Tony1

Thanks, that's useful info. I imagine that most boaters could live with a cheap piggybacker provider, if the only penalty was that it gave slightly slower service than the parent provider. But patchy rural coverage (like the Lycamobile setup) probably wouldn't be considered very useful for many boaters. So the devil really is in the detail with these things. Nowadays I keep a SIM-remover mini poker thingy close to the router for this very reason. Trying to find one of these tiny tools- even if you can remember where you last put it- can be a right pain. I've been in a few places where the O2 SIM didnt work even with the mast, but the EE SIM in my phone still got some signal, when outside the boat. So yes, I have left the phone on the roof wrapped in a plastic bag (usually under a solar panel), or out in the cratch. I wouldn't do it in a place with heavy footfall on the towpath, and never in a built up area, but in quiet/rural places I have risked putting the phone on the roof! If thats not enough, I then try the EE SIM in the router, so that it gets the extra help from the mast. The things we do for a bit of internet....

Thanks for that clarification.

Yes, that's pretty much what I was saying- EE is the one I've found to work in the most locations, and generally with the best signal. But none are infallible (eg the Anderton area)- and that's why I also have an O2 SIM, which works (albeit indifferently) at Anderton and Barnton. But having a second SIM is clearly a more expensive solution, and not everyone will think its worth the extra cost. I think its about £25/month for an O2 SIM with say 250Gb of data, and that one is my 'workhorse' provider, as its cheap and it works reasonably (with the mast) in most places. But for the OP. it will depend on his cruising patterns, preferences, and budget. People do report good results with the piggybacking providers, and they are cheaper, but I think when trying to make a decision, its important to be clear on how far and in what areas someone cruises. Someone living aboard in Anderton might say O2 is their best option, but someone who travels more widely might say EE.

As was said above, if you are staying in one location you may find there is a network that works really well in that spot, and that their phone signal is good enough to use for internet. Local boaters will usually have some idea what networks work best, so its worth asking around before committing money. If you are going to be doing some travelling, I've found that none of them have 100% coverage (especially in more rural areas), but EE has been the one that worked in the most locations I've visited. (So providers that piggyback on the EE network (like Smarty), should (in theory?) also give a pretty wide coverage.) In my view the best all round solution would be an EE SIM, with a router and at least 6ft aerial on the roof. But even EE sometimes lets you down, and there have been places where my O2 SIM worked ok when the EE SIM got no usable signal. For example in the visitor moorings opposite Anderton marina my EE SIM could get no usable signal, but the O2 SIM (helped by a 6ft mast) was just about ok. I spoke to a few locals in nearby Barnton and several have ongoing signal problems. So I currently use both EE and O2 SIMs, the EE in my phone and the O2 permanently in the router. There are some notorious dead spots (typically in shadow of hills) where no network can provide a signal, but they are fairly few. But as said, a lot depends on your travelling/ cruising pattern, the places you are going to be mooring, the budget, and how critical it is to ensure you have signal almost everywhere.

I wondered if initial impressions might be a thing, so I was careful to clean the engine bay surfaces, fuel pipework, engine (and even the long-neglected cratch) on the day before the inspection, and generally tried to give the impression that I fastidiously maintained the boat. It was all a complete act of course- I am the most slovenly devil that ever held a tiller. I think he was probably a fellow Liverpudlian, which was a pleasant surprise, although I refused to disclose my football team allegiances until after the inspection.

Thanks a lot for this tip Tracy. Steve did my inspection a few days ago and he was absolutely great. Thoroughly checked the gas workings, engine bay fittings etc, and offered some additional safety advice on other issues that were not going to fail my BSS, but could still affect my safety. Definitely struck me as a pragmatic, helpful and professional bloke, and if he's still working in 4 years time I'll book him again .

Most people who know me would probably think I have a very solid case for an insanity defence, 5G or otherwise. Worryingly, when I was young I used to eat Mr Brains Pork Faggots with great frequency. So some zombie leanings, even as a youngster.

OMG, that explains my sudden irrational urge to rip out the beating heart of that BSS inspector a few days ago. I'm already one of those zombie fellows, by Jove! (I must say, being a zombie hasn't affected my liking for IPA in the slightest.) All that said, he did criticise my lithium batteries, saying they were not as safe as many people were currently claiming. All I can remember is seeing a red mist, and then waking up later next to his disembowelled body. Hopefully there'll be some sort of 5G insanity defence.

I wish I'd known about this sooner. I did pick up a tinfoil hat from Amazon, but I fear the infernal 5G might have already gotten to me. I've started suffering from an uncontrollable desire to buy Victron products, and I spend hours on ebay perusing dangerous looking Chinese diesel heaters that I don't even need. Oh wait- I used to do that before 5G... But why do these infernal scientists always want to turn us into zombies? I'm probably two thirds zombie already. It feels like a waste of their resources.

That basin can be a wind trap when it gets blowy. In fact its the only time one of my big solar panels has been blown clean off the roof (although that was because I stupidly forgot to lower it when I knew high winds were coming). I was moored in front of Cuddington a couple of times during stormy weather, and it was a bit unnerving to come out at night and watch her huge shadowy bulk begin to move towards you with the gusts, and strain against those big ropes. I couldn't help but go and check out her mooring ropes next mooring, just to make sure.

Well I must say, as AI chaps go, you're a saucy devil.

Not being possessed of intelligence myself (artificial or otherwise), I feel I am uniquely placed to weed these blighters out from among us. But look, I'm not accusing Nick of being an AI chap. I'm just asking the question.

Hmm. If you really were an AI boater, that's exactly what we'd expect you to say.... My advice would be to fess up old boy. You've had a good run, but the game is up.

Steady on old chap. The different oil grades is a fascinating topic. Perhaps we're being a bit hasty in judging these young AI fellers. BTW, I've suspected Nick Norman is an AI chap for some time now, but one doesn't like to make a fuss.

I think we can smoke the buggers out, by God. All we do is start a chat about charging lithium batteries. If they are still awake and interested after an hour of that, they can't be human. A thread about the merits of blue signs will probably work just as well.

Almost all my posts fit the above criteria. I must be an AI thingy. And I'd have gotten away with it, if it wasn't for those pesky mods.

So this filter of yours prevents large blocks of bland human-sounding text from being posted? Half of the forum will be scuppered by such a thing. Still, good to know our Morlock overlords are on the case. Jolly good show.

I might as well go and jump in the cut now....

Let me be blunt Peter. If I ever was an actual zombie, I would never have an ageist policy. But I would be a practical zombie. If they stop to pick up that genny from the bank, I'm more than likely going to nab the old buggers.

That is a very impressive reserve of fuel. If there's ever a zombie apocalypse I'm heading for your marina. (Unless I've already been bitten by a zombie, in which case I'll be heading for the nearest 48 hour moorings to chomp on all of those slow moving elderly boaters. They are a bit chewy (allegedly), but at full chat I reckon they are about as a fast as your average 1980's George Romero zombie. I'm bound to bag a few of the blighters.

I've heard that if you are willing to volunteer for some of the work they do, CRT might allow you to stay longer than normally allowed, in some places anyway. So you might be able to get stuck in and help with a restoration project for a couple of months, which I imagine would be more satisfying for you.

I wonder if it would be worth asking if they would split the difference, so to speak? They've known you for a long time, and they'll be aware that you would not suddenly go rogue and deliberately cheat them. And likewise, they would not knowingly cheat you. If you can have a reasonable chat on the phone, they might accept a compromise payment of £50, on the basis that they are just as likely as you are to have made a mistake. If I may add a suggestion old boy, I think a hundred pounds is a rather large sum to allow one's lady wife to carry about in public. In my day we gave them an allowance sufficient to pay for a cucumber sandwich and a hansom ride home from the WI, and they were jolly grateful for it. She'll be asking for a phone next.

How dare you insult the dear leader? I am offended, in a limited and specific way.

In case you missed it or skimmed it, do have a think about Brian's reply above. I would ask what the boat has been doing for the last 12 months, but without mentioning why you're asking. This admittedly is quite unlikely, but if it has been out on hire for a year without a service, that might indicate some degree of neglect. It seems much more likely that its just been sat idle for months or had low usage, in which case a year between services might make more sense. E.g. it may have been in private hands for the last year or two, and perhaps done low engine hours since its hire career. In the engine service record its possible you may see a list of service stamps by the hire boat company over say 15 years, and there might be a hand written entry by a private owner after that. Either way you will see the engine hours recorded at the last service a year ago, and you can compare that with the current engine hours. If it's gone way over its service interval you may be able to negotiate a bit of a price reduction, or decide to walk away if there are other things you don't like the look of when you start and run it

I used to prefer VM1 as I think its the only one with rings at both ends, and they fitted my 50fter pretty well. If I remember right, most of those spots need you to use pins (although I think they go will into the ground easily, so its not a problem). The end spots are also easier to get in and out when its windy and all the spots are occupied- spots 2 and 4 can be a bit tricky to reverse out of (or into) in a high wind. Its quite something seeing that big black coaster looming high up behind you in spots 2 and 4, and I was a tad nervous one night when the wind really got up and it started pulling around on its mooring ropes. I was there a few times off season and on many nights I was the only visitor boat in there, and it was quite an atmospheric place to be on still nights, after the hotel restaurant was closed and it was all quiet. On the summer days local fishing enthusiasts would often climb over the gate and come down to fish in the basin, but I never felt threatened by any of them, even when in there alone. The staff will probably warn you about it, but just in case- keep clear of the sunk vessels on the right as you come out of the lower lock. The normal exit point after the place closes is through the bins area (uses a standard key), but they might give you the number for the lock on the gate that is near to the pub- it's a bit closer for reaching the shops etc. If you're staying there for a while, fill up with water before you go in. The times I came up through the locks to get water, there was always a boat moored on the water point (and always another boat next to it), which was a pain.