NBDensie

I have explicitly checked with MLC: a Gold License does cover permanent mooring on the Middle Levels. The documentation is a bit confusing .

Basingstoke Canal: Reading Road Bridge (probably), Fleet. If I remember correctly this one slopes down from left to right and from front to back, travelling downstream. 5ft 10in headroom.

As a frequent cruiser on the Shardlow end of the T&M... 1) When ascending, the side paddles are best operated the other way round to the GU locks. Open the one on the non-boat side first. Water comes out along the side of the lock and pushes the boat against the opposite wall, at least until the lock is partially full. 2) When descending Weston lock we always warn any boat waiting below and open the paddles slowly. The outflow can be ferocious. When waiting to go up tie the bow rope to the bollard. Dont try and hold it in place by hand.

We have a Huawei mifi with an aerial and an EE SIM. It works brilliantly. An aerial is essential in my experience. We almost never fail to get a good connection, typical speeds are around 15Mb. A lot more expensive than £24 though.

The deepest lock in Europe at 115 foot.

I am not sure a few youths could match a 40hp engine. The key word is "gently". IHow long would gates survive if only a few boaters pushed them open too early with far too much force? And I doubt it would be only a few. Even if the damage was not catastrophic the edges of the gates would soon get worn. A few over enthustiastic youths are far less likely to do a lot of harm pushing the gates by hand than pushing them with the help of an engine..

And staff costs including pensions etc, office space, equipment.

Cost of collecting subscriptions and enforcement.

The private licence fee income is about £20M and I believe that figure is gross, not net. The total spend on what is defined as CRTs "charitable activities" is £153M covering works on the canal system, customer support and the museums. So there is a long way to go before the license fee justifies boaters having a predominant say in how the money is spent.

I would agree. However this does lead on to other things.... There are about 34000 boats registered. If the canals were to be maintained primarily for the benefit of boaters, a very small % of the population, it would not in my view be unreasonable to expect boaters to pay for them - say £3K-£4k or more for the average annual license fee. This is why it is essential that as many people as possible are involved in the canals, be it cyclists, dog walkers, volunteers who enjoy working and painting locks, nature enthusiasts etc etc and why we as boaters should welcome them.

Is this your actual experience or is it all hearsay? My own experience of travelling widely across the system is that the canals are in a far better condition than 30-40 years ago. Lock gates and paddles are easier to operate and I have had no problems from the canals silting up.. People generally dont let paddles drop except through carelessness nor do they often leave paddles up, I have only very rarely seen anyone trying to open the gates under power. Maintenance seems much better organised than in the past and I see no evidence of deterioration.

Yes they do, but sadly they dont deliver. Thanks.

After talking to 3P Paints... They do supply it, but delivery to where we live (Cambridgeshire) would cost £38 for a £10 1L tin. Apparently it may be available from some chandleries in the Northwich area.

Under "Paint Sales" it says Sorry, service no longer available

Our gunwales were painted with Andy Russell Gunwale Black paint. We need to do a few touch-ups. Andy Russell's website says that it is no longer available from there. Is it available anywhere else? If not, can anyone suggest a suitable alternative? Many thanks.

We have a Huawei E5577. It is fast with a reasonable battery life and twin external aerial ports. We stick a magnetic aerial on the roof and pass the cable through a mushroom vent down to the galley worktop so that the router can stay permanently connected avoiding any damage or wear to the aerial connector.

To complete the thread - the old wooden wedge has been replaced by a new hardwood one to the same design.

That is very much the policy now - hence Northampton, Pelsall, Ilkeston and next year's St Neots. The problem in the less favoured areas is finding a location with enough usable canal bank to moor 100+ boats and the space for an event attracting 1000's of people close enough to the transport/carparking/towns to ensure sufficient visitors. Another important requirement is the support of councils and other local organisations.

Good point. However the number of stalls is determined by the site and the occupants are those who apply. I dont believe the absence of bits, bobs and basic chandlery sellers is the result of any policy, it's simply that they dont apply. From personal observation there are fewer around these days, any that disappear aren't being replaced.

I wonder, did those complaining actually go to the Northampton, Pelsall and Ilkeston festivals? The reality is that there are decreasing numbers of people with the interest and time to go to such events. Many of the boaters active in the past are no longer on the water and there havent been sufficient new people taking up the lifestyle. This isnt just a boating problem. As people active in local societies whether it's nature groups, craft societies, sports clubs etc are finding, the memberships are dwindling and the committees are getting smaller and older. The facebook generation seem to have little interest in communal activities.

Many thanks for all the useful ideas, it seems that one way or another we will be able to get something that looks good. I have passed them onto our painter who is also investigating someone who can make aluminium collars. Once we have an agreed solution I will add the information to the thread.

Has anyone any idea as to how we get can create a vertical chimney for our narrowboat? The roof collar was supported on a wooden wedge which is now disintegrating. It seems that the angled cast iron ones one sees on some boats are bespoke. Does anyone know who may be able to make one? Thanks for any suggestions.

Perhaps the age and historic status of the structures may have a little to do with the comparison. The Thames locks are fairly modern, well designed and solidly built, which they have to be on a river. The canal locks are often none of these. Surely a better EA/CRT comparison should be with the Severn or Trent locks.

Had an excellent meal in the Terrazzo on Thursday, we all chose the lobster ravioli. It really is very good - a serious restaurant, not a pizza place or a fast food chain. 3 course meal for 4 including drinks cost around £30/head, so not outrageously expensive, in my view very reasonable for the quality of food.

The seals do wear eventually as does the shaft. Our vetus stern gear started dripping about a tablespoon/day after 4000 hours/10 years. Before then it was completely dry, we only use silicone grease at the start of each year. Changing the seal is a fairly quick job. The boatyard advised that it would be prudent to replace the stern gear after 4500 hours. That is a much bigger job.