Ewan123

That was satisfying. I wonder (not trying to take anything away from the skill/practice involved), does the way an empty working boat sits so much higher at the bow assist with the tight turn? Relative to a loaded boat and/or a standard modern narrowboat.

(Google translated for those not familiar with the function/French!): "Hello, I just bought the Nidd barge. A little work is needed, nothing serious. I found that it had a soul and now I come across your site and it confirms my thoughts. I will try to share the work with you and my happiness. It will be in Montbéliard, on the Rhône-Rhine Canal."

I doubt it. Maybe CRT should consider it though - "Volunteer for X days per month and gain Preferential Moorer Status for the given month". Might save CRT some money. (Apologies for the subsequent argument I've probably started).

The ship canal's actually not bad in terms of wildlife - I saw six kingfishers on a recent transit, along with quite a few gadwall and shelduck amongst various other birds breeding there (which all go to suggest a not-unhealthy population of fish, plants and bugs). The canal also runs right along the edge of/discharges into the Mersey Estuary which is designated as being of international importance for conservation (Special Protection Area and Ramsar site), particularly for waterbirds. It's likely that a number of the associated birds also use the ship canal (e.g. shelduck) and so it would be classed as Functionally Linked, so negative impacts on the canal might be considered to be affecting the designated sites. They probably ought to be undertaking a Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA) if they haven't already, and I do wonder whether that would be able to conclude no impact. All that to say, pumping sh**e into a waterway is bad for the wildlife and should drop the perpetrator into hot water, legally speaking. But then they've been allowed to do it all over, so who knows.

The ones I've seen looked fairly aged, so at least those ones aren't getting nicked.

I notice TAW is (still/again?) for sale at a lower price... is it fair to assume it needs some work doing? The advert doesn't suggest it would, rather that they've already spent a good few pennies on overplating and unspecified other work. https://www.apolloduck.co.uk/boat/narrow-boats-traditional-for-sale/769731

Probably because it's closed at one end and expensive to access at the other 😄

Major damage in way of propeller and rudder assembly - Evdemon & Partners This article also includes some more photos out of the water. Essentially it grounded while going astern.

I've not looked through the whole thread so apologies if it was already suggested. There's a group on facebook, "Benefits for Boaters" I think it's called, with people that have been through it all and can give you some genuine, non-judgemental advice.

We cruised from Wheelock to Chester last weekend (over two days) after replacing a broken throttle cable the evening before (added satisfaction to the subsequent cruise). Lovely weather, had some nice chats with walkers who helped out at a couple of locks, and generally just spent two full days not thinking about the world beyond the cut - just my wife and I cruising along. Bliss. Now we're moored at the Cheshire Cat in Christleton and have been watching the boats coming in for the rally at Ellesmere Port. One pin started to get pulled out 😮 so I just added a spring line. No drama.

We made quite a good ketchup with hawthorn berries.

One way to differentiate between blackthorn and hawthorn at this time of year is the order of flowering/leaf growth - blackthorn flowers first and then puts out leaves, hawthorn does leaves first and then gains flowers. My brain remembers this as a sort of association between black/white contrast (no green) = blackthorn.

Keep an eye out at the Hurleston Locks for an Official Stick, the designated purpose of which is to hold the gate open (propped against the balance beam) which would otherwise swing itself shut as you walk back to the boat. I think it was present for at least one gate on the righthand side as you go up the flight.

"Using the waterway to mitigate flood risk, provide flood resilience as well as move water from the wetter areas of the country to the drier east are its significant strategic benefits." I wonder, are they hoping to make it an extension to the Grand Union water transfer scheme? I suppose they must be.

Make sure to look around you and enjoy the journey through the docks, I found it really interesting - I don't think there is anything quite like it anywhere else on the canal network.

Taking the canoe out last night for an impromptu starlit paddle, peaceful all around (and stopping partway to stock up on bourbons and banana milkshake from the Co-op).

Slowly exploring and finding new places: two weeks in one town, two weeks in the next village... time to get to know a place before moving on to somewhere new. Oh and the arrival of Spring. The seasonal changes are so much more apparent when we're so much closer to the elements - getting through what can feel like a hard winter and seeing the Spring flowers emerge, days get lighter, birds Getting Busy outside the hatch etc.; I've not felt it to the same degree on land.

You've probably realised by now, but so long as you filter through the thread-drift and bickering that you get here (as well as in most other social media etc.) you'll get some decent advice. Just takes patience and the ability to ignore the irrelevant like everything in life!

That's where Seagull outboards live isn't it? I'm sure my dad had one in our garage all the time I was growing up.

Well I found the path of one batten going through a cupboard, so easy for discreet exploration. I drilled two holes (one directly through the batten, one just off to the side) and poked a thin metal rod to measure the depth to where it came against steel. The difference between the two - bang on 25mm . I'm going to go as far as assuming that the width is also 25mm. I thought about drilling more holes but it matches expectations thus far, so I reckon I'm good. I'll get a rivet nut and decent eye bolt, a couple of lines to anchor the object in case of sudden bumps (if we've not taken it down) and I think I'll be sorted. A success in theory at least then! I'll try and remember to come back and prove (hopefully) the practical success, probably in a month or two. Thanks muchly for the advice and insights! (and not even a single mention of the RCD 🥳) I do like the idea behind this but yeah, I'd need to pull back/cut through a patch of T&G to get access and I'd rather not get a face full of rockwool in the process, for one thing!

I'm not vey familiar with those waterways, but either myself or @Jacko11 is confused. I can't find a Newbridge River (though there is a place called Newbridge on the River Avon on the western edge of Bath). The only 'avon trusts' in those parts are the Kennet & Avon Canal Trust or Bristol Rivers Trust who don't have anything to do with licences or moorings (the River Avon there is part of the Kennet & Avon, managed by the Canal & River Trust (CRT) same as most others). There is an Avon Navigation Trust who do licences, but that's a different Avon entirely (Warwickshire). As Magpie Patrick said, you won't get away with only shuffling between Bath and Keynsham without a mooring on a CRT licence (guidance here: Continuous cruising questions answered | Canal & River Trust). Moorings do exist, but it's a high-demand area - basically for the same reasons that you want to be there. Be prepared to pay and/or wait a long time for one to be available. Also yes, flooding - I've driven past it a couple of times this winter to see the fields either side essentially being part of the same river.

Brilliant, thank you I can see that the tongue and groove is nailed to (presumably wooden battens) at exactly 600mm intervals so I'm even more hopeful now. Next I'll drill a test in a discreet location. 👍

Oo I do hope so. I suppose my next thought is whether that steel I'd drill into is thick enough that a threaded hole with a bolt would support the weight well enough, given that I couldn't get a nut on the other end of the bolt to keep it in there 🤔

Hmm that's true. Only rockwool insulation to get past but still need to get the magnet behind the panels. Probably the more expensive option as well judging by @IanD's examples (thanks). It'll be in place for about a year or so, and our existing vents aren't in the right locations, thanks for the thought though. The advice so far is plenty constructive 👍 it's a personal matter not to disclose it at this stage. I understand that seems odd when you don't know the reason. I don't suppose anyone has seen inside the shell of a Liverpool Boat and might be able to advise what I'll most likely find in the way of useful steel beams? Just before I go pulling back the panelling and insulation to find out.

Another tempting idea...