frangar

Whoops!....do they mean the Dunham bridge?....doesn't sound good...wonder what happend?...and what type of craft it was? Cheers Gareth

It is a restriction.....it's not a stoppage!...as we had boats going up and down both sets of locks just now there would have been a restriction if only one of the pair was working.... Anyhow sorry I didn't put more info on my posting...I was going through the top lock at the time... I hadn't had an email about it so didn't know if it had been posted before or not....given how busy they are I guess it will lead to so e delays. Cheers Gareth

http://canalrivertrust.org.uk/notice/1393/hillmorton-locks-6-and-7-oxford-canal Cheers Gareth

I agree (!!) with what everyone else has said...don't live on a boat if you want cheap housing. Cheers Gareth

They might not have been told about engine running hours....in which case an email to the hire company will remind them to tell their hirers.....also as I'm not exactly dressed they I doubt they will welcome a large naked hairy bloke standing on the back deck.....also it's a rant....I just may have been joking about the keys although SWMBO was all for it...I have sent the email though. Cheers Gareth

I realise I haven't ranted for a bit.... Dear Excellence Afloat I don't think your boats can be that excellent if after a days cruising they have to run their engines till almost midnight then restart them at 7am...I'm afraid your hirers are about to be introduced to the game of "look for the ignition keys" as they are about to be chucked overboard... Many thanks Gareth I have also just sent this as an email to excellence afloat together with boat & mooring details. I may or may not get a reply...I shall report back either way. I'm afraid disturbing my sleep is not a good idea!

I have moored there since 1998. I love the fact it's in middle of nowhere! You do need a car as there isn't any shops or transport locally. The atmosphere suits us but it might not everyone. I think of it as a good working yard with moorings rather than a pretty marina. Your best bet is to look for yourself. I reckon you are hard pressed to find a yard with better facilities for having work done in your boat. Cheers Gareth

We didn't get stuck that's for sure!!...however some fishermen probably wish we did! I think they are breasting up for the rally as well as possibly using some temporary floating pontoons. As long as you are careful and go steady it's fine. Cheers. Gareth

I love the Weaver.....there is a boat rally on the flash in a couple of weeks....might be worth looking up cos it sounds fun!...take your time and go end to end! Cheers Gareth

I think lombardini engines have alloy parts.....they also have cambelts! Got to love Italian design! Cheers Gareth

I think I read somewhere that the red antifreeze isn't great with copper...of which there is a fair bit on the average narrowboat cooling system. Might be worth a google...sorry but the connection here isn't good! I agree with what others have said..antifreeze is cheap compared with corroded engine components! Cheers Gareth

I agree with MtB...it's like those who have JP2M's then take off the blackstone box & replace with a PRM....surely the point of having a vintage set up is to have it as it's manufacturer designed it? Maybe someone could start making fibreglass covers in the shape of a Bolinder to drop over a jap digger engine? Cheers Gareth

Just wondering why you want it stronger than the usual concentrate? AFAIK that's the best you are going to get.... Cheers Gareth

We encountered another young chap taking a boat to london last night at great Haywood......he was just entering the lock when we went to the pub and he was still there as we walked back some time later...we suggested that he would make better progress with at least one set of paddles shut....thankfully that's quite a long pound!....we half expected to find him sunk somewhere this morning but he seemed to still be floating....we and a few other boaters explained how locks worked again....he almost had the hang of it by the bottom of Fradley....it's all a bit scary how many people are buying boats to live on with no idea of the basics let alone finding a mooring! Cheers Gareth

It's a bit off topic but the other week I had what was obviously a sales call pretending to be from leicestershire police (it was to our company landline which is diverted to mobile when we are out).... Having told them a few home truths I then thought I best phone the police just to check it wasn't them!....you can phone 101 from a mobile and then ask to be put through to the force you require..as a default it puts you through to the force local to where you are. Anyway the nice lady in the control room was very interested in the call and logged all the details..so my point is it's well worth telling them stuff that might seem of no interest.....my concern was someone might fall for a sales scam....as they can then build a file up if it happens again. Cheers Gareth

Apologies if this has been posted but we have just stopped at Fradley Junction as we were planning to use the Laundrette that was attached to the pub only to find it's gone!....so just a heads up if anyone else was thinking of using it...oh well..no excuse for going for a pint while doing the washing now! Cheers Gareth

Well two of us have lived in a boat with a back cabin (please don't call it a boatmans cabin!) and a JP2 for the last 20 plus years with no problems...our boat is only 50ft so we sleep in the back cabin as well (shock horror!)....we cruise extensively in the summer..this year so far 750 plus miles...and spend the winter in a marina.....the engine room is a most useful space as is the back cabin. Cheers Gareth

Unless they put some at water level as well as higher up they really won't be much use! Cheers Gareth

We were asked about a torch this time too...don't think I've been asked that before....we weren't asked to test the horn this time though which we have been before..as suggested it's probably down to tunnel keeper. Cheers Gareth

I think it's a case of "there but for the grace of god go I"!!! Perhaps they weren't that badly stuck and did mange to reverse off...sometimes reports of things like boats getting stuck are much worse to people on the bank than to those actually on the boat...whereas most experienced boaters just get on with stuff, others including the fire brigade etc seem to go into panic mode! Cheers Gareth