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On the basis that the more times these 'events' are shared, the more likely it is that boaters will fit and maintain their smoke and CO alarms, here is a salutary tale: I awoke this morning to the usual Scottish sub-zero temperatures at around 7.00 and nipped down to the other end of the boat, to resurrect the coal stove in the boatman's cabin which I riddled, opening up the chimney damper and firebox air inlet. The boat's gentle rocking, as I scooted back to my warm cosy bed under the tug deck, could be heard breaking the ice that had formed around the hull over night. I had promised myself a wee 15 minute doze before pulling on clothes, emptying the ash pan and shoveling a fresh charge of smokeless into the Epping. About 10 minutes into my now dreaming state, the persistent, repeating three beeps of the CO alarm started to penetrate into my unconsciousness, demanding my attention - which I was only too willing to give it once my befuddled brain struggled into gear. Now for the facts: The boat is about three months into its latest BSS; probably has twice as much ventilation as the regulations require + a lot of unwanted air ingress from poorly fitting hatches (all 6 of them!). The alarm is about 5 months old and once I'd dealt with the problem, it happily went back to sleep - so not a malfunction. I should add that none of this ventilation is blocked up and the offending stove is approximately 48ft from where I was dozing, close to the combined smoke and CO alarm. (Who says Ecofans don't shift air/fumes around a boat efficiently!?) I guess the moral is clear. I've also made a pact with myself to remember to test it regularly and replace it after about 5 years - kinda cheap really when you consider what it's already achieved!

If you look at the listing of the individual place names in Nicholson you will find that if there is a station it will be be annotated. Those stations that are a little way away are also mentioned with an appropriate caption.

With a bit of care it's an excellent solution to keeping oneself dry and the wet stuff out of a trad BMC. In the winter, with the stove alight, one is not only dry (however heavy the rain) but also warmed by great draughts of heated (or should that be 'hot'?) air coming up from below. With the back doors tight closed one can keep dry & toasty all day long.

If you take a picture of your boat with an iPhone the metadata attached to that image will include a geotag (precise locational information) along with date, time and all the photo data. I'm sure this applies to other GPS enabled smart phones as well. This would be simpler than keeping a detailed journey log, far less effort and proof positive! There is also an App called Trails (£1.99 from iTunes) that records your position over a day's journey. This log can be emailed to the computer/device that you use to download your images to and the GPS data 'attached' to the metadata of any images that you've taken that day (it simply syncronizes the time the image was taken with the location plotted in Trails against time of that plot) - effectively giving your camera GPS functionality and a geotag on all your images. As someone who has to be able to locate all the images that I take around the waterways, I find this a particularly inexpensive option when compared to buying DSLR cameras with GPS functionality and means that I can use any camera and still have my images geotagged. Anyone wanting more info please feel free to pm me.

By all accounts that's highly unlikely to be a possibility - C&RT are talking about a May finish now. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

Same company as Oxfordshire Narrowboats - but at Bradford on Avon on the K&A (with a nifty name change) - have a day boat for hire: Wiltshire Narrowboats Bradford, Frome Road, Bradford on Avon BA15 2EA(01225 863987/07561 096679; www.wiltshire-narrowboats).

Recent correspondence in Waterways World clearly indicates that this 'winding hole' is in private ownership and not available for general use - which is probably why Nicholson doesn't show it

I saw it in the iTunes store on Apple so that means it's available for iPad; iPhone and iPod Touch (if your eyesight's up to it!). It comes up under waterways - books.

I was intrigued to see that as from 14th March, Nicholson Guide 1 - Grand Union, Oxford and the South East - and Nicholson Guide 4 - Four Counties and the Welsh Canals - will be available as eBooks.

Note that C&RT will not allow boats longer than 60ft up (or down) the Tinsley Flight between Rotherham and Sheffield.

Several recent posts have mentioned http://www.petepower.co.uk/ as a reliable source of generators and unbeatable advice in the subject. Not to mention excellent service. There is also quite a lot of info on running (Honda) generators on LPG on their site - which might just be another angle for the OP to consider.

What sort of state is the duck in?

Of course C&RT could always take a leaf out of Scottish Canal's book - afterall imitation is the sincerest form of flattery: The Living on Water Initiative is being run by Scottish Canals to bring new vibrancy to Scotland’s canals. The goal of the initiative is to stimulate the growth of the residential and commercial market by creating high-quality moorings that will form safe, friendly and lively communities. Its aims include: • To encourage more people to live, work and play on the water. • To provide waterside communities with an enhanced 'sense of place’. • To stimulate ‘active living’ and drive economic growth. The initial phase of the initiative is focused on Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness. It will then be extended to other parts of Scotland’s canal network. Living on Water is part of an overall strategy to deliver sustainable development and improvements to Scotland’s canals and towpaths. Over the past decade, significant progress has been made. Living on Water will continue this success story into the future. Six of the eight Edinburgh moorings have already been let (the remaining 2 are on Ebay right now). Those at Inverness are on the go, while the Glasgow moorings are not that far behind. And that's just for starters! For more details check out: http://www.livingonwater.co.uk/index.php/homepage/show/home/home

Fishing Monthly reports: "............ that the prototype tackle rigged to catch a monster pike in the L&L Canal will need to go back to the drawing board (once it is recovered). The massive hook and jib arrangement which, although providing built in shelter for the angler (together with an elevated position from which he could look extremely miserable) proved to be unstable and did not function well in its submarine pursuit mode".

Speaking generally, 'cause I have no direct experience of the Bubble stove but have a Dickinson cooker on my boat and have, over the years, installed many domestic oil boilers: Heating oil (or kerosene) is a 28 sec oil while diesel is a 35 sec oil. This is actually a measurement of the time taken for a given quantity of the oil to run through a certain sized orifice. However, in practical terms it tells us that kerosene is a thinner oil. Most pressure jet domestic boilers of my acquaintance can be run on either but with the CORRECT jet fitted. Domestic boilers are nearly always jetted for kerosene and, if for some reason they are to be run on diesel, a replacement jet is obtained from the manufacturer (with of course a larger hole). My Dickinson - which is a natural draught boiler, with no doubt a similar metering and burner design to the Bubble; Reflecks; etc - can be calibrated on the metering device to suit the viscosity of the fuel. Dickinson make the point that in cold weather it might be necessary to burn kerosene, as diesel becomes too viscous (thick) to flow fast enough. Based on this experience, I would expect that if a pressure jet device (many of the Kabolas as well as domestic boilers) is specified to run on either 28 sec kerosene or 35 sec diesel (AKA gasoil) then there will be two interchangeable jets available for it, obtainable from the manufacturer. For the Bubble stove, Dickinson, Reflecks, Old Dutch, etc changing from kerosene to diesel (or vice versa) requires recalibration on the metering device, remembering that kerosene is the less viscous (thinner) of the two fuels and will therefore flow faster. Into this heady mix should be added ambient temperature - both fuels become more viscous and therefore flow more slowly as the temperature drops, hence the need to calibrate the metering device once the stove is up to temperature. On a boat, fuel is often purchased in the summer and consumed in a stove over the winter. Only diesel sold in the run up to winter/through the winter has an additive to reduce the cloud point (when it stops flowing altogether) from around 0 deg C to about minus 9 deg C (give or take).

RSPB NEWSFLASH "Cranes replace herons as the most commonly sighted wader on Leeds & Liverpool Canal"

On the face of it I would find it hard to disagree with this sentiment and, indeed, all the other points of view expressed in this thread. However, I feel a 'but' coming on ........... so in no particular order I'll amplify on some areas of my original post: 1) On the whole it's been a very boater-centric view of the Lowland Canals so far. My previous mooring was mid way between Stockton and Calcutt Locks on the GU in Warwickshire and whilst I enjoyed the view of constant boat traffic, I saw very few cyclists and walkers - but no one could deny that the canal was being used. At Bowling the number of towpath users probably approaches three figures per hour on a sunny summer weekend. Not much in the way of boats I'll grant you - but the waterway ain't half getting used! 2) The Locks west of Glasgow are large, deep and wide. There are no by-washes and no ground paddles. Just a pair of very large gate paddles to fill the lock which, fully open, they can do extremely quickly. Throughout most of the year (precipitation finds it hard to distinguish between winter and summer up here) there are large volumes of water weiring over the top gates. The experienced boater can probably see what this combination has the potential to inflict on his less experienced brethren. As Mr Shakespeare observed: 'When ignorance is bliss 'tis folly to be wise." And that was before he took a narrowboat holiday on the western end of the Forth & Clyde Canal. 3) Locks 17 - 20 on the eastern end of the Waterway are, by comparison, mere pussycats and having undergone a training session, boaters are allowed to operate these locks themselves. Taking account of the wide ranging skill levels that boaters cruising this canal will have, IMHO I feel that this is a pretty balanced approach to boating the F&C on the part of SC. 4) The trip from Maryhill to Bowling, taking account of the 17 locks, is a 9 - 4 O'clock day of pretty hard boating with the aid of two SC teams, leapfrogging one another, and a short lunch break. In common with the urban sprawl of many large cities, there's no where that I'd particularly want to stop on the way, but the real jewel in the crown of the western end of the F&C is Bowling Harbour (history; infrastructure; location in relation to the Clyde Estuary; deep sea shipping; etc; etc) and especially the view 'doon the w'ter'. So I have no problem with transiting this stretch of canal in the company of SC. 24 hrs notice and a friendly gang show up. We have a good laugh on the way up or down and, regardless of the weather, the banter is always of the highest order. I seem to recall that once upon a time all locks were operated by lock keepers - although perhaps the addition of a Transit van is a relatively new feature! 5) And the pie-in-the-sky, pipe dreaming bit? Well, self operation of the locks on the western side becomes a realistic and safe option for all comers once said locks have by-washes. Deep sighs from SC as I am smartly removed to the lunatic fringe. But hey ho, surely all this surplus water cascading daily over the lock gates provides the pecuniary answer. Install hydro-electric turbines in the newly created bywashes and to my (admittedly sometimes naive) mind we have manageable locks and revenue to pay off the cost of the upgrade. So, in summary, what do the Lowland Canals have to offer: end to end approximately 70 miles of very varied cruising. 35 miles of the F & C where navigating some sections requires co-ordination with an SC team. Another 35 miles of Union Canal (the Mathematical Canal) that is completely lock free and only involves co-ordination with the rowing activities at the Edinburgh end. On balance my experience is that there are many more pluses than minuses. The most realistic and immediate improvement is boater operation of the bridges from Kirkintilloch east, implemented through a willingness to overcome a few political hurdles. As for the countless bascule structures scattered amongst the lock flights on the western end, I'm delighted to let the SC team do the honours. Self-operation here could wear thin pretty soon I reckon! P.S. For those still determined to hold out for self-operation of the 'big buggers'(locks 21 - 37) do just stop and count up the number of boat sinkings in locks over the 2012 season alone. These were all very 'tame' structures in comparison with what we have on the western end of the F&C and yet both private and hire boaters came to grief, probably down to a few moments inattention.

RLWP, on 12 January 2013 - 04:11 PM, said: We don't hear much about what happened to the Scottish canals after the formation of CaRT. Could you explain the difference? Richard RLWP's question above (in response to an entirely different thread) made me think that this warranted a thread all of its own. The divergence/divorce between Scottish Canals and C&RT is interesting and IMHO worth noting - hence my somewhat random jottings below: Although known as British Waterways Scotland before the 'divorce,' the Scottish operation was effectively just a satellite of the outfit south of the border. All back office functions were carried out in Leeds and funding was through the Scottish government. Re-branded as Scottish Canals, we are still funded directly from Holyrood, alongside the usual revenue from licenses, property, commercial activity, etc. The government are very aware of the strong tourist potential of the Scottish waterways and their structures - such as the Falkirk Wheel - and are keen to use and promote them to bolster the economy. We now pay our mooring, licence and lecky fees direct to Scottish Canals who are a relatively small, lively and imaginative team, proactive in some sensible and worthwhile ideas - like the 'Living on Water' initiative - which is actively promoting a water-based lifestyle with its ebay auctions of residential moorings in Edinburgh, Inverness and Glasgow. Scottish Canals and the Scottish government enjoy a very close, fruitful and positive relationship and work closely together in bringing waterway-based projects to fruition. The £45 million Helix project (probably the largest waterway project underway in Britain at the moment: Kelpies, nearly 1Km of new canal and a whole lot more besides - www.thehelix.co.uk) is a good example of what is being achieved, as is Pinkston Paddlesports in Glasgow. These are, amongst other things, all about getting a wide range of people to engage with the waterways in all spheres of life. Visit www.scottishcanals.co.uk to get a flavour of what's going on - the 'feel' of this site is, I believe, very different from the C&RT site. Other random differences: the mooring and licence fees (since the divorce) are now collected as a combined payment which I understand represents quite an admin saving; there are few enough boats for SC to known where we are so one has to have some form of recognised mooring be it offside, non-residential or residential; it's very much a case of 'waterways for all' as although I don't see a lot of boats passing the doors of my back cabin, the towpath is usually heaving with commuters, walkers, cyclists and pram-pushers throughout the year. The towpath has a hard surface from 12 miles west of Glasgow (indeed through to Loch Lomond) to Edinburgh and is amazingly well used. Oh, and of course, the big one: all locks and moveable structures are operated by SC staff as there are no by-washes at the locks, meaning that a large proportion of the not inconsiderable Scottish rainfall is weiring over the lock gates throughout the year, with the result that chambers often seem to be filling quicker than they are emptying! It's not unknown for 4 four beafy blokes, together with the ubiquitous Transit van, to be hung on the end of a balance beam to 'crack' the bottom gates. So lock operation can be hairy and it's not just a case of 'It's my train set and you're not going to play with it' as is sometimes quoted. However, I do believe I could handle bridge operation ......... but that's rather 'political'. Usual disclaimers - right down to the fact that I'm a sassenach from way south of the border with a fair few years experience of the English and Welsh waterways!

Although known as British Waterways Scotland before the 'divorce,' the Scottish operation was effectively just a satellite of the outfit south of the border. All back office functions were carried out in Leeds and funding was through the Scottish government. Re-branded as Scottish Canals, we are still funded directly from Holyrood, alongside the usual revenue from licenses, property, commercial activity, etc. The government are very aware of the strong tourist potential of the Scottish waterways and their structures - such as the Falkirk Wheel - and are keen to use and promote them to bolster the economy. We now pay our mooring, licence and lecky fees direct to Scottish Canals who are a relatively small, lively and imaginative team, proactive in some sensible and worthwhile ideas - like the 'Living on Water' initiative - which is actively promoting a water-based lifestyle with its ebay auctions of residential moorings in Edinburgh, Inverness and Glasgow. Scottish Canals and the Scottish government enjoy a very close, fruitful and positive relationship and work closely together in bringing waterway-based projects to fruition. The £45 million Helix project (probably the largest waterway project underway in Britain at the moment: Kelpies, nearly 1Km of new canal and a whole lot more besides - www.thehelix.co.uk) is a good example of what is being achieved, as is Pinkston Paddlesports in Glasgow. These are, amongst other things, all about getting a wide range of people to engage with the waterways in all spheres of life. Visit www.scottishcanals.co.uk to get a flavour of what's going on - the 'feel' of this site is, I believe, very different from the C&RT site. Other random differences: the mooring and licence fees (since the divorce) are now collected as a combined payment which I understand represents quite an admin saving; there are few enough boats for SC to known where we are so one has to have some form of recognised mooring be it offside, non-residential or residential; it's very much a case of 'waterways for all' as although I don't see a lot of boats passing the doors of my back cabin, the towpath is usually heaving with commuters, walkers, cyclists and pram-pushers throughout the year. The towpath has a hard surface from 12 miles west of Glasgow (indeed through to Loch Lomond) to Edinburgh and is amazingly well used. Oh, and of course, the big one: all locks and moveable structures are operated by SC staff as there are no by-washes at the locks, meaning that a large proportion of the not inconsiderable Scottish rainfall is weiring over the lock gates throughout the year, with the result that chambers often seem to be filling quicker than they are emptying! It's not unknown for 4 four beafy blokes, together with the ubiquitous Transit van, to be hung on the end of a balance beam to 'crack' the bottom gates. So lock operation can be hairy and it's not just a case of 'It's my train set and you're not going to play with it' as is sometimes quoted. However, I do believe I could handle bridge operation ......... but that's rather 'political'. Usual disclaimers - right down to the fact that I'm a sassenach from way south of the border with a far few years experience of the English and Welsh waterways!

I guess there's always the cheque option. I find them far more deserving than C&RT for many different reasons. Oh, and I have no connection with either Devon CC or the Friends of the Grand Western Canal, living pretty well at the other end of the country as I do. I'm only pleased that I pay my licence, lecky and residential mooring fees to Scottish Canals.

Remember that the Droitwich Canal is only a barge canal for its first 5 miles or so, leading from the Severn towards the town of Droitwich itself. The first of the two railway bridges (15), on the outskirts, is only 7' wide meaning that any widebeam craft has to wind before reaching the town and excellent moorings. The Junction Canal, connecting the town to the Worcester & Birmingham Canal, is a narrow canal so that the combined Droitwich Canals do not provide a ring for widebeam craft.

The Friends of the Grand Western Canal have started a fund to raise money to repair the disastrous breach that drained a large section of the canal at Halberton - in Devon - last November. To donate visit www.friendsgrandwesterncanal.org.uk and click on the Rescue Fund button at the top of the page. Money can be transferred painlessly via Just Giving (accessed from the website) or with a cheque via snail mail. IMHO this represents a much more deserving waterways cause than a C&RT breach simply on the grounds that C&RT are an organisation with the sole brief of maintaining waterways for which they receive funding. The Grand Western Canal (much like the Basingstoke) sits within the portfolio of a county council where there are many competing interests for ever dwindling funds. At present it seems far from certain that repair of this breach is a guaranteed outcome. Doubtless there will be other, equally strong, views on this!

So you're starting to get a good cross section of builders specializing in the area of boat building that you're really interested in. Yes, I can see why you admire the lines of the Tyler/Wilson widebeam but IMHO they're based on the lines of the genuine article - a Dutch Barge. Many reasons for buying the real thing second hand have already been stated on this thread. Let me just add that with the genuine article you'd be buying character and an important piece of history. Anything else is, to a greater or lesser extent, a mere parody. I mentioned Peter Nicholls in my last post as a serious name to add to your growing list. Visit http://www.steelboats.com/welcome.html to see what he's about. He's been building steel boats since 1973 and knows a thing or two about the subject matter that you're interested in. Amongst many others he built Timothy Spall's boat - can't quite decide whether that's a recommendation or not!! Like other builders mentioned earlier in this thread he's very generous with his time, advice and expertise. One of his range might just match the spec you're after. Good luck and happy hunting!

For every job undertaken in this world it is always possible to identify the ideal tool - usually following some informed research. However, no amount of training is going to make an unsuitable tool do the job well. So I repeat my question from my earlier post: what Category (letter A - D) are Messers Tyler and Wilson going to stamp on their builders plate? Verbal assurances will count for little with your insurance company and - further down the line - with a future purchaser. Nor will they enable you to safely enjoy the type of boating you have in mind. Waxing even more philosophical (for which I hope you'll forgive me) might I observe that you are embarking on a journey - only from what I have read so far, you appear to be starting at the end, and (with some reluctance it might appear) are now walking backwards towards the beginning! I would have started by joining the Barge Association (indeed I did when I was in your position) and in conjunction with the wealth of information and experience available from that source alone started to formulate my plans for acquiring the RIGHT boat for the job in hand. Even in the 'eleventh hour', having visited this forum, I hope I would be ACTUALLY LISTENING to the volley of informed advice cascading my way. Tyler and Wilson build beautiful inland craft and have done so for many years. However, there are builders out there who specialize in building boats to RCD Categories A, B and C and have done so for even more than 30 years - Peter Nicholls is a name that springs to mind. I recently met a couple aboard their brand new (£200,000ish) wide-beam planning to do just what you intend to do. When I pointed out that a Cat D boat was, perhaps, a little unsuitable for their intended coastal passages; Channel crossing and general meanderings on the Continent, they appeared a little bemused as it was clear that their research - before commissioning the boat - had not even taken account of the basics of the RCD (in fact I believe this is the first they had heard of it!). To cut a long and rather painful story short this boat, after just 11 months ownership, is up for sale at a figure approximately £50,000 less than they paid for it.

In 148 posts I believe that there have only been two references (from Tony and Tam & Di) to the fundamental question that should be asked before embarking a project like this - way before deciding on a builder and/or fitter. And that is 'what am I going to use this boat for in the course of my ownership?' The OP has declared an interest in crossing the Channel and cruising extensively in France. In RCD terms this, IMO, equates to Category B. Tam & Di make a point about the suitability (unsuitability) of many new-build craft designed in the UK for Continental cruising and refer the OP to the Barge Association as part of the basic research process required before commissioning a new vessel. WT build beautiful narrowboats which I have regarded with great envy for many years! The overall shape, and especially the cabin and hull sheer, of their wide-beam boats also appear very appealing in the pictures I have seen. However, is the OP absolutely clear which RCD category the finished craft will meet (and appear on the registration plate - linked to by Tony) and whether it is the best possible boat for their intended continental cruising, which differs widely (and in so many ways) from boating the UK inland waterways?