Mad Harold

Don't know about the K&A, never been on it. If you google Freeman Owners Forum,there is lots of info about Freeman boats.

I think the Freeman 23 is a wide beam and no weed hatch,so unsuitable for narrow canals and locks. Freeman did make a narrow beam [6ft 10inch] the Freeman 22 mk2,with a weed hatch and extra rubbing strakes,so more suitable for canals.But not all the 22 mk 2s are narrow beam. If you can find one with the original fit out,they are superbly done. I thought seriously about buying a Freeman narrow beam,before I bought my narrowboat,but most are fitted with a Ford marinised petrol engine,,and the rudder is quite vulnerable in shallow water,[where I am the ducks walk on the bottom] and is secured with frangible rivets designed to break if the rudder hits the bottom,preventing the rudder shaft ripping the stern off. If your cruising area is a river or a nice wide deep canal,then a GRP boat will be fine. If on the other hand it is narrow canals with plenty of locks,then a steel narrow boat is the boy for the job. Hope all these posts are not putting you off,but there are many dewy eyed newbies all fired up with enthusiasm from watching "Great Canal Journeys" and there are equally many vendors of boats who are quite happy to take advantage of this. Please be careful,

Spoken like an ex military man.

What's wrong with that name. I think Lestin A Liggin Fente is quite cool.

LadyG has stepped forward to help the forum. So in my book LadyG is alright.

Going up the Fall Ing lock [Wakefield] last summer,were a dozen or so kids perhaps 13 to 15 year olds hanging around, smoking and drinking. One lad said,"can you leave the lock full" I said I would as I was going up.When I asked why,he said "it's us swimming pool". On leaving the lock,I shut the gate on my side and shouted across to the kids smoking and drinking sitting on the lock beam on the other side asking if one of them would shut the other gate,A young girl about 13 on my side said,"I'll do it mister"and promptly jumped into the lock and disappeared below the surface and I thought oh bloody hell,but she re-appeared,climbed out of the lock,shooed the youths off the lock beam and closed the gate as cool as you like. I did try to point out the danger of swimming in locks,the possibility of being dragged under from leakage of the bottom gates,but was told they know about that. They must breed them tough in Wakefield.

Very pleased that you found a suitable boat. As it's nearly new,there will be no problems with corrosion or mechanical issues,and paintwork. I used to dream of owning a boat that just needed sailing,and not needing attacking with spanners rust scraper,primer and paint. Please post us some pictures if you can.

Lightweight trainers. These are about the least clumsy footwear.Good for skipping across lock gates. Are the crocs I am thinking of,the sort of footwear doctors and nurses wear? If so, I think they could slip off,at anytime.

Having owned a Norman GRP cruiser and now a steel narrowboat,I would like to comment. A fibreglass cruiser is the most inexpensive way of getting afloat,but there are several disadvantages on a canal. They are usually a pig to handle when it is windy,they are generally designed for higher speeds than on a canal,so are quite wayward at 4mph. Most outboard powered boats need about 3ft of water to clear the prop. [Not guaranteed on our canals] This particular boat is in my opinion overpriced.It does look nice,but the ad says it is powered by a 4hp engine, It doesn't say 2stroke or 4stroke,and 4hp is not enough for canals let alone rivers.Two stroke engines on canals are bad news,due to high fuel consumption and the amount of time spent idling.It needs really 10hp four stroke. Dawncraft are not really highly regarded by the cruiser community,because of their rather light build and high freeboard making them even more susceptible to wind. You can get a steel narrow boat for your budget,but it will need work. One contributor [I think it was MtB] suggested buying a narrow boat needing overplating for a rock bottom price,and getting it overplated yourself. Whatever you decide to do, best of luck.

It don't look like the .303 I was taught to shoot with when I was 14 in the A.T.C. It was wood all the way along with a bayonet clip at the end. We weren't allowed a bayonet,much too dangerous for a 14 year old.

Not one mention of a boat! I read it twice to make sure. Does this Adnan bloke know that boats use the canals as well? Perhaps one of our Mods ought to have a word in his conch pink ear.

A suction pump and then loads of kitchen roll. You say the new filter was a slightly different size .Do you mean different length or different diameter. [ I assume it is a spin on filter and not the cartridge type] If it's different diameter then it's obviously wrong. Did it have a rubber seal ? The chandlers should have book with the correct filter for your engine,and the equivalent numbers of other manufacturers filters.

Are you by any chance in the overplating trade? Seriously though,when I was looking for a boat,I often wondered why many boats were advertised as recently fully overplated,and many of them were ten years or more younger than the one I bought,which had not had the hull overplated. If the majority of the hull is corroded or the baseplate eroded wafer thin,then I can see that as a good reason to overplate,but if like mine, the survey noted rust pitting 1 and 2mm deep,and the rest of the hull readings between 4.2-4.9, [its 6 5 3mm originally} then surely it is repairable by spot welding.The surveyor's report said "monitor the hull sides with a view to repair/overplate. I am beginning to think {and I am quite prepared to be shot down about this} that many boats are overplated unnecessarily due to : Overcautious surveyors covering their backs. Overcautious insurance companies. Biased advice from boat repairers.{its obviously more profitable to overplate,than spot weld} The idea especially from newer boaters,and some more experienced ones too,that unless a boat is 10 6 4mm,then it needs overplating or it is in danger of sinking shortly. I think [ and again I am quite prepared to be contradicted ] that the durability of a boat hull depends on the quality of the steel used in construction. I know some contributors on this forum say steel is steel,but it is a fact is it not that some steel corrodes quicker than others. Also has the boat been blacked regularly and any other signs of corrosion treated. Only been boating two years,so I welcome any opinions/flak.

An all steel boat is arguably the best choice to live on,however,five grand will get you a really nice fibreglass cruiser.It may well need insulating and a heating system installing but you wouldn't need to get into debt. Norman cruisers are fairly cheap and plentiful,and you may find one with an inboard diesel.There are other makes of course,but I think to live on,it needs to be at least 23ft. A friend of mine lived for years quite happily on a 25ft Buckingham,admittedly with shore power and electric heating,and only moved off due to ill health. From what I have heard and read,your main problem is going to be finding somewhere to moor in the London area. Please let us know how you get on.

The first picture from JCO,looks like a rather wacky lifeboat conversion.Certainly when viewed from the front.