Mad Harold

I saw that on Dragon's Den, it was a sort of tray that was shoved down a woman's knickers with a spout on. It would still need a Portajohn to catch the wee if used say in a car. I would be quite interested to see how this would work driving along the motorway. 😰

Having committed this crime on a couple of occasions due to an aging bladder I sympathise When in a different incarnation I was flying, you could buy a thingy made for the job.I think it was called a Portajohn.

When I had my narrowboat I too had difficulty keeping it warm when the temperature was close to zero. The previous owner had a refit, new flooring, new faced ply lining. It was only when I removed some of the lining to deal with a leaking window, I found no insulation at all behind the ply! Obviously a cheap and cheerful fit out! Would it be worth checking your boat's insulation? (or lack of it)

It was for the OP. Not beerbeer recurring. Do you like beer by any chance? My current fave is Speckled Hen.Cos it's on special at my local Co.

You've got a damp boat! 🐸

One group of boaters that will be "collateral damage" are the grp cruisers that are above 7ft beam.Seamasters,Eastwoods, Birchwoods, Hardy, Freeman,Colvic and others that are on CRT waters. I know it has been raised before, but these boats can't cruise the narrow canals, so they may quite justifiably feel a bit miffed. There may be a good few of these boats for sale soon, bought by people who are prepared to pay the extra licence fee.0

Cold water shock causes muscles to seize up. On a warm day, there would be little difficulty scrambling out, but in the cold even the slightest effort can be well nigh impossible. A couple of years ago a friend of mine fell in the cut one freezing February night while getting on his boat.He managed to get aboard but a neighbour found him in the cockpit unconcious a couple of days later. He'd had a stroke and also had to have a foot amputated due to frostbite. Now is in a care home and of course no more boating.

Really Ian, use your imagination. What is is the most efficatious excersise a gentleman should take? A clue.It usually involves a woman.😛

A Freeman 22 (7'-6" beam) will pay the widebeam supplement, wheras a Norman 22 (6'-10" beam) will not. You can argue is it fair to charge extra for 8inches.

There was a question about Refleks stoves on here a few days ago. Myself and another poster suggested joining the Refleks Facebook group, where I am sure advice and help will be forthcoming.

I don't have a Refleks stove, but I have read that they have an anti tilt mechanism (like some paraffin stoves) so the fuel supply will cut off beyond a certain angle.

There is a Reflex Stove enthusiast's group on Facebook,and your question has been posed several times.Other problems are covered too.

Thanks for answering Alan, it's just that on my canal cruising, the majority of sunken/abandoned grp boats I have seen were Dawncraft.

What make of boat was it? A Dawncraft by any chance?

Just seen this post but it reminded me that you can still see 'tenter frames' alongside a backstreet in Marsden.Not been used for years of course, but if you cruise the Huddersfield Narrow (if it's ever open) and tie up in Marsden, the tenter frames are in a backstreet parallel to the river.

I think these boats are only useful as static livaboards. The are too wide for narrow canals and the foam and fibreglass construction is not really suitable for the rough and tumble of canal cruising and although this type of structure is used in the aircraft industry, on a canal if the outer skin is punctured or water gets in from somewhere else, then the hull could start to delaminate. Apart from that they are hideously ugly things.There are two near me, one orange and the other white.the orange one is mega yuk and the white one looks like a beached whale or an inverted boat.The first time I saw the white one, I jokingly asked the owner if he would like a hand to turn it the right way up. Unfortunately, he was suffering from sense of humour failure!

Is that the number of livaboard boats? If so, could you post a link to where this information comes from.?

Every time I switch my phone on there is a headline from some newspaper or other with yet another person "living the dream". Boaty forums on Facebook have numerous questions about buying a boat and living aboard.A recent one I saw was from a young Frenchman who wanted advice about buying and living on a rather knackered looking Dawncraft, because he said living on canals in France was difficult. He was getting lots of encouragement from other posters and I replied suggesting that the boat he posted a photo of was in a dreadful state and I asked if he knew about insurance,BSC,licence and cruising rules.He replied that he had a friend who was talking him through these things.I got the strong impression that he was simply going to moor up somewhere and 'sit it out' as long as possible. This is only one of many people doing this, as well as the numbers doing it 'legit'. Linear housing estate or towpath shanty towns?

Yes they can, but not usually as offered for sale. Heating is usually a diesel blown air heater, Chinese ones are cheap and easy to fit being aware of BSS guidlines. They are rarely insulated apart from some thin carpet, so need insulating sheets sticking to the hull and the carpet putting back.This requires flexible insulating sheets as most grp cruisers have compound curves inside. The big greenhouse windows can be easily double glazed with polycarbonate sheets held on with velcro or double sided tape. Some grp cruisers do have woodburner/multifuel stoves but extra care is needed with the gas and fuel installation (especially petrol) Hot water and a shower although not essential are nice to have. If outboard powered a solar panel will be needed as outboard generators are just usually enough to keep the starter battery topped up. A grp boat can be made quite livable but most will need work and equipment to make them so. Thats why steel canal boats are the more popular choice to live on, as they will have (usually) all the stuff ready fitted for comfortable living.

I agree about getting the mooring before the boat. As Alan says, a steel boat for your budget is likely to be a dodgy proposition. A fibreglass cruiser will be a sounder buy. Asking prices are from £900 for a bare shell. (There is actually a 22ft Dawncraft advertised on Facebook in Leeds for this amount) to £15-16K for a good 'un. If you are just going to cruise the broad canals, you don't need to be tied to a narrowbeam, but bear in mind that over 7ft beam attracts a surcharge on the licence fee. Look for a boat that has heating, hot water, solar, decent cooker and with a current BSC. You can expect a boat well kitted out with comforts that will be within your budget. As to engines, my preference is outboard, but quite a few grp boats have inboard diesel or petrol engines.Some have a Z drive on the transom which I don't like, and some the engine is inside with shaft drive which I think is ok. If you have specific questions about engine type, or boat make, just ask. For me, I like Norman and Freeman the best, but not Dawncraft (apart from the Highbridge) as they have issues that other grp boats don't have.

I have done that too. Driven over half of the country to view a boat that had impressive looking pictures and the owner assuring me "it"s straight out of the box mate" only to find that the pictures were long out of date and the boat should have been in a box (of bits)! Regarding Kingfisher engines.I once heard a visiting boat with a very unusual sounding engine.It sounded very busy even at tickover and reminded me of the second movement of Tchaikovsky's symphony no4, with very rapid pizzicato strings.Asked the owner what the engine was and was told it was a Chinese Kingfisher.