Paul C

They tend not to have a problem with the guidelines, until a court case occurs which requires a rewrite of them! In this case, the court hearing didn't occur. Thus, no rewrite, and no problem.

But there's a subtle difference between "don't have a problem with the guidelines" and "ambiguous". For example, the law could be described as ambiguous, but not problematical. Effectively, there is deliberate flexibility (call it ambiguity if you like) in the interpretation to encompass a wide range of cruising patterns, boaters, boating usage styles, etc. I'm not convinced that CRT needs more clarification. They wanted it (of course they wanted it) - according to Nigel Moore - but don't need it to do what they're currently doing.

The video was well produced and comes across as a neutral standpoint, airing both sides of the debate, but I feel it could have been longer and focused on more than one boater. So, if the producer produces 2 more videos then my criticisms are answered! Agree that the topic isn't "boating", but "boating politics" however.

I found 2 other videos on Anna Snowball's website relating to canal boating, one is in post production (River Gypsy) and the other is entitled "Allayne & Paul".

Its an interesting video, for sure. I'd be interested to know what marks the author received in his college assignment.

We have a twin tuner Freeview+ box at home (not on the boat), before I bought it I read a bunch of reviews and their tuners are often accused of being weak, compared to a normal telly. We're I n a reasonably good signal area so its a non-issue, but on a boat, especially if you moved around, it would be a bit of a nightmare. Also its main utility would be compromised (your aerial would need to be erected and aligned for recordings, so if you wanted to record while on the move, would be awkward!).

Unfortunately, bizarre objects which can & do get caught in a propeller and require a trip down the weedhatch, can end up in any canal, even well maintained ones. Granted that there seems to be more in some canals than others, eg BCN has a particularly poor reputation for debris in the canal.

Built in cooker: basically, its 2 parts, the hob and the oven/grill/double oven. A built in hob sits in a cutaway in the worktop, thus not exposing any of its edges (if you created a "gap" to site a standalone appliance in the middle of a worktop, you'd leave 2x edges which would need to be trimmed and sealed or would otherwise absorb moisture (eventually)). Underneath the worktop in a conventional kitchen, is a bunch of base units, eg cupboards, drawers. One can also buy an appliance housing base unit, which is basically a fancy, expensive, sturdy shelf that the built-in oven unit would sit on. Link takes you to B&Q's website to show a typical example. http://www.diy.com/nav/rooms/kitchens/kitchen-cabinets/appliance_housing_cabinets/Cooke-and-Lewis-White-Oven-Housing-Cabinet-600mm-10186910

There's 2 14 day rules though. There's the one where you need to be in a place for no more than 14 days (which applies to CCers and not boats with a home mooring) and there's the one which, unless otherwise signed, allows you to moor on the towpath for up to 14 days at a time in one particular mooring position.

Yep, is a solution, probably not the best solution though. It does seem to be an unusual cooker location though. I know Black Prince ex (and current) hire boats are very numerous, but they do have kitchens on the small side. I reckon your options are (in order of preference) 1) go for a 240V ignition model. This opens up the choice to a wider number of cookers 2) go for a secondhand, compliant, cooker. 3) go for the £550 cooker I'm not sure there's that many cookers which are happy to be boxed in quite so snugly, detailed browsing of their installation manuals would reveal the situation. If none can be boxed in, then there's: 4) shuffle around appliances in the kitchen so you can fit a cooker of your choice.

Very carefully, given that only about a week ago we had 100mph+ winds in some areas of the country. For this reason (and to get under low bridges and through low tunnels) we have ours flat. If there was a way to have them tilting, able to be flattened, and most of all secure too, I'd do it. I'm sure some kind of brackets could be made up for this.

This seems the clearest explanation so far, and should help cotswoldman understand the law a bit better.

Maybe they assumed everyone had a home mooring?

Swap location of cooker and fridge. Mount cooker a little to the right of the old fridge location. Relocate/remove shelves and install a cooker splashback or use one with a lid.

I'm going to guess that the female version (ie the other one than in the pic) is a PCB-mounted socket for something on your boat. It looks identical to the serial port flylead connection found inside a computer case (ie not the external serial cable). As such, any old* motherboard will have a (or two) female sockets, and a corresponding expansion slot mounting plate with a short length of lead, with the male connector on one end and a serial port on the other end (mounted on the plate). Also some boards may have the socket not on a mounting plate, relying on a push-out on the computer's case for its mounting. I'd try to source an old (even broken) motherboard, and lift the socket from that. *old, as in old enough to be a motherboard with serial ports. Since USB took off, most newer computers don't have them any more.

Just replace the broken solid fuel stove with a (new) working one.

To me, "neighbourhood or locality" = 1 place, not a number of nearby places. But that's just my opinion on it, and I respect it will differ for others'. I think we can agree, that once you start getting close to the line of what the minimum is required (by law, or whatever CRT accept as "satisfying the board"), then the specific definition of a place in their definition of bona fide navigation becomes significant.

That's a good find! But the price is a bit steep compared to other gas cookers, For example its £550 vs my previous suggestion at £248 (possibly + LPG conversion bits?). That extra £300 or so could be used to get the boat's mains power up to scratch. There's no reason it should be possible using a decent amount of solar panels and a decent small inverter (or a larger inverter but it being put to other uses too) to have the domestic batteries looked after. http://www.appliancesdirect.co.uk/p/hag51k/hotpoint-hag51k-gas-cooker#maindesc and http://www.yourspares.co.uk/parts/hotpoint/cookers-and-ovens/hag51k/parts/ys140592/hotpoint-hag51k-jets-kit-for-lpg-de-fendi-C00273303.aspx any use? (That's links to a Hotpoint HAG51K and an LPG jet kit).

I think there's widespread acceptance that its 14 days then another place though. There's provision in the law for staying longer than 14 days for exceptional circumstances eg medical reasons, breakdown etc.

It would be less eco-friendly though, because the more dilute it is, the more packaging, transport (diesel burnt, etc) to distribute it, etc. Look at the latest bunch of offerings from eg Sure deodorant, which is now double-strength and in smaller packaging. http://www.suredeodorant.co.uk/en/campaign/compressed/preview.aspx (I know the main thrust of the improvement claim is less propellant gas but they also make eco claims on packaging).

I agree, there is no point in using this judgement or more accurately, the non-judgement of half a case. Basically, the stuff is meaningless.

I don't know - but Nigel seems to know more background than is in the press releases. So I was hoping something might be "out there".

Do you have an internet link to the judgement decision? (ie the judgement, not just a press release)? Thanks

Initially I didn't even look at a guide book or canalplan.org.uk, I just used my previous knowledge and guessed its too far in one day. Now I've had a chance to put it into canalplan, I still think its not possible. If the boat isn't booked out the week before, then its possible that you'll get an earlier handover than 2pm but don't rely on it - best to ask. And don't forget, if the boat isn't booked out when you ask, there may be a late booking. So, for safety, lets assume 2pm. Overwater marina to Tyrley Top lock is 6h 41m on canalplan. Its also a busy time, so while its possible to 'beat' canalplan's times if its quiet, in a lock flight, if its busy then you could be equally behind. 2pm start and 6h41m puts you at mooring at 8:41pm, which assumes no stops at all. I'd factor in between 1/2 hour and 1 hour for little stops you might do, or getting to know the boat, or other unforeseen events. Basically, I'd aim for the first part-day of a week's hire gives you 4 hours cruising time.

We drilled the legs and use small angle brackets to bolt it to the hearth, which is made of metal.