Skeg

Getting a mooring in that area is probably more difficult than getting a boat. I would research online and marina moorings before committing to buy a boat.

You are all telling him why this is such a crazy idea, tell him to just do it and he can live with the consequences. Pillock.

More info about the boat needed ie length, age, engine specs etc. Also, I think the Aire and Calder Navigation is closed at the moment due to a damaged lock. Winter is not a good time to move a boat given the number of stoppages and the possibility of flooding. Also your boat might be too long for the Calder and Hebble and the Rochdale. Checkout Canal and River Trust website for more information.

They used to do diesel ar Ridley, from a container not by pump. I don’t know if they still do it.

Well not all the Thames locks are manned all the time but it’s just a case of pushing buttons once you are at the lock, then getting the boat in. The automatic system fills and empties fairly slowly. As far as K&A locks are concerned I didn’t find any that were too difficult to operate. The canal can be quite busy so you may get to share locks. It will be harder to operate the swing bridges single handed but it can be done if you are reasonably fit. it’s probably worth spending a bit of time at the locks on both waterways and observing how people operate them. The lock keepers can be a source of knowledge as well.

A quick search on Google shows it being sold in 2019 and there is a advert showing it for sale at Aqueduct Brokerage. No mention of overplating on the Aqueduct ad. The asking price is crazy, cosmetically it looks OK but I wonder why it’s up for sale again so quickly after the previous sale. There are better boats to be had for that money.

As Sir Barry Whitelock of Bingley 5 Rise often said to me “It’s all in the preparation” and the preparation for that paint job is terrible and amateurish. OK, you didn’t want a shiny boat but I am guessing you didn’t want an orange peel finish either. I doubt they will give you any kind of guarantee, the rust will probably be coming through this winter. Did you ask them if they had heard of masking tape?

I am fairly tolerant and I understand that sometimes people need to run their engines after 8pm. The only time my tolerance was tested was on the K&A when the boat in front ran his engine for a third time after 8pm, around 10:45 actually when it was to enable them to watch TV. I was furious and marched up to their boat and banged on the roof. The engine went off immediately and a bloke came out and apologised. I was ready for a fight as I was so mad but was pleased it didn’t come to that. They moored near us in different places the next two nights but there was no repeat of the behaviour.

Mooring apart from at recognised places can be difficult as the canal is often very shallow at the sides. We have happily moored near Portland Basin, Stalybridge, Uppermill, both ends of the tunnel, Slaithewaite and Aspley Wharf. Getting in to the side at locks can be difficult depending on your draft and we often gently nose up to the lock gates to drop off crew. I have been stuck in the middle of a pound before and my partner had to let down water to float me off. Our draft was 24 inches. My wife once walked from Marsden to Huddersfield because I couldn’t pick her up.

It’s very highly specified. At that price I would snap it up. Forget about diesel being phased out, the move to alternative methods of propulsion will take some time. That last sentence seems a bit strange.

Just be aware that some places, London is one, are banning wood burners. A multi fuel stove that can burn cleanly may be the best option.

Mmm, back to the photos. I don’t know if what we are seeing is representative of the whole portfolio but it’s not terribly inspiring.

Mick Sivewright worked with Midway on their boats. His Owl class narrowboat are very similar, the biggest difference is that the bows of the Owls were much less pointed. There are a couple of Owls on Apollo Duck including. 40ft boat which is very unusual for Mick. Just checked it’s a 27ft Owl that’s been stretched.

Is Martin Bashir the interviewer by any chance?