rustynewbery

I have always got to Trevor on a Friday morning and been in Llangollen for around lunchtime. We do have the advantage of not being tied to a schedule and stay for 48hrs in the basin. You should be well OK to go there from Chirk first. If the weather is kind you will not regret the trip and the town is really nice with the advantage of a heritage railway to visit

Just read this lot - late in yes [thankfully], but busy enjoying life and looking forward to gumming up Alvecote in a couple of weeks with an RN gathering! I was told a story by Lawrence in Alvecote; while leaving Glascote top lock, he was asked what boat he was steering - "Fellows Morton & Clayton's Jaguar" he replied. Then came this: "Oh, mine's a Hudson" ? I know of another Hudson with so many buckets, cans and barrels on top who refuses to allow any boat to share broad locks. But on the flipside there's a regular on the forum who had 2 of them and he's a regular guy. Moral? Don't judge a book...…. Back in the day, I would have loved to have owned a pair but settled for my 18 year old liveaboard Colecraft 70ft with a DM3 in the 'ole. But Lawrence did let me take Tench and Australia through Buckby locks some years ago. That was fun Don't worry - be happy

No not so, its only just after the narrow northbound. I was also around for the Father Brown filming and said boats were gone well before the festival people showed up and the vacant spaces were not 71ft. Trust me. And while on the point, those boats remaining should have moved to fill the gaps up, there were plenty of opportunities!

I winter moor in the same marina as bOatman . They have an agreement with the local council that says if a long term moorer is not on their boat for 4 consecutive weeks a year, or takes the boat out for the same time, the CC "allow" this. They made over £2.8k out of me in 6-7 months in winter mooring fees and services in 2018/19, and I was no longer a liveaboard during that time. The new owners want to fill all berths with fully contracted moorers but occupancy rates for most marinas is realistically 75-85%. I believe there are/were 8 temporary of us so they stand to lose a fair wedge! However, one of their marinas will allow such occupancy with a £1k uplift in annual fees. And there are other marinas who have T's &C's that only allow a certain amount of "occupancy" while berthed. CRT don't have a say in it so long as the boats are licensed.

Opposite the marina - I was moored in it and could see them clearly. It was not like that last year though, tip to tail all along

Came over the summit 3 days ago on 2ft 6" draught with no real problem from Fenny to Marston Doles. Claydon to Fenny was never dredged when the rest was done donkey's years ago so is always a drag though I manage that stretch in just over an hour and just under 3 for the rest. Good Armco moorings between 130 and 129 make++ a nice overnight break. Castle Marinas have bought Cropredy and Crick, and its true about the Fairport moorings in 2020. Also, they don't want winter moorers either but imagine the berths will be 100% occupied with contracted boats. I know that there is a good income stream from both of the above and wonder if they will change their tune when they review the profit & loss accounts from month to month. Also noted this year some selfish git gap mooring out on the line during the festival - 3 spaces added would equal 70ft.

But I'm street legal now? Others still do, though?

Is this your first time? Napton to Kingswood is 14.75 cruising hours. Kingswood Jct. to Stratford is 20.5 cruising hours round trip; the locks are quite slow, heavy and the paddles are stiff [was down there last month]. No problem for a strong and healthy crew but you might want to just go round the ring with time to spare, especially as there are more boats about this time of the season. An average time through a lock of 10 minutes will extend if you're in a queue. [ 3 boats, 30 minutes plus waiting time for other coming the other way] Oh and its Black Prince!!

Cropredy Marina has recently changed owners and it's planning consent does not permit residentials.

When the traveller lad went for a terminal bath in Stourport for trying to go over a narrow lock bridge on his bike, CRT were forced to put up support barriers on lock bridges almost everywhere. [Typical knee jerk reaction] Funny they haven't in Brum yet and there will be a splash there sooner or later. With any luck complete with bike [after all, you are "locked" into the pedals if you have the correct gear on.

***UPDATE*** The RN Register now has a limited stock of both A5 and A4 manuals, scanned and reprinted from the originals. Cost of the A5 is £20 and A4 is £25 both inclusive of p&p, obtainable from sales@rnregister.org.uk Kevin

Back on topic, my experience with RCR is 10/10 Replaced a faulty alternator within 2 hours - luck because the engineer was on another job on the Napton flight. When the output shaft of my PRM parted company with the rest of the gearbox, had a first response within 90 minutes and diagnosis with action plan. They did not have a spare unit on the shelf to swop out but did arrange for the box to be repaired and back on the engine within 48 hours. It was not internal damage but caused by a BIG lump of 4 x 2 some years ago which stopped the DM3 dead in its tracks, so I had to pay for the job but grateful as it could have cost a new g/b otherwise. I was able to remove the unit myself, but no way would have had the spare shaft!

The spring on the governor is only designed to fix the rpm at around 400 and is a throwback to when RN's were stationary machines running usually around 1000 RPM. It should not be attached as shown when the engine has warmed up to 60deg. If the rack is dirty, undo the cover and spray with WD40 while moving it manually, that should clean it up well. If there's any play in the governor arm hole, the anti stall device will have no effect and - it will stall! Disconnecting the linkage will show if it is contributing to the symptoms or not. The nut on the end of the anti stall device can be used to adjust its correct operation; you should hear it "ticking" as it works. So this is correct in your case Inside the governor housing are a pair of phosphor bronze weights mounted horizontally which does defy the logic behind governors which are usually vertical. Any clanking noise from these is caused by the weights dropping due to gravity and when cold, it can sound quite alarming. Use the oil hole by slackening the screw and inserting a good old squirt or more of the engine oil in use [SAE30 or XHD30 typically] While idle speeds of 100-200 RPM can be achieved, remember that the engine was never designed to do this and more so, rocking the boat from side to side will speed up or slow down the idle, thus creating the condition for a stall Just one more thing, £12 a year will give you membership of the RN Register if you're not. www.rnregister.org.uk

That widebeam has finally moved from below WFB, we know as we were following it up Stockton after it got stuck again at Blue Lias. The owners seemed clueless and an entire army of CRT guys locked them through. At 12ft 6" beam and headed for the Thames in London, I reckon there will be much said on various forum sites and the may even get wedged in Braunston Tunnel. Knowing the lack of width even down the GU, it would have been better by road. They'll probably need a repaint when they get to London. With wheel steering not tiller, they were tacking from side to side and using the bow thruster to compensate. At least it was a proper wide beam and not just a fat boat based on narrowboat design? Horses for courses - better oop north as Mr Smelly says - Hi mate☺️

I reckon Victor Meldrew had the right phrase for this......I don't believe it? The day CRT puts the needs of boaters first will be the same day that Hell Freezes Over. To blandly say that rebranding comes out of the existing marketing budget is so crass when several parts of the system are completely broken - one particularly the subject of begging bowls [Middlewich]. I have a budget which includes a savings pot. When a situation requires money, I adjust my budget accordingly and take the hit on savings.

Yes it is and you can see the post advertising the fact. This picture show just how this section is only suitable for narrowboats. Even if CRT were to cut back the official mooring there is absolutely no wriggle room for anything else. Two can just about get by with care. Put a wide beam in the picture and it's not a joke.

The answer is not to provoke canal rage but to highlight the stupidity of the current situation. If the occupancy of Dunchurch is now 10 wide beams, 6 of which are "liveaboards" then a breach of the planning permission has been made. That is a separate issue, as is the current debate about licensing of larger vessels. The bottom line is just this: are you prepared to risk your boat in a waterway not designed for it? If so, crack on and wait for the crunch. I wonder if the insurance cover would be valid in the event of a claim. Next stop for me , CRT. Thanks for a lively debate!! TTFN!

Mrsmelly, I hear you're "legging it" back to the wider T&M As for the rare opportunity of a wide beam venturing there, the marina wouldn't have shelved out for a super sized entrance plus wide beam slipway on the off chance of such a rare occurrence. Then again, with a reported £15m investment in the project, some might question the business sense in these harsh economic times. Unless they adopt the Mercia model and add lodges or camper home parks etc. Maybe a retrospective planning application for change of use? We should all be campaigning for a return to vegetation free boating, but that won't happen anytime soon. Any comparisons between skinny/shiny/wide/pig ugly/superior/steel/GRP are surely "in the eye of the beholder" and, without a doubt, the level of comfort within a wide beam has to be better by definition.

The objective would be to have bridge 90 restricted to 8ft beam; no amount of signs or warnings of dire enforcement would deter anyone based on current practice. Just imagine the carnage if 2 of these fat boats were to approach each other and attempt to pass

An interesting debate and while there is a published profile of 12ft 6" for the GU up to Camp Hill, present conditions certainly don't allow 2 wide beams to pass in many places. You can just about squeeze a fat boat and narrowboat past each other in the Milton Keynes area!! Hotel boat Tranquil Rose, which I last saw at Nelson's Wharf, has a low profile and that's why it could fit under the bridge at the Blue Lias which does have a 14ft gap. As regards the north Oxford, it's published dimensions are clearly stated, so I expect CRT to enforce this for the benefit of all narrow craft. The last official response from the SE Waterways Manager is: Thank you for your email raising questions about wide beams on the north Oxford canal. I apologise for the delay in my reply but as you can imagine this topic has generated a wide range of views. I asked for the matter to be raised at last NAG meeting before Xmas. The NAG members agreed that the Oxford is a narrow canal and the max published dimensions should be 2.1 x 21m (there are slight variations along the length of the canal). As such I have asked for our web site to be updated accordingly and am also following this up with our marinas team to ensure we are all on the same page. Kind regards Vicky Waterway Manager South East So it seems that this is being ignored by marina operators and wide beam owners - and of course CRT themselves who allowed construction of an abnormally wide access to Dunchurch Pools! Trying to fit a quart into a pint pot comes to mind

Interesting responses on my thread here. A Dutch barge is quite aesthetic and best suited for canals and rivers that can accommodate them.....these so-called wide beam boats built to a narrowboat profile are so butt ugly, but each to their own! And do not belong on the north Oxford. I still maintain that a narrow canal is just not suitable for any other craft. End Of. Some pictures attached may help those unacquainted with the north Oxford understand what the issues are. I don't even subscribe to the view that if all the offside vegetation was cut right back it would be OK for wide beams. I draw 2ft 6", small beer for an ex working boat, so would still struggle to find enough water even if the cut was dredged to original dimensions - which it won't be. Below is the canal between bridges 83 and 84 Below is the cut between br90 and 89 in Braunston looking both ways. I rest my case