Norman Bond

Hi Alan, Was interested to read your comments on the Aston and Farmer's Bridge locks as a friend of mine is responsible for looking after them. He went out yesterday and checked them all again and reports that there are two laminated paper notices on the Farmer's Bridge flight. That is because they are listed structures and BW have not yet received planning permission to attach permanent notices to them. As soon as this arrives they will be replaced. The funny part about the planning permission is that they are not allowed to use the "one-way" thief-proof screws. The only type approved are Posidrive. Very traditional! So don't expect the new notices to be there for long. The local kids will have removed them in no time at all. As an aside - I wonder how much all this is costing. Would the cost of putting up these notices and putting in the extra bollards have paid for a well known canal restoration that BW backed out of pleading poverty?

Doesn't he shit over all over everyone because he's got worms? There is a reason primitive man learned to cook food. Don't see any real reason for regressing past that point. I didn't really follow what he was doing, but wasn't Bear the bloke who was actually sleeping in a motel when he was supposed to be out living "rough"? That's part of the problem with TV these days. So much of it is fake. I saw Ray Mears in the early days when he had a 5 minute spot on some countryside programme. That was based around hiking with a lightweight backpack and foraging for the extras. The attitude then was why bother to take "everything but the kitchen sink" when most of it was stuff you would never use and some of the things you did need you could pick up on the way. That was before all the macho bullshit and posturing took over and this kind of stuff was worth watching. The one thing I remember from that was his advice on boots. If you had to cross streams then you would probably get water inside your boot and waterproof boots would then take an age to dry. Better to have boots that drained well and wear waterproof socks. Practical advice without all the posturing you seem to get these days. Norman

OK, I'll admit it. I think I am missing something here. 12 volt fridge that takes 4-5 amps when running, but anywhere up to 38 amps to start up. What you really need is a way of supplying a steady 5-6 amps and a way of storing some of that excess power so that it can be supplied in a rush when needed. Some type of current reservoir - like a big rechargeable battery. So connect your fridge to a car battery and put a trickle charger on it to keep it topped up. Even better, put the battery away in something like an engine room and join it to the fridge with heavy gauge wiring. Better still have a big bank of batteries all joined together so that there's a massive current reservoir available and stick a small, cheap, efficient trickle charger on them just to replace the fridge current. Damn. Will somebody PLEASE tell me what I am missing. I know there must be something and it is driving me mad trying to work out what it is. Norman

Because it was a blind auction and they didn't want to drive prices up for everyone else?

Hi Phil, If true I would imagine this to be an oversight on BW's part - in that they would not have thought someone who did not own a boat would be interested in bidding. I remember reading an analysis on one of my few trips into the financial section of a "well known daily" that said with manufacturing profits falling the main driver in UK financial growth was the rocketing charges in the "buy to let" market. While I would like to say that Prescott was doing the same to mooring charges I can't see that the profits from moorings would be worth the effort. The "cock-up" theory seems a better fit. By the way, I have always followed your posts with some interest and have never thought that any of them made you seem daft. Some of those who have spoken out against you however... Cheers Norman PS I was working in West Bromwich on Wednesday and came across an old copy of Canal & Riverboat on a newsagent's shelf. It was from April 2005 but being sold amongst the current magazines as if it was new and at its full cover price. I don't know if this says anything about the people who live there, but I bought it partly on noticing that you had a column in there (the other part being the Bollards to Brum article). Brought a smile to my face on what was otherwise a pretty drab day. Thanks!

Streethay wharf is on the A38 between Lichfield and Burton-on-Trent - about 1 mile out from the Lichfield turning. Depending on what time you start you will either moor in Hopwas (late start) or Fazeley (with an earlier start). There are lots of moored boats all along the route so you will only be going slowly. You will not go through any locks to get to either. There are a couple of fairly easy locks at Glascote and there are nearly always people around at this time of year to give you a hand ( ie they are nearly always BUSY). The next set are at Atherstone and although it is possible to do them single-handed or with the help of other boaters you would be much better off if you had someone there with you. I am not too far away so if you could let me know what date you intend to go through them I could probably arrange to meet you there. You really need to work out your journey and post dates and places. Norman

Yes, I wouldn't be surprised if the heavy rain had made a major contribution. If I remember correctly it wasn't far from the cutting that was plastered with notices warning of the possibility of "landslides and falling trees"!!! Norman

I'm with Keith and Cugsey on this. This has wandered far off topic. Would it be worth having a new section on the forum for straightforward statements? The majority of topics would remain as they are with people asking for help and advice etc. and where they expect a number of replies. The new section would be for items where comments are not allowed. Such as news or statements such as the one with which Phil started this thread. If people then wanted to start a discussion they would have to start a new thread and the title could more accurately reflect the contents. Norman

Came through there the other week and like John assumed it was a car that had hit the parapet at some speed. What the photo doesn't show is that a sharp edge of piling sticks out beyond the float by about 6 inches just about at water level. Just managed to miss it at the last moment. Even breathed out as the boat squeezed past. Strange how we do that.

Thank you both for your replies. My current thinking is that both the front doors and rear hatch will be capable of being securely bolted from the inside. The padlock is then kept near the galley. When he wants to get off he takes the padlock and secures the outside. When he returns he removes the padlock and enters the boat taking the padlock with him (he can't use it on the door as the padlock fastenings are only on the outside!). This always leaves an escape route at either end of the boat as well as the side hatch in the galley. Currently he takes the dog off the front and ties him somewhere convenient. He then goes onto the back of the boat, through the boat to the front doors and bolts them, back through the boat to the rear door which he locks and then through the rear hatch which he padlocks. He then goes back to the dog and unties him. That's why I say that a hasp and padlock on the front are the first essential. Cheers Norman

A friend of mine has just bought a second-hand boat as a live-aboard. It's about 4 years old and was fitted by the New Boat Company on an LBC shell. I mention this not to have a go at Liverpool Boats (it seems to be nicely made shell even if not quite to my own taste) but because there must be a number of people out there who have had similar LBC boats and who have gone through a similar process. The boat is called a trad, but is actually much more of a cruiser stern that has been built over. There is a steel hatch on the back with 2 steel eyes to take a padlock and once you have crossed the engine decking a step down to a wooden back door with a standard rim latch ("Yale" type lock) on it. At the front are narrow wooden doors opening outward and which at the moment are only fitted with internal bolts. The first thing is fairly obvious. Fit a hasp and staple to the front doors so that he can get off there if needed. With a 100lb dog and limited room at the back this needs to be done straight away. The bigger job will be to modify the rear steel hatch. There is currently no way to lock this from the inside. This means that in order to protect his tools that are kept in the back he needs to padlock the hatch from the outside and then go around the bow and bolt the front doors behind him. The problem now is that the stern is not usable as an emergency escape route. In the event of something like a fire at the front of the boat he would be trapped and believe me, I have few enough friends these days that I can't afford to lose another one Now bearing in mind that it is not my boat so the opportunity to have parts welded on or numerous holes drilled will not be an easy option (and would imply criticism of someone else's new pride and joy) I have done a search on security and noted previous comments and have a couple of questions. 1. What is the opinion on straight-shackle padlocks? Previous posts have mentioned padlocks with high shoulders (such as the one on the front of Emily Anne) but to me the straight shackle ones seem ideal. B&Q sell ones with a specially hardened case around a brass centre. I even saw one with the single gap replaced by 2 smaller ones (looking a bit like a capital E) so the 2 steel eyes on the back hatch can fit in individual cutouts and will be protected by the hardened lock shell. Does anybody use them and if not, why not? Price difference is minimal. 2. I had assumed that the best type of hasp was simply the one with the thickest and hardest staple. But looking at the Chubb website the one they use on the Conquest high-security range (even though they call it a padbar) has a revolving staple which they claim "makes forcing by torque attack impossible". Anyone tried one of these and if so how good are they? 3. I have thought about raising the hatch on rollers to make it easier to open from the inside (thanks John Orentas) as the limited headroom makes this awkward and I think I can suggest this without upsetting him. Any practical advice before I start? On looking at the hatch it is possible to tilt it right back and remove it from the runners as the ends of the hatch lip are simply bent under. Wouldn't it be possible to bend them out with a suitable bar and simply twist the hatch around to gain entry? I don't expect to make the boat into Fort Knox. I still think real crime "on the cut" is rare and a determined thief could always smash a window to get in, but it seems silly not to spend the extra couple of quid needed to make things better Norman

Thank you, Phil. It's nice to get a definitive answer. Doubly welcome in this case as we would all hate to see a well respected builder in trouble. I mentioned in another thread that I had passed their yard last week and they seemed busy. In fact it looked as if there was new building going up as there was a steel girder superstructure that I hadn't noticed before. That doesn't necessarily mean that it is new as it may just be due to my poor powers of observation. In a similar vein, does anyone have any news of Brunswick Black? Their web site is down (yes, I am removing all the dead links from my browser) but I have not heard anything. Norman

Reminds me of the joke about the Thatcher government being good for small businesses. They simply had to start out as large ones. The more things change..... I suppose the joke now would be that the government don't like small businesses because they can't afford the peerages? Norman

I have just noticed that the Barry Hawkins website (www.barryhawkinsnarrowboats.co.uk) is no longer working. Have they changed their web address or is this a sign of possible problems? Passed their marina last week and they seemed busy enough. Norman

Hoodies. Defra are run by a gang of Hoodies!!! Things suddenly start to become clearer... Norman

Excellent idea! For pushing computer network cabling through things like roof voids we normally use nylon curtain track. Bet not many people have suitable lengths of that lying around their boat Norman

I don't know about most of the Halfords tool range, but I do have a set of their hexagonal (rather than bihex) sockets. These are a matt steel finish ( rather than the usual chrome-vanadium so they will go rusty if you don't look after them ) but they managed to shift some slightly chewed nuts on my car that other sockets could not shift. Whatever you buy in the way of spanners and sockets make sure you get a good "Mole" wrench. There are times when you will wonder how people managed before them. Couple of tips. If you are using a spanner and there is any real resistance stop and push it with the palm of your hand rather than with your hand wrapped around it. If you slip it will be the spanner that hits that sharp bit of the engine that sticks out rather than your knuckles. Car mechanics learn this early on, but the rest of us take years and lots of blood and skin before someone points this out. Box ( or tube ) spanners are something people no longer seem to use. I carry a set around in the boot of my car rather than a socket set. A lot smaller and lighter and because they are so slim they will go into places that even a socket set would have trouble reaching. If you are not going to do a lot of maintenance work on your engine these may be enough and even the good quality ones are really cheap. Norman

John's right, though I would say that half the fun is in the planning and anticipation! Just don't overplan. My early boating holidays were with a group who had a rigid idea of where they were going to stop and for how long. It ended up more like a military exercise than a holiday. Plan enough so that if the weather is bad you have alternatives, but remember that the main thing is to relax and enjoy yourselves. Norman

Agree wholeheartedly. The first time a spanner slips you will be amazed at just how much skin you can remove from your knuckles. The best always used to be "King Dick" and are well worth searching for if only for the snigger factor. I would also buy separate ring and open-ended sets. Combination spanners look good until the first time you come to remove a pair of lock nuts or a nut and bolt from a panel. Having the sizes you want on opposite ends of the same spanner will then make you wonder who thought up the stupid idea in the first place! Norman Edited to add: You are probably better off not buying a set. Get the most common sizes and a tool bag to carry them in. Most of the spanners in a set you will never use. Maybe someone with one of theses engines will tell you which sizes you will need.

One thing that Graham forgot to point out is one of the reasons the Ashby is so popular. There are no locks! I may be moving my mate's boat for him next week and if so will be near the Ashby at the start of the week. As I will be single handed I may turn up there for a couple of days. No locks makes it ideal for someone on their own. One minor point to be aware of. Some of the villages seem to close down completely on Wednesday afternoon. Things may have changed in the couple of years since I was last there, but to be on the safe side don't run out of milk Wednesday lunchtime and don't expect to get a hot meal in most of the pubs that day! Norman