pearley

Blue Water at Thorne have spaces. Have all you want except launderette. Liveaboard no problem. M18 then M62 to Leeds. Regards Pete

As has been said, if you go for any form of vynyl the underfloor needs to have no imperfections and it is normal to lay a screed or leveling compound first. However, this is laid in a fairly liquid form, so it can self level. Most boats are trimmed bow high so the screed will run down the boat, they also have a tendency to rock from side to side. That's why the people who laid the vynyl in our bathroom on top of the existing cold tiles used a latex or silicone type of material, just spreading it over the joints. After about a year you can clearly see where the joints were by the marks on the vynyl. Of course, you can always get the boat put on dry land so it's level and stable. As for carpet, we have it everywhere else and wouldn't have anything else. We always take our shoes off but the worst culprit for mess is the stove. I foolishly told my wife that we could carpet the whole boat for £300 or so, so could get it done every couple of years. Regards Pete

We have two 45W Solara panels glued directly to the roof. Bought them just over 4 years ago from Barden in Southampton. On mid-summers day at about 2 o'clock (it was cloudy at mid day!) they give just over 4 amps. Regards Pete

Having past through the Bridgewater and Manchester a few times in the last couple of years, there was an un-licenced ex-hireboat moored for a considerable time at Worsley but the last time we passed through he was on the Rochdale 9 just above Lock 92. Still with no licence. So is it a case of staying on the Bridgewater until you get moved on, onto BW waters until you get moved on and then back to the Bridgewater, and so on?

Sorry, wouldn't agree about the scenery on the L & L being better than the Rochdale. Different yes. The Rochdale may be in a valley but if you go over the summit you see the majestic hills rising on either side of the canal. And you can't help wondering how those early engineers squeezed a road, canal and railway in such a small space. Bloody hard work though and plenty of pubs!

That's what I understood/. I'm not going to lift the deck boards but I'm sure that's what is written on the side of the filter. Regards Pete

Certainly no longer on the L & L Wigan flight as captioned and allthe Jack Cloughs on the flight have also gone. But have been replaced with much easier to use and lock paddle gear. Blackburn locks still have a fair variation of gear.

Ours are full width aluminium sliding!

Other way round! The moorings at Sheffield are operated by CV Marine. When we enquired about a winter mooring in October we were told 'no chance'. We are at Blue Water in Thorne. There are some empty spaces here and only short walk to the railway station. There are BW moorings at Eastwood Lock but you need a car. There are BW moorings at Doncaster but no Elsan/pumpout. There are BW moorings at Tinsley Top Lock. As others have said, there are club moorings at Strawberry Island, a very friendly bunch, plus moorings above Ickles Lock, Rotherham and between Rotherham and Eastwood Locks. Best of luck with the job interview.

No, it's down to the 2 letters I wrote to my MP!

Battery gasing can also set them off.

There are plans to build a power station at Hatfield colliery using,as yet untried, technology to pipe the CO2 back into the disused workings. http://www.stainforthonline.co.uk/hatfieldcolliery_900mw/hatfield_colliery_900mw_assessment.htm Hope it works out, make a change from the wind turbines they are erecting here just down the canal at Thorne, not that you can see them from Bramwith. Regards Pete

Latest info re depth is here: http://www.waterways.org.uk/branches_regions/north_west/Manchester/ribble_link_draft Biggest problem on link itself will be the couple of sharp bends above the 2nd or 3rd lock and going under the bridge just before the staircase. As you turn into the basin before the staircase your stern may brush the invert. Regards Pete

Didn't think much of the beer when we were there in 2010!

You could also try http://www.the12volt.com Regards Pete

I have a very useful long weeding tool from a garden centre (if you're on the BCN, that one at Oldbury opposite the bingo!) It has a stainless steel hooked blade on the end with the inner edge sharpened. I just hook it round the plastic, etc. and keep tugging. Regards Pete

Thanks. Will print that out to read. Pete

I only want one for occasional use (taking the course next week) but what to get? For the Trent at first. Midland do one that's only about £50 but the output is 1 watt on low power and 3 watts on high. Is this sufficient? Regards Pete

Regarding the facilities at Granary Wharf, I've just been reading BW Accounts and Report for 2009/10 and come across this: Leeds Our joint venture ISIS Waterside Regeneration completed its mixed-use development at Leeds Granary Wharf and the scheme was one of the few city centre developments to be finished in 2009. The first block, Watermans, comprises 122 apartments of which 60% are reserved or sold and boasts a new pedestrian bridge which links it into Leeds city centre. A second 20-storey apartment block, Candle House, was completed in January 2010. The scheme also includes a 330 bed 4-star hotel, 25,000 sq feet of commercial space, a graving dock for the repair of boats, visitor moorings, a wet dock and new boater facilities on the ground floor of Candle House itself. I read that as they should be available to all. And a Graving Dock! I bet Granary Wharf would have a fit if you tried to book that.

Although we have a conventional tunnel lamp mounted at the front, I do like to put a second magnetic lamp just in front oif the steerer. As said, it lights up the roof and gives me a better idea of where I am in relation to the tunnel side. In Standedge it meant I could see the obstructions that the 'chaperone'; warned me about. Regards Pete

One of our favourite moorings along the Aire & Calder is at Great Heck. There are rings welded onto the side of the piling although you'll need big fenders and it's 200 yards to the pub. Whitley Bridge has some nice moorings but the pub was closed when we were there in September. Beware of the oil tankers and gravel barges. You will feel them coming from a long way off although they do slow down at Heck so as to get under the bridge which is subsiding. We'll be going the other way, out ftrom West Stockwith up to Torksey, around that time. Regards Pete

Have moored in Wakefield on the visitor moorings just up from the flood lock several times in past two years. Never any problems. However, no facilities., There is a S/Stn at Fall Ings but only for moorers there. Has a different key to standard. The Hepworth might not be to everybodies taste on the outside but worth a visit. Regards Pete

We are moored at Blue Water at present. That's much the same story as Norman told me.

I double glazed the hatches with perspex and magnetic strip. For the portholes I had the perspex cut in circles one millimeter less than the diameter of the porthole trim, edged it with U shaped plastic trim and force fitted them in the hole. A bit of Fairy liquid helped as did leaving the perspex out in the cold so that it was at its smallest. Got the trim from DIY Plastics.