magnetman

I like thinking about how the brakes worked on horse drawn barges.

Theories around it being deliberate. Part of managed decline of the system perhaps. The outgoing man in charge Mr Parry did mention the word 'declassify' in an interview. Perhaps this was a hint. It seems to me this is unlikely to improve and the drought conditions are not the only reason for the closures. There are other changes coming up. The lock self filling or self emptying could be due to problems with the cill. If these start failing due to age it could get awkward.

Yes it does seem mildly pointless to have an automatic bilge pump with an off switch. It sort of defeats the object. If you need to isolate it take the fuse out.

I personally think it looks awful. Well known British newspaper. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/ None of that 'title case' BS. It is part of the dumbing down and creep of Americanism.

It has nothing to do with classical education. Its American. British English does not present a title like that. Title capitalisation is a style that is commonly associated with American English, where major words in titles are capitalised, including nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs, while minor words such as articles, prepositions, and conjunctions are not, unless they are the first or last word of the title. In contrast, British English typically uses sentence case for headlines, where only the first word and any proper nouns are capitalised. However, for titles of works, British English may also use title case, but it is less common than in American English.

Trump voter switch.

I don't find it sad at all when old people die. Can you imagine what a nightmare it would be if this did not happen? For one thing the buses would overrun with people probably including some clinging on to the outside and this would definitely result in nasty accidents.

I'm not convinced this is all about the water supply. It seems a little convenient for this to be happening during a time of very sigificant land use change in this country and also when the CRT navigation authority are engaged in some high level discussion about how to handle those who chose to use their property for whatever reason. Also know as the CRT Commission. Obviously weather patterns are changing but there could be another side to this which is indicating who is in charge. At the end of the day there must be a hierarchy. It sort of seems like land owner powers being used. i know there is a lack of water as well but that would be dealt with if canals were being used for their original purpose. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90WD_ats6eE

Canal & River Trust Captures Timeless Magic of Britain’s Canals Why do These People Put Capital Letters on Everything ? Is this the Dumbing Down Again? All these old people are going to be like 'screw the grandkids lets just give the money to the navigation authority'

I am pretty sure that John Orentas is supposed to be John Orentas (RIP). In terms of forum admin I tend to think it would be good to keep an eye on this sort of thing. @NigelMoore Another example.

One hopes the button above is not for freezing the bilge water. If it is then the pump will not work.

One approach is to take a bond payment from members. I don't know how this would operate and it would need to be done properly to avoid embezzlement but I do believe that some places which allow houseboats apply this condition. I also think in this day and age the CRT may potentially consider a similar approach. Basically demand a ten grand deposit. If someone comes along and says 'I can not afford that' then the answer is another question 'why do you think you can afford a Boat?'. Lining the pockets of unsurance salesmen is of course another way to do it. I had the misfortune to be renting a property for 6 months during my life and when we moved back to a Boat the owners tried to claim money from me from the deposit I had left because the shitty garden was not maintained. I did point out to them that they had not put the deposit into a government scheme which was an obligation and they gave me the full deposit back. The geyser did moan but it's not my problem if he was not following the law for BTL property owners. Going down a different track here but IF the CRT could engage with a similar project and improve enforcement on unlicensed craft they could find that the use of their property by others would become considerably less problematic. REQUIRE a licence and also DEMAND a prepaid deposit to cover damage and/or obstruction by the Boat. It could all be part of the rearrangement the 'Licensing framework' now that they know what is actually happening.

Otherwise known as unsurance. The point is that it is third party unsurance. So if your Boat sinks in a lock it appears that you as the insured can not make a claim for recovery of the vessel. The waterways authority can claim against your unsurance but would they then give the Boat back to you? What I mean is does the unsurance company now own part of your Boat in this situation?

I would definitely be worried if my red Diesel went green... Does UK gasoil/cherry/red Diesel have the same veg content as road fuel? I wonder if it has less and lasts longer than the white stuff. .Yes and if the tank has junk at the bottom its worth considering cutting a hole in the top and getting everything out. Fuel 'polishing' cleans the fuel but if the tank has rubbish they might not get everything out.

I have 3rd party only. I do realise what 'seaworthy' means and was being facetious.

One of my Boats had this arrangement and it ended up putting scalding hot water through the taps. Maybe it could work if every faucet had a thermostatic mixing valve on it. Seems dodgy. Usually the engine heated water will be warm enough anyway. Instantaneous water heaters raise the temperature BY a certain amount. Boilers and engine cooling circuits raise the temperature TO a certain amount. Combine these and there is hazard.

Yes. Then bill the vessel owner later. I hope it does not say this for narrowboat policies. Or is it not meant to be taken literally. Piece of plywood over the well deck?

insured

But how would the insurance company know the Boat had sunk through neglect? They would need to get it out and do a survey.

It would be interesting to know what the OP @Cheshire cat meant. Did they mean 'will I get my Boat floated for free if it sinks' or did they mean 'will I get a bill if it sinks'. One idly wonders how the ownership works if someone else pays to have the vessel floated. Presumably the insurance company have some sort of claim so if it was raised and the owner wanted it back they would need to pay the costs.

^ Good point. Basic Boat Liability does have wreck removal but as you suggest this is for the use of a third party ie navigation authority or riparian owner not the vessel owner. If it was for the vessel owner it would be too easy to scam it by insuring a junk Boat then letting it sink then employing your mate to salvage it and bill the insurance company.

I also find it interesting that the CRT are closing canals due to water resources at the same time as a discussion is being had about the future of the licensing framework. I realise it is basically about the water supply but it is also a way for the CRT to indicate to those who choose to use the land (and water on top) which they own that the authority is in charge of it. It has a kind of muscle-flexing feel to it. Just a hunch this could be good timing. Here is the gaugemap overall view today These are flow. levels, groundwater and rain. Red indicates stations which are below their expected levels.

So glad the windlass survived. I have 13 and 15 year old daughters at the moment and have pointed out to them that it's not a big deal if they fall in and drown because I can make other children. Maybe this joke (and ageing) does not work so well any more. All good fun. I fell in Marlow lock the other day and discovered there is no egress ladder. Managed to get out onto the launch but whacked my rib cage badly. When the lock is empty the stair well is above summer level and there is no ladder insert. Boulters lock does have ladder inserts. I had assumed Marlow also did until I discovered it does not.

To be fair I am no expert but leaves seem to be wilting. Mayne it is shrubs not trees. I have seen overloaded plum trees bent right over and a walnut tree with the lower branches on the ground.

1995 was my first full year living aboard. Although I had a 30ft narrow we also owned a house by the Thames so I was there during summer having spent the winter on the canal around Braunston. Regarding the water 'shortage' it is worth noting that weirs on the Thames are not thus far completely closed. There is still quite a lot of groundwater about. The winter of 23/24 was the second wettest since 1871 and apparently this spring was the driest since 1893. So while there are regional shortages it's not actually dried up which may explain why there is enough water for people to drink. Interesting times. A lot of trees showing signs of stress I wonder how this will go.