Morat

I have NO idea what that is I love the sound of the old engines and I do like to get the socket set out and tinker with old cars... but there's no way. My wife wants to enjoy her boating time boating rather than watching my builder's bum through the engine hatch. I can't really blame her....

HAHA, I shall consider myself refocused OK - so is a Shire 45 any good? I'm assuming that for a given power output the main areas of concern are fuel consumption and maintenance intervals... is the noise level more to do with the way the engine is mounted?

I hadn't considered it to be honest... what sort of range do you get from an electric boat? and um... I assume you recharge it from land?

That... is a very good point. Diesel suddenly seems like a bargain.

I have to admit I haven't a clue about the BSS regulations on LPG for the engine and if they are rigorous enough then I guess they could kill the idea stone dead - but surely you could buy the fuel from wherever you buy your domestic gas? Apologies for my newness and ignorance!

I realise this could be a very contentious issue so I'm not going to ask "Which is the best?" but what should I be looking for in an engine for a 60-70ft boat which would probably be doing some tidal river work as well as canals? Are there any makes/models with known issues that I should avoid? So far the hire boats I've used have all had Beta Engines, which seemed to be perfectly good but I only had to live with them for a week or two at a time. Also, is diesel the only option? I'd have thought it could be quite useful to have an LPG converted petrol engine.... assuming you weren't too particular about the 60/40 tax split

The correct term is "Basset Hatches" because they channel bacon smells out of the galley onto the bank and attract Basset Hounds at high speed The other thing they are great for is ogling rowers (they seem split about 50:50 boys:girls) at water level when moored on the public moorings just below the Folly Bridge in Oxford. Or so I am told.

Well let's hope they've smartened up their act!

I reckon with pet insurance you either don't bother or you go all the way, we have Pet Plan for two Basset Hounds because they are capable of eating just about anything and they can also get bad backs late in life. The bad news is that it is £35/month. The good news is that there is one excess of £70 per year, no matter how many claims you make. We have two sisters from the same litter, Myrtle and Spot. Myrtle managed to trap her head in the electric gates at work and had to be rushed in but luckily no operation required. Spot has had four attacks of Hemorrhagic GastroEnteritis (the first one very nearly killed her) which has cost over £5000 in Vet's Bills so far - and can strike again at any time. they've also had a few other minor things but those were the two lowlights so far. Pet Plan paid up without a quibble for everything. Premiums have not changed.

Does anyone know of decent companies that will let manage the hire of your boat? It would seem to be an ideal way to offset the cost of buying a boat.....

Well I realise I'm not very experienced but I don't see how you can navigate something as narrow as the Oxford Canal without ever hitting anything. Edit to say: It's not really hitting things with your bow but side-swiping with the stern/bow because the turns are just so tight.

Impact sounds a little more severe....

On the other hand, I shared the Ayno Weir lock with a very shiny boat last year and he was chuckling at my concern for his paintwork. "It's a contact sport" was his comment as we bounced around the hexagonal lock and then spilled out into the weir.... I used the same rationale when I was waved past a very slow moving boat (crewed by some extremely senior citizens) and he managed to ram us as we passed. He was mortified, but seeing as I was going that bit faster and he hit side on, it really wasn't that much of an impact.

yes, I'm trying to work out what we actually miss out on by going larger. If it isn't that much I'd be happy to do boat swaps or something to reach the extra bits.

Well, we don't have a boat at all... yet! We've hired three times and although the 54 and the 60 were great I just loved the 70. You can draw whatever psychological conclusions you wish I'm trying to work out how far we can get with a 70 if we buy one. The hire company we used (Clifton Cruisers) let us go on the non-tidal Thames (and took the limiter off which helped a lot) but I doubt they'd be happy about tidal water. I think realistically a 60 would be best for us since it would mean we could do the whole of the Leeds Liverpool... but at the moment it's all a bit of a pipe dream to be honest. Heyho, we'll try and get another week or two in over the next year at least!

Yep, it all looks doable and Linton is quite a bit North of York on the river so that's not a drama. Thanks for the links!

Wow, that is a fantastic. Can I get you to demonstrate to my work colleagues? I've been trying to get people to change over to electronic filing for years and they just don't get the idea that it is the information ON the paper that is important and paper has no intrinsic worth! MP3 only here too... since 2001 I'm nowhere near getting close to removing paper recipes from my life. My wife is addicted to food magazines

You can't get a current location... but you can get hold of the current registered owners details if you download and complete a PDF form and send off a small fee. I think it is about a fiver. You have to provide a valid reason for wanting to contact the owner but there doesn't seem to be a list of valid reasons for you to crib off http://www.direct.gov.uk/prod_consum_dg/gr...t/dg_065303.pdf Worth a try?

T mobile is not a pile of poo because they are merging with Orange and they should end up with a pretty comprehensive network - especially for 3G. On the downside, T-mob/Orange both use the 900 band for 3G whereas Voda and O2 use 1200 which has better range. The most powerful/feature packed phone at the moment is the HTC Desire, but you wouldn't have got it for £15 a month. Still cheaper than the iPhone 3GS though I'm a geek, I don't do 15 year old Nokias!

Harsh! I like it

Woops - Basset Hounds I made that post on my phone and the predictive text caught me out. They do like their baskets so it's not a bad name for them So, Linton Locks eh? I'll check them out. Thanks very much! Morat

Hi, I've just found this forum and it is fascinating to hear all your experiences and learn more about boating. My wife and I have taken three trips on hire boats in the last 18 months and just can't get enough time afloat! If you've seen a hire boat wobbling along with two life jacketed basket hounds recently, that was us I'll restrict myself to just the one question at a time: Can you get a 70ft boat to York from the canal system? I'm getting conflicting info about lock sizes and the possibility of a 60ft restriction on the non tidal Ouse, which seems odd when Naburn lock is 150ft long..... Have a good weekend