Mad Harold

The price of these Chinese heaters is very tempting.They are advertised from £100 to £150 so are very cheap. A Propex gas warm air heater is around £500 and webasto and Eberspacher about double that. While deciding on a permanent heating system,I am using a cartridge camping gas heater which works well,but in a small dog kennel cabin like mine the condensation it produces is dreadful.My boat has a mushroom vent,an opening skylight,a vent in the toilet box,a vent in the hatch,and the vent grill in the cabin door is about a quarter of it's size,and with every thing open the windows and ceiling are dripping .With all this ventilation it largely negates the heater,hence the need for something better.

I don't know what the BSS requirements are regarding these heaters,except that fuel lines must not leak.None of the Chinese heaters I have looked at (on the web) are advertised as CE marked,and the fuel line from the remote tank models looks to be plastic.This of course would be a BSS fail if plastic fuel pipes were in an engine bay. This is why I am hesitating ordering one.

Thinking of fitting a Chinese diesel heater,and I notice that some are "all in one"ie the fuel tank is integral with the heater.This would simplify installation,but to me looks bit dangerous. Has anyone fitted one of these?

Without a centre rope single handed,mooring up is unecessarily difficult.At a lock I grab the centreline and put a couple of turns around a bollard and tie up fore or aft depending on the wind.This is usually secure enough to set the lock. For mooring longer the centreline can be used as a sort of "springer"if the rope is long enough.

Small narrowbeam grp cruiser will go on any inland canal or waterway.Rivers and estuaries in good weather taking note of tide times. The thought of towing your boat to various locations is very tempting,but it could be a load of hassle depending how often you move it. Is there a ramp where you are retrieving and slipping? Is your car a suitable towing vehicle? Four wheel drive is usually necessary because ramps are often covered in weed and are very slippery. Are you keeping the boat at home,or on a mooring when you are not using it? My opinion for what it's worth is to get a couple of friends together and hire a canal boat for a week or so,to get the feel of cruising the cut.The cost of hire may seem expensive,but spread between three or four people is less so. You will know for sure then,if canal boating is for you.

The dog people who really piss me off are the ones who bag their pooche's poo (probably when people are about) and then chuck it in the cut when no one is around. I have twice had the disgusting experience of having to clear torn bags of poo from my prop.

Hope you get sorted.There's quite enough to do on a boat without puzzling engine problems. Depending on your means (or lack of) a new engine and gearbox or a used BMC 1500 off e bay is in order.

On broad locks I usually tie up fore and aft and only use the centreline on narrow locks. The upper Brighouse lock needs to have the paddles opened slowly as a couple of clicks on the ratchet doesn't seem to do much,but the next couple cause a bit of a tsunami! To add to the "fun"the paddles are held up by the pressure of the water,and won't wind down untill the lock is nearly full.So if you over do opening the upper paddles,you can helplessly watch your boat crashing from wall to wall. Don't ask how I know this!

There are boaters who have hit lock gates,and boaters who are going to!

Is that the one that the Romans left behind in 440 AD ?

Have used Funky Monkey letters on my first boat.Excellent quality.Been on five years now and they look as new. More than I can say for the boat,as it has been neglected. Be careful putting them on,because it's very easy to get them wrinkly.

If a car had deliberately rammed another car,then the driver would be prosecuted for dangerous driving possibly with intent to endanger life added on. Don't know what law he could be prosecuted under (maritime or civil) but he should be held to account for his actions. Because of the damage likely to his professional reputation,to avoid further flak on here and other forums,a grovelling public apology might be in order.Then this incident would probably be forgotten in a week.

When you can no longer get on and off your boat,then it's time to find another hobby.If your health holds up,then you can keep boating untill a couple of weeks before you snuff it.I know of at least three boaters in their eighties and a few who look as though they are! A pal who lived on a boat sadly had a stroke which left him with limited movement,and had to call it a day. So,all being well you can keep boating as long as you wish.

Which boat is Steve Haywood? The NB "Justice"is clearly in the wrong. Having owned two "yoghurt"pots and a "tin slug", I have experienced some insulting comments from narrowboaters about GRP boats,but I have to say always in fun. This video made me very angry and had it been me rammed like that,I would have found that individual to make my opinion of him very clear,and if it led to fisticuffs,so be it!

Had this on a boat I had. Making a dam is a good solution,but don't use silicon.Better stuff is Stixall it sets a bit harder and is more durable.You can shape it with a spatula dipped in white spirit.

Give them a good soak in Plusgas for a day and try again.

My first boat,a GRP Norman was supposed to be 6'-10" However some of the lock entrances on my local ditch (the HNC) are just 7' wide.On my first trip up the narrow, it took a fair bit of heaving and grunting to get into a couple of locks,and with fenders up.With fenders down there was no chance.On susequent trips it became easier as the rubbing strip started to wear. I now have the same make and model of boat,and this one slips easily into the locks, fenders down! I would have thought that Norman would have the same mould for a particular model,but I now think that they must have had more than one and that there was some variation between moulds.Can't ask them now,as they stopped making boats in the eighties.

As pointed out,GRP boats don't usually "spread"but the rubbing strip may be quite a thick one. Worth checking,but I found measuring the beam rather difficult.I got different sizes every time I tried to measure it. Follow A de E's advice and see if you can get an accurate width.

It may be resting on bricks on the bottom of the canal!?

This happened to me too.Waxed new paintwork with car polish,(can't remember which) and it would not polish off,but left white patches that wouldn't come off,even with white spirit. Had to re-sand the area and re-paint,and not wax it this time.

Lock 24E HNC has a paddle on the guillotine gate.Empty the lock with the paddle and raise the guillotine manually. You need to have had your Weetabix for this lock!