Bee

I too, am inclined to think its not worth the bother. If its your first boat you will soon have a list of things you would like for your next boat, some will be much more cost effective, more insulation if you live on board, better heating, more space and so on. You say there might be room under the cockpit floor for an engine, I wonder if it was originally fitted with an engine that died? and was replaced with an outboard? just a thought.

There are a lot of people on the canals whose main pleasure is in being grumpy, argumentative, boorish, quoting rules and bylaws, policing their little bit of bank, interfering with everybody else's day, thinking they are experts after 18 months of boating and thinking that spending a lot on a boat entitles them to special treatment. There are also a lot of very nice people who realise that they are fortunate to have a boat and a canal to travel on and add a bit of joy to the day. Its a bit early to raise a glass of alcoholic stuff but I will lift a cup of coffee to them.

Today I have broken at least 6 traffic rules, (going a bit quick, naughty parking, ignoring 'residents only' road closure, driving with unsafe load in van (motor scythe unsecured) and for lunch I had a bit of Gouda that we smuggled through customs a few weeks ago. After repairing the motor scythe I started it and broke noise rules (the exhaust was not fixed) and I'm sure that I will break a few more before bed time tonight. After I go to sleep most of my dreams are illegal. I feel so GOOD and the day I give up and wear tartan slippers and a caramel cardigan I will put the pillow over my own head. RCD indeed!

Couldn't say what this is but corrosion can be nasty on the inside of a boat. I've seen barrowloads of scale come out of a narrowboat and the same from a Dutch sailing barge. Also look at the join where the sides meet the bottom, that is vulnerable too. When boats are built they should have good access to the bottom. It should be possible to get the floor up . It doesn't matter about the beautiful design or the brilliant fit out. Thing is that it takes a lot of work and money to do this and the customer seldom thinks about the stuff under the floor. You should not just screw the floor down and build the rest of the boat on top of it as it is a hell of a job to get it up again. Anyway. It should be well painted inside, Mine is painted with bitumen paint, probably not the best choice but I had a budget and it is still fine but diesel and possibly Waxoyl will dissolve it. As ever the answer is paint and then even more paint and keep it as dry as poss.

You are correct about the RCD actually specifying cable standards and stuff, I think the BSS does as well but I've no idea if they vary or are comparable. Also there is stuff like stability and 'Downflooding' which I think is just 'Sinking' and the categories that any boat is built for, everything from the Grand union to the South Atlantic in winter. I doubt if any narrowboat or widebeam has ever had a meaningful stability test. I know that my self certified boat was not built to any of the manufacturing standards as I did it myself on a patch of ground in the open with no employees and occasional electricity but it does have an emergency steering apparatus in case the hydraulics burst - a tiller that slots into a socket and that was a requirement at the time and I bet there are precious few narrowboats that have that yet they will claim to be built to the RCD. Its a strange hybrid the RCD, it tries to cover the making and selling all boats so it is so vague and generalised as to be quite meaningless - apart from the manual which is specific to the boat.

3 grand sounds more than reasonable to me. There are many hours or even many days of work just compiling the manual. To do it properly and by the book is a big job. Most of the RCD is nothing to do with the construction of the boat so its not like a boat safety cert, or a survey ,its all about the manufacturing processes and procedures that the builder followed to ensure a level playing field for manufacturers. If the boat has a safety certificate it is 'canalworthy' Your friend can self certify that it complies (happy to be corrected if that has changed) and take a chance on it. That will take a good week of research in itself. Anyway, the chances of any trouble are microscopic. That's what I did but Bee is now 15 yrs old or so and outside the RCD stuff.

I kind of think that primer is just stuff that you should overcoat within a day or two but last year I primed the back deck of Bee after sanding, scraping and generally taking it back to something like mostly bare steel with Hammerite water based primer, funny looking pink stuff. just slapped a coat on then it rained for 3 days and I had to leave it for nearly 12 months because of covid. Thought it would be awful but it was not too bad. I now use it quite happily for any metal priming.

Pricing is difficult. Overplated at 30 years? Hardly surprising so that's OK by me, but to get that sort of money I would expect to see it kept in very good condition, a sort of rolling refit if you like so that it is largely less than 10 years old or it was a very special boat when built and on its way to being a classic. However if its just a decent boat that has had some overplating and is much the same as it was when built that prices just daft.

Two! He must have staff! I've always lived by the rule of only ever one boat and one wife at a time. Any more ends in tears and poverty.

That's a bit too big for most of us on here, in fact that's really only likely to be of interest to sea going ex trawlers and a few hefty old barges.

Look, this is ridiculous. If a boat is in the way and you have to move it then MOVE IT. when you have got your own boat out MOVE IT BACK. This is not a problem. It happens from time to time. I have done it without even seeing it as a problem, people might well have moved my boat up a yard or two, I wouldn't know. Boats are not permanently fixed to the bank. That bit of bank does not belong to the boat owner. Its a bit like seeing a boat untied or adrift at one end. Tie it up, don't bother to tell CRT or try to find the owner, just tie the thing up. Its just part of the day to day stuff that happens. If the offending boat is full of hells angels then get someone from CRT to stand around whilst you move it. I can't believe this has become a problem.

They're a bit specialist hydraulic drives. Sometimes seen on motorised butty's where fitting a conventional stern tube etc is awkward, sometimes seen with front engined boats, e.g. engine under a tug front deck with hydraulic motor at the back and sometimes seen on boats with transverse engines or engines mounted to one side. All these are compelling reasons to fit hydraulic drive but apart from that a straightforward engine and gearbox makes more sense. Hydraulic bow thruster? no idea.

I had the opposite. Damned engine would not stop when I pressed the stop thingy. Loose wire behind the panel, I had just installed a radio and all the fiddling about must have moved it.

Oh that's just ridiculous. Ask them to move and then just try and get out. You can't just go around blocking people in, If you cause damage then you are responsible but they can't refuse to move, its a b***** canal. Surely the occupants must go to work / shopping or get water sometime. Phone CRT and really kick up a hell of a stink then get the local paper involved, local councillor and tell CRT what you are doing. Stuff that.

Looks like the Loire. Looks like Briare. Thought there were more trees than that though. Beautiful river, always thought it needs a few great big diplodocuses wading in the river eating weed.

The Thames is lovely and unless its flowing fast after heavy rain is really quite safe. Locks are fine but handling the ropes at both ends could be tricky as all your locks will be uphill, Have not had to manage a long boat in big locks alone for a while, where I do my boating I just tie the front end, shove it in gear with the rudder hard over and give it a few revs but The Thames lock keepers will not like that. Others will no doubt advise.