Arthur Marshall

My tank is the pointy end of the boat under the front deck, so it's basically steel with a couple of coats of bitumen. It gets cleaned out about every five years and repainted every ten, which mean I shan't ever be doing it again, thank god as it's a horrible job... It's a leisure boat, so doesn't get used really at all from November to March and I tend to run the water level in the tank down as much as I can and then flush it and refill in Spring when I get going again. I don't drink the water direct from the tank without boiling it first, tend to fill a few old pop bottles with fresh and drink from then if I want plain water. Not poisoned me yet.

Mine must be worth a fortune...

I was being a brass band!

And what they could do about it anyway, short of towing away any boat that didn't display a number? Me, I'd suggest the Banksy solution - graffiti the boat with a number, or, to make it permanent, chop it into the cabin side with an angle grinder! Wouldn't have to be pretty...

It was still afloat last time I looked. I'll be down on Tuesday if you're still there - I'll wave as I come over the bridge.

And, like board members and university chancellors, making sure they are the ones who decide their own salaries and bonuses!

If there's anyone up that way who knows these things, how does that affect the water level south of the stoppage? I've got to get my boat up to Bollington Wharf (from the lower Macc) next week to get the oil seal done and would hope to get it back down Bosley before the end of the month.

And if they were all paying for licences...

I think I'll stick to heaving the damn thing about with a rope. I guess when I can no longer pull it out of a lock or shin up a ladder it'll be time to stop boating. There again, if I can't get the engine fixed it won't matter much.

If I had had the money, I might well have had it installed. It was really the cost that put me off. Otherwise, it seemed like. A good idea - the boat would only come out of the lock at a crawl, much as it does now when I heave it out with a rope. I'm sorry you had such a bad time with it - and hope you hadn't paid for it in advance!

I looked at this when the publicity started as I do virtually all my boating singlehanding. For what it is, two and a half grand seemed a ridiculous amount just to save climbing up a ladder, and also too much for what looked like a model car control box and a small motor. If he really has sold thirty of these over the past few years I would be intrigued to hear if anyone is still using them, or if anyone on here has ever met anyone with one apart from the inventor.

I had to double the thickness of stove rope on mine to get a good seal. The rope squashes down with use. It does mean you have to exert a bit more pressure to close and lock the door, but it's that pressure on the catch which keeps the door shut. PS the rope usually comes with a small pot of special glue for fixing it.

Me too. Been boating thirty years and never bought a fender. Got about three spares, too. Same with mooring hooks and stakes. My wife's got a Fender bass, though.

Not sure where you are based, but I have a engineer friend who specialises in Kelvins and looks after quite a few in various bits if the country. He has one, of course, in his own boat. Whether he wants to take on any more work I don't know but if the info is any use to you or your friend PM me and I'll pass on his contact number.

Basic Boat Co is cheap if you only want 3rd party. They do cover you for recovery if you sink. As a nonliveaboard these days with a boat that really isn't worth much, they suit me.

The trouble with boat fitting is that everything is connected to everything else. It's very hard to do it while living on it. When refitting mine I made the the bed six inches too short and had to dismantle the bed, a cupboard, half the roof and most of the kitchen to remedy it. Shortening my legs would have been easier...

If you want one with a whacking great oil leak, I've got one. It probably comes with a boat attached, though. PS it's not a serious offer. Yet.

They usually lurk up at the top, watch you struggle all the way then look dead chuffed when they set the last one for you. One gave me a long lecture about what I'd done wrong all the way up as the boat rose gently in the lock, which he hadn't offered to work for me. I merely smiled and ignored him. On a very rare occasion I can do nice.

Going down singlehanding is always harder work than up because of the double top gates. A lot more walking.