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Yes, as of 2013.

Households where one parent earns above £60k don't get child benefit. Although they can still claim the benefit there is a 100% tax charge applied to the highest earning partner. The tax charge commences at £50k and becomes 100% at £60k. it leads to a slightly strange situation where a household can earn £99k and still get child benefit whereas one earning £60k might not. JP

That makes sense and it would require an off-vertical quoin. It also sounds like an intrinsic feature of the design rather than something achieved by a mysterious art known only to bygone waterways operatives. JP

The angle of the quoin was referenced in a recent thread. I doubt that a gate could ever be truly balanced since that could only be done with no wind and no flow while levels are on weir. Those conditions don't generally exist in real life usage of locks. The aim is presumably to make a gate naturally swing to either open or closed from broadly either side of half way. I know they don't all do this but did they ever? JP ETA - thanks for a bit of insight. It seems to be a stick used to beat CRT but enquiries never seem to shed much light on the facts.

Do go on Alan. Do you have more examples of bolts installed the wrong way round other than Alan Fincher's Hillmorton incident, or more incidents of pawls being installed the wrong way round other than the one that featured in a recent thread? I don't think you are that much older than me but I don't remember the "good old days" to which you refer. My early memories are of canals being a challenge, evidence from the hardy few who fought for the future of canals in the 1960s suggests it was worse then. The system may have declined in the most recent years but is that surprising given the economic status of the country in recent times. Is it right that we should take issue with that? As for contractors, they built the canals and pretty much every engineering marvel that you know. They even physically United the States of America with an immigrant Chinese workforce over a hundred years ago. There's nothing much new in the world. Contracting work out isn't a problem in itself, if there is an issue it's likely to be with the clienting capabilities of CRT. And back to balancing gates. If you don't know what the skill is how can you say it's been lost? I am not even sure there is such a skill and that the balance of gates is inherent in the design. CRT do of course still design and construct their own gates at Bradley. It's also worth noting that if sustainability and reliability were the key objectives CRT would be allowed to build them in steel. We can't have it both ways. JP

Reference to the art of balancing gates is often made on the forum - sometimes by folk who know their onions - but what exactly does this art of balancing gates that has apparently been lost entail? JP

Put like that it is fair to ask if that view is shared by the wider forum. I think the way the original post was pitched and the bit about "persistent abusers squatting" and the sub-plot that sparked off has turned a lot of people away from entering into any discussion on this thread. I think a lot of the evidence you state could have been applied at almost any time over the history of canals since at least nationalisation and possibly since the decline in toll income much much earlier than that. To a degree these things come in cycles and have to be offset against expansions of the system over the past 30 years and more. CRT is a vehicle specifically created to reduce direct state funding of inland waterways and push the source of funding toward the charitable sector. Therefore we should perhaps not be surprised by some of CRTs policies and if there is blame to be apportioned perhaps we should go a step beyond CRT. I don't see things improving in the near future - the country has had much bigger challenges than the state of its canals for the last decade or so and that isn't about to change - but I really don't see a threat to the future of the waterways that form the core of the system and which are well used. Some lesser used examples would benefit from us all making more use of them. To that end I think it's very foolish to take up against folk who wish to use the waterways no matter how different their approach to boating maybe to our own. The only requirement is that they should boat within the law (and not anyone else's view of what is right or wrong). JP

It seems more logical to me that blistering occurs because the paint is impermeable, otherwise wouldn't whatever causes the blister be able to escape from under the paint? The benefit of rust treatment is to provide a uniform surface to which paint will adhere. It shouldn't affect permeability of the finished paint system but it should help it to stay stuck to the boat. Rusted metal will have small voids within it because of the way rust forms and these will remain under the applied paint and potentially cause the system to fail. Best to treat rust by mechanical removal rather than by chemically converting if possible. Reality is that both are often necessary. Let's see if Dr Duck concurs with either of our premises. JP

If it was many years ago you did the Warwickshire Ring it could be worth doing it again. It is an excellent ring with great variety. Did you go via North Stratford or via Knowle locks last time? Perhaps do the other route this time. You could also go the other way round the ring to make it a bit different. Market Harborough would be pretty leisurely. I got to the bottom of Foxton (i.e. down the locks and back again) on a midweek hire from Stockton top. That's further than you would do in a week. However it might make sense to do Market Harborough first with the aim of combining it with a trip to Stoke Bruerne. You'll be close to base and easily able to manage your time as you see fit knowing you will be able to get back to base. If you do the Leicester Arm do take the short trip to Welford in one direction as well. JP

I once moored opposite the Red House glass cone overnight with a hire boat and just pushed across to their moorings in the morning. I would recommend going to Hawne Basin and Stourbridge Town Basin if visiting these canals. If you ring the Bonded Warehouse they will advise if there is space at Stourbridge, I have moored there twice but there is a cost and you will probably be abreast another boat. Quite possibly a liveaboard. I think the moorings outside the Basin are pretty much always occupied by one or more boats and I have seen boats moored along the arm. I don't think it's a problem. The path along the arm is well used. Hawne Basin is technically free for a week but they are cause worthy of a donation. It also involves a trip through Gosty Hill Tunnel which is something you should do if possible. Not for those with claustrophobia or chiroptophobia though. Jon

It's less daft than all the boats that can fit through the marina entrance but never do. Isn't there a very expensive GU remake in BW blue and yellow colours and a light blue cabin there? Never seen that out on the canal. I think we said hello to each other just before you left Netherwich Basin. JP

When I passed Droitwich Spa marina this afternoon there was a wide beam manoeuvring onto the service pontoon. There were three people on the back deck like some folk had come along for the ride. JP

I was out on the BCN last week and took a trip from Droitwich to Dunhampstead and back today, I may have passed you. I also thought it was pretty quiet for the time of year. Certainly a few boats at Brook Line that aren't on hire currently. I walked the dog up and down the Stoke flight last week and there were three or four boats heading out on a Tuesday and not many left at base. Also four or five boats on the Queens Head moorings although that may have been daytime trade for the pub. Tardebigge can be strange, it's often very quiet and I suspect a lot of hirers choose to stay above or below the flight, I spoke to one this morning who had done exactly that with a Viking boat. Of course that means winding at Stoke Prior and missing the Queens Head moorings because you can't do the Stoke and Tardebigge flights in isolation of one another (unless you like going backwards). JP

Most likely candidate is high levels of chloride compounds in the water. The obvious source in a marina being waste water containing cleaning products. It still requires the breakdown of the surface coating to initiate though. It's probably the best reason I can think of to black the baseplate as well as the sides. If you wanted to put some science into it I would start by analysing water samples from a representative sample of differing environments. What I wouldn't be doing is ever mentioning 'quality' of steel; whatever that means. JP

Oh yeah. But 99% of the folk reading this will be inland waterways folk, must cater for them rather than the 1% that have been barred from YBW. JP

You can never test absolutely every square millimetre of the hull for pits but the failure mechanism will be a small leak not anything sudden and dramatic like you imply. It will probably be noticed before anything major happens if the boat is occupied or the boat may sink in a few feet of water on it's mooring if it's unattended. Not pleasant but no-one will die and it will be insured against losses. There are far bigger risks on the average inland waterways boat than an old or thin steel hull. JP

You can't be that precise. You only know the nominal plate thickness not the actual thickness and the applicable tolerances could put a significant level of variance into the small numbers we are dealing with here. Then factor in the accuracy of the ultrasonic test reading. If the OP wasn't worried about the boat before the survey then they should be no more worried afterwards, and probably less so. JP

I deliberated on whether I should add to my post or even delete it as I knew it would trigger a riposte. Just dealing with the issue at hand I don't believe there is any good reason why leaving the water at the lower level on the locks in question (they are not empty) should be detrimental. The folks that built them had more than a basic grasp of forces and if they had got it fundamentally wrong the impact of that would have been felt long before now and quite probably before any water was put in the canal. The reason that Victorian (and older) structures survive and still work two centuries after construction isn't so much that they were 'built to last' as the continuous maintenance that is undertaken to keep them serviceable. A lock on an abandoned canal hasn't been subject to that or indeed any formal assessment of its soundness as is undertaken on locks on the operational network. Therefore you probably would be well advised to prop the walls before working in the chamber. JP

I see no reason why leaving a lock empty should be detrimental to the integrity of the structure. Each side wall is a gravity retaining structure that must be designed to withstand the pressure of the earth on the external side while the lock chamber is completely empty. There are thousands of such structures of contemporary design in the UK which never 'benefit' from having water pressure applied to the opposite face. All locks spend prolonged periods completely empty as part of the maintenance programme. They don't routinely suffer. JP

Well it's a bit of a vicious circle isn't it? There are things that can be done to help though;- 1. Join the Coventry Canal Society. Give them your time and if that's difficult give them a donation toward their work. 2. Endeavour to return to contribute to the number of boats. 3. Encourage others to visit. I cruised it about a year ago and thought it pretty par for the course for an urban canal and I am very familiar both with urban canals and the neighbourhoods this particular one passes through. I had no difficulty in cruising it and I saw no obvious problems with the state of the canal. I do wonder quite what people expect of this sort of canal. It was never picturesque, you have to find interest in other ways but if you can't do that on an urban canal it's because you don't want to. Urban canals are equally part of the network as rural ones; one makes no sense without the other. Usage is key to the health of all canals. Compared to what the generation or two before ours had to do to keep these waterways open for the benefit of boaters and the local community our task is very simple. Just use them, it's our duty. JP

Hi Donna, Your suggested route is probably one week of pure cruising time so you will have plenty of time to take things in. As far as Coventry goes there is the Cathedral and the Motor Museum which are the obvious places to visit and both walkable from the canal basin which is close to the city centre. I am assuming you have deliberately chosen not to do the Warwickshire Ring which would involve a lock heavy second week to your holiday but would also allow visits to Birmingham, Packwood House and Warwick Castle. I suspect you may also be thinking of visiting Stratford-on-Avon which along with Warwick Castle would be the most obvious destinations from Coventry. As far as pubs go the Greyhound at Sutton Stop (officially Hawkesbury Junction) is a famous canal pub and pretty much gets universally favourable reviews. The Globe at Snarestone right at the top of the Ashby Canal is also a pub that seems to be well regarded although I can't personally recommend it because I've never been there. Your basic route just misses the Folly Inn at Napton although it's a feasible on your last evening before returning the boat. It will mean going past the hire base before turning below Napton locks and walking a short distance to the pub. Probably best to book the pubs if you wish to eat at them. There are lots of other pubs on the route of which the Barley Mow at Newbold and Lime Kilns near Hinckley on the Ashby are a couple that spring to mind. If you find you are bit short of cruising with your chosen route you have the option of continuing on up the Coventry and turning immediately before Atherstone locks. Otherwise if you think you have been short on locks take a trip up Braunston's six locks and through the tunnel, turn at Norton Junction and head back again. This will take a few hours and allow you to see the main part of Braunston from a canal perspective and visit the Admiral Nelson, another well known canalside pub. JP

I'm puzzled. It was clear to me Roland knew they were locked in as far boating goes.

Craned directly in, no other possible way they could have got there. As you will know the marina is just down the road from New & Used Boat Co at Hanbury Wharf. I believe there is some commercial arrangement between the two. I followed a mobile crane down the road from one to the other a few weeks ago. JP