MarkH2159

I am a sigle handed CC'r at the moment and can understand there may be issues in certain parts of the country and indeed there are lots of warnings of where not to moor especially in some urban areas, but generally I have not encountered any real problems. I have had kids let go my bow mooring on one occasion and met some nutters on the towpath, but apart from an inquisitive cat I have had no unwanted visitors. Choosing and planning where to moor is the key and I prefer to stay 'out of town' if I can. Mooring with other boats is also a good option if you plan to leave the boat for any length of time. My boat is fitted with a 360 degree security camera and a remote entry alarm system but fortunately they have not yet been used in anger. As for sleeping, never had it so good.

Well there you go, must have been done very recently because I passed it last week still high and dry. Looks to be a fairly sophisticated lifting trailer, nice job.

Last week I was talking to a surveyor who was involved in this case. The boat is all electric and was put ashore by the river floods of last winter. The owner has taken the opportunity to carry out maintenance and blacking etc. The land is too soft for a crane and trailer to get in there to move it. He was given an offer from the team at nearby RAF Benson to use a heavy lift Chinook they have for exercise purposes and free of charge, however that was thwarted by the local authority eco warriors who were concerned about possible damage to wildlife and trees from the rotor downwash. There are apparently a lot of bats in the area. Other plans to excavate and build an earth ramp so as to be able to push the boat back into the water have similarly been thwarted by wildlife issues. The use of a Pulling Barge situated mid river and in place for when the river next floods has been explored and may well be the only option.

My swan neck was slightly out of alignment and I also had a knocking issue from the hydraulic steering ram so i needed to remove the swan neck to investigate and re align. I copied this method and it worked a treat. http://dru-withoutamap.blogspot.com/2021/06/replacing-rudder-stock-bearing-on.html

I just used the same method, Bottle Jack, Chain and Bar with big Hammer, worked a treat.

Yep and one on the top would help keep the rain off, no harm in having both.

Solar Dump system will be the best way to go about it in summer. Many Youtube videos on how to do it. Here is one that uses existing 240v immersion element. Personally I am going for a 12v Immersion heater element that I can run directly off the switched load of my Solar MPPT Controller to heat water using excess solar capability.

Except in summer when a solid fuel fire is the last thing you will need.

Another tip, pinched from a fellow boater. When reassembling fit a sink plunger rubber on the shaft above and to cover the bearing housing before you replace the swan neck. Keeps the water and crap out and will prolong bearing life.

Agreed, that is why I stated "genuine review here" My idea of 'very quiet' is from what I hear when actually running the generator and comparing it with others that I have heard on boats. The manufacturers quoted level is 59 dB but there is no indication of the actual test criteria used. However I have had others comment on how quiet my generator is and that is good enough for me.

Walk down the flight to Caen Marina, their diesel is the cheapest on the K&A and they are very helpful. Borrow a container or two and fill them up. Walk to the first lock, Foxhangers and put your diesel on a passing boat in return for helping them with the locks. Get it delivered at Devizes some 5 hours later. Return containers to the marina.

Ok genuine review here... I have one of these https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Silent-Inverter-Petrol-Generator-2KW-Portable-Camping-Caravan-RV-Blackline-4600-/333801751734?_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49286 It is cheap, very quiet, lightweight and easy to start. Running in Eco Mode (Load sensitive) I can get about 7 or 8 hours out of a tankful. Although it says 2 KW it is in fact 2 KVA and will give 16-1800 watts continuously with no problem at all. For the price, it would take some beating.

As we all know, there are various types of Vloggers on the cut and many of them. Mainly due to the absolute crap on mainstream TV recently, I have watched most Vloggers and favour the ones who are apparently not on any form of money making or sales agenda. I find these are the most realistic and down to earth informative ones. Those with agendas, promotions and other crap such as Patreon are obviously making plenty of money out of the game, good luck to them, but I am not interested. My opinion only... I get bored easily and although I watched all of 'Cruising the Cut' I eventually had enough of his whining about any noise and traffic as well as the cheese sandwich agenda so i moved on. 'Minimal List' was good in the beginning until it degenerated into 20 minute videos of two people in front of the camera moaning about whatever they could, so that got binned. Some thing about making a dog vegetarian seems not right either. 'Floating our Boat' was all good until they pleaded poverty and also pushed the eco agenda a bit to far. Whilst pretending they could not afford things they were secretly having a brand new boat built. Anyone who allows his partner to dictate that he cannot have Marmite because the jar has a plastic lid doesnt deserve to be watched. 'Boating Beyond' was really interesting in the beginning as they portrayed a genuine younger couple new to narrow boats and learning as they went along. They had a crap boat but they loved and made the best of it. Unfortunately they soon went the way of all the rest on a secret money making agenda which seemed to involve pleading poverty whilst buying a nice new boat. It seems that they are somewhat disliked as they now try to hide their whereabouts or movement plans, difficult to do on a well known canal system. Anyway i found it all false so in the bin they went. There are many similar to the above and anyone who continually tries to make me press 'like' and subscribe soon gets dismissed. I am currently following two favourites who I find genuine and very down to earth. There is no money making agenda, no paid advertising and nothing false about them. I like the fact that they show their mistakes and issues as well as everything else, no clever editing involved either. 'Narrowboat Will' and 'Boat Dog Traveller' are for me the most informative of them all. I also watch 'Taylors Aboard' when I need a good laugh but unfortunately they have become another Patreon driven team. Anyone who is so stupid as to take 4 months to just go back and forth trying to get off the Thames is worth a chortle. They need to be careful with the amount of information they disclose - Having been cruising for 5 months throughout lockdown and being proud of only paying 78p for tax free diesel as they burn it for propulsion up the GU etc etc. Each to his own as as i say only my opinion of vloggers but I do agree with the OP, those Boating Beyond folk are something else. I have personally met a number of the above vloggers and they all seem nice people, just that some change when it gets to 'earning' from talking to a camera.

Hence my use of 'same as this' instead of 'like this'

I was going to add that if it was a Peter Nichols Boat then there would likely be a plate in the bow same as this. However already confirmed not to be.

Correct, anyway how did this post become caravan related? The OP is relating the story told to him by someone who may or may not have been duped buying a boat. There are no actual details of the actual 'deal' on the boat when it was sold and it may have all been above board. Whatever is on the Sales Contract is how it is going to be, wherever you go. As the saying goes....."Caveat Emptor" I will happily name and recommend the broker I bought my boat from, they were open, honest and very informative. The boat had a comprehensive inventory, but when I looked closer I found many extra items on board right down to the salt and pepper shakers. When I asked the broker what was included they told me the boat will be sold "as is" and everything is in the price. After some negotiating down towards a more acceptable price, the deal was done. I got the boat a week later with absolutely everything still on board and they even gave me the extra electric hook up cable because they were not sure exactly who it belonged to. When I dipped the fuel tank prior to leaving I found a bonus 150 litres of diesel already on board. New and Used at Mercia, excellent honest service and great people to do business with.

Go get a Scabbler head and discs for your orbital sander. It will make light work of the anti slip grit and give you a really good surface to prime and paint.

Currently on the K&A heading west and in need of a forward plan. Potential ideas of travelling to Bristol then onward via the Severn to Sharpness/Gloucester Could somebody help me with the requirements for navigation from Bristol to Sharpness, my boat has done it before but I have not. I understand that there are advisories in respect of taking pilots etc, but I am interested in what the actual rules are and any other information available. I have a lot of experience in Bristol Channel navigation on larger vessels, but basically doing the pilotage from sea up to Avonmouth Docks. All advice and first hand experiences appreciated.

Agreed. I have 4 x Numax XV31MF type 110 AH domestics and one more Bow thruster battery, almost 7 years old. Charged in the normal manner, either from engine or inverter/charger or solar. Zero maintenance and still going strong. I would recommend them and if and when replacements are needed, I will likely get exactly the same again.

As far as I am concerned they only made the mistake of sending one battery instead of the pair on one occasion and the problem was rectified immediately. I have used them several times since and they have not let me down. Until now I was not aware that they may have sent incomplete orders to others and it does not affect me anyway. Prices are excellent, I have found communication to be good and delivery is very prompt, therefore I consider that to be good service.

Strange, they did it to me too. Ordered a pair of 90 AH Leisure batteries for the unbeatable price of £75 total delivered. Received only one battery, contacted them and the second battery was dispatched almost immediately. I have used them since as the prices are good as is the service.

Only with the registered copy of iTunes software installed on the laptop, whereas an android phone does not need any special software for a computer to read it fully.

I would look at touch up repairs using SML Ballistic Epoxy Primer as a first coat then whatever decent 2 pack topcoat takes your fancy. SMLstate that their Ballistic Epoxy will go on and adhere well to old hardened residual bitumen so long as all the loose stuff is removed.

So there you are sat in the marina with a nice shiny boat, happy because you have temporarily covered up the bumps and scrapes on the hull with whatever rust conversion application and paint etc. Unless the boat remains in the marina looking nice (as many do) then the bumps and scrapes, especially on the rubbing strakes will likely be back after the first few locks, quickly followed by the rust. If it is indeed a tempoary patch up then use Fertan, Vactan, Phosphoric acid or any other proprietry rust treatment, slap on some paint and get out there.