RichM

It was more than I expected which prompted me to question it. They seem like nice people though I'm not daft with money! Unfortunately not, it's a modest 30hp Barrus Shire.

Thanks for the info. I probably should have mentioned that my boat is 55ft in length.

This is the first time I've had to arrange for my boat to be blacked. I've also asked for the engine to be serviced and gunwales re-painted. I've received a quote below from a local yard. Does this sound reasonable? Not too sure about Intertuf either from what I've read on here.

Living on a narrowboat is pure luxury compared to a tent! Do recommend getting a taste of life aboard, even if it's for a week or two. This may give a better idea of whether you could live within the confines of a narrowboat. I can quite easily but that may not be the case if I had clutter! If you do hire one, I'd recommend hiring one of a similar length & stern layout. I.e. a hiring a 45' boat will seem a lot different to a 57' boat.

I'm looking at CRT moorings where many have a 3 year contract period. Though on their website, it says the notice period is only two months. "What is my notice period if I want to give up mooring? Two months in writing." This seems contradictory. Can anyone clarify? Cheers

I'd agree as long as the dog generally doesn't mind being left alone and has full roam of the boat and assuming it's a fairly sizable boat relative to the size of the dog. Boats do get hot inside during the summer BUT you will often find the floor is usually considerably cooler especially if you have tiled or laminate/wooden flooring. Lay down on the floor on one hot day and see for yourself! Quite surprising. Dogs also have sweat glands on their paws so this is a good combination. My dog's vet told me that most young/middle aged dogs have very good bladders and can hold it much much longer than humans can, without discomfort. While it's always good to let dogs out as much as possible, it's worth bearing this in mind. Of course, puppies and older dogs will need more attention in this regard. I'd also recommend a dog camera that can be fixed to the collar. This way you can keep an eye on your dog remotely as long as you have internet access. My boat has port holes at the rear where it is considerably cooler. If heat is a concern, the more port holes the better. I really wish my boat had port holes and nothing else.

I fancy the idea of having a quad bike for short trips, something that can be transported or towed by a narrowboat. Has anyone seen any solutions for this other than using a tug style boat? I know it's a longshot but I thought I'd ask

Whatever you do, don't use bleach. My father put bleach in my cassette and then it started to leak! Bacteria is typically what causes foul smells.There's probably much better alternatives but I just use anti bacterial spray which keeps it clean. Tbh I use it for general cleaning all around the boat where there's likely to be bacteria. http://www.tesco.com/groceries/product/details/?id=257888724

What a shame! I wonder what happened.

I think it's a great idea. It may even inspire them and they may well end up as boaters themselves one day!

I used to chuck them out but then I noticed the boat was soon invaded by flies despite being clean and clutter-free. I now keep the spiders aboard who do a terrific job of getting rid of the flies. Two of them even have names, Malcolm and Jeremy. That said, I will chuck them out when they get too big!

Thanks all for the feedback. Happy to take a look at the issue mentioned by the OP. - as mentioned and if it happens again please can you kindly provide the URL/web address that you see at the time along with a screenshot if possible. I see instructions have already been given but if you need help with this let us know. Also, is it possible for you to outline steps you reached before encountering this problem, for example: 1. Visited canal world main page 2. Clicked View New Content 3. Clicked on the corresponding link to view the topic This will help us troubleshoot it further. Cheers

I'd push back at them. Looks like you spoke to a representative who may not understand how it works. Although it may be generated automatically, the system would still use a formula to make the calculation.

I always keep my fenders down but I am on a wide canal (100ft in places) where many people cruise up and down at ~6mph. There's no locks and the banks are lined with either iron or steel reinforcements along the entire canal. I think I shall be keeping my fenders down!

Which forum are you trying to post in? You should be able to post except in the Virtual Pub where you need at least 10 posts submitted in other forums before you can post in that one.

Could also consider a hotel boat. There are hotel narrowboats where you get to muck in and I'm sure the crew wouldn't mind talking about the way of life on canals and all things boaty.

I had a similar issue with a shurflo pump. It was leaking from where the gasket seal was. I replaced it with a whale pump which comprises of one molded unit. Job done. I was going to repair it but others on here suggested that it may still leak after repair - not sure if this is the case with the more reputable Jabsco pumps. I think in any case though you need to trace the leak before you replace things. Run a tap with the pump exposed and you should be able to trace the leak. Wish I had kept my leaky shurflo pump. Would have been ideal for clearing out the engine bay and would have saved me a lot of mopping!

It's unlikely you'd have a fixed double bed in a 30ft boat. I have seen one with all of the other things listed but with 2 cats it would probably be a bit tight. Something 45ft+ may be more practical.

That may be the case but not always. Having MiFI device fixed to a window or even one with an external antenna, magnetic or permanently fixed can make a big difference in terms of signal. That's the case for me - I wouldn't have 4G connectivity right now on my boat without my MiFI device.

Heard a lot of great things about Black Prince. Their WiFI solution only provides 2GB of inclusive data so this probably isn't going to suffice. Getting MiFI is probably good idea. If the kids use a lot of data (i.e. streaming etc) you could consider buying your own MiFI device which would enable you to get better sim deals. - EE do a sim only deal with 32GB of data for £28 on a 1 month rolling contract which you can cancel after the first month if needed. May be worth checking network coverage in the area you plan to cruise in though. EE currently has the best 4G/LTE coverage across the UK as a whole but that doesn't mean to say they don't have black spots where others can provide better coverage. I find them reliable where I am and frequently get similar speeds to fibre. If you go down this route I'd also recommend buying some velcro so that you can stick it to a window on either side. Sounds primitive but works well for me!

Not something I have any experience with but do you know if they plan to continually cruise or have a home mooring? I would not be surprised if this has some influence.

I'd love to do something like that when I was at uni. Would have sailed through it with that lifestyle! As with all things there are hurdles but if you find out what they are as you have done, often they can be overcome.