Windfola

It's all relative really. You sell your house for more when the market's up, but you pay more for the next. And the reverse when it slumps, so what goes around comes around and everything is relative.

Those of us who would like to 'rush to liveaboard' are still trying to sell our houses! Anyone want a 1 bed barn conversion with 1/3 acre?

Have you ever seen me on a pushbike?

Just being practical, for if I sell the car...

Do people put mopeds on boats? Do they fit on the roof or the deck?

Fanks. I was particularly interested in the 'hospital' explanation...

And what are the best reasons for having one? Presumably for the silence, but what do hospitals have to do with it?

Doh - should have checked for other threads first. As I thought then, Yes I think I shall certainly come and have a look. Thanks Alan. Will keep an eye out for you!

IS anyone going to Braunston this weekend? clinket-y-clink I wasn't able to get to Crick, being indisposed and all, but might go along this weekend instead as I am feeling a bit better now. Has anyone been before? Am I likely to bump into any boat builders there? It seems to be a historic boat rally more than a dealer opportunity, which isn't a problem to me as I am interested in any type of boat, but it would be handy to know roughly what to expect.

What interests me is that most people I have spoken to have said 'Oh you don't want to buy a widebeam. You'll never go anywhere in it.' But if they are so difficult to handle why are they readily available to hire?

Still trying to decide about whether to buy widebeam or narrowbeam. Will probably go for narrow in the end, but feel I should perhaps give a widebeam a chance by taking one on holiday sometime. So, has anyone hired a widebeam boat? How was it for you?

By the way I think you are wonderful, Caprifool.

I can confirm that I have a greyhound and yes that he is a he and I am a she, despite my avatar! And you are right, he would probably prefer ditches to tides. As you were... When toying with a widebeam, I hadn't really considered that there might not be enough depth of water in the cut! I think I am coming back to the narrowboat idea again, when all is said and done...

I'm fairly new, and well I am growing to love this place. It is an endless source of entertainment, occasionally helpful information and it has put me in touch with some very good and friendly people in my quest for boatdom. So cheers to ye all Having said that I often feel as though my head is being squeezed through a narrow funnel. Especially when I ask what I thought was a straightforward question. I think there is no such thing as a straightforward question on this forum.

Ok. I must have missed that bit by pressing the reply button prematurely.

No seriously, why is it assumed from the picture that the owner/occupier has a mental illness? There is no valid diagnosis of 'living your lifestyle in a way that appears distasteful to others.' Unless you are living in a Stalinist dictatorship possibly. I get very tired of people assuming that anyone who lives outside the norms of a given society must be mentally ill. It gives people a very warped idea of what mental illness is and, more importantly, what it isn't.

What is your evidence for this, please?

I suspect that in reality any properly sea going vessel, as opposed to a 'lookalike' may be beyond my budget anyway. So I am probably back to choosing between a widebeam and a narrow beam with the added 'do I want to pretend it's a barge' decision. Oh well, mustn't run before I can walk...

Is one permitted here to confess to a growing interest in wider beam barges? I only ask, because while my love of all things narrow boats is not diminished, I am a bit conflicted. I was boating off the Pembrokeshire coast last week and it was, well, most exhilarating. And challenging. In a good way. I think. You see, while planning my full-time liveaboard future I have been unable to ignore my love for the sea. I have been reading the narrowboats at sea thread with interest and some trepidation. You see, if I thought I'd be any good at it (Skippering I mean), I'd love the idea of being able to hop around the bigger rivers and coastal waters from time to time (you know, Cornwall, the East Anglian coast up to Yorkshire and whatnot). Maybe even pop over to the continent (though I doubt I'd be brave enough on my own, even with training). Now I know that a typical narrowboat, or even unmodified widebeam, would be at risk of getting into trouble even with a skilled helms person. I know the boat should be specially prepared to make it seaworthy, fit a certain category (is it 'D'?) and I'd need a skippering certificate. Widebeams and Dutch barges obviously have the disadvantage of being limited to the wider canals (have seen the maps and checked it all out). But if that could be compensated for by access to the briny then I might be persuaded, but I am not sure what such a boat would need. What is the maximum draft on the Grand Union, for example? And what shape hull would be a good compromise? Has anyone ever hired a professional skipper to take a suitable boat across the Manche, or to move it to another location via the coast (eg south to north and back)? Oh the indecision...I guess in my deliberations I'd just like to have looked at things from every angle before finally taking the plunge.

I am more worried about doctors than post, myself. I have a long term condition requiring monthly scripts and consultant follow-up, but my present gp is miles from the nearest canal. I'd quite like to stay linked with my Oxford specialists too. Haven't raised the issue with either yet.

Was the tortoise living on a boat? (still trying to think up a way to keep my Tony with me when I move on to my boat...)

Wow, well done. I am seriously impressed. Were the dogs paddling secretly below decks?

cool choice of name!

Well I am not sure that I would want Barolo, but, having checked out the website, I am certainly planning to go and see Piper Boats as I love their interiors and I am a long term fan of recycling old wood.