Tuscan

We had our last boat professionally reskinned with wood including canvas on the roof. As we wanted to preserve the interior and keep the wooden feel. In hindsight it was a mistake and led to constant maintenance. It would have been cheaper to have it reskinned in steel. Unless you have the skills , money and time to use the right materials AND happy with the thought of ongoing maintenance I would stop and go for a steel skin.

I would rather CRT acted in accordance with the current legislation that governs navigation and licensing. There are existing by laws that govern most of the things they are trying to introduce but then enforcing these would require a degree of independent oversight.

NABO has recently written to the All Party Parliamentary Working Group for Waterways raising exactly this point . The CRT is seeking powers exceeding those granted to it in the 95 Act and giving boaters no choice but to sign up to them. CRT made a similar attempt in the 2015 changes - anyone remember the ban on shuffling?

Have a look at Section D of the consultation The opening sentence has been changed to avoid responsibility to provide waterways capable of navigation. We do not to buy a license to moor in a pond.

A really good post, this sums up the situation very well. “it's just the general direction of flow is disadvantaging navigation.” This sums up NABO’s recent conversations to CRT over the proposed changes to the terms and conditions where for example they propose that your license just entitled you to put your boat in the water but not to navigate. The management and control of contractors has been an issue raised over the last few years and to be fair to CRT they themselves recognise this. This is what the decentralising of engineering works to the new regional directors is meant to tackle. I would imagine and hope all the boating organisations are trying to pursuade CRT to give boating and navigation a higher priority. It’s a challenge where your help is needed especially as CRT are shortly to try and persuade government to renew the grant using the well-being of all not just a minority with boats.

If it helps NABO have objected to the recent award by the EA of a contract to the management of its visitor moorings to a car parking company who are wanting a lien of your boat in the event of non payment of a penalty ticket.

Don’t see the point of spending £30k plus on a boat you then want to completely refurb/redesign. At least buy a boat that is laid out how you like so you just need to upgrade. Boats can be very expensive to refit.

I agree , Perhaps we need a space on the online application where you can add a comment along the lines that ‘nothing in these terms and conditions shall take precedence over the relevant Acts of Parliament.’

There was a London mooring strategy meetings and consultation that went on for years and only finished I think in 2018. Many of the agreed outcomes that included new facilities and moorings have not been implemented due to financial constraints. Based on this lack of commitment/money this is obviously not where they are going and I can only assume it’s about congestion charging or similar to force people out. Will it solve the problem of just shift it further out?

“We have made the sad decision to no longer allow mooring along our stretch of the River Thames. This was due to the amount of rubbish being left (including human excrement) and damage to the river bank. We hope this is a temporary solution (at least until the end of the year) whilst we consider the options open to us. We have not taken this decision lightly. If you have any questions, please contact us on admin@bealepark.org.uk“ I believe this is a result of the boats that stayed there during lockdown - but happy to be corrected.

So what is the scale of the problem, 20, 200 or 2000 I asked The head of boating this 5 years ago and again a few days ago. unfortunately they don’t know so perhaps they are just trying again to suggest their terms and conditions supersede the relevant acts of parliament.

We were last boat up, fortunately for us, initially diagnosed as faulty paddle , now blown cill. Top lock padlocked (no sign). Closed until at last the weekend. Hire boat behind us who didn’t make it paid over £4K for a 3 week holiday From Wyvern Linslafe went south but broken lock beam so headed North. But latest boaters update suggest weather and lack of use is to blame.....

Meanwhile on the Buckby flight this morning, very leaky gate third up, Les with the help of a hirer had to walk to the top lock lifting a paddles at each lock to run water down.

Progress went past us earlier this afternoon heading north towards Weedon

The last time we went through (a couple of years ago) there was little water in the pounds below Kilby bridge CRT came down ran water and said it was ok. We couldn’t get out the lock and ran water for another 45 minutes and we were then able to churn through, no wonder Saddington is always low. Once through the mile a couple of locks up there is a very silted up pound we had to rock the boat through took nearly an hour to plough through the few hundred metres of black silt. Ok we are deep drafted but we now stick to the Coventry.