blackrose

Yes so 5mph from your boat was below your hull speed and the rest was the tide pushing you along.

In other words the OP could save himself an awful lot of time and money by simply buying a conventional narrowboat and planning those tidal journeys carefully, which he would be wise to do anyway whatever vessel he was on. If it were me perhaps I'd be looking for a slightly higher freeboard, vents, etc, and maybe an enclosed bow but they would be about it. The idea of being able to plough through the water at 10kts is nonsense as you generally go with the tide on these passages and any turn against the tide is short. Anyway, I'm sure the hull speeds of most narrowboats limits them below that figure.

I was going to say... If you want a go anywhere boat why would you choose a narrowboat? As much as a NB could be modified and some people have set to sea in them, seagoing boats are just much more suited to the sea.

Both... probably

Sorry but I'd lay money that with a growing kid it won't be long before your wife changes her mind and says she wants to move back to land. I don't just mean that with respect your family. I'm just a bit cynical. I've seen so many men who've had to give up their dream because of a woman. That's the normal way of things I guess... It's why I didn't buy into the whole marriage and kids scenario.

Are you talking about continuous cruising continuously as a lifestyle? That's difficult on any river prone to flooding, especially in winter. Also if you want to be around Oxford or any specific area then you aren't really continuously cruising. Although people do flout the rules, the Thames has less opportunities for mooring than the canals and you don't get 2 weeks grace. I might be wrong but unless otherwise stated I think the EA specify that you're only allowed to stay in one place for 24 hours.

Then the risk I highlighted obviously doesn't apply to you. My boat is coming up for 20 years old and touch wood I've never had a problem with fuel contamination. I've dipped the tank a couple of times with a clear tube but there's nothing untoward I can see at the bottom of the column of fuel. So for me the fuel tank is basically "fit and forget", except that I didn't fit it of course! If you do need to clean your tank then a hatch is obviously invaluable - but it must be large enough to gain full access otherwise it's a complete waste of time. On the other hand like the vast majority of canal boats, you may never actually have to clean the inside of your tank .

Mine doesn't have an inspection hatch. As the OP says, one downside of any external hatch is that it may actually increase the risk of leaks and water getting into the tank which sort of defeats the purpose of a installing a maintenance hatch in the first place.

Ok so it does the same thing as stove paint then?

I just repaint my stove once every 5 years or so and it looks fine in mat black. I see no need to polish it. What's the point exactly? Shiny stove? Each to their own I guess, whatever you're into. It seems a tad unnecessary to me but then I don't spend my time polishing brass either.

If you are having to add more chain to get the fender to fit then yes I'd cut the chain off to the link sticking out of the fender and attach stainless with stainless D shackles. There seem to be different standards of galvanizing chain and I've had some go horribly rusty. The remaining galvanised links inside the fender may still go rusty of course, but at least they're hidden and they'll last for many years. Also it's a good idea to add weak links when attaching fenders so that if the fender gets caught on a lock gate it will snap. People generally use (6mm) cable ties.

I'm not doubting K&N's ability to manufacture an air filter, the point I'm making is that different filters will naturally allow different maximum airflows depending on their construction and overall size. Therefore I'm asking whether putting a random spec air filter onto an engine that will also have a specific airflow requirement might restrict that flow if the filter chosen happens not to have adequate airflow for the engine? The specification of an air filter is not solely governed by the size of the connection to the engine surely?