Stroudwater1

This ^^ - many boaters will have jump leads and are often more than happy to help out in the sort of situation you were in. do get some decent ones and you never know you could help the next boater in trouble. Is your boat brand new or just new to you? I would try being firm but polite and maybe chat with the RCR and see if they can contact the boat maker with their findings. It does sound odd to have an alternator pack in so rapidly?

Today, Busy Spring Canal festival at Stonehouse, Stroudwater navigation The new railway bridge, Ocean Jubilee Bridge

There are very often volunteers there and the gates may well be open for you as you head downstream towards the lock. If not opened but people are around by the bottom gates there could be boats on their way down so you can hover and wait.

The one at Tesco Stalybridge does need a coin but it still doesn’t stop an significant supply being immersed. The path actually slopes strategically towards the canal 😟

Possibly, most folk seem to go down the S Stratford though I believe to get to the GU? As we know It’s all open bar the bit from Aston junction to Camp Hill which isn’t a popular run I had thought? Some use Garrison/Ashted as an alternative to Aston so that’s out for now. It seems to be towpath works so perhaps work can be suspended for the BCN challenge I wonder?

Yes its for the Ashsted Locks/ Digbeth branch , which wont affect this journey and will make Garrison locks even quieter.

Neat but does the locker catch come as an optional extra? I agree re Bromptons, uncomfortable expensive trendy things, a larger tyre diameter is better, these do come with fold up canvas bags fairly often so worthwhile asking the hire company, and definitely sell on afterwards if you can. TBH I wouldnt bother having one on a short hire but a long one they may come in useful.

We moored at the North end of the 1970sish Trentham estate shielded by hedging on a long straight last year having gone through the main part of Stoke heading South. It was very quiet, we didn’t see anyone. I think that is where Ditchcrawler has moored? Nothing appealed before that really, it was either rammed looking a bit dodgy and /or goose filled. Mind it was 7pm. we walked round the estate too and saw no one either, perhaps they were all watching TV or in bed? It’s a bit of a walk but Trentham Gardens is worth a visit from round there.

Canal Cruising of Stone I believe do long hires too. It would make an excellent long ring all the way along the T&Mersey canal. https://www.canalcruising.co.uk/. It’s one or two train changes from Manchester airport by rail which could be a bonus. I’m not sure about reverse layouts though, that seems less common for hire boats I believe Rose definitely do long hires, there’s a thread somewhere here from a couple that had a long hire last year though IIRC it was out of season. They aren’t too far from a rail station either. Union canal carriers from Braunston could well do this too, though a bit further South perhaps for you? https://unioncanalcarriers.co.uk/

Agree Star City is a bit soulless but it’s a decent place to moor, and Curdwoth to Catherine de Barnes may not fit in with the times you arrive at Curdworth. There is plenty of fast food outlets there plus cinema etc. it’s like many out of town parks but without the shops. There is a Costco though nearby too 🤣. There’s probably Curry etc take aways or deliveroo stuff not far away either We didn’t need the weedhatch all the way round, big prop perhaps helps. Garrison and Camp Hill are very quiet, typical urban locks though pretty easy. A fisherman complained how busy it was to us in early September - he agreed we were the third boat through Camp Hill at 5.30 PM 🤣

The queues for the Middlewich locks can be pretty bad. Aim for an early start or late traverse that day and you may avoid them. Unless you spend every day in a pub a detour to Anderton and the boat lift could be worthwhile if there’s time.

That’s right, built by Crestelle/ Tony Francis, not in quite his usual style though. https://newandusedboat.co.uk/used-boats-for -sale/1200

Im doubtful they did the whole journey to Leicester as the programme suggested , Foxton was a real miss wasn’t it given the former steam powered incline and I’m not sure there’s any footage after Crick tunnel though plenty before. They wouldn’t have slept on Adamant as I don’t believe it would accommodate them all comfortably? Lovely to see her sailing though. It seems a decent series overall bringing steam power more to the fore as it disserves.

Ah thats what it is for, we were worried it would flush something or other if we pulled on it, watery or semi watery we presumed.

There were two disadvantages to this we found last year, swimming out with the notes to pay made them rather soggy. Worse was that goat chains didn’t work so we nearly gave up. How can you moor without chains. Someone lent us things we hadn’t come across before now called pins but these pins made a bit of a mess of the bricks in the tunnel I found . Why isn’t the tunnel all sandstone , give me a one of those sandy tunnels any day. Nearly put in a complaint to CRT. It’s horrible to crash into bricks when crashes can be cushioned with softer stone. The sandstone replacement scheme can’t come fast enough. Those Crick people need to put in better moorings in the tunnel this year especially with a passing place channelled out for us widebeamers.

Do folk use the anti slip craftmaster range or add sand? The previous owner left some anti slip in Raddle red. It goes on well and is nicely sandy/ non slip. A litre appears to be just over £30. However is that expensive sand or well worth it for convenience? we had quite a performance getting more as the local Chandlers you may find in the centre of the country denied it’s existance . Finally ordered after we showed them the old tin https://shop.craftmasterpaints.co.uk/collections/other-paints-varnish/products/anti-slip-deck-paint

is there a problem with red? Raddle red seems to last OK and is fairly often seen. You can get sand I presume specifically suitable for adding to paint at chandlers I’ve seen some at Midland recently. I imagine that can be address to most appropriate (paint…) top coats?

I suspect not. Designing a boat that handles well makes for quite a bit more work on the hull and thus cost. Many competitors are banging out many boxy boats at (relatively) low cost and swim design/ handling well will generally be very low down on priorities for a person buying a new boat Im no expert but I wonder how well a square sterned narrowboat handles compared to a more traditional rounded one.

Yesterday A road bridge? Around Stretton Stop, nice late Spring evening

Two years is possibly an underestimate. Met a professional boat fitter (not narrowboat tbf) who took three years 6 months. He had bought the shell aged 60 at retirement. By the time he was now 70 and with aged limbs he had effectively lost 33% of his available boating. Sadly his children weren’t interested in helping out so it was heading for brokerage where it seems owner fit outs sell for a little less money. It all sounds great but the realities are often not so. Sorry to sound a bit down on the idea.

Like this one Then there are some boats with curved sterns who wished it to be more square? Some SM Hudsons and many RW Davis have their names stamped on the base of the tiller. Warning hard to read and best not to climb onto the stern to have a look even if it seems no one is in

There’s lots of these divisive square sterns around, and not too many Bickerstffs or Aqualines so who made/make those? Could it be Liverpool boats? ABC boats often have these all window style front end each side of glazed doors which is nice when in the galley or stopped. Probably one of the commonest boat manufacturers apart from Liverpool is Colecraft is there any particular features they have? Some look very pleasant and they’ve been manufacturing for many years. The optional extras are a good point. Braidbar boats vary a lot apart from the Lord Vernon wharf and or Braidbar on the side. I looked at an Orion tug with square “rivets” on the fold down roof which I believe was a one off. The Davis Northwhich trader design varies too, with well deck instead of tug deck, and I’m sure I’ve seen an SM Hudson without a josher bow. Ultimately it’s a good conversation piece at locks with care or evenings, it’s hopeless to ask when passing as usually the helmsperson thinks it’s another question or worse a criticism 🤣

You’ve been out cruising for too long 🤣🤣 Tucked behind Raymond

Orion boats tend to have low bow profiles, which make fitting a 13 kg gas bottle less easy without adaptations. The rudder hole can give away a maker, Garry Gorton boats have a heart, heron boats a heron. Useless to identify a travelling boat usually 🤣 Boats with “registered at Tamworth” tend I believe to be only a few manufacturers often Hudsons I get confused with “faux rivets” as don’t some hull manufacturers then get finished by other manufacturers which make it more difficult to understand. What boat manufacturers actually use “rivets”? I have seen Hudsons and Orion’s with them but there are a few others I know. These are optional I believe anyway so no rivet’s definitely doesn’t mean not a Hudson, nor does a non josher bow mean not a Hudson.

Kildare sure needs some paintwork at the fore. It’s hard to understand how it could have lost the paint in the way it has?