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That's alright, she will just run a crowdfunder if it sinks and buy a 5000 berth cruise liner.

Thought I would put a video of my boat with it's little engine. Can't remember if I ever did after not being on here for a while.

If you compare the mechanical properties of HDPE with steel you can get some idea of the relative strength and how resistant to damage it will be -- bearing in mind that the sides are 15mm thick compared to typically 6mm for steel. Anyone who doesn't like maths, look away now... 😉 The Young's modulus (stiffness) and tensile strength of steel are both about 140x higher than HDPE, the elongation at yield is similar (about 15%) -- if you stretch either by more than this (e.g. bashing into a concrete lock corner in between the beams) it will stay stretched, so you'll get a dent. The fact that the HDPE is 2.5x thicker increases panel stiffness by 6.25x, so this means a 6mm steel hull is 23x stiffer in between the I-beams than HDPE, and has 56x more tensile strength. So if you bash the boat into something hard the HDPE will bend a lot more than steel (about 5x) but will spring back if you don't hit too hard; if you do hit too hard it will first bend permanently and then break. If you crunch the numbers and compare them to steel and work out how fast you can ram the concrete, the boat speed to cause a permanent dent for HDPE is 1/5 that of of steel and to make a hole the figure is 1/7, which are *huge* differences. I've seen a fair number of steel boats with dents in them, so presumably with HDPE the number would be a lot higher since they would happen at a much slower speed. I don't think many steel canal boats have been holed by impacts (though I bet some have...) but the difference here is even bigger, so the risk of holing an HDPE boat in a collision must be *much* higher. GRP is *much* stiffer than HDPE but also can't stretch as much, so boats built from this are less robust than steel (hence why their owners don't like them hitting things or being hit by them e.g. steel boats) -- but nowhere near as bad as HDPE. I hope Shaun has taken all this into account, because it suggests that HDPE in these thicknesses isn't a good choice for big heavy boats in the rough-and-tumble canal environment -- and may be difficult or impossible to get insurance for, given how much more fragile it would be than steel, or even GRP... 😞 To be as robust against impacts as 6mm steel (which is probably thicker than needed...) HDPE would need to be about 70mm thick, which would make it about 50% heavier -- and presumably a *lot* more expensive... 😞

Oh no, not another one. I fit the general demographic myself - in my 20s, fairly recent CC liveaboard - but: * Financial motivation not the main thing; I've wanted to live on a boat ever since I said "mummy I want to live on one of those" aged single figures and jumped at the chance when working practices changed due to Covid. The costs of a 30ft boat aren't less than renting a similarly-sized room somewhere, and I could afford more than that if I wanted to live on land. * Remote working and not tied to a specific location, so I can actually cruise and not just shuffle around a 20-mile radius of some fixed point. * I have some woodworking and electrical skills, and am willing to wield a spanner given a manual, so I can at least try to look after it myself. These articles always seem to understate the costs and the enforced differences in lifestyle, and encourage people with no knowledge or particular interest in boats to jump into it. I've met some people who've been seduced that way who clearly have no idea what they're getting into.

I thought it was relevant to most boaters, ie general interest to general boaters, which is why I put it in General. I wish some people would stop nitpicking at every opportunity. Mind you, I accept Peterboats heading was more informative and if we can get the threads merged, do it with his title.

I expect the government wouldn't know the difference between a river and a canal.

That might be useful. Actually, borrowing quite a lot from wooden canal boat design might be a good idea in general (the ribs already are for example) as there are some similarities in properties between wood and HDPE. Other potentially useful things to borrow would be the use of a thin, sacrificial steel shoe plate where the sides and base meet and possibly steel rubbing strips and ice plates at the bow. With regard to the question of how to attach ribs/frames - that one is relatively straightforward. HDPE does weld easily so you can add either a full HDPE rib or a low attachment rib/series of lugs to which you can mechanically fasten a steel rib. One direction which has been alluded to above which might be a useful halfway house is the use of HDPE for cabins. Wooden cabins do have quite a few advantages, e.g. keeping the centre of gravity lower and reducing condensation. They are also better for sound deadening. However, they are quite difficult to keep sealed between the boards, fairly high maintenance and do rot through easily if damage goes unnoticed or is not rapidly repaired. HDPE might add the advantages of wood without the drawbacks. It does need a proper upstand lip all the way around just inside the gunwhales for attachment but if that was done I can imagine this could be quite a useful approach. It might, for example, have been a good option for Oates if it was reasonably cost-effective. Oates had its wooden cabin replaced with steel, but to keep it stable the weight had to be kept down. That has meant thin steel and I can't add any high level storage. I would have had more options with welded HDPE panels. There are still a few 1970s boats about with wooden tops which now need replacement so I can imagine there are some good opportunities to try this if it is reasonably cost-effective. Alec

A much smaller railway swing bridge is located on the Tat Bank (or Rood End) branch of the BCN. First is 1937 photo, from the "Britain from Above" collection via Duncan Moore's excellent website https://lostbcnimages.blogspot.com/2022/05/oldbury-and-titford-area.html Other two are mine. The bridge still exists, with swing mechanism intact if rusted solid, but can't be reached by narrowboat. You can visit it by canoe. There's no access by land as it's within the BIP site.

Graffiti artists have more in common with narrow boat signwriters than some people might realise. They tend to spell their names wrong. I'm not sure if things like Bilster which was meant to be Bilston on a town class Grand Union was deliberate though to be fair. Most tags, bombs and pieces do have deliberate spelling errors.

To be fair plastics are good for signage and we will be needing more of that. Things like "warning. Shallow water". "Water is wet". "Do not swim here" etc. There will be a lot of plastics. Some of it will be green. Maybe the towpath could be decked with green plastics to avoid the mowing issue. Someone will have already suggested this. One could even incorporate signage into the surface. Bark..grrr..woof.

Of course they don't *have* to act on polls which are not legally binding either, just like in 2016... 😉

In your defence it was over the page so hard to see

Like this ?

You could be paid by crt if your boat is 3foot Draught as you are doing there dredging for them.😡😡

I do

At least @peterboat put it in the most appropriate section👍I wish others would think about the appropriate sections to start Threads, instead of just putting things if General Boating and New to Boating. That way sections may get more views and more Posters will get more information/help for their posts.

It’s all in the wording, a specialist company has vast experience of phrasing the questions properly to yield the results you require.

In my professional experience consultation is best carried out by specialist organisations as client bodies rarely have the expertise in-house. Why would they since consultation is usually an activity carried out periodically that doesn't justify having experts on the permanent staff? That said, a consultation exercise will generally be more effective when client staff across various disciplines are actively involved in designing the consultation and managing the specialists, so that the broader corporate knowledge is brought to bear. What interests me more is why now, given that its not that long since the last licence fee consultation. Is this the beginning of a process for larger increases to counter the fall in government support? Or another look at higher increases for wide beams or continuous cruisers so they 'pay their fair share'?

Just thought I'd update you on my plans- I'm booking into Northwich Dry Dock for July, and I've decided to go for their epoxy paint option. Since I can't guarantee getting some extra help this far ahead of the time, I'll pay for them to do the labour as well. They are covered so rain shouldn't be too much of a problem, and their schedule allows three days for it to dry off before going back in the water. Its not a bad price, at £350 for the dry dock and £1165 for the full treatment including baseplate, so just over £1500 (that's only for a 50ft boat though). They also charge £25 for the electric hookup, which I might not need with all my panels- its a high roof with open sides and there might well be enough sun poking in the sides to charge the batteries. Brian and the Haggises have used them, among others, and it does seem a reasonably long lasting treatment, good for at least 4 years and maybe more. I'm not kidding myself about the longevity, I can't see how it would last 10 years or more like an epoxy over bare metal. But even if if it lasts 4 or 5 years, the pricing still compares well to bitumen, when you factor in haul out costs saved, extra level of protection gained, and that the price includes the baseplate, etc. Their PDF info leaflet mentions the common concerns about epoxy covering existing bitumen, and they say that they have checked with ands gotten approval from the main epoxy suppliers that their very high pressure wash will leave the surface suitably prepped for epoxy to adhere well, even if all the bitumen is not removed. Overall, I would describe it as definitely not being a perfect 10 year solution like bare metal treatment, but nevertheless it does look like an effective and very good value compromise, and they do have a very good reputation. If I could guarantee getting help I would have preferred to haul out for 2 weeks, hire a sandblaster, and get it back to bare metal (I'd love to blast out any rust from the pits etc), but without wheeled transport and extra muscle, I don't really fancy the DIY route. They seem a very professional outfit and there are enough very satisfied customers that I can go into there with a lot of confidence that the job will be done well. ETA- I've just realised the dry dock is not covered, so if we get a few days of rain that will be an issue. But they do say they have always managed to get the boats completed on time, and they work all year round. Fingers crossed its a dry week.

Outsourcing avoids retribution!

The cost is an interesting question. How does finished product price compare with the equivalent in steel? I presume it must be quite a bit cheaper but interesting to know what the actual ratio is. I personally think there is more opportunity with this sort of material to make small static houseboats rather than cruising canal boats but the market is smaller. I haven't seen any negative vibes on this thread just genuine interest and concerns about things like rigidity in use.

If the draft/stability works out and they could keep the weight down, these boats could be the ideal solution for a trailer/weekend canal boat, offering a cheap go anywhere holiday boat, powered by a small electric motor and solar. Obviously would all be dependent on workable dimensions, interior design and functional equipment, but may work? The HDPE concept certainly gets the mind thinking.

Had it in the lounge when I first married about 100 years ago.

Really Let's be real here - not exactly neutral language followed by a bit aggressive sarcasm after judging me (and obviously finding me wanting!) And it all started because you couldn't help turn my rather non-offensive question into an opportunity to assert your dislike of anyone who doesn't conform with your idea of propriety with this comment below - what a lovely bunch! And despite whatever you may believe you still don't really know anything about me and how I live on or use my boat. You should be very proud.

Hark.... Be blessed. The Rectum has spoken.