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A very fair description! I do a lot of cruising on the Fens and Middle Level as well, and it has been three years since I have had to go down the weed hatch. (though my son had to go down recently to untangle the stern line ....)

If it gets really hot, I cut out pieces of foil type of emergency blankets and stick them to the inside of windows facing the sun with bits of electrical tape. It’s a bit of a faff, but the foil is cheap as chips and translucent enough to still be able to see out, although it’s like wearing sunglasses in doors, so not good in the evenings etc. My understanding of why this works so well is because of the greenhouse effect whereby the incoming short wavelengths of visible sunlight pass through the glass which is transparent to it. This heats up objects inside the boat (or car, or house). These objects then re-radiate longer wavelengths of infrared heat which glass is somewhat opaque to, so the heat is trapped inside. I use the foil gold side out which reflects enough the incoming radiation to make a significant difference. Example of the foil, £10 for: Bramble - 10 Large Multi-Purpose Insulated Foil Emergency Blankets Individually Packed - 210 x 160cm

I know that Hawkesbury is a GU boat but I was thrown by the Yarwoods boss thingy but the tiller wasn't right so I wondered if it was the FMC Hawkesbury (don't know if it still around though). I should of looked at your avatar...I'm sometimes a little on the slow side. Poor old Lancing had had a hard life working for 70+ years so lots had to be remade but we have tried to put her back to how she might have been when new(ish) before she lost her original cabin etc.

As promised, here’s a little writeup of our week long trip on a Narrowboat with a 6 week old baby! There were 4 of us (My wife and I, my sister and her husband) and when we booked the trip we were unaware there would be a fifth guest! Trip was booked through Aqua Narrowboats on the Aqua Vida- would highly recommend them for anyone who is looking- great boats, nice location and brilliant staff. We collected the boat from Barton Turns Marina and, as advised by the friendly folk on here and the chap at the marina, took a right and headed SW awards Fradley Junction. Now for some baby stuff- our primary concern was sleeping arrangements. Justin from Aqua was very helpful and took the liberty of measuring the spaces next to & between beds so we could work out what she could sleep in- she’s a little small to be on her own in the Saloon. 58cm between the smaller double bed and the bulkhead was the magic number, and after a lot of digging found an ideal bed at Smyths Toys which worked a treat- easy to fold up and could disappear during the day. Beyond that, we bought her bouncing chair along with us too. It was a bit of faff moving bits around between day and night- our bed became the cot storage location during the day… but it was honestly fine. One of the saloon benches became a changing station as needed, but again, no real hassle. Baby is breasted, so we didn’t need to faff around with any bottles, sanitising etc- but I imagine that could be a bit tedious with the limited space. At that point she wasn’t bothered about dummies either, so we had no need for any sterilisation, but a lunchbox and Milton tabs would have sufficed if needed. First night we made it to Fradley junction end enjoyed a nice dinner in the Swan pub. We bought a very compact pram with us (Joolz AER+) which is fine from newborn onwards and folds up into a very small package- that lived in one of the cupboards near the back door of the boat. It was ideal for the short journeys to pubs etc and gave her somewhere to sleep while we ate. We also had a Tuya baby carrier with us which was very useful. Day 2, we stopped at the big Tesco in Rugely to stock up, then continued on to Great Haywood and had another nice dinner in the Clifford Arms. We also rescued an uninhabited boat that was blocking the canal… that was a bit of excitement for us! (The mooring rope had totally disintegrated, so I was pleased to see my knot still holding tight when we passed it again a couple of days later!). Day 3 bought us to Stone. We moored right outside of the big M&S (Near the winding hole) and marked our ‘turnaround’ point. For the life of me I cannot remember the name of it, but we found the most amazing Italian restaurant. Probably some of the best Italian food I’ve eaten in the UK, would HIGHLY recommend. Day 4 turned us around and we got back to Great Haywood, then continued along the Staffs & Worcester mooring opposite Stafford Boat Club. Lovely quiet place… can’t remember where we ate! On Day 5 we span around and headed back towards Great Haywood to go back onto the Trent & Mersey canal where we stopped just outside of Rugely for the night. There was an epic rainstorm just as we were getting towards the junction itself- and for anyone that’s been there you’ll know it’s very narrow and stopping isn’t an option… so that was fun! Day 6 took us on a leisurely trip to Alrewas where we stopped early in the day and visited a nice coffee shop, then had some food from the local takeaway fish & chip shop- would recommend! They had a great variety of food. That left us the short journey back towards the marina to reluctantly return the boat. We had a lovely, relaxing trip and in the same circumstances, I would absolutely do it again. In reality, I think we were at the perfect age window for the baby- even now she’s far too interested in things to want to laze around on a boat for days..! It does still remain the only time she’s slept all the way through the night though… I believe that was the case on 3 of our 7 nights, so that was a treat for us. The other couple on the boat were incredibly excited for the bonding time with baby and were well aware that there would be sleepless nights etc… in reality I think we have lucked out as she’s still not a particularly fussy baby. Mum had a wonderful week and was able to get some well deserved rest between feeds which I know she appreciated- there were plenty of naps happening throughout the week (For all 5 of us!). Not having to work meant I got to spend a lot of valuable time with her… plenty of photos of her in her carrier being worn by Captain Dad! We ate in pubs virtually every lunch & dinnertime, so that was pretty easy. Someone had mentioned breastfeeding in a pub may be an issue… if any other pubgoers had approached that subject I’d have (not very politely) told them where to shove it As expected though, it was a complete non-issue. All in all, a 10/10 week for us and we were able to create some lovely memories and take some great photos that she can look at when she’s older. Thanks all for the advice- it was all very welcome and extremely helpful!

My latest update on the Westfield/John Robinson Lock, this covered the 5 weeks of WRG work parties

Another vote for Debdale. We had the full works to ours done in 2022 at Debdale. The set up is excellent and the chaps that actually did the physical work are happy to talk to you and that gives much confidence in their workmanship. Debdale allow you to have a look in by appointment throughout the process, during lunch and tea breaks, so you see all stages. All done without any drama, prices have risen because of the costs of materials and energy, but we consider has been well worthwhile. They do ask for a mid term inspection to keep up their guarantee.

You've got me there, I was gonna say next to the chimney, But there won’t be any of they either A mop, there has to be a mop? every boat needs a mop, with the colours of the boat painted in spiral fashion 👍 but if there’s no buckby can, there’s nowt to rest mop on I don’t think this has been thought out 🥸🥸🥸🥸🥸🥸🥸🥸🥸🥸🥸🥸

No, the worst weed is in the bottom section, the Summer holidays of boats going up and down has cleared the worst, and the July August poor Summer inhibited the weed growth as well.

That is why they have a tug when she winds in the Pool at London. They did have plans for rebuilding the bow rudder a few years back to help Heritage Rebuild - Completion Phase 2003 | Paddle Steamer Preservation Society (paddlesteamers.org)

There is a relative on this forum, I’m sure he will be along shortly.

How did you know about my towelling dressing gown? Have you been spying on me?!

I moved this to History and Heritage. Seemed the best place to reach the experts on canal families. Jenny

Yesterday we walked the stretch nearly at the end, embracing 3 different pounds. None of them looked overly weeded, so if there is a problem I am assuming it must be further up towards Gayton.

Or wear a swimsuit (or nothing at all...) and spray yourself regularly with one of those little pump-up garden sprayers filled with water. Works brilliantly...

It is much improved of late and boater's sense of humour has returned. The ponds are still prone to low levels in places but in truth it is being managed by CRT.

A weak link might seem wise to you, but not to me. There are a wide number of reasons why the horse would fall in, none being similar in terms of force. It would depend upon the type of towpath material and general condition, and how close the horse was to the canal edge. George Cheetham told me that he had a horse which, as soon as you said gee-up, would move over onto the copings so that it would be unsafe for it to go faster He solved the problem by saying gee-up, and as the horse moved to the canal's edge he pushed it in. After recovery, the horse never went near the edge again. The other problem with a weak link is that when it broke, the horse would be likely to fall over as the strain was released. Much safer for a horse to fall in the water than onto the hard towpath which would be more likely to cause injury. It is important to realise that the horse was vital to earning a living, so the majority of boatmen took great care of them. No horse - no wages.

I agree, the weed seems to get chopped up by the prop fairly effectively, a few bursts of reverse every so often as well. This is quite unlike the plastic sacks, straps, copper wire, fishing line, tracksuits and other detritus that seem to get round the prop in urban canals! That stuff really does require use of the "weed" hatch 😁

Adding my tuppence worth to this thread and to encourage other boaters. I've been up and down the Northampton Arm a couple of times over the last month. I have a heavy deep drafted boat, so I was worried about the trip the first time I did it, but there is really no issue. The flight was in good condition and apart from having to let some water down to raise the level in a one of the pounds to get across it (which really wasn't a big drama) it was very pleasant. The lower section was very weedy and reedy. But I didn't need to get the weed hatch up, I managed to chug on through at a slow pace. A couple of the long pounds have got crystal clear water, teeming with fish, it's very picturesque! I understand that the clear water encourages the weed growth, but it seems a shame to complain about the water being so clean. The water level in the lower sections seemed pretty good in terms of depth, I was not stirring up mud at any stage, so I guess the draft in the centre of the channel is pretty good. However, the usable channel is really quite narrow, so for long stretches it's a bit like being in a bridge hole, pushing water backwards around the boat in the limited channel. Not a drama, just rather leisurely. In summary, slow going, but no drama and very picturesque.

In your opinion... 😉 If I do go that way it'll because it does a better job as a fender, not how it looks. Which seems unlikely going by the resulting size and vertical position... That's why I said "fairly"... I read up on the build years ago, hats off to the owner for putting all the effort in -- and using a few salvaged bits. Having hired a steamer many years ago I loved the silence, but practicality and running costs aren't so attractive -- a hybrid was the closest I could get today 🙂

Thats going to take about 180Ah per day out of the batteries (running continuously) so you are going to need a huge battery bank to power that - and of course 'the means' to replace it every day. If you have FLA batteries you'd probably need to run the engine for 5+ hours per day just to replace what the stove had used. It really doesn't sound a practical option for use on a boat. If you want the conveniences of a flat / house, then buy a flat / house as you'll never be able to make a (moveable) boat be equivalent.

That's not really how it works; the panels get really hot in the sunlight, if flat-mounted hot air builds up underneath them (unless there's a crosswind, or fans...), and they also radiate heat down onto the roof. If they're tilted then this happens much less, the panels still got hot but the roof doesn't because it's shaded. The roof will certainly be cooler than without the panels, but with flat panels certainly not as cool as ambient (air) temperature. The panels will be pretty damn hot in the sun though, up to 65C on a still day in midsummer, which also reduces output by 15%-20% depending on the panel. Semi-flexible panels bonded to the roof (like mine) run considerably cooler (maybe 10% more efficient when hot?) because the steel roof conducts heat away from them and down into the cabin sides, but the roof itself will be hotter than with flat panels above it, even more so compared to having tilted panels shading it -- swings and roundabouts as usual with boats... 😉 (we do cooling analyses like this all the time at work, and the results are often not what "common sense" predicts...)

I've been looking at motorhome AC. Realistically it'd need a generator going or shore power. Another potential concern is the high in-rush current that could overload your inverter. A "soft start" device may be the solution. What I did during that 40C heat was cover the boat in wet white sheets/towels and keep them wet. The water evaporating keeps the boat cool

Bit of a drastic solution though, unless still at the "looking for a boat" stage.

Do you really think I'm not aware of that? There are some things on the boat that AFAIK have not been done before, but I'm not going to bother going into that because even though it might be useful in future for those open-minded enough I'm just fed up with the endless carping and nit-picking criticism about everything and anything. All this reminds me why -- in spite of several requests -- I decided not to do a build blog. The sheer endless bloody negativism on CWDF -- especially to anything new or different -- is just depressing. If you want evidence, just look at where this thread has gone when all I originally asked was if anyone knew where I could get a "medium-length" stern button... 😞

LTO=Lithium thrown overboard. Whether they float depends on the current

Yes it is -- but also set by the desire to have a couple of feet between the roof rail and the open sliding hatch to allow walking across the roof and a place to fit the cellular antenna and cooker hood mushroom vent, solar panels start in front of the rail. Lots of factors to consider... Shell was built by Tim Tyler, basic concept was mine but a lot of the details came from Ricky at Finesse (e.g. bow cabin, roof rail/rain groove), it was a collaborative design really -- I had ideas and either he told me why they wouldn't work or how to change them so they did. Paint scheme was also decided between us, I wanted something which paid homage to traditional schemes but was a bit more modern and less fussy, Ricky made some suggestions to make it look better. We're both happy with the result... 🙂

But, but, if you disconnect the battery, the controller may well blow. If the sun is shining!

I use them to hold me trousers up.

No I can’t tie my lines absolutely 100% taut by hand and in a way that they will remain in the absolute condition for multiple passing boats and any slight changes in water level. I don’t think anybody can, not least because they’re unlikely to have managed to achieve weightlessness and have incompressible fenders. But I manage.

I think you may find in a very windy day a bow thruster is not much use . I had that experience recently. The wind won.

Possibly, once in post, realised what a poisoned chalice had been picked up.

I’d go for the adventure and take it down the river. Take a mate and a crate of tinnies. There’ll be lots of people on the way to give local advice. Only live once, take a few risks Enjoy

I have one in one of my apartments, 12kw rating, eats a 15kg bag of pellets a day easy, still get dust when filling the hopper and emptying ashes, looks nice and smells nice too. If you get a power outage the boat will get smokey in an instant.

Spotted recently at Braunston (sorry if this has been posted before, cba to go through 131 pages of posts)

It is a lovely arm, with lots of work done by the local IWA tonkeepnit so. Yes, it's got some weed, and reed, but needs MORE boat use to keep it clear, not less.

Ah so your first baby, congratulations on your new arrival! Your life will be changed forever.....and for the better. What I am about to say is from my own experience of having children/hiring narrowboats and now owning a narrowboat with children. My serious and solemn advice to you and your partner is to not go. Cancel it and do it in a few years (say 5 years). The first 6 months of having a new born baby is completely all consuming for you and especially your wife. I know this is probably not what you want to hear but trust me....you'll know exactly what I mean within the first day of your baby being born! It will be the worst holiday of your life if you go.

The relevant bits of this story are. Registered disabled elderly man with mental health issues, living illegally without basic facilities. If someone under those circumstances poled up onto land not belonging to them and ignoring all rules/guidelines/requests/offers refused to accept intervention; what would happen? That is all that's relevant. Boats/canals/CRT/individuals passing by etc. are just confusing the issue. Local Authorities, Mental Health Teams have a responsibility to work with CRT (if necessary) to resolve his issue.