bagginz

I don't have one myself, but I love the look of the ones I've seen on narrowboats. But I'm a sucker for old fashioned, quality brass hardware. And I've just learned they also have practical benefits outside of their aesthetic value.

Ah! The Coral Island by RM Ballantyne. One of my favourite books as a kid. Read it over and over, along with another favourite Brendan Chase by B.B. Treasure Island and Kidnapped! - both cracking reads. Yep, the Famous Five books. Arthur Ransome's books. ? W. E. John's "Biggles" series also loomed large growing up. Especially the ones written about the RFC in WW1 which it turns out that he'd had direct experience of. Btw, Arthur Ransome's old 1946 wooden sailing boat Peter Duck is still being sailed:

Same here. I was recommended SuperTherm so I bought a bag to give it a try. Was surprised to find I needed both top and bottom vents fully open on the Squirrel to keep it burning hot and that it produced large amounts of ash. I did enjoy the pretty blue flames though. Back to the WinterBlaze for me. Cheaper, absolutely minimal ash, burns nice and hot - so very controllable with the vents. Though it's not a smokeless, it produces little to no smoke. The downside is an occasional sulphurous whiff next to the chimney outside the boat.

I find the utilitarian design of many modern widebeam canal boats pretty grim from an aesthetic point of view. Though there are exceptions such as Tranquil Rose: A nicely maintained Tjalk can be a thing of stunning beauty - wide though they may be. I also find many modern Dutch Barge designs pleasing to the eye.

No. I can't believe you'd be so irresponsible The canal is for shopping trolleys, bicycle frames and old spring mattresses

I thought I was reading a piece from "The Onion" Still, it must be fun living in fantasy world where you can wish physical problems away using a homeopathic approach.

Of course I believe what I wrote! Most not all. See my post #32 for more detail. Not all of us are extreme pessimists that exaggerate to make their point.

A broken padlock or even ongoing broken padlocks doesn't invalidate a good idea. Almost everyone breaks the speed limit, speed cameras are vandalised, yet it's a still good idea to enforce speed limits. Any system will require some ongoing maintenance/resources to ensure enforcement/compliance. Given: 1. The system is already in place 2. all boaters have a key, 3. replacing padlocks, chains and gate locks are relatively cheap it strikes me as the cheapest, most cost effective and non-disruptive solution.

This ^ An obvious and reasonably cheap measure that would prevent *most* of the abuse.

Same here, keep the moorings the same but put a system in place to make sure people don't overstay.

Yes. I already filled in the survey just in case.

Is this the place? http://kanda.boatingcommunity.org.uk/mead-lane-restriction-proposals-dropped/ It was dropped in Aug 2018. Is this a new attempt at restriction?

Funny enough, Morris SAE30 smells like a scottish engineer's armpit that's been eating raw onion sandwiches out of the container. It's only after it's been used that it smells like normal used engine oil.

I nominate "Milf Hunter" A mid sized GRP seen moored up outside a pub on the Thames.

Isis. According to the Nicholson's guide, the river Thames upstream of where the River Thame flows in at Dorchester is called the River Isis. So, it's the River Isis that runs through Abingdon and is navigable up to Lechworth Behold: the River Isis - and not a Kalashkinov or RPG in sight...