Babyjune

Hi thanks very much would you be willing your experience of fitting out a sail away I would be really interested.

Hi all, thinking of getting a bigger boat and looking at soar valley boats, anyone have experience of them, they also offer space at their working marina very cheaply while you are doing the fit out. Does anyone know of similar boat builders a bit nearer north london. Many thanks Babyjune

Thanks do you know where stoppages ect are listed, I have tried to look but to no avail. A kind boater let me know so I could turn befor mooring up.

Just on our way to ware and found stanstead lock four closed problems with a boat stuck in the lock yesterday does anyone know anything about this pkease

Well it will be interesting to see if the have started work today someone told me that it had been closed since Jan, this little stretch makes a huge difference to the time it takes to get into london, not that I want to rush, but not yet living aboad am only a weekender.

Many thanks for all your posts and thank goodness for this forum.

Hi tried to go down the Hertford canal yesterday, it's closed the noticed that I sar (after going the long way round) say they are going to start work on the 22nd, anyone know when it is likely to open again

Hi I wonder if any one can help. I have a Isuzu 3KC 1 EA/03 engine when we brought it, it had just had a service but bringing it back from up north the drive belt became very lose and thin the engine was screaming. We replaced it with belt 950a, which seemed to be the same as was on there. Today we were driving along and the the engine started to smoke. When we stopped the drive belt was shredded. The engine was smoking (hope no lasting damage has been done). So my question please does any one know what size drive belt I should lose. I have tried looking on the Internet but can't find anything. Thank you for looking.

Sounds a bit difficult for us still pretty inexperienced and not very brave lol my engine does not seem very powerful and think for one unless I am with someone with more experience will stick to the stort and canals love hearing about others experiences

Well am going to crick boat show (excited) so hopefully can pick up the things I need, life jackets are on my list most definitely for the grandchildren.

Hi graham thank you very much, that really does sound like a plan not sure if I can change my dates but what a lovely helpful forum. I notice you are from bishops stortford we are moored near there at little hallingbury. We are moored at Enfield at the moment and heading to London this weekend. Again thank you

Would be to nervous going out of lime house thought brentford would be the easiest option

Hello know I think that I want to join the Thames at brentford and go to oxford and them come back via brentford I moor on the stort. Thank you Really a doddle do I need an anchor will I get caught up in eddies, currents and slip streams, or is my over active imagination making a gentle river into white water rafting.

Hi have been eagerly planning my two week summer trip and the places I seem to want to go will require a trip down the Thames. This prospect worries me considerably as new to boating. Should we wait until we are more experienced. Is it dangerous, and what are the dangers.sorry to ask I have tried to find threads look on the Internet but have not really found any answers. Many thanks for looking

Hi TIm thanks just looked at the planner, I only have two weeks so looks like the oxford canel is not to be will have to try somewhere else. But a really usefull planning tool. Oops meant thanks Keith x

Hi TIm thank you very much, I really don't want to go along the Thames we are still pretty inexperienced boaters and the Thames seems like a big fast river for my little boat lol

Hello all I would really like to take my boat along the oxford canal this summer, have been trying to work out a route and timeframe, just wondered if anyone knows, do you have to use the Thames and do you have to use the bit that needs a radio and anchor, or is there a more gentle route. Many thanks for reading my post.

Many thanks for all your replies lots to ponder on and check. Complicated things these batteries lol lots of possibilies. Happy boating. Any one going to crick this is my first time and excited.

Thank you will try and check those things

Hello sorry to ask about batteries, but a few weeks ago we ran all our batteries flat, starter and three leisure, we charged the starter up at home and the boat started and things seemed fine. The next weekend the boat started no problem, but the next day we think that the water pump had been running all night due to a fault and the boat would not start. We brought a new starter battery and off we went. This weekend down to the boat again and the batteries are flat. Does any one know why, my thinking is maybe the leisure batteries are no good and taking power from the starter. We had them all switched off. I would be very grateful for any advice or guidance. Do we need new leisure batteries. Also we put the old charged battery on and at first nothing not even turning over and then the second attempt the engine started. Sorry for the long rambling post x

Hello I wonder if anyone can help, I was on my boat today and the engine sounded lumpy then all of a sudden a high pitched bleeping seemed to come from behind the electric box at the back of the boat. The engine was whistling to. When we slowed down the bleeping stopped but then started again. We stopped checked the water and topped up with oil. We thought maybe we had some weeds around the propeller and put in reverse and started up again. The engine seemed to settle down but am worried about the beeping. We have only had the boat a couple of weeks. Thank you for taking the time to read this long rambling plea for help.

Hello yes really loving it

Hello have got my lovely boat the hale and hearty and have a mooring at little hallingbury marina started to bring her back bank holiday weekend, we got her to Hemel hamstead and last weekend to lad rook grove. This weendvwe have booked passage through London and hope to get to Enfield. We had never hired or driven a boat before and it has been a huge exciting learning curve. Hello have got my lovely boat the hale and hearty and have a mooring at little hallingbury marina started to bring her back bank holiday weekend, we got her to Hemel hamstead and last weekend to lad rook grove. This weendvwe have booked passage through London and hope to get to Enfield. We had never hired or driven a boat before and it has been a huge exciting learning curve.