Tacet

Typically a single digit number of tons, is my guess

You need to see a doctor

There used to be an interesting book on marinsing car engines. Numerous useful tips but the ones I recall best related to the gearbox. Paddle wheelers were simple by positioning the live axle and differential athwartships. For those with more expensive taste, you could machine the teeth off 2nd or 3rd gears and bolt sprockets, thus reversing the drive. Keep the foot operated clutch of course, but it was admitted to be a bit awkward to stand on one leg to do so, if your boat is rolling heavily.

Blackrose is currently on the Nene - so only one bottom gate. But, it is fair to say, that the Nene guillotine locks take longer to operate (but less effort now they are electrocuted) than the more conventional mitre-gates-and-paddle type, and I doubt the standard canalplan settings take account.

I have idly considered whether, as a continuous cruiser, I might be a traveller for town planning purposes. @magpie patrick will know better than me, but there are frequently specific planning policies for travellers sites. Just to be clear, I offer no comment on whether the policy distinctions are justified.

It is not a perfect system, but that is a bit harsh. Generally speaking, the affordable element has to remain with a registered social landlord. The tenure types usually include social rented (e.g. housing association units let at less than market rents) and shared ownership (part-owned, part rented). The latter is a form of long leasehold and onward sales are controlled by the freeholder, typically with purchasers nominated by the housing authority which largely precludes a sale to those that can afford the local market rates. More abstractedly, the provision or non-provision o

For all Health & Safety edicts we should ask : exactly how much safer will this make us ?

Mike could have used this image to demonstrate the Ever Given problem:

I like the Huddersfield Narrow....

Fair enough. Whilst they are superior in every (other ) way, width is the disadvantage with widebeams. But it is a big disadvantage - sufficient to overcome all the advantages when you chose to move back to a narrowboat.

The point, and its a general one, is that widebeams have undoubted accommodation advantages, but few seem to be used much as boats, on the inland waterways at least. The 2013(?) run from the Thames to Evesham was a fair one - a good fortnight for most. But since then Blackrose has only cruised a couple of times for little more than a day from its moorings.

The range of waterways (and the ability to move between them) is the main advantage. Which means that widebeam are not superior in every way - just some.