Cheese
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Posts posted by Cheese
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4 hours ago, Ronaldo47 said:
...Unlike most private sector schemes,;where pension was calculated on sixtieths of years of service (allowing a pension if two-thirds finsl sxlary to be built up by 40 years service) , the civil service scheme was based on eightieths, meaning 40 years of service would only get you a pension of half your final salary. ...
But I think the civil service scheme also paid a lump sum on retirement, of 3/80ths per year of service, making it broadly similar overall. In private sector schemes taking a lump sum was optional, but doing so reduced the pension to closer to eightieths.
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27 minutes ago, Ianws said:
... Also, when he was using mooring pins he knocked them in perpendicular rather than at an angle. From camping I know this makes it much easier for your pins to be pulled out. ...
I was taught that lines should be perpendicular to pegs/pins. For mooring pins that means the pin angle depends on bank height: with a high bank, so close to horizontal line, the pin could/should be more vertical?
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And some idea of what you mean by 'a long trip'. Someone who usually moves only a few miles every 2 weeks might think a week on say the Warwickshire Ring is a long trip. Others might think that anything less than 2-3 months is trivial
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4 hours ago, Tracy D'arth said:
...Destroying a good rope with a bow saw seemed a bit over the top, ..
I think he said it was a natural rope, so splicing could have been a better option than buying a new one
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1 hour ago, Goliath said:
...Not only are you doing everyone a favour pulling planks out from locks, .....
No wonder there are so many leaks on the network!
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With calm conditions at present it can be difficult to properly ventilate a boat when stationary. How often do you move? Cruising, even for a short distance, can be quite effective at clearing out damp.
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Interesting article: https://www.harboroughmail.co.uk/news/environment/amphibious-machine-brought-in-to-dredge-sideponds-at-foxton-locks-3464894
Although the 2nd paragraph is amusing: "[they] had to wade into the ponds to carefully relocate them to another part of the canal" 😂
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With a stove and never-ending supply of wood, why not look into options for utilising that for at least some of your cooking in winter?
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Interesting. Any idea why the Malham / Rowner / Northlands section now seems to have dropped into the "longer term" part of the restoration plan (https://weyarun.org.uk/node/5), given that this work was done some 40 years ago?
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I agree that the Ecoflow / Jackery units are just another battery, so installing one on a boat doesn't do anything that any other equivalent battery wouldn't do.
But each is quite portable, so it may be more useful in situations where you can take it off the boat. E.g. if in summer you prefer to use your laptop / music player / tV /etc when sitting in a nearby field. Or for non-liveaboards, being able to take it home midweek and recharge it fully, so perhaps avoiding having to run your engine if your batteries are low when you return to the boat. Or avoiding having to run a noisy/smelly generator at shows etc.
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On 22/09/2021 at 13:13, cuthound said:
I disagree, the Basingstoke Canal, River Wey Navigation and parts of the Thames within the M25 are nothing like slums (but you knew that anyway didn't you...). 😉
The Basingstoke is completely outside the M25 (admittedly only by about 25m). But I agree it is nothing like a slum!
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2 hours ago, Tony Brooks said:
... there is no chance of £1490 per week I would have thought.
If it's more expensive than that I think I'll look into opening a marina! 🙂
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1 hour ago, magpie patrick said:
... I'm surprised CRT don't do the same and start with "we run an interconnected system of canals..." - it wouldn't be hard, just a map on an office wall and tell everyone that a boat on a canal on that map can reach any other canal on that map without the need of a crane - perhaps they do, and people just forget?
Perhaps they tell them exactly that - it could explain why there are now fat boats on the North Oxford and other inappropriate places 🙂
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Based solely on train frequency, Hatton to Banbury has about 1 train an hour mid-week. Warwick or Warwick Parkway to Banbury, 2 an hour. And if you were to drop below Cape Locks, as someone suggested, possibly better to go to Leamington where there are 3 an hour. Leamington is also much better for London, with around 20 departures between 10am and 5pm, as there is the option of Euston (via Coventry) as well as Marylebone.
But Hatton may be a pleasanter / safer place to leave a boat for a few days. Not sure I would leave it right by the station, as it might be an indication that you will be away all day. But you can probably find plenty of boats moored between there and the top of Hatton locks, where someone might keep a friendly eye on it.
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I'll admit to once running the engine when moored after 8pm. Some years ago we hired a boat with friends for a week over New Year. With an early-afternoon pickup, the usual faff getting used to a new boat, and a few locks, we hadn't gone very far on the first day before it was getting dark and we had to moor up. It was then a long evening, and about 9pm the lights went out! Possibly the boat had been sitting in the yard for 3 months unused, and the batteries were not well charged. So we ran the engine for perhaps 30-45 minutes. Being mid-winter there weren't many boats on the move, so I don't think we disturbed anyone - although one can never be sure if someone is moored just around the next bend.
For the rest of the week we were cruising all day, and it wasn't an issue.
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Meanwhile, back on enforcement:
EA appear to have had some success in court against a persistent overstayer: https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/river-thames-houseboat-owner-taken-21399328
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On 10/08/2021 at 10:15, Mike Tee said:
Hire a boat (during the autumn / winter) for a couple of weeks - keep a notepad handy, list everything you wished you had plus everything you had but didn't want / like / use. List all the pros and cons.
Then when you start the buying hunt, you will probably recoup the hire fee in savings on what you eventually buy. That's if you decide it really is for you without the rose-tinted specs.
+1.
If you hire with a friend (which you may have to), try operating it single-handed for a day or two, including at locks.
Perhaps only take a few days' food, so you have to face the logistics of resupply.
Remember the services provided by the hire company, which as an owner you will have to do /arrange for yourself: emptying the waste tank, replenishing gas/fuel supplies, servicing the engine, regular maintenance/blacking, all repairs, etc.
Consider whether you will manage without a car, or the difficulties in keeping one within an accessible range.
Factor in other services, such as post, GP, ...
Nothing insurmountable, but all worth considering in advance of purchase.
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10 hours ago, PeterF said:
... I am not sure what 2020 will be like, ...
It was pretty bad 😀
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Tamworth might be a convenient station for Day 3
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I guess companies are wary of single hirers for 2 reasons: the hirer possibly inviting all their mates along for a stag/hen do, and the safety aspect. More mature hirers might be able to persuade companies that the first is not an issue. Managing locks single-handed is always going to be more of a risk for a novice: e.g. climbing greasy lock ladders or bow hauling the boat in/out of the lock.
If you can find a company prepared to hire, I would choose a popular route in the hope of sharing some locks (or lock duties) with someone going the same way. E.g something like the Warwickshire Ring can be done in a week, so over a fortnight you could afford to wait at Hatton and elsewhere for another boat to share with (or a volocky where available). On a Ring you can of course still turn back after 6 days if you haven't reached the mid-point.
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On 21/07/2021 at 11:32, Withywindle said:
I fancied a go at trapping a few ...
That's where you went wrong 🙂. Around here people just dangle a piece of string in the water with some bacon on the end - which can apparently be quite successful.
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... by Kingston Council. See https://www.kingston.gov.uk/news/article/154/boat-moored-unlawfully-is-removed-from-riverside
Apparently unoccupied.
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Is The Boat at Hayton still open? With it being another canalside pub less than a mile from The Gate, plus the one in the village centre, I could see that with all three open they might be struggling to make a profit.
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I see it is being held at number 37, Clemens St. I wonder if the people who live there know? ?
looking for a mentor
in New to Boating?
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Difficult to know what to advise without knowing more about you & your parents' desired lifestyles.
If they are say early 60s, no ties, fit and healthy, and enjoy a 'basic' lifestyle (like say bush camping) and want to spend 10 years really travelling around the UK canal and river network then get a narrowboat and go for it. Continuously cruise all summer and perhaps look for a marina mooring each winter (stoppages, poor weather, short daylight hours, more challenging electricity management etc). But keep enough in reserve for maintenance and for moving onto land in say 10 years' time.
As others have said, not sure I would recommend a permanent marina mooring for them. If they want to be fixed somewhere, then better options might be a house in a cheaper area of the country, or if not affordable a (mobile caravan) park home, which may have similar residential restrictions but at least has a permanent water supply, plumbing and electrics.
For the London show, bear in mind that many canal dwellers in London are what are often referred to here as 'continuous moorers'. They have a continuous cruising licence, but for either work or family reasons don't really want to move, so they aim to get away with the minimum that doesn't breach the licence terms. With London canals also being quite crowded, this can mean periodic 'moving days' every few weeks, where everyone simply shuffles around swapping locations. This doesn't really compare at all with 'true' continuous cruising away from cities, where you can moor almost anywhere you like, moving on around the network as required; simply stop for water, fuel and waste disposal as needed; and visit many interesting places around the network.