OldGoat

"Overtopping" - Just the water gently lapping over the banks. "Flooding" - Henley has sunk beneath the River Simple really.

You can now be prosecuted for being "drunk in charge" of a boat - same rules as for motorists. Hire companies are free to make whatever rules they wish as part of their contract of hire. Having seen how folk behave (sometimes) on day boats I'm not surprised....

The Thames registration and use is governed by the various Thames Conservancy Acts and "as amended", so there's no connection with the Waterways act which was for BW's waters. There are no provisions for continuous cruisers (either beneficial or otherwise). You just have to be registered / licenced. EA can only require boats on their own listed moorings to move on. Doubtless they will "assist" local authorities in removing craft and will "have a word" with folks causing distress to others.

The solenoid is not very powerful and stalls if there's the slightest friction - or more likely an obstruction. Been there...

I found sanding was very "irksome" and wonder whether using a flat bladed scraper would work for the OP. Then sand once the rubbery stuff has been removed.

Honestly, I don't that's true any more. It was so several years ago when domestic fridges were pretty inefficient because there was no incentive ('leccy prices were so low) to make them any better. My guess is that they would qualify for "D" rating. Nowadays domestic units of "A" rating are pretty well the norm. Boat fridges are expensive because either the cases are custom made, or in the case of Shoreline Lec (or similar) cases with the compressors ripped out and low voltage units installed instead. Therefore it's more an issue of economies of scale than high cost of components. The same amount of energy is required to do the job cooling job regardless of how the energy is supplied and IMHO there is no (significant) efficiency difference between 12/24V DC and 240AC compressors. Has anyone got any substantiated figures to demolish my assertion??

As others have said a second pump is not an option. Perhaps you are expecting domestic style showers with a blaster. On my boat the tank is up front, the pump next to the engine room and the shower is midship. OK double 15mm feed to the pump. We do get what I consider to be an acceptible shower pressure, but I did choose a simple shower head. Any more flow and the tank would empty quicker.. Do you get a good flow at the kitchen / basin taps. If "yes" then perhaps the showerhead is the problem??

[Anorak On] I thought the turbines were at Mapledurham? Are there turbines at Sonning as well?? Just interested. [Anorak Off]

Almost anywhere on the Thames above Oxenford is nowhere, very few pubs or shops. Miles and miles of ramblers and sheep. Midle of that lot - Shifford or Rushey, perhaps.

Oooooo - horrendous, think I'll stock up with booze and stay in the marina.....

There was a discussion some year(s) ago over on the YBW forum where it was said that Thames Water shut down their intakes in times of high flow (go figure...), they said the water was too turbid. The Abingdon plan was rejected somewhere along the planning process - so that won't happen. Unless of course a bit more pressure is brought to bear. Time was when water companies had large investment in filter beds(e.g. Kingston) , secondary reservoirs (Barn Elms). These were all declared redundant and are now disused. It's so much cheaper to abstract water from underground aquifers where the filtration has been done for you - but these take decades to fill. A reality check is needed. Perhaps the Gov't will have a brainwave and create huge projects to address the problem and provide much needed employment. In your dreams, Sonny.

If folks want better sound quality wouldn't a half decent PC amplifier be good enough? Some of them run off 12V.

Always a pleasure to watch your videos. It's amazing what can be dome with modern technology. A bit horrified by thye wailing banshees, though. Concur, very nice folks at the yard. Found the pumpout price a bit horrific.

The OP has in the past avoided Birmingham, so I enthused widely about the charms of the central area and two excellent flights of locks. I pointed out that some parts are "grotty" and he asked me to elaborate. Many urban canals can be very off-putting the first time (and the next, and the next...) so I thought it best to point out the warts as well.

I'm a Thames boater - so the following comments apply to my experience there. It's not so much a problem with navigating the stream - even so punching a 2mph flow would cause many nbs with canal sized engines considerable problems. However, on many rivers there are considerable eddies caused by river flows and when the reach is "on Red" any boat - including great white gin palaces can and do have serious problems near weirs both upstream and downstream ends. Like a duck swimming - all may seem quiet on the surface - but underneath it can be quite nasty. Been there, done it, and got damp underwear.

A lock with a sticky-up-bit is not a very sensible solution for a trad boat (OK for a fenced-off-back-end boat). I bought mine from Midland Chandlers. There's one called a Fuel Lock which is a better design, but it isn't made in 2" bore.

Vista's fine - providing your machine can cope with it (W7 hides a lot of parameters in illogical places) and will suffer the same problems with updates - probably more so as W7 has more support , generating more updates. Better it would be to:- Get a decent (free) antivirus. I like Avast Turn off updates Don't visit questionable sites wherein Trojans and Virii lurk.... 'Twill save you loads of monay. (I avoided Vista for all of the publicised reasons and bought the latest blingy W7. Inherited a laptop with Vista and wondered what all the fuss was about...)

A few years ago there was an incident and the flight was reputedly closed - but no sign of anyone controlling. So we went down to the lock above the yard where there was no water.. Moored in the disused narrow lock. Nobody complained or asked us to move back. Hardly an useful place to moor from the point f splitting the journey. Locks were refilled overnight and a body was found a few days later when it floated to the surface. The mid flight "mooring" isn't really such - it's a lock layby, so doubly breaking the rules. - but who gives an asterisk about rules today?? Not a lot - pity. No Esprit. While on a minor rant, why do so many avoid working down together? We've had great fun inviting folks to breast up - and when they do my Management takes more pleasure in driving the boat - which she does exceedingly well. Several folks have said "we never knew you could do that" ??Uhhh?? Locks work much better when they are used by craft of the full gauge. But people seem happier to bounce around entering a broad lock one at a time, which can be challenging as the first occupant will inevitably be sucked over by the laws of fluid flow, or so an ancient Italian gentleman tells me.

Netherton's palatial when compared with others. Built later, it has twin towpaths - meaning that you don't fee so cramped sideways. A high roof - because of the wideness of the track. Not overly used ('cos the Dudley NO: 2 is grotty) Therefore no stick-out-bits as in Wast But then I cruise the canals for the challenge......

I'm only a furriner from the soft south, but the Sainsbury's address was given as Walsall. Perhaps it's just across the border.

Thanks for coming back; now I'll have to be specific. I suggested the Stourbridge as it's more direct. The bottom end is very pretty, but the sixteen are a bit grotty as the approach to the delph and, oh dear, so is the rest. Netherton's nice - if you like tunnels. So that route fails. Wolverhampton 21 is again very pleasant for the most part, with the run up to Tipton Junction - scruffy. The Old main line is full of character as it wanders around. A lot of weed, but deep so stay mid channel. Industrial around Walsall. In contrast the New mainline is a bit of a blasted heath - performing its function; like a motorway.. The approach to Old Turn is mixed and becomes more interesting as you approach. There are lots of moorings around the centre, but they are very popular. The NIA area is the quietest. We love both Farmer's bridge and the Aston flights, but the last three are the grottiest in the whole world. Shallow and if you turn up the mud it is black as sin and stinks to boot. Gets my No: 1 for grotty. Ashsted locks are a better route - watch the tunnel; we lost a navigation light as the profile is wrong at the end. Then you are up to Camp Hill which are "interesting". Thereafter although the run up to Catherine de Barnes is surrounded by demolition sites and dereliction, it's not as oppressive as it could be. From then on you're in countryside and very pleasant all the way down to Kingswood. Fuel and pumpout (by appointment) at C de B. If you need provisions Knowle village is well worth the 10 minute walk from bridge 71. It has a fab: butcher and a usable Tesco. So more than you asked for and my parameters for grottyness may well not be yours and the central area is well worth cruising, warts and all.

Did you, perchance look at this thread? where I waxed lyrical about the hidden joys of darkest Brum I won't repeat them here. Just in passing, your routes effectly bypass the city, via the grotty bits. Maybe a good route would be as you suggested, but turn right either up the Stourbridge (more efficient) or later up the Wolverhampton. Depending on your interests dally a little more in Brum or looping round via Stratford or Worcester (if you see what I mean).

On our waters it's more a matter of cows chewing and dribbling on the lines. If I remember to I dunk the ropes in the cut after untying.

I was about to suggest option 4 - but it's already been done. To my mind the other three are a baptism of fire. Tardebigge could put folks off for life. There's nowhere to stop if somebody finds it too much. That said with 4 crew it should be comfortable. Expanding on option 4 - That said there's a lot to see in Brum - newbies shouldn't just do canalling...Sites to see:- Brindley Place (!) the jewelry quarter including the pen museum and the jewelry museum - actually a fossilised silver workshop - fascinating. Up the old mainline to the Black Country museum - moor for the night outside; a good mooring in it's own right. Stop on the way at Sainsbury's Walsall. EITHER continue on towards Wolverhampton and cruise the Curly Wyrley, though I don't know why - not many locks, then up Garrison and Camp Hill, Knowle and along the North Stratford back to Alvechurch. OR along the New mainline, turn left at the NIA, down Farmer's Bridge locks, turn right at the next junction to pick up Camp Hill and them proceed as above. Not a huge amount of locks and has the scope to modify the route depending on what you want to do. Surprisingly moorings in central Birmingham are very pleasant and quiet at night and there's a lot to do and see, much more than I've hinted at above. I won't go on as you may have counter-arguments - unless you say "more please". Sod's Law has it that while "one" is composing a reply, the OP comes back with a concluding message. However, it reinforces the last suggestions above. Depending on the child's age - if too young might not like too much walking, but all three museums can be fascinating - a view of how preceding generations did things. There's a funfair at BCM - and none of them are a trail around dust cabinets; all of them have demonstrations and guded features.

Have you tried to use System Restore to remove the updates? Every time the ystem loads MS updates it creates a Restore Point. If you run it it removes all of the updates. You can find it under Control Panel / recovery.