Sea Dog

It's safe in that skip for the time being - the law states skip companies cannot take their skips away until there has been a mattress on top for a minimum of 5 working days.

Those red ramps to ease a stolen vehicle's safe entry into the canal are a good idea. CRT could get them back out cheaply with just a tirfor then instead of a mobile crane. They'll also help hedgehogs to get out, so I suspect they qualify for a grant.

Funnily enough, my latter issues were a BP garage not releasing parcels they had in their heap on the floor behind the counter. You'd think they'd be glad to get the floor space back!

I think they've done some really good work on the 21 recently. I find it a pleasant enough route now and, whilst there was still the odd incident, I was a bit surprised to see the frequency and extent of the recent vandalism. Hopefully the current idiots will quickly get bored (or caught - yeah, right!) and we'll be back to normal.

I've had similar ECP problems at separate pick up points lately. One I managed to sort out with the seller updating his records, others were only solved when the staff at the click and collect point eventually gave in and used my id after turning me away numerous times. I could see my packages too! Whilst I've used it quite a lot when out cruising, I'm reluctant to use eBay click and collect now.

Good idea to mention this back boiler advantage for others reading this thread - and for the OP too as he's starting from scratch and may yet not go for the gas instant water heater he mentioned earlier.

With a 4 or 5 kw solid fuel stove in 30' (minus a cruiser deck), I don't see the benefit. As has been said, you'll most likely be looking for ways to let the heat out, so you don't need the expense or complexity of adding a way to get the heat to distant parts of the boat you don't really have.

Which is a start. However, I'd suggest a better start is to look at what solutions have already been tried and tested in narrowboats and implement those wherever suitable. You've enough on without reinventing the wheel where you don't have to.

The condensation on the window panes is not the key issue it might appear since most narrowboat windows drain this to the outside. The bigger issue is condensation on the frames which has nowhere to go but into the fabric of your boat with attending mould, mildew and rotting issues. Some manufacturers are doing frames with a thermal break, but they don't come cheap. Condensation management is an issue generally - if you have moist air it's gonna find somewhere to condense however much you spend on windows! Plenty on here to read up about that (see the search function), but the stove, good insulation and adequate ventilation is a good starting point. ETA: See also Jen above wot got wrote whilst I was one thunm typing!

I didn't know they did posh stuff. We've just had their various 25 kg bags of working dog kibble. Comparitvely cheap and also vat free.

For a moment there I thought it was referring to Skinner's dog food, which would have been a personal blow to the Ship's Dog! Still a shame though as I've enjoyed the odd Skinner's down in Falmouth. Sadly, there could be more to follow in that line of business. They seem to be lurching from one threatening situation another at the moment.

I'd imagine folk stuck in a gated retirement block who spend their day looking out of the window might find very little to put a smile on their face hence could easily look glum or appear to be glaring. Have you tried a big smile and cheery wave? Whilst I wouldn't claim it to be a universal truth, I find it brings a smile and a wave from most folk who appear to be staring. And if it doesn't, well, it isn't you that's being the grumpy old git, is it!

Plus, it's huge indoors and it seems to be just the outside terrace that's the issue, rather than the pub per se. It's not compulsory to be a noisy git whilst you sit outside enjoying a drink, so if the pub can't encourage their clientele who sit outside to keep the noise down to a dull roar or move indoors, it seems pretty reasonable that the council step in.

Of course, it may also help to know the make/model of the pumps concerned. If your neighbour is replacing quality pumps at an alarming rate, the fault is indeed likely to lie in the boat's system. On the other hand...

Hmm, I think this highlights the core issue. Change the "always" to "occasionally" and the problem is considerably reduced. Make it "never" and sitting by the fire solves almost all inclement weather issues. However, when there are those unavoidable "occasions" on a narrowboat, where wet hanging space can be at a premium, my lightweight waterproofs with layers underneath beat my great but bulky yachtie foul weather gear hands down.

Sounds like the absolute epitome of boating pleasure!

In case you find something that looks like Hexagrip but comes from somewhere well known for oriental takeaway food or Royal Navy Ships' laundrymen, tread carefully. I bought some for cratch bench seating and the laminations were full of dodgy overlaps and voids. I got a further big discount making it reasonable value in a lightweight application in the dry, but for deck boards it would have been a definite no-no. You get what you pay for here, it seems.

I'd go wi "summat", me.

Doh! Thanks Peter, I was indeed. No wonder I thought it was a daft question - it turns out it was instead a daft reader! PS: I have done the Mon and Brec, both on foot carrying a full pack and in a canoe, so I do know it a bit. Beautiful though the area (is on days you can see it), my invariably cold and wet military 'visits' would be enough to put me off living on a boat there. YMMV.