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I noticed what looked like a Hampton Hall Farm mooring on Boatshed Grand Union yesterday when looking at boats for a friend. Don't know if it's already sold. Seemed to be an awful lot of money! Certainly more than I have or could get a mortgage for. Debbi

What I really like is that 2 out of 3 pictures show active boating, one rural and one urban. The kingfisher shot is amazing. Debbi

Our old one was our best friend for 14 years and did well to last 26 years! Hopefully the new one we've installed will be just as good. Had our first fire and have been very impressed with the efficiency of the back boiler. Our old one had a fire brick in front of the lower part for some reason. Lashings of hot water and even the radiator in the bathroom got warm. Very happy. Debbi

Looks like they have found a solution to the heat shield issue. They've drilled bigger holes in it so that it can be re-fitted. Thanks for the tips about the firebricks. They are still cursing that instructions weren't supplied. Thank goodness for the internet! Debbi Who is looking forward to being toasty warm once the stove is fitted although if the sun keeps shining like this the new Stove won't have its first fire today. Edited to avoid upsetting the grammer police ;-) and to say fire now inside boat and pipes being connected to back boiler. Getting excited now.

Hi everyone, Our old Squirrel cracked up and became unsafe to use so we've bought a new Morso Squirrel 4130 (like the normal Squirrel but with the airwash system). We are trying to fit it at the moment. The old stove had a back boiler and the holes had been pre-drilled. The new Squirrel came without the holes pre-drilled. We've sorted that out but the back boiler fitting is driving the guys round the twist. Has anyone got some advice, tips or instructions on how to get the firebricks to fit correctly when you instal the back boiler. It seems to be a very complicated jigsaw puzzle and involves cutting the bricks to fit. These are the new preshaped firebricks supplied by Morso. All useful advice gratefully received. Debbi Just found this http://www.oilstoves.co.uk/webdocs/technical/Morso/MOSO_Boiler_Fitting_Squirrel.pdf which seems to do the job. If only I had found this first before the guys started work. There is much cursing going on outside and various chandlers being called names for not thinking to supply this information as part of their customer service when you order a stove and a back boiler.

I suggest you call CRT Enforcement Officers Stacy Fiddis on 07795 641956 or Nick Wattam on 07747 765434 after you have called the Police using the non emergency number quoting the crime reference number.

There is a temporary elsan facility available and a tap should be installed soon too but not sure when. A new facility will be built as part of the development. Advice: Norwood Top Lock Boaters Facilities03 May 2013 until further notice Associated Regional Office: London Waterways Owing to the redevelopment of former Trust property the building which houses the elsan and water point at Norwood Top Lock is due to be demolished imminently. An alternative elsan facility is being provided - this will be located along the lockside and around the corner from the existing facility, near Poplar Avenue. A Canal & River Trust Facilities Key (BWB Key) will be required for access. No interim water point is being provided - boat owners should use alternative services, the nearest of which are at Brentford or Bull's Bridge visitor moorings. The refuse facility on the towpath is unaffected by these works. A new facilities building is to be constructed as part of the redevelopment works, which will replace the temporary elsan and reinstate the water point in due course. (Enquiries: 03030 404040) Debbi

Saw them at the Three Horseshoes last Wednesday doing "Behind the Veil". Very good. Top night out. If you get a chance go and see them. Debbi

Calling all Friends of the Rising Sun. Fancy getting stuck in to spruce up Lock 55 on the Grand Union Canal in Berkhamsted? Monday & Tuesday 24th & 25th June from 3pm - 8pm volunteers required to paint, litter pick and generally tidy up. Supervision from the Canal & River Trust who are providing all equipment and paint. Refreshments promised by the landlord of the Riser. Places limited to approx 20 each day, sign up sheet behind the bar in the pub or PM me if you want to add yourself to the list but can't get there in person. Wear sensible shoes and clothes you don't mind getting dirty or painty. Debbi

Please please read other threads on this forum about renting boats. You will find one thread pinning to the top of the general boating forum. edited to add this http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=55204 Renting a boat on CRT waters that has not got a business licence for hire with the correct BSC, gas safety, insurance etc is fraught with difficulties (also much discussed on here). Also the area you are looking at is desperately short of residential moorings. If the boat doesn't have a mooring there are the issues of complying with the licence terms and conditions for a boat without a home mooring which means moving regularly (at least every 14 days, some places more often) and some distance. Many discussions on here about that too along with discussions about housing benefit and boat licenses. In my humble opinion your friend would be much better off sticking to dry land if he can. Whatever you do please do some proper research first as it will pay off in the end. There's plenty of info on the internet and this forum and lots of helpful people on here. D edited to add link to pinned post about hiring/renting boats

Stanstead Lock is indeed open again. They managed to jack the gate back into place on Tuesday. D Edited for misspelling.

Except of course those locks where there are CRT signs saying please leave empty with one paddle up due to leaky lock walls Sorry, won't be at Cavalcade this year but hope you all have a lovely time. Weather looks perfect. D

Congratulations. I hope you have many many happy years together. IMHO a boat isn't a home without a cat :-) Great name BTW. My previous boat cat was Theakston as he was an old peculiar rescue cat. D

I had the problem too. I like visiting that area when I visit Leeds for work. Wish I could find the time to do it by boat as well. Had some cracking nights out in Leeds.

Rather bad taste really given the recent death in a fire on a boat on the Oxford Canal. D

Frozen water taps, frozen elsan type panic? Our water taps frozen. Still, at least the cat should enjoy the snow - He's a Norwegian forest cat and they have inbuilt snow shoes/paws

The following should explain it. this is the answer to the same question to BW/CRT last year. VAT – Boats and boating Why does the Canal & River Trust charge VAT on boat licences? Firstly it is important to understand how VAT applies to a business. The Trust is required by legislation to be registered for VAT. If you are registered for VAT you must charge VAT on all of your supplies where the law requires it. A VAT registered business regularly completes a VAT return in which it pays to HM Revenue & Customs all of the VAT it has collected from customers and reclaims all of the VAT it has incurred on goods and services it has acquired. However it is only possible to reclaim any VAT incurred if the VAT can be attributed to taxable business activities. The majority of all expenditure on the general maintenance and major repairs of the canal infrastructure includes VAT. Prior to 1989 British Waterways (BW) did not charge VAT on its boat licences and as a result was unable to recover VAT on its general repairs and maintenance of the canals. In 1989 BW opted to charge VAT on its property including canals to enable it to generate taxable activities (including charging VAT on the boat licence) on the canals, which in turn enabled BW to recover the VAT incurred on general maintenance and refurbishment. At the time BW did not increase the overall cost of the boat licence to the customer. If for example the licence at the time cost £300, after BW opted to charge VAT the licence still cost £300 (£255+ £45 VAT). In other words this cost was not passed on to BW’s customers. The Trust has continued to apply the same options to charge VAT. Without this option to charge VAT on the boat licence, at today’s level of expenditure on the canal infrastructure, the Trust would be losing up to £20 million per annum in lost VAT on the general and major repairs, and the price of the boat licence and other income streams would need to be increased by a significant amount to offset this loss. Why the boat licence is not a tax The boat licence is not a tax in same way that the road fund licence or TV licence is levied. In addition to permission to navigate our waterways, the Trust provides other facilities along the network which are available only to licence holders. These include places to take on clean water, sanitary and waste disposal facilities, shower blocks, etc. No additional charge is made for these services, although a deposit is taken for the entrance key; it is classed as a supply of goods and services for the purposes of VAT. This contributes towards the cost of caring for the waterways. Without this, we could not dredge the canals; keep the locks in order; the tunnels safe; and all the other things you would reasonably expect from a navigation authority. Why doesn’t the Environment Agency charge VAT on their Boat Licence The EA has a special exemption in VAT legislation that allows them to reclaim the VAT suffered on work carried out on their waterways. This means it does not need to make the same election as the Trust. Many years ago a BW request to HM Treasury for BW to have the same special exemption as the EA was rejected. This is why the VAT position for the two licences is different between the two authorities.

Agreed, phone and check that the company are authorised to trade by the Trust. The CRT licensing website says "If it is a waterway managed by us, your next decision is on the type of licence. If you intend to use the boat commercially, you need a business licence. Otherwise a standard licence, ranging in length from three to 12 months, is sufficient." http://canalrivertrust.org.uk/media/library/723.pdf New business are welcome and all the information to get started is on the website. http://canalrivertrust.org.uk/boating/boating-businesses "The Trust aims to increase visitors to the waterways and ensure that they have an enjoyable experience, so they want to return with friends and family. We believe that waterborne businesses, in all their richness and diversity, can make a significant contribution to achieving this aim. We want to encourage and support boating businesses to thrive and offer high quality services which add life and vitality to our canals and riverside destinations. We have a dedicated Boating Trade Team whose role it is to assist new entrants to boating businesses and help both new and existing operators to trade profitably on the waterway. Please note that enquiries to set up businesses on the towpath or other Canal & River Trust land should be made to enquiries.hq@canalrivertrust.org.uk. Whilst we make every effort to provide relevant and accurate information, this website is only a guide and should not be relied upon as your sole source of information. We welcome feedback on this site. Please send any comments or suggestions you have to boatingtrade.enquiries@canalrivertrust.org.uk." http://canalrivertrust.org.uk/boating/boating-businesses/starting-a-new-boating-business/self-drive-hire is the part relevant to hire boats. Personally if I was hiring/renting a boat I would check first that the craft has the correct type of licence, insurance, boat safety etc. but then I would wouldn't I ;-) D

Anything just under £5k is very reasonable for inside M25. You might snap up a berth at Willow Wren Wharf in Hayes at the reserve £4,500 for a residential berth if you are lucky. Check out https://www.crtmoorings.com/ and search using London as the County. Best of luck. D Sorry, should have qualified that for a 50 - 65 foot nb.