BilgePump

Yip. Know it well. Only just shut as pub recently. Most recent tenants have taken on the Oak at the pole as food place with good reviews. In all honesty, I think it takes a certain type of person to be running a bar, rather than the location as such. I'd feel happy walking into any bar in Failsworth on my own. Would I ever want to run one on a Friday night? No, ta! But I know people who did it for years.

Go on, enlighten us as to which one it was

Newspaper? Should have been a copy of Land Rover Monthly, Old Glory, PBO or Waterways World.

Family's old 60' narrowboat had a bit in front of the cabin that was an open area, could put down a few camp beds, folding work table or chairs as needed. The entire cabin on the 17' or 19' GRP I have now would fit into that space (if you dropped the headroom to about 4'6") and they still each have room for two berths, a loo and space for a stove/wash bowl. Couldn't have lived full time on the narrowboat personally, not unless had workspace, garden, shed on land close to the boat.

Drove past yesterday on way to boat and big loader was unloading massive rebar lattice cylinders so assuming that that is something to do with the concrete piles menntined in post above. Sorry, no pic as was in car.

Whilst agreeing with the methods posted above, just wondering if anyone has tried the white vinegar and good wash method? Have always used a variety of the previous posters' suggestions but was told it was an alternative way.

Up to 48' 7" / 14.80m mooring at Bosley Top Lock L1 Leisure available now, currently on offer at £1858 (approx £38.30/ft) Up to 27' 3" / 8.30m mooring at Higher Poynton L1 Leisure available now, currently on offer at £1074(approx £37.60/ft) Those figures suggest that £1700 would get you approx 45' of CaRT mooring

I can think of at least three people over the years who passed away enjoying themselves on the water, right to the end. They just didn't know it was the last day. All late 70s to 80s, sudden, natural causes, when they were out on their boats. One sailing in the Irish sea, one at anchor fishing in the med and one just at anchor for the night on the river here. Always seems a better way to go than many others. Don't call it a 'weed' hatch over in the Caribbean. They'll think he's going to stuff it full of the finest and row back over. Mind you, the OAFC players could get a nice bonus.

And think of all the stoppages he avoided! Bet no one asks him if he has pumpout, cassette or composting loo on board!

remember that Frank Rothwell (73) is about to complete his second solo transatlantic row in three years, beating his own 2021 record for the oldest rower. He established Manchester Cabins, which sponsored the Ocean Youth Club, and in recent years he took over ownership of Oldham Athletic. I do hope he's been wearing his trademark flat cap on the crossing. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-68307134

Pauline is a beautiful boat. Only seen it from the outside a few years ago but thought the lines and everything were magic. Never seen the inside before the current FB ad but it seems to live up to the exterior. Price gets you a load of boat but I imagine it will require one seriously skilled and enthusiastic owner to keep her in shape. As an aside, I blooming hate facebook etc links where there is so much tracking cr@p in the URL that it takes lines to tell FB who referred who from what page and region etc. Not getting at our forum members, it's the big platforms at fault. For example, the straight link to the ad for Pauline is https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/775760507312896

That doesn't sound too bad at all. I'm currently paying £87 per month for just a 26' long CaRT leisure mooring on the Macclesfield canal. Water and bins there but nothing else. Not the easiest access to public transport either and no free parking close by. True residential moorings are like hens' teeth but some places like New Mills marina have an intensive use option and is next to a train line into Manchester.

I can't believe someone asked that question. Well, actually, yes I can. Take it a step further and they'll be complaining that since 5 miles is a quarter of 20 then why should the range on a three month licence be any more. Just keep buying three month licences and lurk on a short length of sweet stops indefinitely. Then they think that it's ridiculous that that's now how it works. For pity's sake, to get a 20 mile range and 40 of travel in a year, you would have to move the boat less than a mile per week. Even without a working engine it should be possible to bow haul a narrowboat that far.

Maybe because it's easy to fab an extending (sacrificial) edge from the baseplate in steel but wouldn't work in GRP. The structural strength of things made in brute force steel sheets vs the advantages of curved structures resisting pressures in GRP? Those bathyspheres look like a giant marble, not a brick or tubular Titan.

Here's a question I've been mulling. The Skipper 17 as mentioned by OP has a forward houdini hatch aswell as rear sliding hatch and washboards so emergency escape is covered for the BSS. My little Shetland has a Houdini hatch same size. On tidal non CaRT/BSS waters, I also have a Leisure a 17 (small sailboat like OP was talking about) which has no emergency escape hatch. Is that bit mandatory or advisory to get a pass?

It amuses me when people say or advertise boats that they assert CaRT says no BSS required. Which old webpage or who did they talk to at the trust? Probably someone with far less experience of their physical network and website than the boat owner.

That's great if you can chuck the boat in or out on a free slipway day by day, or if it's a legit portable dinghy or just a bigger boat nosing out from non CaRT waters for a few days at a time. Isn't very efficient though if you need to pay a boatyard £20+ each way to get in the water.

Bottom of BSS page What if I'm just visiting from other waterways? If you don't have any of the above, you can still get a short term visitor licence if you fill in and send us a boat condition declaration application form. Now I've just realised this isn't the short term licence page you mentioned but the BSS page I clicked to. You can still do it this way still, I think.

Seems like left hand, right hand??? That page links through to the 'Boat condition. Declaration for a short term licence'. Years ago it was limited to 56 days iirc but no mention of limits now.

Welcome to the OP Those little Skipprs are great. If you are going to launch and recover by trailer on CaRT waters then you can just buy short term licences and not need a BSC test pass if you are a 'visitor' on an occasional basis. If you intend to leave the boat on the water, moored or cruising, for more than a little while and take a full long term licence then you will need to get it tested. Any boat with an outboard, and enclosed cabin, regardless of gas and electrics, needs a BSC test. They' be the rules for the last five years. You can find older statements on line but they predate. eta: I was thinking of the little cabin version https://www.topsail.co.uk/boat.php?refnum=1272 not the open boat. Not sure what type OP has.

They ran on paraffin and looked a bit like a flying saucer? Also used in cold frames etc. Never used one myself but my dad's still got one in the garage that he used donkeys years ago. Commonly known as sump heaters

Because who doesn't love digging a hole? Fred Dibnah and pals constructed a pit head and part mine shaft in the years before his death.

When we had the NB we used to have an old Jones hand powered sewing machine stored in the bottom of the wardrobe. In about 25 years I only remember it being used a couple of times, things got done on an electric on at home instead. No room for one on my little sailing boat but a Lurpak tub with bits of sailcloth, repair tape, needles and thread is an important bit of kit.