BilgePump
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Posts posted by BilgePump
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Despite the distance, with your mention of the 3wks at a time full on, I think you could manage this. A lot of things can be fabricated in a home workshop and then assembled onsite. A lined boat, with all plumbing and electrics in place will give you a decent enough place to camp out in whilst fitting out over spring/summer. The RCD needs to adhered to as said so do look at that and the 5yr rule. It will take longer and cost more than any similar job on land but a lot will boil down to whether you like the idea of doing the interior yourself. My dad did it once but I think I would end up still with a tent in an empty shell ten years down the line.
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In fairness to Ricco1 I too thought it was common knowledge that water's being lost somewhere along the length. Good that it's actually being addressed, although a short walk down the towpath would show them loads more locations needing attention aswell. For some reason 'passport to pimlico' now springs to mind, being in a few miles of dead end water. Those moorers from between the bridges moving up to Buggy would easily fit in but I'd hope they would find somewhere outside the arm, eg towpath near the sewage works or opposite the garden jetties, both nice enough locations and 14days towpath rule. No other boats will be coming beyond the stoppage so not as though it will get any busier overall while cut off, but as Bugsworth is about the only place anyone can go to that side it may get busy up there.
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Update this afternoon states stop planks now in place, canal closed.
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Now I wish I'd put the boat on the mooring the other way round. Wonder how many there are on the Furness side of the swing bridge, facing in New Mills direction but can only turn at the winding hole near NM. If navigation is closed, we're only getting up to Bugsworth or anywhere by foot. Often lots of boats moored up between the two bridges in question, they'll have had to move one side or the other. The Upper Peak's not exactly brimming with quality towpath moorings these days.
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Sadly there are a boatload of scams out there. We put ours on the market for a while and it was an eye opener. Pictures lifted, cloned ad at cut price. Had a sinister message from someone in the 'process' of 'buying'. I've bought a couple of £500 boats blind off eBay no problem but even at that level it was only cash on meeting at the yard. The litmus test is to speak to the neighbouring moorers. If the guy has 'lost' the keys and nobody knows him from Adam then probably time to walk.
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Even though an old converted butty would demand every waking hour in maintenance, I know which one I would prefer.
The modern cruiser's spec seems sound enough but the interior and general layout doesn't work for me tbh. The idea of a huge galley with dining room for only two stools at the work surface seems a little nonsensical. There seems to be a lack of storage, bookshelves etc and the lounge area is essentially empty except for the large sofa bed, which will be a pain to get past if opened out. The actual lining out appears tidy enough from the pics, but overall the main part of the cabin looks quite spartan. Why pay for all that space on an annual basis when the functions could be fitted into a much shorter vessel?
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Both the centre cockpit and aft have classic, elegant lines of a bygone time but like others I think trying to recreate one from the other would be a mistake. The cost would be huge and no matter how successful, it's still a significant modification that may well have an impact on the value of a well regarded boat. Back then GRP resin was cheap and boats built very heavily. Loads of late 60s boats are still going strong after 45+yrs so you can easily hope that your boat is only entering a stylish early middle age. As we know unnecessary plastic surgery can go badly wrong and would be a real shame for a craft with plenty of life ahead.
Crossing an open cockpit between bedroom and living / WC may not be ideal but with the screen and canopy up and some clip on / Velcro nighttime privacy curtains the style has lots of pluses offering private bedroom, storage, workspace or whatever. In the case here a guesstimate around four feet of current cockpit space but back deck/aft cockpit access to a single newly joined cabin would mean turning that current aft cabin area into part of the main passageway. You then have a layout that more resembles a standard cruiser nb layout, one with just as many detractors as fans.
If you haven't been on the canal in the winter before, you may find that your use changes with different months. In December / Jan it may be that sleeping in the main cabin is preferable. If I'm out at that time on a std layout nb, I prefer to close the door to the back bedroom early and bunk down on the L shape dinette in the middle of the boat to read or do work on the laptop/tablet. Galley and toilet to hand, closer to woodburner. Summer and everything is different, a brew on deck in the middle of the night is a pleasure and can sleep wherever.
If you have a few years before wanting to move aboard full time then it's plenty to work out what will work best and if she's the right boat for you. Sure you'll enjoy spending many weeks afloat coming to the decision. Have fun!
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Agreed that outboards are little use at charging batteries. I use an 8hp on one small boat for a few hours at a time and its effect is minimal. With regard to the OP, an inboard diesel and calorifier like that Freeman has would make life on the water far more comfortable. My mention of outboards comes partly from a concern that in older small boats a knackered inboard can be very costly in relation to the craft's overall value.
We probably need to know more about the type of use the boat would have to make specific recommendations. OP has the enthusiasm and hard saved pennies to get some kind of decent GRP cruiser that will be useable and reasonable to maintain. Whether or not this and he are suited for liveaboard life are different questions. It would be possible to be hooked up to shore power in a marina with showers, laundry etc and be comfy enough with a 22ft boat with just a small outboard for the occasional day trip. Would someone want to be living on it continuously cruising through the winter? Probably not. You do have to prepare for worst case though even on a larger boat. Spent two weeks with a broken alternator on the nb's engine last December. Only a mile from the marina but had to rely on heating water on the stove and oil lights until it was fixed. Upside was needing to go to the pub to charge phone!
Even a tiny steel boat at this price would be expected to have expensive problems, ones that could stop a project dead if the funds aren't available to fix. You would certainly be looking to find at least as much again as purchase price. Wooden project boats are a form of torture some souls seem addicted to. If you would rather be enjoying the canal and saving a few quid, forget them.
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Hi Lee and welcome. Not been long here myself. I'll echo the recommendations for a GRP boat. Your 4k will do you well if you are careful. Wood and steel can throw much greater bills at a turn and see you lose all. You're not dealing with an offshore yacht so most GRP work is possible for the amateur. Why not start off doing something even smaller up to start? This as an example is a dawncraft 22 with decent enough outboard went for under 1500.
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Please forget the hob. One way ticket to the grave http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-27786195
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Electric heating via inverter is a nonstarter in this situation imho. Without shore power you're only really left with burning some kind of fuel. First thing would be to fit a couple of carbon monoxide detectors. Simplest thing is a hurricane lamp safely positioned near a vent. Many small grp cruisers manage to accommodate a small gypsy/boatman stove. If you can fit one in, a stove is a great friend in winter but poss difficult your N27 being mid cockpit and a major fit in any boat needing surround chimney etc. I've found sometimes in the winter the only thing you can do is keep yourself warm rather than the boat. Expedition sleeping bag, duvet, multiple hats, salopettes, long john thermals etc. Just keeping the boat above zero can be hard enough. Water, sewage, frozen locks etc will take up most of your time, but what the hell arctic boating will still beat a summer's day at work!
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What about cousin It's pen?
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MtB is giving sound advice. Hypothetically as you have mentioned the Macc canal..if your home mooring was at Lyme View, you could pop to Marple for a few days then put the boat back in the marina, a few days later head onto the Upper Peak for four or five days, turn round head back onto the Macc for a few days, put boat back in marina for three. This kind of pattern is entirely fine and the way in which a lot of people use their boats. Other commitments may make it impossible for some to live aboard for any length of time or venture too far from base. If you have a land based address and spend some time there and don't just sit in the marina for weeks on end when actually aboard then I'd suggest that a leisure mooring would be perfectly appropriate. If you will be genuinely living aboard full time and spending most winter days sitting in the marina then the residential route would be the appropriate one.
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Bet there aren't many boat owners who don't look at other boats for practical ideas they can adapt to their own. I'd be a little startled but not annoyed if inside and a face appeared at the window and quite happy to chat to anyone about boats if I'm outside just doing odd jobs. It helps on the canal if you get along with people as it is such a public environment. Most owners will be happy to chat, just don't let the grouchy ones put you off.
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Norman23 lovely boat. You will have a lot of fun and she is built like a tank. 3rd party inland from £60 and Newton Crum as mentioned earlier have a good rep
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We are 60ft dead (plus bow and stern fenders). The C&H is quite close but wouldn't try to take her up there. 57-58ft imho would be the limit for relatively stress free transit. I've heard the '60 is possible singly' line but never met anyone who has done it. Have met a few experienced owners who said that they struggled with 56 and 57.
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edit to ask what sort of stern has it got???
No back deck as such by looks of pic 3 and does look more static boat variety. If that was its initial purpose then building a simple punty shape seems quite reasonable. Not sure that I'd want to bounce through narrows too often with it though. Then again no mention of motive power so it could be a slow bowhaul.
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Looks excellent. Traditional artwork enriches the cut without doubt, be it on an historic or modern craft. Colourful, bold, fantastical and floral, it would certainly have contrasted the dark industrial basins. Fall into the glazed wings with centre diamonds camp on ours. My decoration doesn't get much more complex than that i'm afraid and the light in the cratch is appreciated. It serves as shed, seating area, wood store, plant house etc over the year. Just inside the bow doors is a workdesk so wouldn't want to cut out more light up that end of the boat. As she needs a new cover I'd like to have windows in that too when marking it out. Economy and practicality trump tradition in my case but I don't feel guilty as she is a cruiser not a trad and whereas there are always other jobs I can't do myself and require a professional, plain flat painting is mainly elbow grease. Of course this means that she'll never be the prettiest paintjob on the canal, indeed the patchwork of primer seems to continuously move around on boats like her through the summer. Above water painting is simply a job that some of us choose to do ourselves as best we can in an ongoing fashion to minimise costs.
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My folks came to an agreement near 50yrs ago. Dad got to make/buy the boat. Mum got to name it. All came from LOTR. A dawncraft 25 called lisaboo got renamed aragorn. Had a frodo, gandalf etc. Currently another boat on the cut with our name. As long as crt etc know, name her whatever you like so long as you would be happy shouting it across a bar/marina pontoon/vhf
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Hi all. I've only just joined the forum but regularly visit Bugsworth as family have moored on the Upper Peak for some years. Moorings in the basin can't be booked in advance and if busy then 48hrs is all you'll get if you can find a spot. At quiet times however it is possible to get an extension. You can ask for this and fill in the forms in the shop. They will issue you with a card to put above your CRT licence. They will not ask for a donation although it's pretty poor form for someone not to make one. If you need an extension go and see them before the 48hrs runs out. There is someone around most days of the summer. I was in there last month and stayed 5 days as it wasn't busy but the weekend before was a Gardner rally, Easter saw a gala, and places then were like rocking horse manure. The possibility of an extra few days is just that and I wouldn't count on being able to stay there for anything longer.
There is no mooring between Bugsworth basins and back up the arm to the junction but the stretch between the junction and back towards Furness Vale offers some pleasant towpath locations, although a little shallow in places. You can virtually forget mooring between the junction and Whaley Bridge. Much of the stretch is permanent moorings. Whaley basin is also small and busy, tight enough just to turn but rarely space to moor other than for water.
I can't say how safe it is to leave the boat moored up unattended for any length of time but there are far worse parts of the network. Plenty of towpath users during the day and I've walked down there at night many times.
Regular trains from Furness and Whaley, stations are close to the canal. Big Tesco at entry to bugsworth arm and plenty of shops in Whaley.
Would second the pubs already namechecked in this thread. Navigation, Goyt in Whaley and Soldier in Furness are all great. 'EmeraldFox' I think I may have met you in the Soldier last Sunday lunch and chatted boats briefly.
Would definitely recommend a visit to Bugsworth for a few days to anyone.
Weird craft of the waterways
in General Boating
Posted
It's mad projects like that reassure me regards human nature. All the best to them