JohnnyHop

yes I've noticed more throttle = more control and when out on the river I was using more revs and turning it almost on its own length. A different matter when there are obstacles in the way though, especially when they belong to folk!

thanks for advice so far and training, practise and mechanical rectification are all on the agenda. not in that order.

Trent, moored at Sawley. I always take advice but am not a natural at asking for it

I bought a powerful twin engined boat because I didn't fancy losing a motor and drifting over a weir. I think I've identified a couple of mechanical improvements that will help me too. Loads of power yes, but its being delivered a bit like a switch rather than progressively, I guess the throttle mechanisms need some attention. My car experience will let me sort that. The other problem I noticed this eve is that I think one of the trim tabs is stuck in the down position which is making the boat turn left in reverse no matter what else I do. Its all a big learning curve...

I'll be more specific, it's a Cruisers International 267, 10 foot beam as opposed to most cruisers' 6 to 7 feet. And it sits soooo high. On sunday it sat calmly in the water but I was fooled by the fact I was in the shelter of an even bigger flybridge cruiser, as soon as I moved out of its protection the wind got me. Another lesson learned.

That's a consideration, after the 'expert' instruction turned into a gin-soaked disaster (I think I learned a lesson there though, I assumed because I was taking it seriously everyone would)

Four 'trips' into my cruising career and I'm not sure if a caravan would have been a better idea. Trip 1 was a two-mile shuttle between the marina my new boat (plastic cruiser) was moored and its new-home marina. We negotiated a lock and moored perfectly. so far so good. I then realised I was moored in someone else's space, hence 'trip' 2, and after a LOT of fannying around I moved the five spaces further down to my own slot So, after a long winter I went out for the first 'proper' cruise - trip 3. Four miles up river, four miles back, all well apart from the inconvenience that the 'experienced hand' on board got drunk as was no use at all. However, coming in I again had problems, and bumped into the boat next door (gently but I cant pretend it didn't happen) Last weekend, all I wanted to do was turn the boat round, but got caught in what I thought was a negligible breeze and was pretty helpless as I drifted across the marina and bumped into two NB's - who's owners incidentally were very friendly, why can't road users be like that - and eventually managed to recover to my mooring, more by luck than good judgement. Meanwhile smaller plastics and many NB's glided past as if on rails I have reflected and come to the following conclusions; either 1. I'm a rubbish boater 2. My boat (30 foot widebeam fibreglass cruiser with two V6 inboards) is either unsuitable full stop or unsuitable for an inexperienced boater 3. I'm just inexperienced and need more saddle time 4. My mooring is in an unsuitable place for an inexperienced boater (it requires a sharp 90 degree entry and exit, and the wind is behind me as I exit) I'm addressing the last one by asking to move to a more 'open' mooring and I'm taking the advice of one of the guys I bumped into to only go out in very calm conditions, but despite my natural confidence in all things, I'm starting to wonder even after this short time if I've done the right thing/things Any advice?

The Petrol at Sawley is £1.35 a litre, the jolly chap at the chandlers told me. 'Great, fill up my 100 gallon tank' says I. 'Sorry, we have no petrol and the pump is broken' came the reply....

Wow a forum spat! I thought I had wandered onto a motor racing forum for a moment....

I believe Rolls-Royce own one which is used for management development exercises off the Scottish coast somewhere. Edit. A yacht, not a narrowboat, obviously

Some seriously good record collections being trawled through here. Edgar Broughton!

(Ship Called) Dignity - Deacon Blue (Sloop) John B - Beach Boys Sail On - Free (a repeat, but my favourite band so had to be included) Come Sail Away - Styx Dreamboat Annie - Heart (hmmmmm....) Rock The Boat - Hues Corporation Shipbuilding - Robert Wyatt Powderfinger - Neil Young And of course The Billy Ruffians - The Blue Cats And, by some wierd Karma, just playing on Planet Rock as I pressed Send on this: Nantucket Sleighride - Mountain

I think you misunderstood. The wording on the sail of the cartoon ship shown in my avatar doesn't say HMS Bellerophon it says 'Billy Ruffians' and that (singular version) is what any hypothetical second boat would be called.

Blimey, spot-on! obviously not exactly the boat cartooned on my avatar, thats from the cover of a single by neo-rockabilly heros The Bluecats, the song alerted me to the ship and its story.

My next boat if ever that happens will bear the name (singular) shown on my avatar. Already deemed comical/ridiculous by many who don't understand its historical reference.

I'll keep you all posted, and I'm actually intrigued by what I'll find....

I'm a big plastic, never put to shame

I'm everyone's friend, so it looks like those folk have sorted things out nicely for me!

I'm hoping to get over to the Nottingham Riverside Festival from Sawley on Saturday/Sunday, but being a boating newbie there are loads of things I need to know, maybe y'all can offer enlightenment on some of the more fundamental ones to help me to avoid making too much of a prat of myself (and causing danger to us or others, obviously) 1. Can I even get there? I have an air draft of 7 feet (ish) and the best info I can find is 8 feet should be OK but this seems an inexact science. If anyone knows the lowest bridge I'll even go and measure the thing if necessary. 2. What's the protocol about mooring up next to other boats? Just do it with a polite 'do you mind'? 3. Likewise, what's the score when I want to leave, if another boat has moored inside me? I have more Q's which I may ask if I get answers to the above that don't put me off going.... John

subscribe to BT broadband. They are then free. The most used freeby in my life at the mo. Edit: why do you need an aerial? My ipad wifi picks up signals direct, good strong ones usually

I'm actually most concerned that the tank (and the bits surrounding it) was left full and is frost-damaged

I'm halfway through stripping the stripes off my boat, and am concerned that I would not be up to the job of reapplying new stickers (A long run, narrowing stripe width, stripe run bows inwards as well as outwards etc). I'm much more confident with paint, but not sure about two things. First, what sort of (spray or brush) paint works with fibreglass? And second, is it good form to spray paint in the middle of a marina (If I go the spray route I will be using cans, not a gun and compressor, I don't want the cost/effort of removing overspray from 50 surrounding boats not to mention the after-effects of spray fumes/hot stoves interface issues). any advice?

Its been stuck since I've owned it (9 months), I've had other areas of the boat to focus on, running water is more 'lifestyle' that having the engines running etc The seller never claimed to have used the water system, I'm guessing they worked around it with bottled water. I'll make sure the new assembly is properly installed, I'm trying my hardest to 'un-botch' the boat

Another tortuous trip into the bowels of the boat it seems. I so need to lose 4 stone.......

yes it looks like that but silver in colour. I considered just undoing the retaining screws but a) I didn't know (until your reply) the extent of the whole assembly and the screws are just rotating in situ which suggests sheered threads in the hull and subsequent bonding of the the assembly to the hull.