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Hi all another painting by my Daughter who has done it for xmass for her mum and me painting and dog

I remember a previous discussion on this forum about higher licence fees for those who could afford it, but as I remember no one could come up with a way that would actually be fair. Just because you own a house and live on a boat, doesn't make you rich, the rent from the house might be your only income. Equally you could live on a boat and not own a house and actually be well off, with a massive income and money in the bank or invested else where. Even if you there was a way to fairly calculate some ones ability to pay, people will find away round it, eg licence the boat in someone else's name. Ultimately it's likely any such scheme would cost more to administer than it would raise.

Thought this might amuse https://chesterwalls.info/gallery/oldcanal3.html

“If you don't ask, you don't get it" Mahatma Ghandhi That's really nice of you to do. How about CRT create a system where for every donation you bring in you earn discounts on your licenses or accumulate points? People can donate through the account with a link or ref to this person.

sounds good to me, the citizens on the bank have been getting away lightly, for the amenities and facilities they get in return for their Council Tax it seems very cheap living, I used to regularly get cyclists to sign up and donate to CRT, some were/are very generous, their money needs tapping into

Richard Parry!

A columnist in "Modern Railways" , when discussing government's reluctance to invest in conventional electrification because some new, innovative, cheaper method of propulsion might be invented in the future, has been referring to this as the "bionic duckweed" solution.

Go on, provide the numbers to show this then... 😉 Blue signs and logo changes and parties and van wrapping and executive bonuses and whatever else you can conjure up probably add up to considerably less than 1% of CART expenditure -- and yes that's my estimate, but it's based on some realistic guesstimates of how much these might all actually cost not just "Huge, innit!!!". Yes there's been a shortfall in canal funding and maintenance for a very long time, but both have got steadily worse since CART was set up in 2012, and the Tories have been in power since 2010 -- so they were responsible for the terms under which this happened, which were a triumph in wishful thinking on all sides, both government and CART management at the time... 😞

That might be worth a try, maybe somewhere like Little Venice or Camden Lock. My guess is that it would be largely ignored and lose money (and still get vandalised!), but I'd be happy to be wrong... 🙂

Indeed. 380,000,000 visits a year are (or were) claimed by CRT. £1 each coincidentally nearly matches the £400m shortfall!

There are many things that are not subject to market pressures. Many public assets are deliberately exempt or buffered from these pressures because it is generally recognised that an unrestricted market disproportionately favours wealthy people and screws over others people. A lot of common land is exempt from market pressures. I imagine you yourself benefit from public assets that are not subject to market pressure - perhaps the NHS for example! I guess the canal is public/common land even if CRT manage it on behalf of the public - so the idea that common land like public parks and the canal should be subject to unchecked market pressures is a worrying one. The canals are an asset that fell into disrepair, revived largely by voluntary and public effort - I cannot think of a better case for free market pressure exemption. Saying that people can rely on the social state is a fallacy(i wish it wasnt!). You may have found yourself in the fortunate position of state/dwp funded mooring and license, but I think you are the exception, not the rule. I know of many instances where people are being denied financial support by dwp, and many instances where this struggle has become so difficult that people give up. Saying that people can rely on the welfare state is often used as justification for introducing unfair market pressures. It is fine on paper, but often or perhaps rarely translates to the real world. There is a strong possibility that the welfare state will only be reduced in future. Generally when people argue 'life is tough, get used to it', they actually mean 'your life is tough - get used to it (I'm alright jack)'

and many successful (and otherwise) businesses start off with a total first venture failure... Starting a business: 1. Get your business model set down in black & white. 2. Cost it fully, absolutely every cost. 3. Work out the throughput you need to make a decent profit. 4. Does your catchment area have the ability to provide & sustain that throughput? 5. Ok, it so far it passes with flying colours. 6. Ask yourself, "Why hasn't anybody else done it?" Don't move on until you have a convincing answer. 7. Ask yourself what changes to circumstances could kill the business. 8. Ask yourself how dependant the business is on you personally. If Covid took you offline for 4 weeks, would the business survive? 9. Ask yourself what particular skill or ability makes you the one for this business. 9.5 Ask yourself what aspect of the business excites you and could be distorting your judgement. 10. Ask how easy would it be for somebody to copy and compete with your business.

Its possibly ignored on marine calorifiers as not many narrowboats have plastic tanks in the loft... But I agree with the principle of an overheat protection thermostat being a Good Idea. Nearly all of them are designed to trip at 90c though (and require a manual re-set), perilously close to the temp a calorifier might reach when heated by engine coolant. Then the immersion heater won't work when you need it as the overheat will always be tripped.

Anyone following current employment law? Or doesn't that matter to you? Felix Dennis

it was a paid job, there are still plenty of chuggers out there, but it’s something that’s poorly ran and don’t bring in a fraction of what it could, another example of CRT poor management

Correct, well it was to me, because I thought I had drained everything but left water in the short length between the valve and the toilet. The statement was in reply to Do these freezing events actually happen on Boats?

Just say crt we're given a bigger budget. Do you think they could keep the canals in a reasonable condition. Answers on a postcard. Me personally l think not. 😢

It's where the buck stops

So, as usual no actual numbers to back up your "Huge cost!!!" claim then. Why am I not surprised? 😉

Never let any brassware freeze, it will crack. It is to be sure that hot and cold are fully drained, the non return valves make it a little more tricky. I have an exposed bar type stat mixer and I undo the nuts when draining down.

they could apply for a loyalty card and the more miles they walk the more points they get, and these points could be spent at Morrison’s, on groceries, booze or petrol 👍

If you can handle either 205 litre drums or 1000 litre IBCs then contact Ryan Abreu, Crown Oil, on 07585 792918; r.abreu[at]crownoil.co.uk. Crown will deliver by tanker in the Lancs/Yorks/Manchester area, while their subsiduariaries – Beesleys in the Midlands and Speedy Fuels in the Home Counties – will also deliver by tanker. I have been collecting IBCs from their Bury HQ for a couple of years now, alongside IBC pallet deliveries sent up here to Scotland. It's worth noting that two 205 litre drums sit on a pallet, so best bought as a pair to minimise transport costs. Now that the HVO Fuels Group (made up of IWA, RYA and CA members) have successfully lobbied DfT to allow HVO to be used for both propulsion and 'domestic' purposes under the RTFO (thereby attracting RTFC 'subsidy' across the board) 'red' HVO has suddenly become straightforward to purchase for ALL inland waterways use. The Group has now turned its attention to making the fuel readily available and affordable as, currently, it is 50% more expensive than gas oil. They are also lobbying DfT to extend HVO use under the RTFO mechanism to lumpy water boats so that all recreational craft are covered (and therefore treated alike). RTFO communique no. 14 – 2023.pdf

Or a cab glazing company that works on tractors, JCBs etc.

An unattended donation box? Really? What do you think the odds are of there being any money (which many people don't carry nowadays...) left in it when CART come to empty it? The only thing that might work would be a contactless pay terminal, solar-powered so no cabling needed, with a cellular link for payments. Problem is that these aren't cheap, are likely to be vandalised in many palces, and most people simply won't bother donating anything -- just like they don't to many other worthy or charitable causes... 😞

If you like a crusty top with an oriental flavour, egg wash the top and sprinkle Punch Puran seeds on it from an Indian deli shop before baking. You need a trivet under it. Easy to make with Meccano. A bit of wire netting might do.

I grew up in Chichester and we used to go for a Sunday walk along the canal. I never realised canals actually had boats on them and could be navigated on, or realised that heap of rotting timber was a lock, until about twenty years later. I suspect that's the future of most of the system, while the rest of it works as a leisure facility. It's unsustainable in its present state, as failures become more and more regular and expensive. Hardly a week now goes by without a major stoppage somewhere, mostly due to lack of ongoing attention and maintenance. It aint going to get no better.

"Spot the licenced boat"?

Good points. I don't disagree but if you want to treat canals like parks, which I think is a Very Good Idea, you have to sort out what is going on with land use. Nobody is allowed to live in a park, or on common land. If people turn up to do this and place items on the land they are generally frowned upon and cleared often with force . I agree that canals should be protected status but why would this status include the ability for people to live on the land (a canal is land with water on it) at very low cost ? So are you arguing that the ability to adopt a low cost lifestyle by living on public land should be protected from market forces or that the canals themselves should be protected from market forces. Or both? What is happening is that people are living in a public park. It makes no difference if there is water or not because the canals no longer have a PRN status and are simply tracts of land. To put it another way do you think people should be allowed to live a low cost lifestyle (direct personal financial gain) in parks or on common land ?

Seem to recall that the locks on the Thames and Severn canal were originally longer that those on the Stroudwater Navigation so Wallbridge could have been a Transshipment point! I believe that the T& S locks were eventually shortened to match those on the Stroudwater

Tiny power stations.

What's this got to do with a boat cruise diary, report or itinerary? Wouldn't this be better posted on a caravan forum? Sorry but there's me thinking I might learn something about the French waterways and it's all about roads!