BilgePump

Really good point. We had a 30hp 45' NB stretched to 60' many years ago. Was still plenty adequate power for everywhere it went but probably would have been better with a few more ponies to try something with strong flooding or tidal like the Ribble link. That's looks to be very nice work @Martin Kedian has done there

Could this have been where a holding tank for a dump through pump out toilet went? If the tank was 500x500x1000, that would be 250l, then ripped out and the bulkhead hole bodged with a sheet of aluminium at a later stage?

Origo stoves are great. Like posh Trangias. Meths cookers have been my go to all life. Easy to deal with.

Cabin boat with no fuel system, gas, electrical system or toilet/tank discharge does not need a BSS (falls into category 2) but to have an electric bilge pump surely it would need an electrical system of some sort. With no way of charging it I think I'd prefer a manual bilge pump anyway. CaRT's BSS page is at https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/boating/licence-your-boat/boat-safety-scheme and the exemption application form currently linked to from it is at https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/media/document/eRDSmlc1jT6PuOQWYBjfyQ/YT6vnDSZTTfmuEJcVC0G4vm-fiopCgQWKkOi-UL2OJM/aHR0cHM6Ly9jcnRwcm9kY21zdWtzMDEuYmxvYi5jb3JlLndpbmRvd3MubmV0L2RvY3VtZW50Lw/0189917c-dd96-73a4-b0b3-4a7c1fa28d8e.pdf Older versions of the exemption declaration are still online and accessible which adds to the confusion. You were in the past able to get an exemption for an outboard powered cabin boat if it had no gas or electrics or discharge. That's now not the case as the combination of the cabin and outboard is now enough to require a BSS pass. iirc this change happened about five years ago. All of the above only refers to CaRT's requirements for boats needing a BSS as were talking about a butty. Your waterway authority and type of boat may have different requirements. On the tidal river a BSS isn't required at our club for any boat.

Not a one for viewing canal videos normally but watched that one the other day. Really good, shows how the deepest pockets and wealth of knowledge are not needed to get started on the canals. The lady's little Microplus 510 is really sweet and in good condition, she paid £3500 for it. With a budget of up to 18k I'd also second Alan's suggestion of GRP. There's a nice and tidy looking Atlanta 32 on ebay for £15.5k https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/225858187622 . If OP is totally committed and moorings are very rare where they want to be then yes, the mooring may be the first thing to prioritise.

Point of order m'lud. A submarine is big long tube and they call it a boat.

I think that the real mistake in the email of 27th Oct was that they stated that the elections were for 'Canal & River Trust: Election of Private Business representatives to Council' which should have instead been 'Private Boating representatives' as sent in the correction yesterday. I was completely confused by the first email as I'm not a roving trader, hire boat operator or the likes, just a regular private leisure boater. Agree though that to send out a correction that is inconsistent in itself only seems to emphasise the carelessness and lack of proof-reading.

Not sure what you're paying Arthur but CaRT moorings aren't bad value. Mine work out at £2.7/ft/month and £3.3/ft/month. No facilities and online. Local marinas are a heck of a lot more

Just to clarify, the mooring that I got via auction isn't in Nantwich, it's further north. I had a mooring at Nantwich for a year or so about 2019 but never really used it. Seemed good value for money but just a bit too far away from home and where I wanted to be using the boat. I was another one of those absent boaters. Got a second CaRT mooring on the Macc when a decent shortish spot came up on buy now. Auction one is different location again. As for demand, being in commuter distance of Manchester, waterside moorings around here seem to be released regularly but are then taken up quite swiftly. No moorings currently listed within 20 miles of Marple, but they do come up. It's easy enough to register an interest in certain locations and get email/SMS alerts when something is available.

My mooring that I initially got on a three year contract at auction just renewed last month. They sent me a renewal for the coming year with the new direct debit schedule (price has gone up by 18%). It renewed automatically; I would have needed to tell them that I didn't want it anymore for them to cancel it. There's not even a boat registered on it at the moment. They just renewed with 'TBC' in place of boat name/licence. I imagine that a 60' mooring there would be a good bit more now. There's currently one mooring on the embankment listed for £1,112 pa, for max 32'10" boat. Going off price per foot that would make 60' just around £2k. There are currently 23 moorings up for auction on the website, with another 100 on buy now. https://www.watersidemooring.com/Search?Location=marple&DistanceMiles=0&Coordinates=53.3973%2C-2.0617&Availability=AvailableNow&ListingType=Auction

Looks to be a rather special boat with tons of character. I can understand why you'd be prepared to give up a T-Bird for a craft like that. Have fun and enjoy!

CaRT had emailed me 3 months beforehand with a reminder. Was my own fault that I'd forgotten. They never messaged me once it had expired but it was only a week out when renewed, and within the same licensing month.

Mine went out by a week earlier this year before it got a new one. I'd only remembered at the last minute and had to wait seven days for the surveryor. When I phoned up they (boatyard) said CaRT would only give me grief it if was expired at licence renewal. When I checked in on the CaRT site later on the day of the test the updated expiry date and cert number was already registered. Never had an email or a peep from them. I was prepared to take the outboard off and temporarily declare it exempt from BSS if I couldn't have got a test booked in at such relatively short notice.

Is that why Jasper is a popular name for them?

I went up to the moulding sheds in the 70s when my dad was looking for a hull. Gave me a lifelong affection for the smell of polyester resin and those boats.

Welcome to the forum. That's a very tidy looking boat. I think that these were actually made from modified moulds from the Norman 24 which are an older but still great boat with quite a few still out there. It's one of the boats that I'd like to upgrade to so I'm not envious of your new craft, at all, oh no. Have fun and enjoy!