Darren72

Does anyone know where he moors his boat? What do you think of the programme so far?

Try all the hire boat yards which are available for Llangolen, Chas Harden, Anglowelsh, Black Prince etc. Dont be put off by their online price, with it been such short notice you MAY get a good discount. Best contact them sooner rather than later. How many people are off?? You may find that yards may only have certain sized boats left. 2 canal virgins on a 69 footer! Try not to do too much to quick, take your time and enjoy the cruise. Addiction will soon set in. We first started hiring 2006 and have hired every year since and last year started booking 2 trips a year. Let us all know what you finally decide and of course come back on and let us know what you think about your time on the cut.

Seems very quiet on here at the mo. I know the cut is very quiet this time of year, but surely theres plenty to talk about!!

ditto to your comment

surely if your know where the boat was seen last, some one on a push bike could catch them up in a day if they went right way

As a qualified solar panel fitter for properties, I would recommend checking your connections before fitting, its a myth that you will get a shock when connecting. If the cables have the correctly fitted(and correctly fitted) connections there should be no way you will get a shock. As a precaution I would wear goggles to protect your eyes from a possible small arc, but the chance of this happening is small. Solar panels are live as soon as they are in daylight(not just sun light), so as soon as we get them out of the van to fit, the panels are live. You are able to handle them, the only way to get a shock is off a bare/damaged cable or off the male and female ends of the connectors, these should be covered in sleeving which stops you getting harmed. A compass is a must when using them on a boat. South is the optimum direction to point them, but south east or south west will produce some power. Be aware of any shading like trees or shadows off buildings/bridges/boats. A yearly clean is a must and beware of them getting covered in tree sap.

Chirk is a must, you have to drive into/onto golf course to get your boat, so I would book a round so you get to the 19th about 2pm, then pick up your boat from Chirk then travel to another course on your trip. If not book your round on your return to Chirk at the end of your trip. Boats from Chirk (crest/blackprince) have to be back for 9am and are available from 2pm.

We are thinking about going from Falkirk wheel to Edinburgh then west to Glasgow and back to Falkirk. What and when notifications do we need to give to BW regarding the wheel and the lifting of Bonnybridge. How much notic will they need at both locations?? Can anyone tell me if they have done this trip and what experiences they have off it? Thanks folks

looks like semi getting our vote, we need to hire one now and trial it for ourselves, always hired a cruiser, so now a hunt for a hire firm with semis for 2012 for a week Stourport Ring! Anyone have any recommendations

nice and short question for you all!! Cruiser, trad or semi???

As we have hired for the past 5 consecutive years either once or twice a year, we have ALWAYS hired Cruiser Sterns. Can anyone recommend a hire firm which dont have cruiser sterns as when we do finally take the plunge and get our own, we would prefer a semi trad, but as we have yet to cruise with one we are yet to weigh up the pros and cons. Any help would be great! And any feelings on stern types!

Hi everyone, Just an intro about us as this is our first post/topic! We dont have our own boat yet. 3-5 years hopefully. Getting the knowledge and experience before we take the plunge. We have hired for the past 5 consecutive years. Hiring either May, August and October due to work holiday allowance. Other half works in a school. We have hired for weekly trips either once or twice a year. August this year will be our first 2 week trip, cant wait. I feel I will breeze through and boat maintenance, that is internal works, refitting/updating etc as I have been in the construction trade all my life and will definitely do any painting myself. The only thing which I have no clue about is the engine/mechanic/technical side. Electrics and plumbing shouldnt be a problem but this is why I am joining you and I am now into my 2nd year of subscribing to "Canal Boat" magazine, to gain helpful knowledge thru your members. I will now cut to the chase and ask the question which I feel most of you may think is daft and basic knowledge, but we all had to start somewhere. What are anodes? what do they do, when and why do you change them? Thanks for listening/reading!!

easiest way to keep paint flowing (thining it down is not an option) is to put the tin your using your brush out of in a larger container of very hot water. so a 10litre bucket third full of hot water then put your 5 litre blacking tin into it. This warms the paint up and makes its easier to brush.