nina

I received this update today in my email inbox from what seems to be a reliable, experienced narrowboat enthusiast/liveaboard based at Napton marina (I think) so thought I'd post. Obviously you have to be careful with Ebay anyway but this article gives explains some of the pitfalls that might be out there if you're not careful. http://us1.campaign-archive1.com/?u=bc3bb91ed36c434251aabfbf4&id=76946f330c&e=1f65e285b4

Thankyou. You went out of your way to be helpful when we called in. I'm sure you will be greatly missed at Whilton. I will contact you to discuss further the colours we need. Nothing urgent. Thankyou again. Nina.

Hello Grannykins Not to decry our fellow females but I think understanding all the mechanics is a lot easier for most men. I get some of it but it baffles me too. I leave most of it to my husband. Practical experience is always a good way to learn. Same as learning how to drive a car really, reading books on the theory helps but it's not till you get behind the wheel that you really start to learn. Could you go on several boating holidays between now and when you plan to own your own boat? If it's not for 5 years, you've got plenty of time. It's not as hard to learn as it sounds once you're in a practical situation and going on a hire boat will teach you a lot.

Glad to hear you've got another bike. I own a retail business. In 25 years, I have never seen as much theft as we're seeing now. The only response to dealing with it, (by law we're not allowed to touch them and by the time they've stepped outside the premises, they're off), is to be more self protective of what's yours. You can sign up to your local Neighbourhood Watch and get email alerts direct to your inbox. If you register, there is a section on boats & canals. This means if there is a spate of thefts in your area, you'll get notified. Does help you to be more on your guard. Sign of the times unfortunately.

One of the things that perhaps some of us don't realise is that forums are trawled by all kinds of people including opportunists looking to possibly steal. That's why I don't post my boat's name or location on this forum. I know it makes me invisible and some forum members think it's unfriendly, but especially if you are a female living on your boat on your own in a particular location, it's probably wise not to give too many details away. Same goes for anyone really, men too. Thefts are on the increase so we all need to be make sure we don't unwittingly provide an easy opportunity without realising.

Thankyou so much Roger, I'm really grateful for the advice. Can finish a project now hopefully.

When we bought our boat, the previous owner had meticulously maintained a documented file of everything including paint codes, colours & brands. We bought some of the paints for touch up jobs from Whilton Chandlery just before Christmas but he helpful as he was, he didn't have all the colours. It's proving not so easy getting a good match on one of the colours. I realise paint fades so applying a new colour will obviously look fresher until fades too but does anyone know of a paint company or manufacturer where I might be able to get a better match or at least some more information? Thankyou.

You have not lived until you have had Fish & Chips(Whiting) from The Colour Patch, Augusta, Western Australia. I have heard about the famous Fish & Chips from England. Sorry to tell you this but they don't come close to ours. Not to mention the Barramundi and Snapper! Enjoy your trip around our lovely waterways. Pubs are closing pretty quickly at the moment due to the economy so it's a good idea to stock up the boat with plenty of food basics and perhaps moor in walking distance of the local supermarkets too. Just in case.

Harleyj, husband is an Aussie. We came back from living on the Gold Coast 2 years ago. Business reasons. Hope you enjoy boating and cruising the waterways. We miss the multi cultural cuisine that Australia is famed for thanks to it being so diverse, Thai, Vienamese, Mexican, Greek, Italian, Polish, German etc. Our best memories are of the celebration of different cultures and how this made food over there such good quality. Try a good steak here though. Our steak is sometimes better, we think it's because of the grass, (more rain). If they have 'assured quality sirloin, fillet, or rump, or Aberdeen Angus, give it a go. Not cheap but worth it. Have a great time!

That's very sad. I hope your son is able to get another bike to replace the one he's lost. Looks like it's time to chain and padlock anything that's left outside these days.

I think one of the positive lessons of the economy is that many people are learning that less is more. I realise it's painful and it may be a very harsh way to learn but I am seeing a lot more people waking upto the reality that 'the happiness trap' ie big house, new car, holidays 2 or 3 times a year, mortgage, everything brand new out of the showroom, etc, etc, makes them a slave to work & debt. I grew up in a permanent recession, there was never any money when I was a child. Although I have since done well in career and life, in some ways, that early learning of having to work for everything and only buying things when I could afford them, means I know exactly what to do when times get tough. I don't find them hard at all because I know how to live through them. I'm really quite grateful that I grew up with nothing. Everything is a bonus now. I think the best lesson you can give a child today is the value of their own efforts. Whether this means they learn to thrive in the material world by saving up for something themselves or teaching them more is less, both are good lessons. I really empathise with you Jimbo, I think you're very brave. Not sure if it's the best idea to grow your family on a narrowboat. It's quite a reclusive lifestyle and they will need to interact with modern day life on many levels if they are to survive and thrive. Couldn't you look at moving into cheaper bricks and mortar and just living life on simpler terms? That way it's not such a huge compromise and your children get to stay connected to the real world. Unpalatable as it seems. I wish you luck in whatever you decide.

Oh I think he got told what to do by the lock keeper:-) We've seen the lock keeper at Foxton having to deal with some difficult people too. Makes you wonder why they choose a narrowboat holiday if they're in such a rush.

They didn't mention the likely abuse lock keepers may face from some boaters. Only last year one of the Watford lock keepers was threatened with being thrown in the canal by an irate Italian boater who didn't want to join the queue.

It was just plain old Silver :-) Best joke ever. Asleep in the dessert the Lone Ranger awakes, looks up and notices the stars glaring above him. In wonder and amazement, he shakes Tonto, who is sleeping next to him, awake, and asks him to describe the wonder above them. Tonto isn't very impressed and tells the Lone Ranger he is a fool. It's obvious that if they can see the night stars above them, someone has obviously nicked their tent! Welcome to the forum :-)

Our boat is 15 years old. Built to the spec, no expense spared, of a boat & car enthusiast/perfectionist. He paid 40,000 for it new 15 years ago and we paid 50,000 for it 18 months ago. It was and still is in beautiful condition. Despite going to the Crick boat show and looking at new boats, nothing beats the design and layout of what we've got. A Tim Tyler fit out, 62 feet, 2 bathrooms, centrally heater, eberspatcher, just bought a new califorier (think I spelt that wrong). It's a very stylish boat in every way. We know we will always get our money back because we look after & care for it so well. I would recommend you research what you want in a boat, before you buy. We don't live aboard ours although we plan to. We do spend a lot of time on it though and leave a heater running in Winter. We moor in a lovely marina. I have just done a bank reconciliation of costs from Jan 2011-2012. All up it comes to approx a breakdown of 123.00 per week. This includes an annual allowance of approx 1,000 per year for maintenance which is a lot less than a house. What you do need to bear in mind is that a boat is like a car. Anything can go wrong, it is a machine not a brick built structure so it has running costs. It's advisable to have at least a 500 pounds kitty always in the bank for those rainy days. By the way, I have lived in beautiful large homes both in the UK and overseas. I prefer the boat. I would hate to think I was contributing in any way to CEO of any bank growing richer. Live small and save everything is my advice to the kids of today. If you can't afford a boat, go and live a caravan. Just save & don't fall prey to borrowing. :-)

I agree. Life is so much about email, text and facebook these days that it's rare to have social face to face interaction with like minds all interested in a common cause for the greater good. It's even nicer when those initial meetings spin off into other things such as just meeting up for group occasions. I work so hard that I don't have time to meet people outside of work so I value my once a month volunteer get together. We're now a dog walking group that clears up our section of the towpath as BW volunteers. We all really enjoy the effort and each others company.

Hello and good luck with your newfound passion. I think mooring fees vary but in my experience, finding a good quality marina is very important. You can pay high fees and get very little in return. Better to pay reasonable fees and get a quality service if being in a marina is where you're hoping to be. I am sure you'll get a lot of help and advice here.

It's easy to condemn today's youth and in some cases, it may be valid. But for years, in my spare time with no pay, I led a national campaign for children & youth safety outside the home. It was so easy to do, didn't cost any money and because it was such a good thing to encourage, it won awards. Then it got squashed by our local Chief Constable, who said we didn't need to worry about our kids safety because we have Neighbourhood Watch. I had blazing fights with him but he won and the campaign ran out of steam. These days as a business, we sponsor Barnado's in their campaigns to protect our young people who are out on the street and in my spare time, I write up a support page on various issues to help young people. I do this mostly when I'm on our boat because this is when I have the time. We also make up scarves & hats out of our left over fleece material and send them off to homeless shelters. One thing I have noticed is that in most cases, girls and young women do get a lot of extra sympathy and support especially if they have a baby. Teenage boys and young men get very little by comparison. Yet emotionally and on all practical levels, they also need guidance and support if they are to grow into healthy, functioning adults. The young guy who has been thrown out by his mother will be OK. He has caring grandparents who are helping in the short term. Once he gets his apprenticeship completed, his options will increase. But, there are so many young people, especially boys and young men, out there now who need our empathy and support. It's not that hard to give, small things, like letting someone borrow a sofa bed and a few blankets, just giving them a telephone number or some kind of leverage to help them get into a safer situation. I find it very alarming that we keep hearing about youngsters drowning in canals. It's easy to think they may have drunk too much, slipped and banged their heads but I would say that there are probably a lot of background factors that have pushed them to their sad ending.

Today, I heard that a young male teenager had been thrown out by his mum because she has a new partner and new baby. I wouldn't have known he even existed but through a work related situation this morning, I heard about it from a very tearful family member who works for me. Although I wasn't directly involved, I became involved through choice and because I knew of ways to help. By tonight, I hope we've all pulled together to create a few more options for him. I don't know all the details, I know he is a hard working young person who has not been in trouble and that he's keen to finish an apprenticeship so he can earn enough money to move into his own place away from his difficult family situation. I do know the current economic climate is making life very hard for a lot of young people.

This is me being female so bear with me. If you were moored in an isolated spot and one night, in the middle of nowhere, you were suddenly awoken by someone outside attacking your boat, trying to break in and making a lot of noise, what would you do? The only way out of your boat places you beneath whoever is outside.What protective measures do you take in protecting yourself because in that situation, you become the number 1 priority and as far as I can see, you are not in an upperhand situation. I'm asking because albeit rare, and I wouldn't want to frighten anyone, I am posting to gain ideas on what you can do, I know it's happened. What do you do?

Plus cushions are a girl thing ;-)

Wow! 10 out of 10 for style! I used to have an interior design business. Isn't our own comfort about what we create ourselves inside a living space?

I love my dinette. It's the social middle of our boat because I love cooking. It's fairly open, 2 straight cushion seats & backs with a table in the middle. It all converts to a double berth if we need it but so far have never used it. It also doubles up as our computer area so I wouldn't be without it. Both husband and myself find it really comfortable but we've got soft foam seating. Don't know if this makes a difference. Our boat is 62 feet BTW so if size matters, maybe you don't need one. We enjoy ours. Had many a lengthy discussion over who's turn it is to wash up;-)Sauce bottles at dawn kind of thing.

Thanks to everyone for all your help. Husband is an electrician so he'll know a gas fitter to check things out if required.