Neil Quinn

Many thanks for the replies. We were planning to run it down the supporting arms of the sliding roof using cable ties & then drill a hole in the side (sealed with a grommet) & feeding it back into the battery bay.

Hi - fairly new to all this so be gentle. Just bought a solar panel for our Highbridge & I need to run the cable down to the battery which is under the seat at the stern. Am I right in understanding that your cables must be hidden inside the skin of the boat in order to pass the safety certificate? I'm just trying to avoid drilling too many holes in the bodywork..

I'm a new boater & have only seen inside a few, but I must say that yours is absolutely stunning, Kendal. Fantastic workmanship.

Oh - something else that's just sprung to mind is the fact that our water tank ran out last weekend. Filling that will create some ballast won't it We were actually trying to empty it because it needs a good flush out.

Thanks Neil....I'll have a look. Didn't realise there was one. Yes - it is a short one. Our neighbours bought the 32 footer that we looked at first but while we were looking at others, they swooped in. Quite funny that we ended up being moored next to them. Theirs is 6 berth in that they have two bunks behind the bathroom / kitchen, that extend under the cruiser deck. We don't have that space & is where we lose the five foot.

Thanks for your help so far, folks. It's a Honda 10bhp outboard. My experience of boats is erm.......none I find steering generally no problem (the odd wander off course) & I've negotiated some narrow spots with oncoming boats pretty successfully & felt quite proud. Mooring is a different matter though. Doesn't help when you've got a hyper missus, shouting "You're gonna crash" two grandkids & a huge hyper German Shepherd, wrapping himself round your legs while barking at ducks & swans.

Owned our boat (GRP cruiser) for about 6 weeks now & not doing to badly apart from mooring. I keep making a complete hash of things when trying to park between my two neighbouring boats. My mate suggested that some ballast will help with the steering & the previous owner did have some brass weights in the bow storage area. Can anyone give me a pointer as to how much ballast I should be using? Thanks in advance & there's a pic of the boat below, which does show the bow sitting a bit too high. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v181/NeilQuinn/Ballast.jpg

Well - we gone & bought one! A 27 foot Highbridge, beautifully fitted out inside by a former Royal Navy woodwork instructor. Honda 4-stroke engine that runs as sweet as a nut. Can't wait to get cracking.

Cheers for your help, folks.

Thanks for the replies. I'm only going by the advert & info that the owner has texted me so far, we haven't actually been to see it yet. Funnily enough, my mate who's recently bought a boat has been chatting to the local engineer this morning & he advised us to steer clear as the Isuzu has a bad reputation & develops problems. (I wouldn't have a clue, hence this post). Don't know what to do now.

Going to look at purchasing our first boat on Friday, a Nauticus 27. It has an Isuzu 3l-33 (new in 2006). Originally I thought the 3L meant it was 3 litres which I imagined would be too powerful for a GRP canal boat. Apparently it's 1500 which is 3 cyl, giving 33.5bhp & returning at normal cruising of 1400rpm & 1.2litres per hour. 3 Propellers, at present fitted with 14 x 9 Prop, with a 13 x 10 and a 14 x 10 spare with ancillaries. Can anyone offer any advice as to whether this sounds decent?

Good morning from a complete boating novice. Since a friend of ours bought his first narrowboat a year ago, we're completely smitten with the idea following a few trips on it. We've already looked at a couple of GRP's & missed out on a nice Highbridge & turned down a Creighton because of it's engine problems. Going to look at a nicely improved Nauticus 27 on Friday so fingers crossed. We'll be mooring at Golden Nook near Chester, myself & partner Carol plus our two granddaughters who we foster. Joining us will be a very nutty white German Shepher called Bob. Been browsing this forum for the last week & can't believe the amount of valuable info I've collected already.