Arthur Marshall

It didn't when I bought it! They don't seem to make the model I bought any more. But as above, I wouldn't use it for anything other than short periods due to the condensation.

No, never. 12 volt only, and not a lot of that! Yup.

Well, the guy who blacks my boat has been living on his for the last twenty years and has never bothered with anodes. Mine happily sat unreplaced and unchanged on the boat for twenty years. Maybe some boats are more prone to whatever it is than others. I admit that I did have to have the boat replated, but it was about fifty years old at the time, so I'm not sure the anodes had much to do with it. Everybody knows that boat hulls get thinner because fish keep bumping into it and ducks eat it.

Doesn't work like that. Some who donate have stars, some don't. No idea why.

I use a Bright Spark Indoor heater by JFA ltd. Runs off small gas cylinders and is supposed ro be the safest for indoor use. Goes out instantly if knocked over or bumped and kicks out a fair bit of heat. I use it in winter when visiting the boat for an hour or two when it isn't worth lighting the fire.

At least six boats came past me at Congleton this morning heading towards the locks. Going to be a hell of a traffic jam if all the longterm boats came down, though I can't see how they can have done as their owners might live miles away. Maybe just below the top lock?

I don't think any of us have an issue with widebeams on fat canals - after all, it's what they were built for. We just grumble at general inconsiderateness, although mostly in a slightly exasperated but amused fashion. Isn't that what the internet was invented for?

The crucial thing is to remember to take the go-cart off first. Or, in fact, the wheelbarrow.

Barrow wheels are handy on the Shroppie or where there's an underwater shelf. Go cart tyres are useful for all sorts of anti-bump activities.

Get two spares. If it's anything like mine, when the throttle cable goes, the gear change follows...

I'd check the bottom of the flue isn't blocked with gunk first, where it sits on the collar on the fire. That what usually blocks the draught, and a chimbley extension won't help that.

I reckon I'd get what I paid for it. Boat value's stayed the same, the pound hasn't! When it finally goes, as long as I get enough to buy a small yoghurt pot I'll be happy.

What about tatty old boats with knackered Listers?