NbPlod

My brain hurts! 36 tons seems improbable. She does have a v hull, and was rebottomed, so I will add a couple of tons to the estimate.

Anybody know how much an all steel 36ft Springer might weigh? Thinking of transporting my dead-engine boat to hard standing.

On the contrary, the motor would be for getting past moored boats and trees and fishing matches while the horse would do the rural stretches. Solar panels to keep the batteries charged, wouldn't need a huge power reserve, plenty of towpath grazing. Genius. And you wouldn't have to keep getting on and off at locks.

I'm thinking a horse and an electric motor would be the ultimate hybrid.

Mission accomplished. 13 locks in five hours. I'm thinking of hiring my self out to stranded boats everywhere. £15 per hour, not including the seventy nine year old helmsman.

Boat died just after we got on the canal. I towed it to the bottom of the Rothersthorpe flight last week. Will tackle the ascent tomorrow. Could still use some help to set the locks so I can pull straight through.

Towed the boat by hand from Northampton town centre to lock 14 on the Northampton arm. Turns out you don't need an engine at all.

Kind offer but I think I'll leave it to the professionals. If I had to do it my self, I know a man with a hiab.

No meerkats were harmed in the making of this post.

Simply splendid.

Simple question. Can I take the engine out of my boat while it's still in the water?

It wasn't leaking when I set off. So it looks like I'll have to pull the boat the whole way, five miles and 16 locks. Who's with me?

Yeah, the water pump was leaking quite badly and there was water coming from around the area of the gasket.

Move didn't go too well. Head gasket went after 20 minutes.

Hi there, anyone available to help move my 36' from Becketts Park, Northampton up the Northampton Arm to Gayton Marina on Sunday 25th March? Be warned the boat is a bare project, no toilet and a very noisy one pot diesel. Also 17 locks in six miles. I can provide transport from Milton Keynes area, lunch and dinner.

Would it be possible to use the batteries, motor etc. from an electric car to power a narrow boat? Techno geeks to the rescue!

I have had an electric bike for about 19 months and its been great but I've had the motor hub replaced twice under warranty. My advice is to buy at a reputable dealer and not off the internet.

Mostly just old and tired. Bit of a water leak and I haven't run it for quite a while. It was very difficult to start in the cold weather and at the moment I can't hand crank it, it will turn but with a lot of resistance. Perhaps the decompression lever is u/s. Haven't got enough juice in the old batteries to turn her on the starter at the moment.

I've got my boat on the Nene, where are you planning to moor?

I'd be happy if my Sabb made any noise at the moment.

Or for 50 grand less you could have a 4 bed 4 bath flat overlooking the basin. And spend the difference on cruises anywhere in the world.http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-55762216.html

I worked on a hotel barge in the summer of 2015. It was definitely at the bottom end of the market at £850 per week, all inclusive including transfers. The boat took up to 8 guests in very cramped accommodation. The operation was basically a hobby and certainly wouldn't generate anything like a decent profit, if any. One problem was that the costs of transferring more than 4 passengers from Paris wiped out any profit from the extra numbers. Larger parties made a lot more work without generating any return and the need to accommodate 8 guests made it intolerably crowded. My advice, with deep reservations, would be to offer a modified 'holiday share' with guests responsible for their own transport and participating in the navigation, cooking etc. That way you would avoid the need to hire staff or run a large vehicle. This model would not appeal to the elderly, rich American market but you might find customers in the UK canal community who want to try continental cruising at a reasonable expense. The question of licensing, insurance etc would be a very grey area and need approaching with caution. By the way I was working 14 to 15 hours a day with half a day off a week, at best. It's not for the faint hearted.

I stand corrected.

Seems to me it's the luck of the draw if the next crew is blessing you or blaspheming, depending on which way they're travelling. As for leaks, all gates leak, it's unlikely that one set will be leak proof. Still, if the CRT wants them shut, that's what I'll do. All praise the Holy CRT for its many blessings.

Stupid newbie asking obvious question. When leaving a lock should I shut all gates behind me or leave them open ( assuming no other boat is in sight)?