Poster girl

I don' think you need to spend more than £35,000 on a boat suitable for living aboard. You just need to spend plenty of time looking round for the right thing! I haven't seen it personally but there's a nice looking boat on Apollo Duck called Special Cargo priced at £34,500, I'm sure there are probably others as well.

There's a folding trolley similar to the one from Maplins currently on offer at Homebase for £17.99, takes up to 80kg. Sorry I can't find a link but can highly recommend!

Sorry Junior I didn't realise it had gone from the website, it was on there within the last couple of weeks. There is some info on the Russell Newberry website. I't might be worth checking with Ashwood if it has been sold or whether the owner is just considering his options as he bought it as a project and was struggling with time to complete it. It had been on the market for some time. The asking price was around £31,000 but offers would be considered. Whilst I say it needed DIY, it would definitely have been usable but we wanted a holiday boat and we have teenage daughters so it was just to much to do to sort it for the four of us but if it had just been the two of us it would have been mine! The boatmans cabin had been beautifully preserved and the reconditioned engine looked new, I seem to remember it had only had a few running hours, it was light, bright inside the main living area and had a real warmth about it. We moored at Braunston for a few weeks when we first bought Resolution and Albion was there latterly, we didn't go inside but I did admire it from the outside and would definitely have ventured in to have a look if we hadn't already bought. Good luck with your purchase whatever it ends up being!

Junior, did you look at Badger for sale at Ashwood Marina? It's a CTS boat that had been partially converted inside but still has the original boatmans cabin and the Russell Newberry engine. I absolutely fell in love with it! The only thing that stopped us buying it was a major inability for DIY and time needed to complete it!

We've recently been down the Coventry and it was lovely. Fradley was bustling, but there were plenty of moorings. Make your next stop Alweras, it's a very pretty village with some lovely scenery and although we didn't go there we were told by just about every passing local to visit Coates the butchers, I guess from local enthusiasm it's probably worth a trip!

For anyone currently looking at boats around the £25000 to £35000 pound mark who doesn't have really fixed ideas about what they want there is a lovely boat at Ashwood Marina for sale called Salamander. We were looking a couple of months ago and have since bought so nothing to be gained from telling you all about this one. We didn't buy it only because it was a bit too small for our family. It was immaculate, very traditional feel inside and the paintwork was fantastic. You could tell that the current owners had loved and cared for it. I obviously don't know anything about the hull condition but I couldn't imagine that a boat that looked like this did wouldn't be in a sound condition! As I said I have nothing to gain but it is a lovely boat.

What plants did I you have in your pots? Earwigs love certain plants including fuschsias, roses and dahlias to name just a few!

Having recently toured brokerages looking for boats we were astounded at the differences we found in approach by the brokers and indeed the boat owners. We visited all the main brokerages and a few smaller ones, we had a maximum budget and decided to look at everything available and what a difference there was however the best all round boat that we saw remains unsold because it's in a small brokerage who don't appear to be marketing it anywhere other than on their website which you would only look at if you knew of the marina. We incidentally didn't buy it because for a family of four it was a bit small, it had been beautifully cared for and needed nothing doing to it, obviously it would still need a survey but given the lovely paint work and the condition of the hull I would assume there probably wouldn't be any issues!

Ash Narrowboats (Steven Harral) works out of Tattenhall Marina now, we drove all the way up from Bristol to view some boats a few weeks ago only to be told there was no one working in the brokerage that particular weekend, yes we could have called however do they want to sell their boats or don't they?

Your thoughts please! Having bought our boat and fitted our cassette toilet (see earlier post) we will need to find a marina to moor in. We had thought of the Braunston to Rugby area only because it's an area that we're familiar with but now we're thinking we could really go anywhere so long as it's within a couple of hours away from Bristol and has some good weekend cruising opportunities, I understand there's a limit! Any ideas much appreciated. We also have two teenage daughters who will be with us sometimes, they have looked at Barton Turns, Mercia and Aston Marinas. They weren't really the sort of places that we had in mind but wondered if any of you had any experience of them or quite frankly any other suggestions that you think may have vacancies. Thank you in anticipation.

Thank you all for help, much appreciated! We we're thinking of the Thetford cassette so that's our decision made.

We would like to install a cassette toilet in our boat, does anyone have any recommendations about which one to buy. Any help, advice greatly appreciated!

Resolution, it's fab! It's been beautifully maintained and cared for by it's current owners and was by far and away the nicest boat we saw in our price range built by a quality builder.

We are also going to complete our boat purchase tomorrow (Friday). Yet another boat purchased from Rugby Boats, Dominic must be doing all the right things!

First boat we hired Ruby Tuesday from Claymoore Narrowboats, lovely!

We've tried Lime Farm but they don't have any spaces. We have asked them to let us know if anything becomes available. We hired a boat from them last year and loved the marina and the fact that they were such a laid back friendly couple.

We're about to complete on the purchase of our first boat and are looking at marinas in the Rugby/Braunston areas. I really like the potition of Barby Marina but have seen and heard many things about it. Does anyone on the forum moor there or know anyone that does? What I really want to know is: are things actually moving on or is it just all talk! Any thoughts most welcome. Thanks in anticipation.

Thanks everyone for your advice. We're hoping to pick up the boat within the next couple of weeks or so and really wanted to fix something up beforehand. We've boated along that stretch so many times but your mind goes blank!

Can anyone help - We are looking for a marina or safe mooring anywhere on the stretch of canal from the Rugby area to Buckby locks. Anywhere considered just safe, friendly, non residential. Thanks

I know you're right of course, instead we've put in an offer and had it accepted on a lovely traditional narrowboat from a very nice brokerage elsewhere!

Thanks Junior. I thought the general contentious would be, have it done again!

What are the variations in steel? I stupidly thought that all good boats would have 10mm thickness on the bottom. The survey eas done in November 2011 and was available to view showing date, surveyors details etc..so I did feel it was genuine. Would you still under these circumstances have it surveyed again?

Can anyone help or advise with this query please. I looked at a boat today from the mid 70's, the hull was 6mm and a recent survey shows that it is down to 5mm in places, should I walk away? I loved it!

Thanks for your thoughts. I have been to Whilton amongst other places to look, Rugby boats is on the cards for the weekend and I have been looking at Appollo Duck. I have seen a couple of boats that may have been of interest that have been privately owned and not with a brokerage but I wouldn't know where to start when it comes to proof of ownership, no finance etc... With regards to what the boat needs to have.... Well where do I begin, a good sound hull, I would be getting it surveyed, clean and tidy inside, I've seen some that were truly.....? Traditional or semi traditional and big enough for two with a double but enough room for either a sofa bed or something similar for extras. Decent outside would be good but I'm great with polish! If you've seen anything your not interested in yourselves just tell me where to look please!

I'm currently looking for a narrowboat to purchase around the £35000 mark. Has anyone seen anything worth a mention recently. It needs to be great for two but ok for four! Anything other than a crusier stern considered.