Clodi

I've always fancied wearing a uniform

That sounds like a dream job, riding the tow- path everyday number spotting.?

So the bike persons are just logging our reg numbers?

Am I getting this correct? The movement logs check our boats reg number & presumably an algorithm checks that those with no permanent home mooring are cruising enough to ensure they're legit CC as well as flagging up whether or not our licences are up to date. At the same time others (are they volunteers or paid?) are running around with handheld computers checking if we are displaying paper licences in our portholes/windows? why? I'm not a rebel I'll stick some up, but is there a designated place, fore or aft windows etc, half the boats near me have all sort or posters, dreamcatchers etc stuck in their windows and being on the river there is hardly any neat towpath that boats can tie up to usually you're stuck a good gangplank away from the edge making it pretty hard to see anyway.

What do you reckon was the cause, stern gland?

That's easy you just blur that out with condensation. If they've got a handheld computer surely they can see from the boat movement logs which vessels are licence so needn't waste any time checking legit boats

My boats moored at Great Bedwyn, opposite side of the towpath. I panic everytime something happens on the K&A??

It's Madness in that time has moved on. Anyone can forge a paper licence and, let face it it only takes sun-fade and condensation to render them illegible. All the money spare for re-badging would have been better spent enforcing the displaying of our reg' number and developing a system that reconciles the logging of your movement with your current licence..

I pay a f******g fortune for my waterside mooring and my licence, I display my reg' number as required I guess even after all that money to be legit I need to stick 2 squares of sun-bleached illegible paper inside my portholes to be legal. Madness

I still don't get it. If I display my license number the CRT can tell if I'm all up to date with my payments . I'm all for a crackdown on the no payers but if we need paper license why do they not send one (2) out every year with holograms or some such anti-forgery device rather like the DVLA used to issue. I've gone paperless so not really sure how to get my copies done.

They Look really nice, you should sell them, I'd certainly buy them. ?

Likewise but in my case it was my Mother. Lithium sorterd her out but if she messed up we had truly exciting times.

Funnily enough I have just read a financial report that basically says the same thing. I hoped that as demand increases the costs of production falls but it appears not to be the case with Lithium

I've got six Trojan 105s nicely tucked away in their battery boxes plus I'm trying out the Trojan Hydro-link Watering Kit which should make filling them easier. I purchased the batteries before the pound sterlings tumble against the dollar so they weren't too expensive, plus I took a gambol and got the Hydro-link on Ebay USA from a nice guy who shipped to UK and put gift low value on the customs label and I didn't get clobbered at our border. Mind you that doesn't always work. I'm hoping that by the time these batteries need replacing Lithium batteries will have found their place in the market and lowered in cost.

I expect you know about Captain Tolleys I've been lucky and found judicious amounts of creeping crack cure has fixed things for me.

Thanks Robbo, I'll have a look later

I always thought that if it is one's intention to live aboard full time and not move you would really need a houseboat and that's a specialist market nowadays, The number of boats around London seem to have peaked & my guess is that people really do not understand the rigors of Constant Cruising and finding somewhere to 'Park' . It's a real eye-opener seeing the amount of commuters catching the morning train into 'Town' from Great Bedwyn' every morning.

Look on the CRTs Waterside Moorings Here You'll be very lucky to find residential but lots of boats near me on the K & A keep a low profile and get away with it.

I too, use a Google Home mini on board, I also use on at home. In my experience anything of board that could go wrong will go wrong. On the canals nothing serious can really go wrong apart from fire,Gas weirs etc so you're free to automate whatever you wish. If anyone can recommend a really tried and tested alarm system than detects unwanted movement, listing or bilge pumps activating please do as I dislike being too far away from my boat for long periods.

Following on from the debate regarding compost toilets, I saw this on a facebook post Cooking with Poo you can also buy it from amazon uk https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cooking-Poo-Saiyuud-Diwong/dp/0977507076/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1535120403&sr=8-2&keywords=cooking+with+poo

I'm a proud member of that club ? I have been watching the progress of a couple of livaboards CCruiserswith 2 young kids who are slowly getting on with fitting out their 60' widebeam sailaway and I have to say that despite being 'skint' they're doing a super job using a combination of new and re-cycled products. Even with the kids on board they manage OK as they have all that extra space to work with. So despite the all negative reply's and examples the answer to 'the cost', has to be simply, (once you pay licences, moorings, insurance, fuel etc) as much as you want to, or can afford to pay. Fittings on a wide beam can actually be cheaper than on a narrowboat as you can use 'normal' size beds and furniture but if using any fitted kitchen cabinets make sure you seal any MDF before fitting.

I have Grahams book and thoroughly recommend it, sure it may be a bit dated but it gives a very good idea of the amount of work involved plus loads of valuable tips.

Following on from the excellent advice on this forum I have recently changed the spelling of my boats name from Latin to Cymraig and can attest to the fact that it is a piece pi** to do.