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I'm now able to confirm that the finishing point will be Factory Junction, Tipton and boats will congregate at the Malthouse Stables upon finishing. I'm just in conversation with Sandwell council regarding details of the use of the facilities at the stables. Entry forms have been sent out to last year's participants and all those who have contacted me via the forum. The forms will also be available on the BCNS website shortly.

Oh no, if they cycle a L&L lock for each potential volunteer, they will have to close the navigation due to water shortage. And anyway, what has interfering with boaters operating locks got to do with “preserve and protect the nations’[sic] …canal network”. Why not have taster sessions of picking up litter and cutting back vegetation?

My Beta 50 often sits for months with no use. I just start it as normal and for 30 years old it seems to be doing fine. I never start it unless I am moving the boat so it sits most years from October to March without turning. Worst thing you can do is start a diesel and not get it up to full working temperature. I would be tempted to leave it until you need to use it. If you feel you must turn it over do it with the stop button engaged so it doesn't start but does circulate the oil.

I went up Hanwell flight some yars ago. Single handed no other boats around and having done it lots of times before I knew my routine. Yes I do close the gates after use. Anyway there were a couple of volunteer geysers so I asked them politely if they could set the next lock up for me after checking nobody was coming down. That's how I have always done it by myself. Locks are close together so it's not arduous to walk up and down and get it all done nice and efficiently. They looked at me like I was from another planet so I just left them to wander about and got on with the boating. They were CRT volunteers but perhaps (thankfully) not trained to do locks. I'm quite pleased that bar unusual circumstances my canal boating is now in the past. I don't like the volunteer lock keeper principle because there is too much availability of personality clashes. Thames it isn't so bad because they are only on when it is busy and locks are generally operated on power by other people during the day anyway. For me volunteers on canal locks can spoil the experience very badly unless they can be employed to do something useful.

Once again, for about the 5th time on this thread, it isn’t illegal to pour beer from the pump into the same glass. However pubs which use a swan neck tend not to as the nozzle can touch the glass. If it was illegal, beer festivals where they pour straight from the barrel into a glass that someone carries around with them all day would have been shut down years ago.

Ideally all beer would be pulled straight from the barrel up on a rack. No lines needed, no sprinklers, no swan necks, just lovely pure beer at room temperature.

We nearly all did this after Boris had us under house arrest. I didn't tell my Beta 43 how long it had been and it seemed not to notice. If you sneak up on it, I doubt the Beta 38 will be any the wiser either.

I’d guess thats the “Mooring in secure and professional Inland private Marina at the centre of Picturesque Cambridgeshire Town, 5 minutes to the high Street” you’re paying for mostly. It has an optimistic sales pitch using buzzwords for the uninitiated such as “bespoke” and “rebuild” A nice big mirror so you can see from bed exactly what your guest is upto in the bathroom. I’ve studied the pictures for a few minutes and have concluded that “Fully hand carved Bespoke wooden interior” roughly translates to “bog standard untreated matchboard with a bulkhead attacked with a jigsaw”. And a dreamcatcher! Changed my mind, worth every penny

The most \i would do is operate the stop, so the engine won't start and spin it on the starter for a couple of 30 second of spinning on the starter. That should throw sufficient oil onto the bores. Then start normally but don't rev hard for a few minutes.

I don't drink anymore. Mind you ... I don't drink any less. Rog

I appreciate its unusual but other than get the thread jammed in a lock, we could do a huge turn and cruise off to Tangent , a popular destination.

Yep, my other two are wheelless!

Not to be confused with wetthong.

I can't its not my thread

Speaking as a pub owner I would encourage you not to sit warming your pint in a death-grip for too long. Get it down your neck whilst it's cool and buy another. In anticipation .... sorry about the prices - supermarkets sell their beer cheaper than our suppliers do, and we have overheads to cover. Our suppliers put their prices up 18% recently, which equates to 60p a pint if we were to maintain a fully viable GP. We haven't done that yet, just 30p.

For up to date information, including discussions with CRT, please see Trentlink on Facebook.

It can be done: This was 'TWO BROTHERS' for sale a couple of years back. Good for the waterways of the Netherlands. Our own Tjalk was much bigger with eleven feet headroom from the hold floor boards to beneath the centre of the hold covering boards. Not for English canals though. I find nothing attractive in either SHELFEN or VULCAN. Neither allow access to the larger waterway system in England & Wales.

The group is private so the video cannot be seen without joining the page. I copy here some info posted 3 days ago on the Trentlink page OPENING THE STAINFORTH & KEADBY ROUTE TO/FROM THE NORTH.... At last night's meeting with CRT I was unable to secure a date when the Stainforth & Keadby will reopen, though the Regional Director for the area said he would review the "stoppages" and update the finish dates when he could. There are 3 areas of concern Iam aware of between Thorne and Keadby : 1/ Keadby Railway Bridge - (Stoppage note on line) Currently offering "restricted passage" a couple of times a day - if not on strike, this limitation appears due to the need for some serious repair by Network Rail. I have been unable to get any information as to when /if this might happen. This suggests this restriction is likely to be long term? 2/ Mauds Bridge - (Stoppage note on line) - Currently the swing bridge is said to be "Closed to navigation" (though no visual indication of such on the bridge). The bridge suffered a traffic strike in November, which has caused some damage to the side rails, and reportedly makes the bridge hard to close - and the CRT insurance claim system (they know who did it!) has kicked in. Its reported that a contractor has been appointed, but as of yesterday, no work seems to have started on site. This bridge forms part of the road "Diversion" from the Moors Bridge closure... See below. There is some speculation the bridge may be operable on a "Restricted" basis - but that still to be decided and announced. 3/ Moor Road Bridge - (No "Stoppage" note in place yesterday, , but its listed under the Winter Planned Stoppages - to have been finished by November) Contractors on site yesterday with mini diggers replacing hydraulics and electrics (and more?). The bridge is closed to road and canal traffic, though the contractors tell me they leave the bridge open to river traffic at night.... The totally untrustworthy information from the guy on the digger suggested work might go on for several weeks yet. In conclusion - The canal is shut. It seems perhaps doubtful all three bridges will be fixed by April - but the possibility of restricted passages hopefully remains good - and (hopefully) if two or more bridges are so affected they can be coordinated to allow boats through all the obstructions in one day? Boat Clubs and Marinas on the S Yorks canals are presumably already aware of these closures and are in discussions with CRT?

Who on earth designed that kitchen!! Why on earth put the stove that high up so the burners are at or even higher than eye level?

Wash your mouth out. With real ale of course.

It doesn't have to be in the engine bay - for example, mine is midships. Closer to where you want the water is a useful feature as less hot water is wasted running the tap 'til the hot gets there. Also, the heat loss from the tank can be made use of inside to boat rather than wasted in the engine bay.

We came down Watford during the Beast from the East to escape the Leicester Line before it closed in February. You don't normally notice that the lock chambers are tapered and wider at the top than the bottom, but when the boat goes into the full lock with a load of broken ice, you do. We jammed in every lock and had to flush the boat out. Cold over there, isn't it? It's 10 Celsius here in the County Wicklow, but a large cloud seems to have moved into the garden. MP.

I think some perspective is needed here. Something often lacking in survey reports. This type of stuff is typical of a boat of this vintage and yes it all needs doing to bring the boat up to "as new" and to current expectations and standards. But who is EVER going to do that to a 1986 boat? It has managed to stay afloat so far and probably will for many years more even if nothing is done other than sort out the gas lockers. Boats degrade as they grow older and hopefully the price reflects the age and condition. "Run away" is good advice assuming the OP has £80k lying around to spend on a boat with nothing wrong with it, but if this boat is say £10k or £15k, buying it gets them out boating and learning and they would probably get their money back even if it sinks and if it doesn't, they can spend money on it fixing stuff as and when it suits. If ever. (And it sounds to me as though the seller had exactly this philosophy!)

Does this boat come with a bargepole for you not to touch it with?