manxmike

I really wouldn't worry about retracing your trip in the other direction, things look completely different coming back.

If you want something within easy reach of London, how about the river Thames? There used to be plenty of hire boats and most locks are manned.

Some years ago a friend and I (together with our respective wives) managed the four counties ring and the Cheshire ring in a total of 10 days. Early starts and late finishes. If you are ready for some beautiful scenery, some amazing industrial heritage and some locks, then I would say three or four weeks would be a satisfactory period to spend cruising this route. As far as hire companies go, there are still quite a few despite Covid. We have booked two weeks next spring with Black Prince whose boats are always well looked after and very smart, do a google (or web search engine of your choice) for Canal Hire Boat Companies and see what you can find. Good luck and have fun at your own pace.

To be fair, the "just in case" signs are a bit like insurance - we pay out eye watering amounts each year hoping we never need it, and probably well aware that if we do need it the insurance company will find at least six very good reasons why a) they don't need to pay out and b) six very good reasons to increase your premium next year.

Saw this on a different forum but thought it applied here quite well, substitute anything you like for light bulb............. Q: How many group members does it take to change a light bulb ? 1 to change the light bulb and to post that the light bulb has been changed. 14 to share similar experiences of changing light bulbs and how the light bulb could have been changed differently. 7 to caution about the dangers of changing light bulbs. 17 purists who use candles and are offended by light bulb discussions. 6 to argue over whether it's 'lightbulb' or 'light bulb'. Another 6 to condemn those 6 as stupid. 22 to tell THOSE 6 to stop being jerks. 2 industry professionals to inform the group that the proper term is 'lamp'. 15 know-it-alls who claim they were in the industry, and that 'light bulb' is perfectly correct. 49 to post memes and gifs (several are of Michael Jackson eating popcorn with the words added, “I’m just here for the comments.”) 19 to post that this page is not about light bulbs and to please take this discussion to a light bulb page. 11 to defend the posting to this page saying that we all use light bulbs and therefore the posts are relevant here. 24 to discuss the merits of LED/swirly fluorescent light bulbs 44 to claim LED and fluorescent bulbs will kill you. 12 to post F. 8 to ask what F means. 7 to post 'Following' but there's 3 dots at the top right that means you don't have to. 3 to say "can't share" 2 to reply "can't share from a closed group" 36 People to post pics of their own light bulbs. 15 People to post "I can't see S$%^!" and use their own light bulbs. 6 to report the post or PM an admin because someone said "f÷×$" 4 to say "Didn't we go through this already a short time ago?". 13 to say "Do a search on light bulbs before posting questions about light bulbs". 1 to bring politics into the discussion by adding that (insert politician of choice) isn't the brightest bulb. This usually takes place within the first three comments. 50 more to get into personal attacks over their political views. 5 admins to ban the light bulb posters who took it all too seriously. 1 late arrival to comment on the original post 6 months later and start it all over again.

Early starts are the way to go, best part of the day, very few others moving. Lift bridges etc all yours. Once clear of the next "obstruction" pause for a cuppa and a bacon butty and enjoy watching the first timers getting it horribly wrong - they'll learn, it just takes time. BTW, if you see a large boat crewed by a group of young men, it's probably a stag party and should be avoided at all costs. If they're heading towards a lock either get in front of them, give them five hours to get through or if you're feeling very generous, help them with the lock. The people who were instructed on lock operation by the boatyard are probably asleep or drunk (well, it is 10 in the morning) so those operating the lock will need to be advised not to open every paddle they can see at both ends of the lock - don't ask how I know!

I found this on line re Microbiologically Induced Corrosion: MIC is caused by biological growth, i.e. organic slime (typically bacteria, algae, and fungi) in water under low flow or stagnant conditions. The industry experiences it in cooling water systems, piping, vessels and storage tank bottoms where the conditions are ripe for it. MIC manifests itself as pits, often under deposits, tubercles, or slime. These pits sometimes have the unique characteristic (which often makes MIC readily identifiable) of subsurface “caverns” that are larger than the pitted opening to the surface. The MIC “bug” can affect most any type of construction material, but is most often a problem with carbon steel and 300 series stainless steel, partially because those are the two most common construction materials. Not infrequently MIC strikes when equipment that has been hydrotested is not completely drained and dried and kept dry before installation or use. An effective specification, procedure and management system is necessary for hydrotesting in order to make sure that those involved know that the MIC “bug” is waiting to bite the uninformed. One of the reasons MIC is so insidious is that it can “drill through” a pipe or tube in a matter of days or weeks, if equipment is left with stagnant, untreated water in it. Imagine your unhappy surprise when a piece of equipment that was hydrotested 6 weeks ago is now ready to be put in service and in so doing, it sprays liquid out like a shower nozzle. Aluminum, 300 series SS’s, brass and carbon steels are especially vulnerable to MIC. As you might expect, the proper treatment for preventing MIC in water systems is the application of biocides that kill the organic compounds. Now you know, if you didn’t already, the primary reason why chlorine or chlorinated compounds are added to CWT’s. The MIC bugs thrive when their CWT’s are inadvertently contaminated with hydrocarbons, or when someone temporarily stops the chlorination without knowing the potential consequence of their actions. Firewater systems that are not adequately treated with biocides often give rise to MIC, especially when firewater is used for hydrotesting and the equipment is not adequately drained and dried. Are all the right people at your facility aware that through-wall pitting penetration by MIC can happen very rapidly under stagnant water conditions in storage tanks, and in equipment left with standing water (with biological contamination) after hydrotesting and during temporary shut downs?

My mother used to help "Gypsies" with a cuppa, a sit down and she would buy pegs from them, they used to camp near our home for the winter and the kids would attend the local school, they were great fun to be around. After the Hippy era came to an end, quite a lot of "free spirit" people took to the canals, you would often see boats moored up with long lines of washing, lots of "things" on the roof of the boat and huge numbers of children and dogs running around. The term "travellers" came to be applied to the groups of people who would travel around the country is badly maintained (untaxed and uninsured) lorries, buses and vans, camping illegally and ruining the area whilst stealing anything that wasn't nailed down. I had the misfortune to be robbed by a member one such group who broke into my car and stole all our luggage. The local Police knew exactly who had committed the crime but could do nothing as there were any number of his fellow travellers who would swear he was nowhere near our car and if the luggage had been found in the campsite they would say they had just found it in a ditch and were about to take it to the Police. My only experience with these people has left a bad taste in my mouth. Real Gypsies and Romanies are lovely people, they simply have the view that all property is theft, if something is not being used then they will use it, then leave it for someone else to use, not a viewpoint I share or condone. As far as I'm concerned someone who lives (and travels) on a boat simply has an alternate lifestyle and is unlikely to steal and spoil. Those who are called "Travellers" are not the same as boaters and caravanners. Rant over!

My hull went from 8mm to 2mm in places in the space of about three years. This caused a buyer to pull out after they had a survey done. It's not just electrical worms from nearby moored boats plugged into the mains 24 hours a day 365 days a year, but certain canals are rife with MIC. I reduced the cost dramatically and sold the boat "as is", there was no way I could afford to have the boat overplated.

Looking at the figures supplied by the OP the Marina are charging him 13.4p per unit. I would suggest that someone else had previously used that plug in point and had skipped without paying. The starting reading therefore would be prior to the sneaky people using the electric and slinking away. Try asking the Marina who was moored there before you. Asked and answered - that'll teach me to read to the end of the thread before jumping in with both feet!

I prefer the Nicholson books, though the above software is good. I did buy a piece of software, the name of which escapes me, which was excellent, it had an up to date list of blockages and problems. I'm trying to locate the programme again, but since I have changed phones and tablets since I sold the boat it's proving difficult to find. I'll come back here when I locate it.

Oh, of course, I was speaking about Liverpool boats and the thread has changed despite the title That makes sense, so, in the spirit of conforming to the majority view, I find the constant parade of Australian "soaps" offensive. There you go, nothing to do with Liverpool boats or chickens!

Oh, of course, I was speaking about Liverpool boats and the thread has changed despite the title

We had a Liverpool Hull, loved her. I was keen to buy a Liverpool after using a boat belonging to a friend which was a Liverpool boat. You might not want one, maybe you're rich enough to be picky, but I found them excellent and would happily own another. Please don't presume to speak for me, we have never met and obviously don't share the same opinions. Why has the thread suddenly become about chickens?

Hence the dreadful TV programmes that were supported by detergent advertising (aimed at bored housewives who watched daytime telly back in the 50s and 60s) were called "soaps". Even though you rarely see detergent adverts during them nowadays they (the TV dreadfuls) retain the name "soaps". I expect the reason the detergent manufacturers stopped being the only advertisers is because everyone watches the horrible TV programmes now.

You could always hang a plastic container under the mushroom inside the boat, that way it catches the water drips but doesn't stop the air flow.

Looks nice, given it looks to have been grey, green with red and now mostly blue and grey, any idea what colour you might end up with? You'll find numerous threads on here dealing with painting the hull and upper works - lots of good advice and tips.

I think the OP said he/she/gender nuetral person wants to do the work at the bottom of their garden on the canalside mooring. I doubt he/she/etc has enough room there for two boats

Shows he's got good taste then. Not a big fan of very thin women - oh god, does that make me a sexist thin hater?

I remember a boat moored up on the Llan which had an open side hatch through which a child of about nine years old appeared every time a boat went past, even on tickover, and would shout abuse, using some of the worst language I've ever heard. The boat was pristine, the interior was clean, tidy and well fitted out (yes, I did peer through the windows as we went past) so I would assume it wasn't owned by people who had been thrown out of an inner city council estate for not paying for their drugs. The child seemed surprised when I smiled at him and suggested that he modify his language before the Police were called to attend to his threatening behaviour. He burst into tears and disappeared back inside the boat complaining about nasty boaters. I can only assume that since their boat was very badly moored his parents had told him to ask people to slow down as they were getting fed up with their G&T spilling all the time.

Here on the Isle of Man they still haven't repealed the law that would allow me to kill a Scotsman on sight, only I would have to do it below the high water line and with a spear or sword. Damn, OK, black, gay or lesbian or bi or trans or querying, disabled, blind, deaf, mute, mentally or educationally challenged, non gender specific person That better? There's always one isn't there?

Oh shit, does that make me a racially and sexually prejudiced non gender specific person?

Wow, it's a good job she's not gay or black (or both), you could be in real trouble