manxmike

Years of marshaling motorbike racing and being trained as a fire marshal. Yes they do have use by dates -take a look at yours (if you have one) Ooh, sarcasm, the highest form of wit!

Fire extinguishers should always be checked, at least once a week. Turn them upside down, shake them and always check the little gauge to make sure the device still has gas/powder in. They do have "use by" dates which, unlike most supermarket products, actually mean something. Happy thought, your ash pan bursts into flames and you reach for the fire extinguisher which is way out of date and never been checked - your insurance company roars with laughter when you try to claim.

How disappointing that this, like some other threads, has to descend into unpleasant exchanges. Surely if we have centuries of experience or are a newbie we are all boaters who love the canals?

I read that as the buyer won - the builder was bankrupted!

I don't like modern cars - open the bonnet to find a plastic cover over everything, probably with a sign reading "no user serviceable parts". Imagine if narrow boat engines had a similar cover - it would probably "fall accidentally" into the cut the first time the engine hatch was opened.

Possibly because they have the time and money, maybe they just wanted a project or were told they could then sell the boat at a huge profit. Whatever, I'm not decrying the idea, just pointing out that the cost of retro fitting the systems can prove to be extremely expensive and time consuming.

If you need to move onto the boat quickly and have no desire (or ability) to continuous cruise whilst searching for a permanent mooring which allows you to live aboard (not all do) then find the mooring first. You could always search for both at the same time. Reserving the mooring will depend on the vendor - they may be happy to accept a down payment or deposit, that would depend on the person in question. As Alan has said, have a look around the area you want to moor, you might strike lucky (?)

Just a thought, but does it really need to be a Marine Engineer? Surely an experienced mechanic would be able to sort this out. They would be a lot easier to find in London than a Marine guy.

As above, plus one! If you really want a boat you will be unable to actually use for months and months, which will be a money pit, which will present you with a fresh problem every time you get something sorted, then look for something that isn't going to cost a lot to start with. A seven year old boat is not going to be cheap even without a gas system installed, following the suggestions offered on here could easily double the cost and could present legal problems (PCA). There are plenty of boats out there more suited to your requirements - go and find one.

My boat didn't have a bow thruster, so I learnt to handle the boat, even single handing. However entering our mooring at Venetian a BT would have been very handy, especially on windy days. I always, when pushing the stern out, got on first then pushed off. Watching the stern of the boat drift away from you whilst standing on the bank leads to the use of some old anglo saxon language. It also leads to a dash to any part of the boat still within reach of a jump to get on board. I've only done that once and thankfully didn't fall in.

It sounds as though the OP is trying to get through the lock as fast as possible. Take it easy - no point in hurrying. Do it all slowly, open the paddles slightly until the water flow is established, then gently open a bit more until the paddles are fully open. The whole point of cruising on the canal system is looking at the wonderful scenery as you pass it at 3 or 4 miles an hour (IMHO)

Still wouldn't stop the brothel, the Police visits, the upset neighbors, the damage done to the fabric of the house, etc etc. Apart from that a good idea!

Before buying our boat (now long gone sadly) I spent many weekends traveling (by motorbike) up and down the country looking at boats that I thought might suit. It was a great way to spend weekends and I saw some great boats and some complete wrecks. One had been sunk, was full of dried mud and they wanted top dollar for it. Another had been fitted (badly) with house double glazed windows and a double glazed door that was too narrow to get through if you weighed more than 6 stone. Everything is out there from brilliant to "OMG, really??" For a first boat look at spending up to half your budget - you'll need the rest for maintenance etc.

We owned a boat and a house and even though we toyed with the idea of living aboard we didn't do it. Good decision - my wife now has MS and is now mostly wheelchair bound - wouldn't have worked very well on board. Prior to all that we owned a house and inherited another. We rented out the first house to three charming young ladies. Sometime later we discovered just how charming they were, they were running a brothel from the property (not even any free samples!). When we suggested they should pack up and move on they did a considerable amount of damage to the house and failed to pay four months back-rent. The upshot is I would never rent out property again, I would sell it and invest the proceeds. The couple having doubts are sounding sensible - not a good move unless you are in excellent health and both want to follow that particular rainbow.

Is there any mileage in breaking into the yard and removing your boat in the dark of night? Providing of course that it's actually in the water, with the engine re-fitted and running ........... Possession being 9 10ths of the law (not strictly true)

Where would you measure to get an accurate length? Waterline or bow to stern? I seem to remember that sea going sailing yachts used to measure waterline when upright, I sometimes crewed on a "Dragon", when heeled over the hull length in the water increased by about six feet because of the hull shape.

Our daughters and us used our boat for about the equivalent of ten to twelve weeks of the year, plus numerous weekends, all on 12 volts. We never felt the need to seriously upgrade our leisure batteries so we could run 240 volts, since everything we wanted ran on 12 volts it wouldn't have been worthwhile. If you get the correct leads and sockets that's all you need. Don't bother with a 12 volt hairdryer by the way - they are about as much use as a chocolate fireguard, you'd be better blowing on her head to dry her hair.

Ah, but do you remember the milk maids with the entry from Poland?

I moored at Venetian for some years. The trains didn't bother me, the cafe was fine, the chandlery was great, the office staff were very helpful and friendly, the showers/toilets were clean and well maintained, the washing machine and dryer facilities were great, the car park was open by the cafe, but the moorers car park had a security gate. They had a resident engineer and dry dock facilities. I never had a problem with silt, all in all I found it a good place to moor.

When we bought our nb I approached the whole thing with a totally open mind. Over the years I have hired and borrowed boats from friends, I had a fair idea of what would work for us, but in the end those ideas went out of the window. I loved the boat we eventually ended up with - trad stern (bl**dy awkward for my wife who has MS) mid galley and toilet/shower, front saloon and rear bedroom. It worked, we thought we would strip it out and re-fit, but we ended up just enjoying the boat instead. We were lucky to have bought the boat at the bottom of the market, long before prices went through the roof and became silly. Next time we will almost certainly buy a share in a boat - living on the Isle of Man it's a bit difficult to pop over at the weekend to make sure leaves haven't blocked the drain holes!

I had the dubious pleasure some years ago of approaching a section of canal with a large notice advertising a fishing competition, due to start that day at that exact time - as I passed the start a chap in a nice hat asked how far I was travelling, when I said "at least two miles" he smiled and asked if I would say "start" to each fisherman as I passed, he said he would do the same at the end of the competition to a passing boat saying "stop". Every fisherman smiled, said thanks and gave me a cheerful wave and thumbs up. I could hardly believe these were the same sort of people who normally scowl, moan and throw maggots!

In Douglas, Isle of Man, we used to have trolley buses that ran on a chain under the road operated at the depot. The chain ran continuously, the trolley bus would latch on and then off to allow the bus to stop. One motor operating numerous buses. The system worked, was far more "green" than each unit having it's own engine, no overhead electric lines.

My dog is great with people and kids (even babies) but hates other dogs, so I only let her off the lead when I am sure there are no other four legged creatures around. As far as fishermen are concerned, I simply cannot understand the attraction of sitting for hours staring at the end of a 20 foot pole with very little hope of catching anything more than terminal boredom. I'm sure they can't understand why we would want to cruise along their stretch of water in a noisy, smelly hunk of steel, disturbing the non-existent fish, even though our passage actually oxygenates the water.

OMG, I would have been perfectly happy to buy a second hand boat, with or without the correct paperwork, but now I think I'll stick with my Motorhome. I loved my narrow boat, no previous paperwork, just a survey from someone I trusted. Now, I think I'd run a mile. The mere thought of entering into litigation because someone has used the wrong thickness wire, or the glass in the windows doesn't meet BSS whatever is a nightmare. Whatever happened to "Buyer Beware", or the latin version "Caveat Emptor". You pays your money, you takes your choice. Ah well, merry Christmas and pass another (ANOTHER?) glass of the amber nectar.

Or - they might have decided to go icebreaking and the ice punctured the hull, only after removing the blacking though.