Marshian

I did similar last year - bought a Springer (36') from brokerage at Sawley marina at the tail-end of the season; end of September. Had to move her to my mooring on Well Creek in the Middle Levels. I had no particular deadline, but wanted to be on my home mooring before the winter stoppages kicked-in. I also had commitments that would take me back home periodically. Started-off early in October, with training arranged. John Rush from Soar Valley Training Centre came with me one-way to Loughborough. It was invaluable - more would've been better! Got to Kilby Bridge, moored-up and went home. Came back with crew to help with the locks, well, ok, do the locks whilst I steered... Got to Northampton Marina, and went home. Did Northampton to Well Creek in one, solo again, arriving a month after I left Sawley. What I learned from that voyage is that the clocks going back when I left Northampton made the cruising day significantly shorter. Twelve hours didn't come into it. Long stops to go home also had a major effect - mooring and securing my boat, then re-tracing my steps on public transport to fetch my car, then packing-up, turning-off electrics and disconnecting gas etc. This is time consuming, then has to be reversed when you get back to the boat some days/weeks later. When solo, you'll need food and drinks, and the only option is to tie-up and prepare them. As an inexperienced narrow boater, I did not want to leave it as late as December. Apart from stoppages, there's also freeze-ups. How are your ice breaking skills? The unpredictability of the Trent in winter has already been mentioned by Leo. Not a great experience for a beginner. My best suggest would be to bring your schedule forward, and make it more realistic!

You must mix with the wrong sort of sheep...

I have a Morco, gas fridge and 3 ring cooker (with oven/grill). My gas locker accommodates a 13kg and a 7.5kg cylinders. I find the 13kg lasts 3 to 4 weeks, and the 7.5kg about 12 days

Seems I'm in a minority. When I bought a boat, first day out was with a trainer. Thought it was worth the expense, I mean, how much will your boat cost? I already had some years cruiser ownership under my belt, but thought that narrowboat handling required different and/or additional skills. Found the training extremely useful. As others have said, I'm sure you can pick-up the skills informally (lock loitering? Towpath tarrying?). I had something of a schedule to observe, and wanted to avoid the cardinal sin of being in a hurry! Cheers, Chris

Not to mention breaking the bank!

Hi Guys This thread's a bit old now, but thought I'd update briefly. Made it from Sawley to Northampton by yesterday (18/10). Took a couple of weeks, and the learning curve not so much steep as vertical! Plus usual teething troubles along the way. Now have to get down the Nene, which is a bit daunting after just getting used to the canals. Back to the steep/vertical learning curve! Any advice on the Nene gratefully received... Cheers, Chris

Thanks John. Went for the 'demo' yesterday. Zig-zagged down the Trent to the motorway bridge and back. London to Sawley return for a few minutes on the river seemed slightly disproportionate. Engine seems well matched to the boat, progressing fine against the slight current at fairly low revs. Had time for good look round the boat, and a browse in the chandlery, in a faintly bewildered manner. I'm sure it will all be clear in time... Plan now is to head back to Sawley on Thurs with a boot full of clutter - bedding, household stuff and the like - to 'move in'. Then see if I need any boating stuff from the marina - nappy pins? Anyway, on Friday, a trainer will meet me there, and we'll head-off down the Soar whilst he shows me absolutely everything I need to know about narrowboat handling in a day. A friend's coming with me for the first couple of days, and after that, I'm heading down to the mooring on me jack. Start as you mean to continue, I say... Wish me luck! Cheers, Chris

Please do, plus have that pint I owe you in the Globe! (Other pubs are available). Thanks all. Your positive remarks are very encouraging. I'll know more after the demo run on Saturday. It's just a half hour potter up and down the river, but it's more than I've had so far. A full report will follow! Cheers, Chris

Thanks Sea Dog! Southern Star - thanks for your advice. The marina was just giving-out 'it's been overplated', so I pressed for more. Seller advised them (by phone, whilst I was there) that it was done by a well regarded boat steel works in Shardlow (didn't catch the name - any ideas?). The boat was re-launched on completion, and tested. A pinhole leak was discovered, so the boat was taken back out, and re-welded to cure it. Surveyor states '...work appears to have been competently carried out'. Makes me reasonably confident about the overplating. My slight concern is about the SR2. If it's power was matched to the original boat, how will it cope with the extra weight? I'll find that out at the demo. Cheers, Chris PS - didn't pay the asking price!

I have a boat. This one: http://bwml.co.uk/brokerage/sm-9238-omega/ Survey sorted, price agreed, so now the fun starts! I'm going to have a demo (sea trial?) at the weekend, complete the purchase next week, then move it to my mooring. Boat's at Sawley, mooring (as above) is in Upwell, so baptism by fire! I'm arranging some boat handling training for when I set off, then down the GU and the Nene. Main caveat is to get there before the stoppages start. Wish me luck! Cheers, Chris

Hi Magictime Thanks for your input. My main criterion for the boat's accommodation is 3 or more berths, with at least a fixed single. The 'fixed' single could be, eg a make-up dinette that can be left as a berth. A make-up double in the saloon will accommodate friends/family, who come for a free holiday, and get press-ganged as galley slaves and paddle winders! Other 'essentials' are shower and fridge. When you've worked through a flight of locks on a hot July day, is a shower a luxury? I don't think so! On that same hot day, perishables need to be in a fridge. Where are the hot days, you might ask, but that's another subject... The interior might have to be revised to fit these criteria, which is fine, but it needs to be within budget. The >34' paramater isn't rigid, and I'm happy to look at smaller boats which fit the bill, such as this example: http://www.braunstonmarina.co.uk/find-a-boat/ArtMID/417/ArticleID/74/Tail-End-Charlie Oh yes, the other major criterion is that the engine should be about right for the boat, neither under powered nor under used. Does a 35'er need a BMC 1.8? I think not, but they're out there, like this one: http://bwml.co.uk/brokerage/sm_9130_cyclone_chloe/ Water skiing, anyone? Athy - yes, I was well pleased at finding a mooring. I'd expected to pay marina rates for the winter, so a good result Got your invoice, thanks. Cheque's in the post. There's definitely a pint with your name on it, m8. I expect I will have to tie-up with a bit of care, to ensure the bridge is passable. (Not visited the mooring yet - had a look around on Google). My plan to moor on the Middle Levels was influential in choosing my user name! Cheers, Chris

Unfortunately, if this scam keeps coming up on boating forums, it keeps being used. Kinda implies that it works, or has done, otherwise the scammer would move on to their next scam. With newbies (me included) registering on boating forums most days, there's a lot of uninformed boat buyers around. I don't accept that it's ok to allow the more naive/gullible amongst them to be thrown to the lions, 'cos it's their own fault for being naive/gullible. So I reiterate, the more warnings, the better.

Hi SS, and thanks for the welcome. Yes, a permanent bed is high on my list of priorities - that's a leftover from my cruiser days. Looked at quite a few boats thus far, with more in the offing. Been as far as Staffs and Wilts, and various points in-between. There's a lot of boats for sale out there... Athy, ta for the heads-up about finding a mooring. Oddly enough, I have found one, and it's thanks to you! A search on here for 'Middle Level moorings' turned-up a few results, including a post from you about one by your local pub. I thought it was worth a phone call, and spoke to Duncan. The mooring's available, and he's keeping it for me. A long shot, but it worked-out! So, many thanks for that, m8. If time and distance allow, I'll move the boat I buy to the mooring before the winter closures start. If not, I'll probably move it by road to (I expect) Fox's, or another nearby marina, and go onto the mooring from there. I hope to be your neighbour soon! Cheers, Chris

Hi Athy Apparently she's in Truro this time - Matilda Kelly Bryant (again!). Fewer canals than Scotland!

Junior, I apologised in advance if it was already known. I've looked at n/b sale ads as a 'wannabe' for longer than I care to remember, and it was new to me. I concur with those who don't agree that losing £000s is the 'deserved' price for foolishness. We can all get carried away by enthusiasm - I know I can. I think that those who are being incautious, and putting their hard-earned £000s at risk, should be given every opportunity to regain contact with reality. So the more warnings, the better. Cheers, Chris

Cheers Heffalump Yes, I'm trying to temper excitement with a bit of common sense. I paid a little attention in the 'not being too stupid' lessons! Here's my post about the scam: http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=79389 I have formulated my boating strategy (if I can put it in those terms). First, buy the right boat. Then, keep it on the Middle Levels, 'cos: No need to license the boat out of season Cheaper moorings than the main system - London moorings are too expensive, and the plan is to get out of the city! I'm in NE London, so quick access to the M11 gets me to and from the boat I can enjoy cruising the Middle levels early and late in the season, and get onto the main system the rest of the time I'll keep you posted on the boat hunt - watch this space!

Hi I just posted an 'intro' in the New to Boating forum, 'cos I'm looking for a n/b at the moment. I included my intention to post about a scam I came across whilst looking at sale ads on Boatsandoutboards. Apols if this is already known, but here's what I found: I saw a boat advertised at a stupid cheap price, but assumed it was a typo and asked for more details. I got a reply to the effect that they were too far away to show me the boat, so I could have it for the advertised price via Ebay and Paypal. Yeah, right! When I replied to say that I would travel to see the boat, I got a reply (in bad English) giving all the reasons why I couldn't - the boat had been sent to Shiply to prepare for delivery (they're an online load clearance house, and have no storage facilities). Shiply are Ebay's official delivery partner (of course they're not). Ebay/Paypal would hold my payment until I confirmed satisfactory delivery and condition (again, of course they don't, they just pass money received straight to the seller). There's more, but I won't bore you. The Boatsandoutboards site has a link to the Practical Boating forum. I searched it for 'scam', and found warnings about a near identical one being run last year for fishing boats. I'd hope that anyone can see how transparent this scam is, but if it's running again, there might be gullible people out there with more enthusiasm than sense? The ad has been taken down now, but I expect another 'bargain' will be offered before too long. Brings to mind the old adage 'if it looks too good to be true, it isn't true'. In the unlikely event you come across anyone falling for this, please put them straight. Cheers, Chris

Hi All I've lurked on this site quite often, and learned a great deal by doing so - thanks for that. Not registered or posted before, 'cos I thought that too many 'wannabes' would devalue the forum. My circumstances have now allowed me to get serious, so I'm actively in pursuit of a narrowboat (or, as we'd say around my way, narrerbote). I'm after a small starter boat, 35' to 40' range (but maybe up to 45'?). Smaller suits because I've no experience of narrowboats, and I'll be mainly solo. It's for leisure use, hopefully long-term during the season. I've read the views that new enthusiasts can quickly 'outgrow' a smaller n/b, but I'll deal with that as and when... I do have some experience of boats and canals. I've had a couple of small outboard cruisers - one on the Broads in the 80s, and one on the T&M in the 90s. The first lock I had to pass en route to the Trent was Stenson, which I gather is one of the deeper ones. I have a clear idea about keeping and using my n/b, but I'll call a halt to this missive here - you don't want to read an essay! I came across a scam whilst looking at sale ads, which I'll post in General Boating. Apart from that, I'll look forward to chatting with you soon Cheers, Chris