Sas

Oh ..... sorry to hear that. What a handsome chap he was!!! He probably knew that though...... ?

Thanks Taslim!!! Do you think the dogs could be related? ? Is yours a Parsons?

Sorry David - not for Public Consumption! It'll break my heart to sell the boat, but 'needs must' sadly . ?

Oh how I envy you! Wish I'd known about the crampons........ boat going up for sale in summer........ don't want to even THINK about it at the moment. ( sniff sniff......)

Hello David - having lived aboard our 58' er for 3 years, I'd say buy a bigger boat!!!! Cassettes are fine......apart from negotiating sheet ice on a jetty, in the depths of winter,as you go to empty them! :-) Conversely, in my limited experience of marinas nearby, the availability of pump out facilities seems to be a bit unreliable. The idea of a holding tank ( especially in winter) is very appealing, but as an earlier poster said, holding tanks aren't THAT big! MY ideal solution would be both a cassette AND a holding tank - having an empty spare cassette is the next best thing! Sas :-)

Thank you! :-)

Thanks very much for this. Do you happen to know if I'll.... erm....have to have the bottom shot blasted first???? I'm sure I've read somewhere that it must be blasted first. Do these boatyards have those facilities.... Any idea please? :-/

Hi All Just wondering if anyone can recommend a good boatyard to black my (boat) bottom with Comastic please?! :-) Currently on the Lancaster but planning a cruise later in August probably towards the Cheshire direction. My boat has already been blacked with Comastic, so I'd rather stick with this if possible. All suggestions gratefully received! Cheers Sas :-)

I agree with Lampini. Bought DC59 Animal to deal with hairs from the erm....animal ( see left) and am mightily impressed! You must remember to recharge it frequently, but it's worth it :-)

Hi there, don't despair! Looked at this http://www.swanleybrokerage.co.uk/clara-em prior to finding my lovely Caro.....the midships bedroom was the only deal breaker! She's well worth a look. Good luck! Sas :-)

We recently got about 60 quid for 4 batteries at the local scrapyard. It's a faff to register but at least you get a bit of cash back! Cheers Sas :-)

Junior Alan de E posted a brilliant response to a similar query I made last year. Sorry I can't find it but extremely helpful and worth searching for. Sas PS don't buy secondhand!!!

Hi Tom We're moored near there and were going to do the branch over Christmas, but didn't attempt it due to ice. It's so peaceful down there, I've only seen 1 boat go down in 2 months ( it was closed for a while though!!). Cheers Sas :-)

Thank you Alexander 1618, I'll investigate that option! :-)

Alan , thanks for making me laugh!!! :-) Be proud to be renamed " Sir Alan de Anorak";-) I think this is a useful thread as it's something I've been pondering myself. As I don't fancy storing the coal on the roof, and the bow locker seems to be mainly beer wine and log storage,I was looking for something like this......but it could be too big/ bulky? Any other ideas for a plastic bunker please? Cheers Sas :-) Duh..... http://www.gumtree.com/p/other-household-goods/titan-plastic-coal-bunker-black-or-green-delivery-available-special-offer/1003243628

Not sure about types of craft but a bit about the history of the Glasson Branch etc can be found here https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/canals-and-rivers/lancaster-canal and probably similar stuff here http://www.engineering-timelines.com/scripts/engineeringItem.asp?id=1145 Cheers Sas