Dearhound

I've found the thread from last year now - is very interesting. I guess it will take a while yet for the whole concept to become as sensible as I'd like it to be! Thanks everyone for your opinions. Yeah, just read it Tumshie, thanks, interesting

Confused! What are you saying?

Well, we seem to going in that direction - green energy & climate change & all - diesel is going to get more expensive with prohibitive taxes, solar is ultimately free and surely a more sensible form of power in the long term. Governments are paying fines if they don't meet their emission targets/promises, so they will definitely be raising taxes to encourage the take up of more environmentally friendly energy solutions; so as the adoption of cleaner technology becomes more widespread, it'll also become less complex & more efficient & less expensive. Exactly.

Yes it was Beta I was looking at; did look for another thread, I'll look again. Still though you'd imagine they'd become more popular & therefore better understood given the way things are going?

Thanks Tumshie, yes have been looking at their site & will indeed talk to them at Crick. Oh, why is that?

Hi, we've been researching diesel/hybrid engines in narrow boats & wondered if there are any builders producing sailaways with these engines? One company we spoke to said they didn't think anybody was at the moment. If that's the case I guess one would have to buy a hull & buy the engine separately, or a second hand boat & fit a conversion? Unless one could find a reasonable existing hybrid boat for sale . Presumably these engines will become increasingly popular so at some point you'd imagine they'll become cheaper too?

So with the engine too, you'd be talking what-ish?

When you say quite a lot of work? Does it have a working engine?

https://narrowboats.apolloduck.com/boat/fellows-morton-clayton-70-traditional/601328?fbclid=IwAR2Y1W64bnrVDxwkNcZ6irOqm1X_1icjffG89EBTHojiCobLsJ1is7mnFzY#map looking at this - would it be a nightmare unless you had infinite money & time you think?

Does anyone have any experience of wooden hulled narrow boats? Are there any particular problems associated with them or does it just depend on the condition in the same way as it would with a steel hull?

Yes, I've always kept them & have them free-ranging - have to fence off veggies & flowers - but lots of people keep them in little arks in their gardens which get moved around. I wonder if one just had a couple of bantams in an ark type thing & gave them fresh stuff to scratch about in, they might be happy? I guess it would have to be quite low tho or you wouldn't see over it. If it was on the roof, rather than a butty.

Another aspect to the GRP v steel question - does the likelihood of more droughts & therefore closures of canals in the coming years mean that GRP, being more versatile, would end up faring better in depreciation contest?

Thanks Tumshie

Hi, myself & my partner are aiming to buy a project boat (ie ideally a a boat that'll work but needs some more work doing to it) next year; on a limited budget at the moment & wondering what the ptos & cons are of GRP v traditional narrowboat hull, for us to be continual cruisers & liveaboards?