never had any problem finding moorings on the southern GU. The busy part of the Paddington Arm starts at Kensal Green,and if you want a towpath mooring from there you may have to take what's available ,as opposed to where you might like to target.The bookable moorings at Little Venice,Paddington Basin and the London Canal Museum are popular because they give visiting boaters certainty. The Regents Canal is generally nose to tail ,but gaps will appear.The same applies to the Hertford Union .Breasting up is common and the liveaboard community is much younger and more idealistic than you experience elsewhere on the canal system.I've never had a polite request to breast up being turned down,but if you can ask first. South of Mile End on the Regents Canal there are far fewer towpath moorers,but this may give you pause for thought about stopping there.Strength in numbers does seem to apply ,and never forget that you are in Inner London. Limehouse Basin has excellent 24 hr moorings,while most of the Limehouse Cut is uncrowded but maybe for a reason .The towpath around the Olympic Park and up to Hackney Wick is very popular and crowded but generally gaps will appear from Hackney Marsh ,with a noticeable thinning out after Stonebridge Lock. As part of the on going discussions about the London Mooring Strategy,CRT said they will produce a mooring "heat map" for the London canal system so hopefully this will back up my comments. Try not to be put off by negative comments,especially from people who never visit the London Canals.

No they have not actually stated anything. Using 'should not' instead of 'must not' in one sentence is not policy. The discussion is now dominated here by peeps who dont like the idea of desiccated poo in CRT bins. Anyone who supports the idea is avoiding comment for fear of mass criticism. The inputs are therefore almost 100% against. The thread is now building strength based on cr&p assumptions and by peeps who dont understand the issue. An example is Alan who refers to smelly liquid waste being put in bins. No we are not doing a nappy disposal where smelly liquid human waste is put in bins. This is solids. Very solid. Like horse manure but not smelly. 99% of peeps here have never seen a picking line so do not know the hazards of waste segregation. Nappies and adult incontinence pads are dealt with very efficiently by leaving them on the belt. Its the stuff that contaminates all the other waste that goes to recycle that is the problem, like leaking nappies....and this is from my first hand knowledge on plastic recycling (I have part ownership of a plastic recycling company). Even more issue is food waste. It festers for 3 weeks and then spreads over everything. If peeps are really interested in recycling and assisting the picking line then we need dedicated food waste bags on the cut. What is the fate of chicken trays – the trays you buy in a supermarket. Covered in E-coli. Spread out in black bags. Go and have a look at a picking line. It may sway your views. There are bigger problems than desiccated poo in black bags. We then get to what has actually been said. The CRT have not banned these toilets and I will take Ian D's bet that they are banned any time soon. This is only a statement by Damien that is a 'should' not a 'must'. A few pages back, someone commented on the restriction of fat boats on the north Oxford being a similar problem – ie the CRT have turned a blind eye on it for years, neither supporting it or being against it..ie totally silent. Now they have said they allow it with restrictions. This is the 'contract law' stuff I was talking about pages back. I guess their lawyer say you cant ban fat boats as you have allowed it for years. I agree now, this is actually similar despite my original denial, but in this case the CRT actively encouraged the activity by putting in writing what to do. Once again, it is pointless arguing this as we need a contract lawyer, but my reading is that they do have an obligation. Ian's view is different. No point in arguing. The other thing that is being misrepresented is the illegality of putting it in a black bin. Alan keeps banging on that it is illegal due to waste transfer regulations. Once again we are clutching at straws. It is not clear. According to the words, and individual can put the solids +liquids!!!!! in a black bag as long as it is less than 7Kgs and only once in the 'cycle'. Think though about what this means. It has to be aimed at nappies put in a black bag then put in the wheelie bin. 7Kgs??? Sounds like nappies disposed of at 1kg per day for 7 days. No mention of 'dumpsters'. No one here knows the rules being applied to dumpsters. One bag of solid poo per week is far better than a weeks worth of stinking nappies for transport. Most of the comments on here are assuming what Biffa and CRT are thinking. Those assumptions are not fact and may be far from the truth. Anywho, I will continue to compost my waste and so this issue is not a problem for me but it is a concern for many. This problem will rumble on for years.

The best treatment will be several coats of water potable epoxy. Trouble is it's only available in minimum15 litre quantities and it's quite expensive. Epoxies are more technical paints than those used by the average narrowboater. They have to be mixed properly in the correct quantites, and overcoated according to min/max overcoating times based on temperature. It's perfectly possible for an amateur to use epoxies but you must read the data sheets - you can't just slap them on. Tankguard DW - SML Protective Coatings The other issue is that like most epoxy paints you have to prep the steel to a standard of Sa 2.5. You can do it without blast cleaning using an angle grinder and wire wheels, etc, but it's hard work. Sa 2½ Very thorough blast cleaning. Mill scale, rust and foreign matter shall be removed to the extent that the only traces remaining are slight stains in the forms of spots or stripes. Finally, the surface is cleaned with a vacuum cleaner, clean dry compressed air or a clean brush. Edit: The answer to the next question is no. You don't use Vactan, etc, under epoxy.