Movin' on

90%preparation and 10% perspiration Take a friend if you can for the Northampton - Hartford section esp the Nene itself Northampton to Peterborough. There is another live thread on here covering the same journey in the app direction but sorry I'm not clever enough to tell you where to find it It is all do-able but has its challenges in simple terms remember the River Nene is an active flood relief drainage system so if the weather is crap so will the Nene river conditions be Denver to Hartford is just fun all the way The short trip from the middle level to Denver is OK as you will have VERY knowledgeable lock keepers helping/controlling you Enjoy it - overall its a great run which I have done a few times and I wish I was coming too..............my parents boat was moored at Hartford in the 80's

You will still be boating ?

Enjoy - I'm really missing our boat even after only 2 weeks - I'm envious that's a nice trip. Don't worry about that prat in no 10 he hasn't got a clue what he's doing and I for one am far less interested in keeping to the law/regs now than I was - just use your own common sense as I know you have been and keep safe. Until he fully closes the pubs I'm really not listening any more J

Totally agree if you think its a noise then its not for you ............ Go and see it - you cant judge romance/emotion from a distance

as you say - go and "see, touch and feel" it! as with all boats 30secs is all you need to make that connection - just don't let the buyer see it on your face!

OK my mistake I see what you mean now................

I think what you mean is you can't use an instantaneous heater to heat a tank of water - you can and I certainly have use both on your boat as each is intended within the regs Some people see "simple" as hard work I have always seen "simple" as basic and therefore less to go wrong/maintain/expense As with this boat (and marmite) its down to personal choice Don't agree and nor does Malcolm Braine and/or Peter Nicholls to name a couple who know more than we ever will - the only difference can only be ballasting/weight distribution and its effects

Cyclists Are Rightful Travellers - just came to me A variation on the old standard Cyclists And Ramblers Trust

Even better in this configuration as you can hear it AND see it whilst you are journeying and the "drying room" is seperate from the rest of the boat so on hot days the boat doesn't get hot from engine use .

Where does it say its got a mooring - unless its just the marina - that's not a benefit to you.

I think the lesson here is not that canals are bad places but that you need to tie up better - if you are leaving your boat unattended always leave it tied up with with chains and pref padlocks and tied to armco style edgings. How did you get to it??

If its got question marks then, at that age, don't buy it - IF its good then IMHO 40-45 is unrealistic 45-50 is probably more like it Is there more work yes but not a lot unless you just want a floating flat and that is your base line There's NO vibration if the engine is right but you do have to like the sound and see that as a positive Using trad (twin) controls is again a joy or a curse depending on your viewpoint - to me it completes the package This boat isn't for everyone but it looks a beauty to me esp with its pedigree - research, try it, then survey/survey and survey again! Have fun

We did that as well and on inspection the conclusion was she/it needed to be sent off apparently a captive bolt had also sheared on an ext cable related bracket and needed attention - this was long before there was any suggestion of her being for sale and came from two opinions.

I know where you are coming from but no we had already replaced that - he will probably live with it but the general view was the reverse lever (?) in the sterndrive was probably the problem which means taking the whole unit off and sending it away .............. She also needed a new canopy to properly finish her off and that was another £2.5k!

Sorry only just seen this Q it was a Perkins D3 on this boat - very good versatile power unit but not strictly traditional

I think there is/was too much canal heritage in my blood to ever get used to it - we fitted a hydrofin which totally transformed it for a £200 investment but it was always so twitchy on the throttle - the mechanic who bought her said the only way to resolve the clunky throttle would involve app £1.5k of expenditure so time to part company.......................

Small world. - I know that boat from MANY years ago when it moored on the driveway to a very posh house on the Birmingham and Worcester canal somewhere near Droitwich.

How true Not the wheel steering so much as a light boat with a single sterndrive with 150 HP on the end of a clunky cable throttle control - never did get the hang of it in truth part of the reason for the change to shaft and fly by wire controls. She left me in much better "fettle" than she arrived so I did my bit and I sold her to the marina mechanic for his dad to go fishing with so all good.

Good to know as we have never seen one .............

I (we) would really struggle living on the land if we didn't have a boat to play with - those who follow us know we sold our last canal boat and said goodbye to canals just at the start of lockdown and bought a Hardy 25 to play with and enjoy and that we certainly did and learned a lot up until last Friday when we sold her! We now have a deposit paid on an Aquador 32c which we think will tick all our boxes (shaft driven - wide decks - easy access esp with side doors - etc) survey on Wednesday and then should be back here from Northern Ireland on the 28/29th. Boatyard selling their own boat so not truly a buyer beware brokerage scenario which is a comfort as we won't be viewing and have never seen one! So my advice is to try to keep afloat somehow - we have ended up spending quite a bit but in truth that is for comfort the Hardy gave us a lot of fun for very little investment and I turned a small profit but that was never the plan................. As for neighbours we have good and bad but kids eventually grow up so I'm told so the bad will change over time

GO FOR IT - you will love it and compared to your current boat (which is fine but was a safe choice) you will be entering the world of proper boating - plenty of grunt and the sound is to die for Over built wooden cabins means you get the benefits of steel and the character of wooden internals and beams which we had on out first boat - again a taste of real character MB boats have a real following for this reason. Possibly a bit pricey but if the steel is fine then the age becomes a bit irrelevant - the "failings" you list are an adjustment, no more, you need to decide if you want to make that adjustment to embrace the romance of a 2 cylinder engine and a more traditional way of life. Dave at RN will need to become your new best friend parts aren't cheap but available - if she runs clean with good oil pressure then you are probably going to be OK anyway. If you are out of your depth on this it might be worth getting an RN guy to review it for you. If we were looking it would be on my list

REALLY enjoyed that and remembered some bits of it from personal experience - thanks