Grassman

Thanks for your replies. I've found out that at each of the charging points 2 boats can charge at the same time. Castle have three electric boats and Beacon have one. Also it's not always necessary to charge the boat each day. I therefore don't think charging the boat will be problem so I've booked a week's hire for next year.

Having gone through the boat hire - boat share - boat owning process since the 1970's, the latter as a liveaboard for the last 10 years, I'm thinking of trying out a weeks hire of one of those Castle Narrowboats' fully electric boats on the Mon & Brec Canal next year. Having previously had 2 hire boat holidays on it before (1993 & 2009) we're not bothered about 'doing' the whole length of the canal, so the limitations of having to moor at the 6 designated charging points along the way shouldn't be an issue. Being boat owners we are also used to being frugal with our power resources. We've always wanted to revisit this beautiful canal and thought we'd have an electric powered boat as it would be something a bit different. Have any of you others hired one (or know somebody who has)? If so I'd be interested to hear how you/they got on, and about the differences compared to doing it on a diesel powered boat, except the obvious ones such as it being quieter and not always being able to moor where you like. Is it true that depending upon your usage you don't necessarily have to recharge every day? Are there any other issues I should be considering? Did you enjoy the experience? Would you do it again or go back to having a diesel?

Different owners in those days. It's now owned by Aquavista.

That should be possible. I think the most common set up with share boats is 12 shares, and when we had a 12th share in a boat, a two weeks a year share was referred to as a half share. There were several co-owners in our syndicate who had half shares.

I think the fact that he was travelling in the dark was a significant factor as to how it happened (CRT's notice said 'this evening').

Go through a lock on a hot day and feel the difference between the black and the white paint on a lock gate beam and you'll see how much cooler the white painted parts are.

When we came through the tunnel (north to south) on Wednesday they had to move the workboat to let the 5 of us (pre-bookings) through. When I reached Etruria Locks an hour later, I was chatting to a CRT chap when he received the call about the rudder. He said he was off to help them try to find it! I presume the rudder dropped off when they moved the boat that morning. I'm so relieved I hadn't opted for the later booking as I'd have been stuck the wrong side. Phew! Last year we had the rudder drop off the workboat that we were using to do the offside vegetation cutting. It had obviously received several 'codge job' repairs in the past, performed whilst it was in the water rather than having to dry dock it, and the holes at the edges of the rudder through which the bolts went, had rusted right through to the edge of the rudder. Unfortunately another example thats backfired of CRT having to be reactive instead of proactive in order to try and save money.

The house is a good 5 minutes walk from that car park, possibly 10. Also I think the car park barrier is locked overnight. Kings Norton was a lovely area when I lived there as a child in the 1960/70's until I was 18. Nowadays it isn't. That house is quite isolated in what is now a rough area, and I wouldn't feel comfortable living there.

Thanks for all this useful information. I don't want a DIY job btw, I'm too old for that! There are some good options there so I will investigate them. Rightly or wrongly I assume that a dry dock would probably want the slot for the next booking (but I should check this), whereas if it was a crane or haul out onto open hardstanding, there would likely to be more scope (room) for leaving the boat stood there for a few days or more afterwards. Being in the open there could be issues with wet weather of course though. I had the blacking done at CC in Stone last time and they were very good, but I would never go to Streethay after my experiences there a few years ago (not related to blacking).

It's always concerned me the way boats are put back in the water so soon after being blacked. Obviously time of year and weather conditions have a bearing but I'm looking for somewhere where I have to choice to delay this by a few days once the blacking is done, but without the extra cost of this being too prohibitive. Probably a max of about £30 a day? And at a location within a 50 mile radius of Fradley Junction and preferably where I can remain living aboard, although I'm prepared to travel further afield if I have to. Is there any such place?

On Friday it was touch and go as to whether they'd let us through Harecastle Tunnel in Stoke due to the exceptionally high water level. As we approached (from the south) water was cascading into the canal faster than it was going out. Some of the overflows weren't coping very well and were 'backing up'. They did let us through but in the low section in the middle of the tunnel we were only an inch or so from the tunnel roof. As a matter of interest does anybody know if the tunnel has ever been closed due to high water levels? We're now on the Macclesfield Canal, notorious of course for it's low water issues. It probably currently has the highest water level it's had for years!

Not a pramhood but this is one way to make use of your old car

That's good. I'd wrongly thought they were going to become electric operated.

This is surely going to create more potential stoppages. CRT are always issuing stoppage notices about failed lift bridges. At least with a manual bridge there is less likelihood of it developing a fault. And this malarkey of having to close one even if another boat is approaching is not just an inconvenience to everybody but it will also cause delays at busy times.

We came through Woodend lock both ways yesterday and despite only the gate paddle working it probably took only a few minutes longer. There's now a scheduled stoppage for October 10th from 8am to 4pm in order to try and effect either a proper fix or a more suitable temporary fix. We're having to carry out emergency repairs at Woodend Lock 7, to repair the offside ground paddle which has been damaged and is currently inoperable. We believe the issue is caused by the paddle coming off the rod, or possibly a problem with the paddle grooves. This is causing the lock to be very slow to drain, meaning boats are having to queue for a considerable amount of time. An urgent repair is therefore required. The stoppage will take place Tuesday 10th October from 8am to 4pm. Thank you for your patience while we carry out this vital repair.

I know somebody who with the aid of treats, trained their dog to sit. All well and good except that the dog now randomly sits for no particular reason and the owner gives him a treat every time. The dog has in effect trained the owner!

No it's an access road that runs alongside some offside moorings on the T&M between Armitage Tunnel and the Ash Tree pub bridge. So it's to warn neighbouring moorers. Whenever I've passed there on my boat and the dogs are running around they don't seem particularly slow 🙂.

Yes, and I've seen them do it. It's reckoned that rats can get through a hole the size of a 50p coin. Perhaps young ones can but I think generally a golf ball size hole would be about the limit. I once had a rat get through my scupper drain hole when I'd forgotten to put the lid on some duck feed in the cratch.

No, I only received the closure notification.

And you too mate. Yes I do a lot of my boating around that area in between going for a few months a year further afield.

On the Staffs & Worcs near Penkridge. Strangely there's no photos showing the M6 Motorway 20 metres from their garden 🙂 https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/137159375#/?channel=RES_BUY

Yes I heard that as well. Fair play to them 👍

Good news. A boat has just gone past us and said that CRT had done a temporary fix so the lock is now open.

It's a 2006 so hasn't even reached the 25 year supposed lifetime. If there's a winter stoppage it might well mess up our winter offside vegetation cutting programme 😟

It happened about 2.30pm. A boat had just gone down in front of us and as they closed the top gate before descending they said there was a loud cracking noise. A boat then came up and a few of us managed to open the gate by lifting the sagging end of the beam off the ground. We went down it using the same method. It was only the handrail that had prevented it breaking off completely and one end of that had begun to come adrift from its fixings. Then a CRT person who had been doing some vegetation clearance in nearby Rugeley, turned up and closed it. Apparently more CRT staff arrived shortly afterwards and said they planned on returning tomorrow to effect a temporary repair.