magnetman

Another thing is having to explain how to spell it either over the radio (phonetic alphabet) or in person. One of the best Boat names I encountered was ONX. I was unaware of the literary origin but it was an easy one to spell or write down. This is why I often consider renaming my boat A.

You just couldn't resist it.

Quite handy side impact crash protection as well.

The superstition thing is interesting. Statistically speaking doing something like that is just as likely to result in good luck as it is to result in bad luck. It actually makes no difference and of course if the outcome is good luck then thats great. It is a risk worth taking. On the balance of probability it is likely that the outcome will be neutral. For a CRT licensed Boat as said above just log in to your online account and change the name. The CRT system operates using index numbers so the name is basically irrelevant. What I don't know is whether one can change the name to something rude or if there is a filter.

Did he also deny that there was a possibility of canals being reclassified? Mr Parry raised this point in that interview he did a while ago. Reclassifying is not closure but as I understand it (correction welcome as always) it has the effect of removing the obligation to maintain the waterway. So it could be closure by stealth.

His narrow Boat went right under when the tide came up at the mooring near Wickes. A way above the radial at the top of Barking creek. Not a very good indicator. But reading the article yes I agree that if moves can be made to transit from third world 'chuck the shit in the river' strategy towards more modern 'sort the infrastructure' approaches to policy making then the decline could potentially be slowed down a bit.

15m long 4m wide you want a Diesel engine. About 75-90hp with a good driveline and a sensible size propeller. Electric is going to be a nuisance. i am a massive fan of electric Boats but thats going to be too big and too costly to sort out if you want it reliable.

I reckon the natural human conditio is to have transient relationships with everything. Other people, animals, the environment, food, water &c. All that is actually happening is the Basic Conveyor Belt Situation. It is impossible to alter this.

This is indeed an interesting point. My mother lived on a canal Boat for 12 yars and returned to land for various reasons. It was a family story and did not end well. I often think she should have stayed on Boats but perhaps had a wide Boat as she was based on the Grand Union and it is entirely pointless having a narrow there. After several yars of living in a small flat she decided to take her own life. A family trait but I wonder if the change from Boat life which is actually incredibly pleasant to living on land again was part of the trigger. In her case the move from land to a Boat was attempting to escape from something in her own head. As Bob Marley said 'you can't run away from yourself". How true. By all means move onto a Boat but don't under any circumstances think that it will solve your basic life problems because it won't. Yes living on a Boat is wonderful. I love it and have always done it but this in itself can cause issues because it presents as being an amazingly beautiful life but in reality it is actually fairly complicated and a little arduous.

I started living on Boats when I was 19. I am now 50 and never stopped. Its just my thing. I did take a mooring when the kids were little but now they are ashore with their mum. I am back off grid and NFA which is my natural status. I can't really imagine any other way. I suppose ageing takes its toll and mobility but I think having done it for a long time will make it easier. I have a friend who is 79 who has been on Boats since the late 1960s. He still manages, tied to a tree with a boarding plank, ebike and a dinghy. Its alright but things are gradually changing. The more the merrier but at the same time increasing numbers can cause changes in policies and things become generally more awkward. I always wanted to live on a Boat as a kid and was lucky enough to be able to do so from a fairly young age. I can see the rest of my life being on Boats unless there is a dramatic change of some sort in the health situation.

Nasty. I see to recall reading a story recently that catapults were becoming fashionable with the kids. We always had Black Widow and Diablo catapults as teenagers. I used to buy lead from the scrapyard then melt it down and mould shot in the smaller of the sockets in my 3/8 socket set. you get a nice hexagonal lead projectile. Very effective. I shot a flying pigeon once but never anyone's residential windows or Boats. I also did quite a lot with various air rifles. I personally think that this incident is a catapult with a 10mm ball. I think a pellet is a bit small to carry that much energy into a window from a distance unless it is a very powerful rifle. My medium power air pistol would not do that. There are lots of youtube videos about unconventional and very effective catapult systems which people may well be making at home. Some of them question the legality of catapults themselves because they are remarkably powerful and accurate.

Interesting approach. I think it would be technically awkward. Discussed before on here and I raised the point in this thread which caused some reasonably interesting comments

I did see someone open a lock gate with a mini digger once. Effortless at least thats how it looked. Being on the River these days I open the gates by pressing a button. Terribly arduous really.

there is a risk associated with pushing backwards onto a balance beam. If one were to slip the spine is quite exposed. Do the wrong thing with the spine and it could turn out nasty. One reason to never put your windlass in the back of the belt. I always push balance beams with the bum and legs and also hold on so if the feet do slip it is not serious.

I always breasted gates open when I was traveling in my narrow Boat. No need to strike anything. Pirelli P6000 tyre wrapped around the stem so nothing can get caught. There was a geyser at Hanwell flight once who berated me and informed me that they would take away my licence. He then proceeded to tie his Boat to the egress ladder top rails while descending. I did have to politely point out that tying a heavy Boat to key clamp railings is never wise and the egress ladder is a safety feature in case people fall in the chamber. Break off the top rail and it is very difficult to use. Loosen the top rail and someone is going to hold it and end up in the water with it on top of them. And the idiot was telling me off for gently breasting a gate open !!

Correct.