zenataomm

The word "vintage" is even more meaningless than confusing Historic with Historical. It merely means belonging to a particular time/year/epoch. Hence every single thing is vintage, and only makes sense so long as a clue is given to when it is aligned. "Claret, vintage 1980" Or "Narrow Boat (not narrowboat) with Mitsubishi vintage engine, installed when boat was built 2006" It's all meaningless twaddle anyway.

Now, there lies yer' problem .... "Historical is used as the general term for describing history, such as 'the historical record,' while historic is now usually reserved for important and famous moments in history, such as 'a historic battle." ~ Webster Dictionary So my 1969 ex Stone Hire Boat is historical, yet in order to describe it as historic I'd need to align it to an event in that year. To the best of my knowledge there is no proof it witnessed Concorde's test flight, nor did it attend Woodstock.

It seems to me people are trying to re-invent the wheel here. We already have perfectly good terminology to describe all the boats being discussed without attempting to cross fertilise them or blur the lines (perhaps for the sake of boosting their appeal at point of sale) Long distance narrow boats carried cargoes (not people) and they required a Commercial Licence (triangular in shape). They were registered as domiciles with the relevant Health Authorities, with all that entails. Boats let out for Holiday Hire and Day Hire require to meet all of the criteria as outlined by Waterways, apart from needing more stringent safety certificates they require a Hire Boat Licence. Which is not a Commercial Licence, but more in aligned to a business or traders' licence. The requirements include such pertinent clauses as a relevant mooring, car parking for hirers and ability to attend breakdowns within a timely manner. They are two totally different animals. A Long Distance narrow boat could be used as a holiday or day hire boat. However anyone planning to chuck 22 tons of Household into a Hancock & Lane should advertise it widely. I for one would pay good money to observe that. You can't make lemonade by squashing tomatoes even though they both grow off branches. I've got to shoot now as I'm due down town in ten minutes, luckily my Grand Prix similar Transit is just outside. I raced it once around a car park. Back in the early 80s I had a pair of Woolwich and went through the rigmarole of commercial licenses. I now own a 1969 Stone Boat Building ex hire craft. It might be getting close to historical but it's not ex-commercial.

.... or just trees? Could be ideal for The Caldon, with those wheels.

Seems there is ...

Personally I would plug the hole by by building up layers of exhaust paste/putty, such as: - exhaust putty - Google Search Properly applied it will stand the heat and because car exhausts have to be leak proof to pass MOTs if used as per instructions I'd say worth a try. Thoroughly clean around the 'ole. Dampen the metal edges. Apply a good wodge, tucking it inside the cavity. Build it up to a good thickness, keeping it smooth externally with a wet brush or finger. When cured paint with BBQ paint. Keep an eye on it during first Winter. My old Dad used "Gun Gum" for the most amazing repairs (assuming the EU haven't put the kibosh on the ingredients.)

Instead of a tyre try a bucket

Perhaps if they let you do a one way trip. Pick up in Brum drop it off at Paddington.

To help

I remember Arthur Bray saying, as he departed Raymond for the last time with his rucksack over one shoulder. " I always reckoned the day my Nokia couldn't connect from Blisworth Tunnel would be the day I left ... too dangerous you know." Some say mobile reception was behind the downfall of the FMC Steamer Fleet, I of course couldn't possibly comment.

Personally, I'd do it. However you probably wouldn't want to do half the things I do. For those interested in this thread but with no particular input, this link may assist. popcorn wholesale - Google Search

I do hope they're Safety Sandals.

Amanda is very talented. Was it The Romans that ate them?

Two years because of Covid ... but today I relicensed!

So, am I the only one thinking ... "I don't want to tie up where I'm told to, I stop in the middle of nowhere when I want." However as I have no TV on board I can imagine the entertainment from about 4pm when everyone starts turning up to grab a bollard. There's always one N08 H3AD that'll want to take charge and start ordering everyone around by boat length so we can get another one near a bollard. Then in the morning there'll be a race to get off to make sure we get to the next charge point in time. No, not for me.

My endearing memories of seeing camping boats in action mainly involve watching six blissful boy sprouts with their legs dangling over the front end as they watched a lock wall approaching. They obviously never introduced a badge for anticipating crushed limbs. I once observed a fascinating exercise reminiscent of an Eric Sykes film. A brood of youngsters heroically leapt the gap to the towpath, each brandishing a windlass. Falling over each other they ran up to the first Hillmorton Lock which was open and ready for them. Attacking the lock with gusto they slammed the gates closed in the face of their steerer and raised the paddles. Their mate swinging around on the tiller couldn't make himself heard above the noise of his hard reversing engine and could only watch on in dismay as his marauding charges turned their attention to the upper paddles while all leaning on the beam determined to force the gate backwards against the stop. Quickly giving that up as a bad job they galloped off like a herd of wildebeest to right any wrongs that may await them around the corner, the towpath behind them littered with lock keys.

In life, if any outcome can happen, eventually it will. The fact you ask the question indicates you recognise the danger and that the dog not necessarily will. Your question "I know there is not a lot of space out back but is there enough room for a dog to mooch around? " is indicative of your priorities. Others may be asking things like: - If my dog falls off the back, will the steerer of the boat following always see it and avoid chopping it up? Will I always see it and have time to throw the prop into neutral to avoid chopping it up? I'm not going to labour the point, simply, please don't.

Has it been like that from new? If so why didn't you involve the builder? If it's started happening since you've owned it, what's happened in between? Have you ... Struck any under water obstacles? Cilled it, or hung it up? Badly docked it? Clouted the back end against a coping? Run aground, requiring some effort to get free?

The mid 60s were grim, there was no guessing where you'd spend the night , get near the bank or even find a through passage. Sticking to a main line like The G.U. was more predictable than exploring a tributary like The S.U. Trying your luck on streams like The Caldon was foolhardy. Yards like Double Pennant advised against such horrors and wanted everyone to buy Microplus or Loftus Bennet with Perkins outboards. The 70s saw more boats about and hire boats too. The mere act of shoving steel hulls and large cruisers around like Maid Line had started to make less used canals deeper and more navigable. But most of the system was still unmaintained and a lot of us were carrying old tins of used engine oil to pour over paddle gear as we travelled. The 80s weren't too bad, lots of traffic with oodles of hire boats. I was running around with a pair of Small Woolwich and most people were capable of flushing water through to low pounds. Hire boats were doing so well that sponsoring a hire boat became the thing to do. Many locksides still sported kebs and no one would have dreamt of calling out Waterways, you just kebbed the bricks out from behind the lock gate and went your merry way. I carried a Tirfor winch and only shouted for Waterways once when my motor got hopelessly stuck in Rodbaston, and the Tirfor wasn't enough, nor was flushing out. I generally think the infrastructure is better now. The attitude has changed though. I don't believe today's boaters are navigators, they want to be customers and expect it all to be maintained in order to make it easy as possible for them.

Where?

Left over from some other job or project it would have been cheaper to plonk it somewhere totally inappropriate like Bishop Street than keep it in storage until required. Just be grateful they didn't have a spare Boat Lift or Aqueduct lying about doing nothing.

They didn't have a photo of the flight on The Ashby.

In Wilne Lane it closed after a fire in 2008. However the first time I dined there in 1974 it was located on London road next to the filled in basin just before the bridge.