AlanH

The club has however contacted BW who have "No problem" with it. I'll stay out of this now - as a club member only and not an officer I don't have the authority to continue.

It is difficult to arrange a rally without inconveniencing others. The club is aware of the problems but it has permission from BW and IWPS to organise the event and is trying to minimise the effect that it has on non members.

To be fair the club was asked to moor there by the IWPS. In fact they were asked to moor three across so that the rest of the basin would be free for non club members. The man with the stick is a a pain in the *rse however ( I like the "little"!) in that he has no idea how to deal politely with others. If you had moored there then you may well have found yourself trapped in by all the other boats when they arrive tomorrow or Saturday. He should have explained this. You will find the members of the club very friendly and helpful and you will probably be invited to the entertainment.

2 strokes are notorious for sooting up plugs when kept on tickover for longish periods. You would be far better off with a 4 stroke Honda or Yamaha. Both are reliable and will tick over all day. The Yamaha is quieter than the Honda.

And good luck to you. I'm sure that your family and friends will find it interesting. I read my childrens' blogs every day. They read mine. I, like you, have no desire to promote my blog here.

A springer waterbug around our way has set up a cafe. The only problem is that they moored for a while next to the canalside cafe at Bollington. They then moved to next to the Trading Post at Higher Poynton which sells tea/coffee/ice cream etc. It would seem that they are determined to try to break local businesses. We won't use them.

Exactly the motive that commercial advertisers would claim. You want more people to be aware of your blog therefore you are interested in self publicity. I've had a look and fail to see why I should be interested in the fact that you took the dog for walk. Shan't look again.

You definitely have an undersized tank and a system which uses a vast amount of water to flush. Our dump through will last for a month with just the two of us. As we are not liveaboards I reckon we empty it about five times a year. As Dave says self pumpouts seem to be resposible for a lot of the mess created at Elsan emptying points.

BW pumpout cards are £10. I suppose that is to cover the use of electricity and the cost of providing and maintaining the equipment. For me, the main advantage of the pumpout system is that you don't have to have anything to do with the stuff. I can just about take inserting the nozzle and switching it on but I wouldn't want to have to handle and store filthy pumps and pipes. I might as well have a cassette and visit those disgusting emptying points.

The same applies to advertisements if they are restricted to links. I don't have a problem with people advertising their blogs - I can ignore them just as I could ignore advertisements. I do however question the blogger's motives for posting links here. They are seeking higher visitor figures in the hope that they will become famous. My eldest son makes part of his living from advertising, and reviewing devices/films etc. on his blog. If I were to post a link to it here would I be advertising?

If the blog is simply for keeping family and friends informed then why advertise it here? Surely the motive for doing so is at best self aggrandisement. Friends and family will be aware of the address. The number of people repying to this thread who know exactly how many people have visited their blogs prove that they are interested in self publicity. Personally I don't read blogs unless they are written by my family. I have visited blogs advertised here but I'd have to agree with Sebrof in that, to me, they are all boring. I don't see how you can criticise those who advertise products on this board but support those who advertise their writings. Perhaps those who want to adveertise their blogs should have a separate section.

On our boat there is no such thing as prop walk. In reverse on a still day sometimes the bow swings right, other times it swings left. The Coanda effect. Basis of fluidics logic.

I'm a bit confused here. Are we talking about MPG or hours/litre? I can see that in mpg terms consumption will be lower at lower revs. However if I were to run at tickover for an hour I would use less fuel than if I ran at 1500 rpm but I wouldn't get as far and would need to travel for longer in order to travel the same distance as I would at 1500 rpm thus using more fuel.

I think youir post is misleading. Preventing you from using tap water to wash a boat is one thing but it does not mean that using canal water is compulsory. Pure BW bashing.

Fine people the Aussies. Hand picked by British judges.

I don't understand. It seems to show exactly that at the moment.

I have indeed considered the benefits and found them insufficient to persuade me to part with lots of money. Our last boat had a cratch cover. It was a bit of a nusiance in that it made getting off and on at the bow very awkward. I'm quite tall and it involved bending down whilst stepping over the gunwhale. You couldn't sit out in the open in the well deck - something I enjoy whilst cruising. I have enough storage without turning the well deck into a shed. If I lived aboard I might need one. Pram hoods are also, in my opinion only, a waste of money. I would only be able to use one whilst moored and I don't feel the need for an extra room. If the weather is good then I'd rather sit outside on the cruiser stern or on the bank. If it is wet then I'm happy inside. If I could use one when cruising in wet weather I might change my opinion.

Might.

I can completely see the point of having one on a small cruiser - you need the covered space but for my 42' narrow boat I can sit outside when the weather is fine and have plenty of room inside when it is wet.

You implied it with your comment about mooring amongst six hire bases.

The Oxford is no more shallow or narrow than the Macc and I repeat - nothing like that has ever happened to us. Never had a pin pulled out. Never had anything fall off the shelves/cooker etc. So my experience is different to yours and Deleted Accounts. Should I boat with regard to your experience or mine?

No one is calling you a liar. They are just saying that your experience seems to differ from theirs. Nothing like that has happened to us ever.