Northener

I am based on the upper Thames near Lechlade. Having just bought the boat I need several bits and pieces. There are no nearby chandlers so I know I will have to drive some distance to find one. Any recommendations?

Thank you. I’ve already joined and will enquire about the manuals.

I’ve not had the opportunity to speak to the previous owner yet. He has left it all to the broker. Can’t say I blame him, having recently sold my sailing boat I’d expect the broker to deal with all the hassle if I were paying his brokerage fees. I hope to have a chat with him once all the paperwork is completed.

Thanks for all the replies. It is the little Sea Otter that went up for sale earlier this week, Little Jem. I am retired so have plenty of time and would love to take the canal route rather than road transport. Parts of the journey I will be on my own. I have taken larger narrow boats through narrow canals single handed in the past ( wife still in bed and I’d start at about 5.00 am) but that was 40+ years ago on many holidays on rented boats. I don’t suppose I will find it so easy these days. Since those days I have had sailing boats - even taken yachts through the Crinan canal many times - but sailing was becoming hard work and I’ve had a hankering for a NB for years (especially when sea sick). I’ve bought Little Jem without a survey. She looks in good condition, engine been serviced recently by the marina, and everything seems to work bar the bow thruster, which I’m told has not worked at all during the vendor’s ownership. I am a bit concerned about the lack of any manuals or owners instructions for the many fittings ( engine, warm air heater, electrics etc) but I suppose I will be able to find these on the internet. I’m capable of dealing with some problems on my own but will probably join RCR if, sorry when, I set off, just in case. So I am decided, wait until at least October before resorting to road transport. Thanks again to all.

Hello all. I have just bought my first narrow boat. The boat is up on the Shropshire Union and I need to get it down to the Thames. I had been looking forward to a 2 to 3 week trip down the canals but the lack of water in the canals - the Oxford has already introduced restrictions - has got me worried. Obviously no one knows when we will get much rain but from your experience, what are my chances. I could wait until September or I could miss out on the trip and use road haulage.

Having sailed around British and Irish coastal waters for many years, the problems caused by advancing years are making me think that boating on the canals and the Thames might be the way to go. I have a lot of experience on the canals, having had several week long holidays in narrow boats and on the French canals, but these have been short holidays in different places each time. If I buy a Narrowboat or cruiser I would not be roaming the whole country. I would hopefully be based in a marina or similar and would probably take two or three longish trips each year and lots of shortish ones (although to be honest, who knows?). The question is, will I be bored? Much of my sailing has been single handed, and I do like being alone on a sailing boat, but having a boat on inland waterways would mean my young grandchildren could come along much more often. And also my wife, who hates sailing but does like being on boats that stay level.

Why do some narrowboats appear higher at the bow than at the stern? Are they meant to do this or do they just have too much weight at the back? Does this mean that the floor inside the boat also slopes?