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Archaeologists have found the 4,000 year old remains of a river boat in what was the city of Uruk in what is now Iraq. It used bitumen based blacking on the hull. The article says they plan to put it in a museum, rather than paint the interior white and advertise it on Apollo Duck. https://arstechnica.com/science/2022/04/archaeologists-unearth-ancient-sumerian-riverboat-in-iraq/

I'm not sure why people are adding costs like food and wine to boating expenses? Yes, they're living expenses, but once you start including things like that where does it stop? Everyone will have different living expenses. Are you going to include your, car insurance, commuting costs, holidays, etc? If you want comparable costs it's best to stick to those related to the boat

I only realised recently, and it's not been noticed in six BSS examinations, that the nice louvre vents on the front bulkhead are screwed onto solid sheet steel!

Wow! Uruk was home to the eponymous hero king, Gilgamesh. In that tale there is also a reference to a flood survivor, the immortal Utnapishtim and his wife. (Yes, he's basically an early Noah). Anyway, old tablets unearthed referenced the use of copious amounts of bitumen to seal reed boats at the time. This lecture is well worth the hour watch.

It's because they stand so still. Wait til it moves, then you'll see it.

If I were a newby I would stay within the published dimensions, there is to much that can go wrong unless you have the experience to know how to deal with it.

Wood burners in the bedroom, you should sleep like a log.

The Ribble crossing is a much more managed event. Tarleton Lock will be manned and you will be despatched when staff deem it right for the tides and rivers - it is a complicated navigation, going down stream at first and then up stream, with tide having its own say on the matter. At the Ribble/Preston end it is also managed and you are likely to be held on the pontoon after the rotating lock to ensure necessary headroom. I also recall that the final locks are also managed as they are not straightforward. The river transit is also monitored in case you end up having to divert overnight to Preston. At least that has been my experience but it is a few years ago now. Might get there again this year . . .

Couldn't have worked that well or they would have found the wood as well. 😄

Ah. The Goole breach as everyone else called it ...

On this day today, outdoor street food, craft stalls, music and beer at Victoria Quays, Sheffield.

Thank you How about having a high pressure water mist to keep the curtain wet all the time

The curtains could be made from an old fire blanket.

Seems to have been a while since I've called in here, so I thought I might just spread the word about a notable pub I happened across this week as we head north up the Oxford and the Coventry towards the Shroppie. Rugby centre is a bit of a way from the popular Bridge 58/59 moorings, and the adjacent Harvester isn't everyone's go to hostelry, but there's a place well worth a stroll in Albert Square, just beyond the station. The Seven Stars serves a good range of cask ales and ciders (as well as a few of the usual suspects), which is enough of a draw in itself for many, but if you like a good scotch egg on occasion you need look no further. Proper home made on the premises, soft yolks obviously, and flavours including traditional, chili and garlic, and chorizo. I can vouch for the first two. I can also vouch for their cobs, made with proper home made on the premises bread. We were beyond the 12-2pm lunch hours, but landlord Graham had no hesitation making up fresh cobs so we can also attest to the ham (cured on the premises) and onion as well as a cheese and onion cob both being noteworthy. Drinks are your own taste, but the hoppy pale bitter I'm rather partial to was very well represented by a couple of "Platinum Blondes" from Coventry's Byatts brewery not far down the road. You can Google the place as well as me to see the rest of what's on offer (charity work, rugby, music, etc) but if you have a liking for a proper pub, run by a proper host of a landlord with excellent food and drink as a starting point, you could do a lot worse than wearing the dog"s claws down a bit on the pavement that leads to this outstanding establishment. He'll be welcome too. @mrsmelly wouldn't like the place because of how shiny ex Royal Navy chef (he says cook) Graham keeps his brasswork, but otherwise I'm pretty sure that any good landlord and many of us would recognise this fine, welcoming local pub as a bit of a gem.

I remember getting a letter some time ago while moored at J.Wilsons in Sheffield, requesting that all boats must have a GI fitted. They were in the habit of storing new shells in the water awaiting fitout, and had noticed they were corroding quickly around the water line. This was of course down to us moorers, not the fact that one thin coat of blacking was applied by roller before being launched. Funnily enough my own '89 hull, blasted and 2 packed was spotless.

By not adding the picture or a link, you have certainly added a layer of complexity to, what sounds like, an already intriguing puzzle. Guess what the picture looks like, then work out where it's taken? Of course the irony is that anyone who knows the entire canal network well enough to work out where a picture of a heron is taken, probably doesn't need to win a canal holiday... they might prefer a week in Benidorm (c:

Not sure about the Isuzu but it is almost certainly a solenoid, possibly working a lever on the engine of screwed into the engine. If you can find it you can usually manually pull the leaver and often you can just push a rubber cap on a directly coupled solenoid. The most likely fault is a blown fuse, broken cable, a bad connection or faulty switch on the stop circuit. Often it is a problem with the connection in the multi-plug most marine engines seem to have in the main engine loom nowadays. If it has been left energised the solenoid might have burned out.

Blimey! If he thinks Diggle was bad, it's a good job he didn't make it to the Yorkshire side. That's typical of the Huddersfield canal. You have to persevere if you want to use it end to end. Just another boring blogger looking for a bit of sensationalism. After those clowns on 'Minimal List' called for Bingley Five Rise to be closed I'm begging any bloggers not to do the Rochdale Canal.