Martin Megson

I had missed that one. Thanks for the tip I'll give them a call. Martin

Many thanks for all the helpful replies. To explain I bought the boat in November from Braunston where it is moored and plan to take to the water virtually full time when I retire in Spring 2012. As I live in St Ives I thought it would be a good idea to bring it closer to home through the winter as I want to do some modifications and maitenance to the interior (exterior will have to wait for better weather). I've applied for a gold licence and plan on bring it round in Jan (weather permiting). I'm quite happy to move the boat but would rather not have to do so every 48 hrs. I've tried the local marinas but most haven't space for a 55ft boat and the one that can wants £280 a month. As I won't be living on the boat all the time but will spend 3-4 days a week onboard. I'll try GOBA first as they may let me overstay in the quiet season.

Hi, I'm thinking of taking my boat over to the Anglia region nearer home for a couple of months near St Ives. Are there any 14 day moorings on these rivers as I can only find 48hr moorings. Thanks Martin

PJ Thanks for the advice - a little local knowledge goes a long way. Martin

Thanks for the tip. I'm taking early retirement in March so I will certainly make time to visit Windsor. I'm thinking of going for the Gold license as it is only around £300 more and also gives access to the East Anglian rivers. Martin

Well that started a debate. As a newcomer I was worried about the blacking but there is no sign of damage. As for reversing I didn't actually reverse the boat but simply gave the engine a quick blast in reverse which pushed water under the boat which broke the ice as it lifted it alongside. I agree with NB Alnwick's last post - the thin ice is pretty well broken up before the bow touches it.

It was certainly a bit nippy. I opened the curtain to see a duck walking past!

I can confirm Dover was moored at Braunston today. It wasn't in the sales area and had no sign indicating it was for sale. And yes the Marina is frozen!!

Woke up at Braunston this morning to minus 7 degrees and a frozen canal. Only a thin sheet of about 5mm. After a couple of boats had passed I ventured out as I've only had the boat a month so not sure how ice would affect the handling. Applied a similar technique to driving on ice, slow and smooth. Fairly straight forward although slow speed gentle turns were interesting as at a shallow angle the bow can slid along the edge of the ice rather than turn. Discovered by accident that a short blast in reverse pushes enough water under the boat to lift and crack the ice alongside.

I tried this for the first time at Hillmorten on the Oxford canal as I mainly travel alone. These are twin locks with a handy pier between extending 10 ft which is ideal to tie up to. Originally planned to stop in front of gates and open manually but they moved very easily with just a slight nudge.

Thanks for the swift replies.

Hi, I'm a new owner and planning to travel from Braunston to Bristol in the spring via the Oxford, River Thames and the Kennet and Avon. Does the standard BW license cover this stretch of the Thames? I did look at both BW and EA sites but couldn't find a straight answer. Martin

I use a diesel boatman J&M CCC based in Stoke Bruene. Very good and legit service. Will certainly avoid Luctor Services after reading this thread.

Hi Folks, Many thanks for all the helpful advice and tips. I've just spent a week on the boat on the Grand Union between Rugby and MIlton Keynes. I know the boat much better and am really enjoying getting to know her.

There are a few that use the GPS signal. The one I used is a freebie called dashboard - its actually meant for a car but it has a digital speedometer which was a cheap way to check.

Could be the same boat. The name painted on the side is Mr Bunbury No 2. It was built at Braunston in 2003 and the original owner kept it until Oct 10. I'm not sure of mooring location but the she has certainly been based in the area for a long time. Martin

Yes it is! Do you know her? PhilR & Higgs. I used an iPhone app to measure speed. The problem of slowing may be driver error. I guess the drag effect in shallow water means the boat will slow quicker when power is reduced and when I'm in deep water I need to reduce power earlier to let her slow over a longer distance.

Thanks for the additional info. I agree that the reading must be low, I found the spec on-line and the idle speed is quoted at 800 as you said. The tacho was reading nearer 500 which suggests its showing almost half the true speed. I don't think its an over prop problem as the engine speed hardly drops as I engage gear and there is no black smoke. I'll have a look at the tacho to see if I can find any adjustment or failing that get the marina to look at it. The good news is that you've put my mind at rest as there is nothing seriously wrong with the boat. Thanks Martin

Firstly thanks for all the helpful replies - I think I'm going to like this forum. The engines is a Lister-Petter Canal Star 36HP with a PRM150 gearbox. The revs were taken from the tacho on the engine control panel, I'm guessing it is engine speed as it reads with the drive disengaged. The calibration could be wrong. I'll read the manual when I'm next on board. Regarding holding a slow speed while passing boats I found that on the short stretch from Braunston Marina to Braunston Turn (which must be deeper) I was struggling to keep the speed down to about 2 mph and actually dropped her out of gear a couple of times. Martin

Hi, I'm new to boating and have just bought a 55ft narrowboat with 35hp Lister Petter engine. On my maiden voyage from Braunston to Napton I found the boat was cruised smoothly at around 3-4 mph at 650 revs with very little prop wash. However at times she slowed and as I applied power to 1000 rpm there was no noticeable increase in speed but a great deal of prop wash, and increased noise. I've read a bit about shallow water affecting boats but I thought that was larger vessels but just thought I'd ask if this Is a natural effect of varying water depth in the canals. Martin

Hi Folks, I'm new to the forum and am just in the process of buying my first boat ready for my retirement next spring. Planning to spend a few weeks on it in winter to help me decide if I want to be live aboard full time or just use it for months at a time in the sumer. Great to hear so menu views on life aboard. Martin