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I first met Malcolm as a teen in the mid 60s when he brought the Joshers Cactus and Penguin to Harris’s yard at Netherton. I was quickly enlisted to help in the refurbishment of Cactus, work I embraced eagerly. Real boats!! He went on to establish a yard at Yates Brothers, Norton Canes. In those days the norm was to acquire an ex working boat and add a conversion, many fine looking craft emerging from the yard . Malcolm then went on to build steel hulls, the Lionheart range of memory serves. He ran the business until 1986 when foreman Graham Edgson took over, Malcolm concentrating on survey work. We remained in occasional touch until a couple of years ago, I was pleased to be able to supply some proper Ratcliffes oil based scumble for his other boat. Truly the end of an era, his vast knowledge and experience now lost. It was watching his signwriter, Ted Chetwynd, that inspired me to take up the craft, I’ve lettered many of his boats over the years. RIP.

I'm not sure what time you're going on Friday, but if you need a boater to go with you and your brother I'm free on Friday afternoon and I'm only 25 mins away from Whilton. I've sent you a PM. This is a free service! ☺️

I'm with you on this one Brian. I feel it is not helpful to tell new boaters what they must do without also saying on what experience the advice is based - having bought one narrow boat and sold none is hardly a wide experience of the subject. New people coming on here are looking for advice and they don't know who is experienced and who is not and I feel if we offer advice or instructions it is only fair to the new comers that we say what our own experience is. It is good to be helpful where we can but I think we must be careful that we are not giving a "bum steer". Haggis

I am not bothered about that, just the fact that you were telling an inexperienced boater that she should insist on what bill of sale a broker uses, with in all honesty is a joke. What you do is up to you, I'm not bothered, but if you mislead others I will speak up.

Not sure if this is the right place for it, but I've just had a guy out to my boat (Lister SR2 with the usual diesel leak) who, for once and almost uniquely in my experience, has fixed the problem, spotted two others and fixed them without either complaining or adding to the agreed fee even though the whole job took three hours longer than he had quoted for. So I thought he deserved a plug - he's Karl Illand (Mainland Marine) from Burnley, travels all over the country. He's on Facebook or anyone can PM me for contact details.

Don't confuse her with facts, if she sticks to facts she'll have nothing to post about.

On this day in 2008, Oxford canal. Our last family holiday with teenaged son and daughter. Boat hired from Black Prince. The snowman's scarf had been unwound from the prop the previous evening! He kept our beer cold until he finally melted around Banbury.

I guess it all depends what you mean by "gadgets"... If you mean the kind of thing that don't do a lot that much simpler technology can't do, then this is pointless technology for the sake of it -- just like all the use-it-one-then-put-it-in-the-cupboard kitchen gadgets. If you mean things that provide a lifestyle more like onshore such as decent 230V electrical systems and all the useful stuff you can run from them, this is a choice -- people who want to stick with the more traditional boat setup are perfectly free to do so, but them disparaging people for wanting a washer or a dishwasher or lots of solar makes no more sense than them being disparaged for not having one and living in the dark ages. If you mean things like LiFePO4 batteries (plus the systems that go with them), these are modern technology which genuinely does offer big advantages so long as you're willing to pay for them -- which many people can't (or don't want to), but this doesn't make them any less valuable. If you mean things like series hybrid/electric boats instead of diesels, there are genuine environmental reasons for going this way as well as the peace and quiet ones, but again this is an expensive option. Both choices are perfectly valid -- at one end there are the "traditional boaters" who want to keep a diesel engine (possibly one that goes bonk-bonk...), a solid-fuel stove, and very little electrical gear, all at low cost, and at the other end "modern boaters" who want a more luxurious centrally-heated electric-heavy lifestyle -- possibly including propulsion -- and are willing/able to pay for it, because doing it properly (and making it reliable) is expensive, nothing is worse than trying to build something complex on the cheap. I can't help thinking that some of the reason behind the resentment is to do with money, people who live more simply disliking the rich incomers with all their shiny stuff, and them in turn looking down on the poor benighted scruffs lugging coal to the boat and excrement to the Elsan... Slagging off somebody else because they choose a different lifestyle to yours is divisive and can be counterproductive, because different people have different wants and needs. What should matter is that however you choose you to live, you value the canals and the people on them, and are a "good canal citizen" -- meaning, don't do things that might be good/convenient for you but are unpleasant for others. Many examples spring to mind -- out-of-hours engines/generators, towpath trash, inconsiderate mooring (or boating), semi-permanent hogging of visitor/short-term moorings, dog poo on the towpath or in poo-bags on trees, the infamous recent toilet thread...

Do you expect me to start reading the posts properly now, I just look at the pretty pictures, that's why I never learnt to spell.

Today in 2006 the engine change was going well. The new mountings were made and in the afternoon the new engine dropped into the engine room. The tanker barge behind was brought in by a tug with a failed engine and as is the case commercials get preference. They had a rebuilt V8 GM in the workshop and tomorrow they cut a hole in the side of the barge and got the old engine out. It took 3 days to complete the changeover.

As I understand it, the Decimal Currency Board handed the problem of the 50pence design to the only engineer who was a member, Hugh (HG) Conway, who was a director of Hawker Siddeley and Rolls Royce, then working on the development of Concord. He passed the problem to his brilliant team to resolve and it ended up with a Concord development number. It is said that the French ended up paying half the cost.

Does it mention canals? Yes, but only as 'concepts' It's all about socio economic evaluation, and while it is important that we are all happy people with levels of wellness increasing day by day through water, this year it has not worked, the hospitals are full of people who have mental illness, ditto police cells. I just find the whole 'concept evaluation' to be what we used to call 'left wing looney' Imho the Road Map to wellness is what it has always been, a healthy economy, good housing, medical services, and education for all. Recreation and exercise is good for mental health, but it's not going to help the disadvantaged. Oops, I am turning 'political'. I'll be banned. The UK government has not been able to sell off BW for the simple reason, it's not a good business model. "What can't be cured must be endured". Anon 16th Century. Let's hope they don't do a comparison with Scottish Canals, everyone penned in marinas, lots of closures, very restricted movement, but it's probably easier to generate more income per boater, so all round, a better business model.

For clarity, the leak is through the gates on the dry dock - it's only a navigation stoppage while they have a look at the issue, as it's not a big pound so it's easiest to just drop the level to investigate. Hopefully they'll be putting stop planks or a portadam in place to do the actual work.

I am not a boater so cant help you @Tanmim H but all the best... and so nice to see the forum members helping a newbie step by step...(considering we try to rip each other apart in other threads) I just wish you were here before you put the deposit.

Saw a sign in Reading, 'permit holders only, British Waterways'. I was confused over whether it was still applicable or not (and what a 'permit holder' is in this context).

I enjoyed this talk by Skip Novak at the recent RYA AGM, some strong views on boats getting over-complex and having too much equipment. (the link below jumps over the intro remarks by the RYA's CEO).

Now there's an oxymoron if ever there was.

at least when these are chucked in the cut they’ll float, don’t think i’ll apply to open a franchise on the HNC though

Doesn't work like that for us especially as I have modified most of the systems on the boat. On a previous boat one snowy Easter the mica window split in the Old Dutch, the Mikuni had already failed so we were left with the Sig Marine stove at the back of the boat for four days we still laugh about it now

That would be a conventional boiler bypass loop then, required for domestic low water content boilers. In modern boilers it is an automatic built in bypass that operates at a set differential pressure. Its not a bad idea with an Eber or Weber but I would fit a valve in the loop so that you could set the temperature differential when balancing the radiators. For those interested, you normally balance radiators so that the difference between flow and return temperature is 20 deg C then balance the flow with the bypass so that the temperature difference across the boiler is 20 dg C too. Takes a bit of to and fro altering all the valves but ensures the best operating conditions.

I don't see the problem with having gadgets as long as you are competent to navigate & helm the boat safely without them.

No, it is the one where the unattractive is taken away in a pumpkin cart in the middle of the night. (It was not called Night Soil for nothing!)

Even a leather 'boater-dog' hat !

LadyG’s post is more engaging makes far more sense to me than this ....

The harder I hang on the more fortunate I get

What on earth are you talking about, have you been on the Gin again ? No surprises - It is not unexpected - the DEFRA grant is dependent upon C&RT meeting their targets. If C&RT cannot convince the auditors that they have achieved their KPI's then the future grant is at risk. GRANT AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS AND CANAL & RIVER TRUST 9.3 Notwithstanding the regular content and cycle of Review Meetings, in the financial year 2021/22 a review will take place to consider whether, and if so, the extent to which there is a case to continue to support by Grant the public benefits (including, but not by way of limitation, provision of land drainage, flood mitigation and other public safety benefits) provided by the waterways under CRT’s stewardship beyond the end of the Grant Period. The 2021/22 Review shall take into account, among other matters, CRT’s performance of its obligations arising under the Grant Agreement. Defra shall issue a report setting out the conclusions of this review with regard to continued support of CRT by Grant beyond the term of this Grant Agreement on or before 1 July 2022

Note his stated location - I smell chopped ham and pork.

We had one when I was based at RAF Ouston, Roger my boss clocked me at 70 mph and banned its use........which we did whilst he was around ?