[Walking to Lancaster]

Grrrr, Bark, Woof!

[Walking to Lancaster]

A quick look at Google maps says once you hit Preston from Lancaster you have to leave the water's edge.

[A plea to dog owners on the cut (and general)]

14 minutes ago, DShK said:

Right angles in what manner? I don't want to have to kill a dog but if it's my dog or theirs I'm gonna pick mine. I guess the response entirely depends on what the dog is doing. It can all happen quite quick with a lot of movement.

I seem to recall this old tale doing the rounds when i was at school in the early 80's, probably from my mate who had a paper round and had to deal with several houses with big dogs. The idea being when the dog jumped at you, you grabbed a front leg in each hand and pulled them apart sharpish allegedly splitting the dog's heart. I always assumed it was a load of rubbish, who has the presence of mind or technique to pull that off for a start.

[Project Boats]

13 minutes ago, LadyG said:

I had a notion OP wanted a catering business, youtuber Holly the Café Boat are giving up: baby on board.

Giving up the boat they live on, not the cafe boat.

[Leaky windows]

30 minutes ago, BEngo said:

Captain Tolley's Creeping Crack Cure.  Good Stuff

That's reminded me i need to apply some more to the roof prisms next time we're down to the boat, it cured the little leak we had, but another dose before winter can't harm  

[Project Boats]

Assuming "market" meaning like a broker rather than an individual seller, such as where CRT send re-possessed boats to be sold which i think is somewhere near Chester?

[Huge puddle of oil beneath engine and some water within it probably around 40 litres worth of liquid roughly]

24 minutes ago, magnetman said:

I wonder if this boat has one of those deep front well decks without side drains.

 

They were quite popular at one time as you get higher doors and makers such as Harborough Marine even had pipes running to the back end which obviously get blocked over time. 

 

If there is water under the cabin floor it could have come from such a front well deck. 

 

 

 

Our old shareboat (Reeves hull) originally had that setup with just drain pipes in the corners, unsure if these just fed into the underfloor to run to the back or if they were piped to the rear. Either way it was blanked off at the front bulkhead, an extra central drain fitted and an auto bilge pump. The corner drains would constantly clog up and require poking out with one of those flexy drain unblocking wires.

[Replacing Thetfor Caprice cooker]

2 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:

 

To be honest, she confuses me with many posts. In this one, she calls the countersunk set screws "bolts", which I know they are not as standard, so it is difficult to know what she has got.

It's a pity she's not still on the HNC, i'd pop down with some screwdrivers  

[Replacing Thetfor Caprice cooker]

4 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:

 

I agree, they have the extra small slots in them, but she says they are not hers. As she has not, as far as I know, posted photos of hers so I looked online, the only ones even partially showing the heads were on Ebay so not conclusive. Ebay vendors are free to describe their products however they want, so there is a good chance they are not genuine Thetford ones.

Ahhh, i thought she was referring to the pics @BoatinglifeupNorth posted as not being hers, and the ones in her post were in fact her burners.

[Replacing Thetfor Caprice cooker]

6 minutes ago, LadyG said:

I have decided they are Phillips

Admittedly my eyes aren't the best, but your pics look like pozidrive heads to me 🤷‍♂️

[Bare minimum equipment.]

Has anyone mentioned a suitcase full of cash yet?  

[Needless Blue Signs]

4 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

More rude to those who routinely slow down (me, for example) was the guy with not one, but 3 "tick over" signs on the side of his boat passing my on line mooring probably at the highest speed I've witnessed. There's a lot of competition for the fastest boat to pass our mooring (fortunately I know how to set spring lines), but this hypocrite took the biscuit! 

Funny how the ones with signs are usually the worst culprits, isn't it?

[Needless Blue Signs]

3 minutes ago, magnetman said:

Thats a bit rude to people who routinely slow down past moored boats. 

 

A retort could be "I'm afraid this is as good as it gets. If you don't like it buy a caravan and it won't happen". 

 

 

It was right next to where a tree had been down and cleared that day, we picked up a submerged branch on the rudder and were literally crawling past heading for the bank to remove it  

[Licences]

Licence fee changes Hello, I am writing to let you know about some changes to future boat licence pricing following a consultation with boaters. Alongside growth in income from other commercial and fundraising activity, the changes will help support the long-term future of the 2,000 miles of waterways that we manage across England & Wales.   Boat licence fees will need to rise above the baseline inflation rate for each of the next five years. In addition, we are introducing a surcharge for boats that continuously cruise and increasing the surcharges for wide beam boats to reflect the greater utility they receive.   The above-inflation increases for all boat licence holders, and the new surcharges, will take effect from 1 April 2024. Details will be announced in November using the latest inflation forecasts.   Our canals are facing some daunting challenges and, if we don’t act now, the future could look bleak. The government recently announced significant cuts to public funding for the canals over the years ahead, whilst high inflation rates and the ageing infrastructure has seen the cost of caring for canals rise. We’re re-doubling our efforts to further grow volunteering and to raise increased funds across all our activities, from all our users and supporters, so we can deliver the additional ongoing investment that the network needs. The boat licence fee represents around 11% of income, going towards vital maintenance and repairs. Whilst the scale of the investment required is in no way to be borne by boaters alone, the increases from boat licences will make an important contribution.   Alongside the changes to boat licensing, we are continuing to grow income from our property and non-property endowment, and from other commercial sources such as hosting utilities and water transfer, which together contribute over 40% of our income. We are targeting a step-change in income generation from towpath users and other supporters, with fundraising income projected to grow by 10% each year – while other commercial waterways income, including from anglers, paddle sports and moorings, is also set to increase.   Boat use has changed over the years, with rising numbers of people choosing to continuously cruise, and to choose wider boats. Most boaters without home moorings spend more time on the waterway network, and make more use of facilities, than those with a home mooring. Wider boats take up more space on the water than their narrow beam counterparts. We believe that reflecting the utility people get from their use of the waterways network, and the cost of supporting different boat use, is the fairest way to decide licence pricing – as reflected in the responses from the recent boater consultation.   We also considered whether the various licence discounts currently offered are sustainable. From 1 April 2024, there will be a reduction in the discounts for prompt payment and for paying online as this has become the standard method used by the vast majority of boaters. The electric boat, historic boat and charity boat discounts will be retained.   We will continue to control our costs as far as possible given external pressures, while focusing our resources on the priority maintenance and repairs that are required to support safe navigation, and we will continue to lobby the government to rethink their short-sighted decision on our future funding.   We recognise that these changes to licence pricing will not be popular with everyone, but the income we receive from boat licences is more critical than ever. The cost of the licence has largely kept pace with inflation since Canal & River Trust was formed and now, together with increases in income from all possible sources, we must raise the resources needed to keep the network alive for future generations, averting a return to the decline of the mid-20th century when canals fell into disrepair in the face of insufficient funding.   The consultation report can be found here, alongside an equality impact assessment: National consultations. For more information on boat licensing, visit: Licence your boat. Our ultimate aim is to secure the future of the network so that boaters, like yourself, can continue to enjoy, and benefit from, this precious national treasure. Richard Parry Chief Executive Canal & River Trust

[Fire lit yet]

45 minutes ago, mrsmelly said:

Get youself a bottle of Hendersons relish 🤪

The better half's family being originally from Sheffield, she swears by a dash of Hendo's, don't see the attraction myself 🤢

[Needless Blue Signs]

Not blue, but my favourite from this year (edited for those of a weak disposition to robust language )

 

 

[Who's the builder?]

Saw this on the Book of Face earlier and have seen a boat with similar on it on the North Oxford, often wondered the significance of the logo, anyone got any ideas?

The one i've seen is quite short with an odd bow and stern, and i "think" it had an inboard outboard if you know what i mean.

 

 

Pic from original post by Kev Rumble on Faceache and not mine

[Fire lit yet]

We went to the boat at the weekend with intentions of doing a few jobs, one of which was rubbing down and painting the fire and then running it to bake off the paint as required. Fire got painted but it was too blinking warm to even entertain lighting it  

Did manage to sand and revarnish the porthole liners and attended the marina BBQ so it wasn’t a total loss  

[Boat sightings]

14 hours ago, MartynG said:

It was  worded something like "in the interest of responsible boating please display a valid license"

Probably an attempt to help stem the tide of bored grumpy boaters who contact them saying "We went cruising and i counted 50 boats without a licence and 70 boats with an out of date licence, what are you doing about it?"

[General Homebrew Thread]

3 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

Should work fine although, depending on the actual date of manufacture, you may only be able to make traditional imperial beers and wines and not more modern metric euro-fizz ones.

It's an ancient Peter Stevenson Wine Hydrometer, no mention of beer on it  

Perhaps i'll just put it back in the drawer for safe keeping  

[General Homebrew Thread]

Now we're talking!

 

Pretty much echo what @Goliath said, save getting superfluous gear.

 

I do have an ancient hydrometer my dad used to use, so that's gotta be early 70's as he died in '76, will it still work??

[Rubber Pipe Fenders]

2 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

Just a slight correction, stalactites come down from the ceiling, whilst stalamites grow up from the floor.

 

Easly to remember - 'tights' come down !

Stalagmites   you missed the G for ground

[How much weight is it safe to store on a narrowboat roof?]

1 hour ago, Tony1 said:

 

Yep, got the clipboard ready- just need the wife.

I have considered using the approach of Papa Lazarou to acquire a boat wife, but I dont think it would work on female boaters. 

 

That's a tricky one, there's a high likelihood that "Dave" actually would be there, plus it must be tempting to use all those pegs as kindling in the meantime.

The old caveman approach of clubbing them with a Calder & Hebble Handspike and dragging them back to your boat is also troublesome.

You could always take a leaf from the birdlife of the Amazon and wear your bestest and brightest clothing and enact an elaborate dance on the roof of your boat, taking care not to trip over any solar panels or vast stacks of coal. A well-placed teapot may also help  

[I lost the key to the padlock on the rear door of my Norman 27]

A couple of spanners will see you right  

 

 

 

[March of the Widebeams]

12 minutes ago, dmr said:

Spotted recently at Braunston

 

(sorry if this has been posted before, cba to go through 131 pages of posts)

I hope you booked passage with CRT before ordering a pint?