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...and there she is! Metalwork complete, diesel tank and pump plumbed in, just gas and water lines to do, and then we're on a long long trailer to Reading on Friday where Tarn will start the second half of her life.

If you respected the victims you wouldn't be talking carp like this on a public forum. If you don't like the way the law is in this regard in the UK, you could always move to North Korea.

Once someone is inside my boat a fair bit of googling about how to start a Kelvin will probably be necessary!

That is how the rest of us understood it as well. Someone has to start a bun fight since FU left And that folks is whats wrong with this forum, people looking for a loophole to start and argument and basically kill the thread

It is in the context of manslaughter law. As already mentioned a number of times in this thread, when she got out of bed that morning her intent was not to kill 4 people......so the law reflects that. Out of respect to the victims I don't think further argument on the matter from me is appropriate.

Re loo, it depends on your priorities what is best for you. If you don't mind carrying a cassette and emptying it in an elsan which may or may not be stinking every few days, then a cassette is for you. If on the other hand you want to have a loo which might need fixing sometime but is pleasant to use and with a big tank only needs pumped out every few weeks/months (depending on the size) than a macerator is for you.

Very true. Can be very useful though. (Don’t tell IanD I said that).

We all know this is the equivalent of setting the controls for the black hole of the internet. Unless we turn back, we will be sucked into and endless vortex of heated discussion about fried breakfasts, in which time itself will stop. If we ever get out we will find whole decades have passed. Don't do this! But, yes, brown sauce is obviously the rule at breakfast. Plus, a half fresh tomato, fried in the bacon fat of course. And, sausages, well that's a huge topic given what's sold under the name of sausages. Let alone that bacon that actually boils itself in a pan because its so pumped with water. Thing is, I need a lie down after a proper breakfast these days, which rather defeats the whole idea.

Snap!

Because I know running the engine in gear against the bank is not permitted, where as running the engine out of gear is permitted, so he could only mean the first, what would have been better is to ask for simple clarification and give the bloke a chance instead of of seeing a chance to argue but hey may be he did think it was illegal to run the engine in neutral at the bank? not sure I care, I’m procrastinating again, I can’t be arsed to do the jobs I’m supposed to be doing, and have ended up in a mindless tit for tat again,

22 April 2025 Spring on the River.

It will mean propellers turned by a prime mover ie the engine or motor. It's a good rule to have. I am pretty sure embankment breaches have been assisted by the practice of running the engine in gear "for loading' while moored The last bit "proper navigation of the vessel" gives the clue that this refers to using an engine or motor.

If you need to go down the weedhatch in winter I keep a bucket of hot water to hand which I tip down the hatch. It does keep the water at a more manageable temperature and can be topped up as required, providing you have been running the engine and have a calorifier of hot water.

The fouling is generally just a minor delay ... I've always found a serated edged blade (bread knife type) the best tool. The real problem can be time of year. One January I picked up the heavy plastic wrapper off a double mattress outside Leamington Spa railway station. There was snow on the ground and it was seriously cold. The plastic stopped the engine. It took ages to clear because I had to limit my time in the water, and it eventually came off in more or less one piece, weighted down full of water. I still have cold sweats whenever I pass there. Rog

I am not quite sure I understand what you say is happening. When the governor is short of oil the big spring in front of the fuel pump will pull the throttle wide open . The best cure then is to wind it into gear to slow the engine and get some oil in the governor ( by opening an injector drain) to set things back to normal. Do you have a vertical piston governor, (bronze, with filler flap) or a horizontal piston one (cast iron with filler plug on top)? Have you checked the governor oil level is correct before starting? If not fill through the flap or filler plug with diesel fuel. You can't over fill as the surplus comes out of the overflow. Have you checked the tickover speed is correctly set-225 rpm for a model J and I think 160 rpm for a model K or L. Too low will give a tendency to stall while cold, especially if an alternator is working hard. Where is the governor oil draining out? The governor should fill, to some extent, from the injector drains, until the overflow level is reached. It then drains excess into a suitably sited Teachers bottle or the bilge. The horizontal piston ones tend to leak, as a result of piston wear, from where the rod to the fuel pump rack comes out at the front. This causes a shortage of oil but the result is for the engine to tick over very fast, not to stop. If the governor gets too hot the same happens- loss of oil through evaporation, high speed tickover. Some have suggested adding engine oil to the governor so the oil does not leak/evaporate out so readily. If overdone I expect this would cause the governor to underspeed at tickover until it all warmed up and the oil got thin enough. The governors can also lose oil through the gland on the driving shaft. This has the same effect as above, but can be cured by re packing the gland. Often there is shaft wear and this can be built up by welding and reground to size. The other potential leak is where the control lever shaft enters the governor. This is not common but can be cured by repacking the gland. All the governor glands use 1/4in square packing, suitable for diesel oil. I use a PTFE based one. N

OP, Hopefully the coupling is designed to give before any serious damage takes place ? Usually the boat just refuses to go forward at much speed, and sometimes doesn’t want to stop ! for me it’s a juddering on the tiller and rudder that are an early sign, whatever, when you remove stuff from the prop take it with you to the bins, there’s loads of stuff just chucked at bridge holes and locks just waiting to be kicked back in or blown back in by the wind. I don’t understand why folk don’t bag it.

Just reading the thread about Barbridge reminded me to report: Tap and Spile in Gas Street Basin has reopened under new management, been take over by 5(?) boaters all of them living across the way there, it’s good, the beer is being well kept, currently: Taylor’s Landlord, Titanic’s Plum Porter and Theakston’s (?) Hairy Biker kitchens won’t be up and running til June (?), but they got cobs (yes cobs) and sausage rolls, and the sausage rolls are top! They really are a good eat with a pint. Give it a try if you pass through, it’s a lovely location from which to watch the boats. Somewhere I’d only popped in to in the past because it’s a busy tourist pub at evenings and weekends, but I think with the new management it could be a good locals’ pub and good for boaters.

I hope your new your pole is Ash, which will bend and not split or shatter under pressure. If it is pine or some other softwood, it could split and cause serious injury if it breaks under pressure. Throw it away and get an ash one. As already mentioned, there is no need to paint it, unless you want it to look pretty, it will suvive without any decoration.

Reread what I wrote Ian! I wasn't advocating always using a shaft from the bank to clear a prop foul, I was simply pointing out that doing so avoids putting one's hands into freezing water. For boaters who have a weedhatch, and are used to using it, the possibility of an alternative method that doesn't involve freezing their extremities might be a more sensible thing to try first in cold weather. You can always go back to the weedhatch if the foul is something that really does need lots of cutting with a serrated knife.

Your words. Playing the poster(s). Reality is that lots of older boats don’t have them (or the other stuff you mention) and no realistic way of fitting one. So if you want the boat you have to put up with no weed hatch. I think by choice we’d all have one. Doesn’t mean the different skills aren’t transferable in some way and it does genuinely puzzle me why anybody would choose to put their hands in the canal when they don’t have to.

And another thing you've got wrong. If I was you I'd give up.

Making a guilty plea will nearly always reduce the sentence impossed. That is written into English law.

Context. He referred to an embankment. It is obvious that running the engine out of gear on an embankment while tied up is no harm to the embankment. If it is run in gear while tied up it could severely damage the structure of the canal itself and eventually cause a breach.

She planned to take them on the River, whether she understood that it was in spate and what the implications of that are is a different matter. She didn't plan or intend to kill or injure people. She was stupid and incompetent, so in my opinion not as bad as some one who intentionally sets out to kill or injure, therefore I understand why the sentence is less than it would be for murder. Is 10 years enough? I don't know, unfortunately alot of current sentencing policy is based on politicians knee jerk reactions to one off incidents, and the sentence is likely to be a lot longer than the time served. I think having to live with the knowledge she is responsible for 4 deaths is probably worse than the time in prison.

Steady on old chap ... you'll be termed one of 'that ilk' soon. Rog

I’m selecting boats in my budget, which is £40, 450000. Something around 50 feet that won’t sink. And is clean throughout. A friend has offered me a ride to Wilton Marina, so I’ll gave a gander of what’s there. To start with.

Mine just has a switch labelled "Ignition" and a big button labelled "Start". There's also a big button labelled "Stop" but I have no idea what it does or why it's there. There are wires attached to the back, I must get around to tracing where they go; they definitely don't go to a fuel cutoff solenoid because there isn't one. If it goes missing I'll tell the police to look for the boat with its engine running at 2am.

I have experience with this problem.. Do not try Helicoils, they will tear out. Better to tap oversize, enlarge the holes in the flange and get some new thicker bolts.

Surely, that should give you an insurance discount. Even if it's just a couple of quid.

No police incident number ... no interest.

Yes easily 🙂 Done it yesterday in 57.5'

Just about anything sells at the right price. Boats are odd because they tend to be quirky, designed to fit with the original owners specs. Also, because people tend to have an emotional connection with the things, they are often over-priced. Combine the two and finding the right buyer for the right boat isn't simple. Mind you, when I finally sell my old tub, it'll be priced right at the low end of the market and I'll take the first vaguely sensible offer I get, seeing as how not having it will save me three grand a year immediately.

I wonder if increasing age is a factor in some cases? I met one or two boaters when I was moored for a few months at a marina in Cheshire last winter, who were frankly a tad slow and unsteady on their feet, and might only think it safe to venture out during warm and dry weather, and even then only for short trips. A guy in a mooring head-on to mine must have been late 70s, and his wife was rarely mobile enough to get out and about with him, but they just loved being on the boat. And in some cases, maybe there comes a time when they just agree to stop cruising the boat, but cant bring themselves to move into bricks and mortar? I met an amazing guy about a month ago when travelling from Chester to Middlewich. I think he said he was 75 (but my memory is poor and it could have been older), and he was cruising his boat solo after losing his wife some years ago. He had a distinct stoop from a curve in his spine that I think caused him some pain, and was at times a bit uncertain of footing, but he clearly just loved cruising his boat, and in fact he was headed for the Weaver before going back to a Manchester mooring for the winter. For people in this situation, the end of their cruising days is perhaps starting to loom on the horizon. This particular chap still seemed fairly capable, but who knows- it may not even be 100% certain he will be fit and strong enough to take the boat out next Spring. At the time I was getting a bit fed up of the hours of rain, the deep mud, and the wind and chill on the middlewich arm, but this did drive home that I must not take for granted the joys that come with cruising, and should enjoy every day that I am able to do it. On that note, tomorrow will be my first cruise on what looks like being a very foggy day (all day), and tbh I think it'll actually be fun.