noddyboater

What about the huge amount of money that's wasted when maintenance actually takes place? I was on a dredging job last year, down south. First day a massive crane arrives with a team of men, then all the kit arrives on trucks from up north - tug, hoppers, pontoon and 360 to sit on it, at a cost of many thousands (This is for 5 days work). The job is based at a CRT yard, and guess what's sat in the water where the kit gets craned in? A CRT tug, pair of hoppers and dredger. Too many people are lining their pockets from the dwindling pot under the current system.

I've only met Conner once when I watched as his dog jumped off and had a crap next to the water point. Maybe he got around to cleaning it up later, (Conner, not the dog) but it certainly wasn't his priority at the time.

The Sheaf Quay pub closing was really the nail in the coffin for the area. No free parking anymore for families to come and have a wander around the place. Plans to pedestrianise the basin to the market area came to nothing so it's stayed out on a limb, circled by busy roads. Sheffield council is concentrating its bizarre plans in the "Kelham Island" area instead now, lucky us.

From when the basin reopened as the "Quays" until around 2005 I think. You could walk in and ask about moorings, book passage down the locks, buy cards for the showers etc. That was also the time of 24hr security with an office on site. Not that they did much of course but at least it was a deterrent for the local scum.

They were indeed. CRT staff manned (womanned?) the office next door and lived in the accommodation above. Imagine such a thing now!!

Is that near the woods with the "chained oak"? I was trying to follow the line of the canal when we stayed at the station recently but in some places it's hard to see which side of the old track bed it's actually on.

Sounds like a less gross variation of the toilet arrangement on a boat I recently moved. That had a lovely new electric flushing loo in the bathroom, as you'd expect. But to remove the cassette involved emptying a kitchen cupboard of pots and pans before pulling out the false back.. delightful. Why nobody sells a cassette toilet that loads from the front is beyond me.

My only head first dunking from my own boat was also due to a handrail gap incident!

I wouldn't say this was a Spencer, the bow and hull height to cabin don't look right. More like a Malcolm Pearson.

It's a minefield isn't it? We slow cooked our dinner yesterday in the 150 yr old range, fueled by a few lumps of coal and some ash logs. The alternative was the electric oven (our 2nd in 6 yrs, hardly good for the environment), but our local power stations are run on imported gas and coal.

I loaded the grate with Columbian doubles and dozed off last night, after laughing heartily at your ramblings about looking after the planet for my non existent grandchildren. Imagine my horror when I awoke to this.. Is it the face of the devil himself? Or one of Ian's escaped emojis?!

Was that also when the welding rod/body filler ratio changed?

Unfortunately if the OP pops up to Mercia Marina for a look at new boats that's exactly what they've got to offer. Clones of the same design, wide and narrow. Continue to the used boats pontoon and they might find something with a more pleasing shape.

While I was moored in J.Wilsons yard in Sheffield a boat fitter bought a shell and completed it on the hard standing. Once finished and painted "Hand built by (whatever his name was)" was added by the signwriter. Misleading to say the least.

They use "prefabricated" shells. Like many others I'm sure, but a mention of where they come from would be good.

Finding out whose shells they use and having a look at one in bare metal might be a starting point. I admit that I get confused by boat fitting out companies calling themselves "Boat builders".

Not as yet, but quick sale needed. P.m. me if interested.

Wear on the outside I believe.

Butty "Phoebe" for sale. 69', Steel hull, timber fore and back cabins, back cabin fully fitted. Built in 1979 by Nigel Jackson, used for maintenance work on the Macclesfield. Requires work to chine areas, priced accordingly at 6k.

One variable that isn't easy to change is the hull shape, which is just as important as cc's or BHP. You can have a Kelvin K4 with 16 litres and 80 bhp, but coupled to a poor hull design you're going nowhere fast. Short rear swims are common, and need to be avoided. Unfortunately many builders who were fitting vintage engines in the 80's - 2000's were still using them, not all, but several well known builders certainly did. You might not notice so much on shallow canals but it makes a huge difference on a river.

That's a relief, I heard it was unavailable now. I used it originally after grit blasting, back in '99 I think. It's had another 2 coats since but could get treated this year I suppose! I'd guess the shape of the bow has a lot to do with how much paint is lost breaking ice, and how quickly you hit it.

Not been my experience, having broken ice several times thick enough to walk on the only damage has been across the flat of the stem post. It does a great job of scraping the greenery off but the epoxy has been untouched. I always used Dacrylate but I don't think it's available anymore.

You weren't too far from the forecast snow last night. It was settling on the M18 near Maltby at 10.30, but nothing heading down the A1.

Says the man with an 8 litre twin.. It was in a 45 footer I believe, so a bit overpowered even though it's a little un.

Yes, a rare beast indeed.