soffy

Help ! Has anyone had a hip replacement and how did you get on with getting on and off boat. How did you get on with your recovery.......

Help ! just been advised I am to have a hip replacement - has anyone out there had one - and how did you get on - getting on and off the boat - etc....

can anyone let us know if ATF oil fixed problem or helped with the PRM120 gearbox as we have same problem at the moment we are using 10w40 at present.

Looking forward to all the crafting stuff and gin, beer anything for breakfast. Have been making lots of Boatfaeries, dragonflies, bracelets and things fingers crossed weather is sunny and not windy and snowing like the last few days

In Gnosall at moment, and there is a person who takes pictures of the inside of boats through the windows - surely there is an issue here of privacy. No problem with someone taking pics of boat thats part of boating life, but begining to think that photos of boat windows (even if they contain licence and reg plate) unless they are CART, is creepy, not anything to do with pretty pictures. This happened when I had a shower and was wandering about in a bath towel....(not a pretty sight). Then there is the issue of, if our grandson had been on board and photos being taken through our window. I really think these nosy parkers are weirdos and should be reported as privacy and good manners in walking past boats is very important. Landys would not like a bunch of boaters wandering around taking pics of individual houses and pics through their windows - we would soon be in police custody as stalkers or perverts.

No more than has already been said - just a bunch of inconsiderate people with a total lack of respect for other boaters - or just so wet and miserable that they were passed caring.

No Im in a spot on a straight where there is plenty of room for two wide beams to pass with room to spare let alone two narrowboats to pass and as I write this a boat has just gone passed with no attempt at slowing down at all. It is just down to ignorance, lack of respect and rivercraft. Not at all just three idiots who didnt know what they were doing it is very deep in the spot we are moored.

A Big Thank You to the three boats that have sideswiped me when I was quietly minding my own business moored up in the middle of the countryside in nobodys way. You were all going toooooo fast other wise you would not have hit me - there was no wind and where I am moored today this is a big hedge anyway. For the guy in the nice shiny boat who called me "riverscum" when I asked him not to hit my boat and to slow down - perhaps it was because at the moment I am showing an out of date license disc (well ring CART they will advise you I am a paid up member) or was is because my paint work is a little dull and the brass isnt gleaming (well poor man probably only has a share in half a propeller I own my boat and poor dear has had a dreadful timeshare in the rain). He would not have said this had my husband been on board. I just hope we do not meet up again especial if he is stuck on a mud bank or in trouble. I have a long memory.

We recently tried to hire a car from Avis - got a good deal on the phone (on a Thursday) for collecting car the following Tuesday at 9.30 to be collected from Stafford as I had to go to Cannock hospital for a painful procedure so we paid up front. On the Monday afternoon after 4pm we had a call to say they had no car for us and would not have on until maybe lunchtime on Tuesday. (I had to be at the hospital by then). There was no offer of putting themselves out to try to make a vehicle of any sort available to us. As they had therefore broken our contract we asked for a refund which still hasnt appeared in our bank account after 2 weeks. They then said we had to have an experian check so gave all our details (yet again) and lo and behold as we are not on an electoral roll they consider we are criminal and will nick the car. We have made several phone calls to Avis when they promised to look into the refund etc. but so far we have had no one ring us back. Great for such a huge international company - But had we been a foreign tourist we would have had no problem. Shame we didnt keep our Spanish driving licenses going.... Have any of you other liveaboards out there had a similar problem?

Well Said Gryf !!!! Havent we all experienced nasty comments from fishermen - had our boats surrounded at the crack of dawn by fishing tackle - had to wade through mountains of rubbish left by the so called sportsmen and had bait caterpulted at us as we pass by apologising for disturbing their day out tormenting the day lights out of the marine life... come on Gryf should be our Hero and stand on the pedistal in Trafalgar Square for having the courage to speak out what goes thru every boaters minds when you have to pass through the gauntlet of a fishing competition.......

Hi is it just us or are people using boats getting ruder and displaying very bad manners. We have just come off the Oxford Canal and although we have met some lovely people (mostly liveaboards) We have encountered some extremely rude and bad mannered utterly snobby people, who (if you are a liveaboard) consider you nothing but tinkers and gypsies (we have had this said to our face at one lock whilst in a queue!!!!! ) Very nice love - thank you if you had waited a bit longer I would have read your palm for free!!!! HEHEHEHEHe We have met time sharers who looked down their noses and refuse to pass the time of day and refuse to go near a lock with you incase you should scratch their paint work. We met a boat who tried to queue jump at a lock because they wanted to get at some moorings on the otherside for the night and well the list goes on..... Please just because we live on our boat doesnt mean we are gypsies, just because we have lettices and tomatoes growing in pots instead of huge pots full of flowers covering our boat doesnt mean we are hippies. Just because we say hallo and pass the time of the day - the least you could do is smile and humour us and acknowledge our presence (sorry if I have spelt that wrong (not into spelling today)......... Boating is a wonderful way to live and a wonderful passtime so let good manners and politeness and consideration for the beauty around us . Sorry everyone just had to get this off my chest.....Back on the GU now and straight away met nicer people...... Is it US !!!!!!

I design cross-stitch charts which can then be fixed into frames and placed in port-holes......my website isnt done yet but send me an e-mail as I do commissions too......

Try thick seamens socks or newspaper.....failing that get your partner to lay down at your feet and use them as a footwarmer

Hi Chris PinkThe way I feel is that if you can get away with living on a residential mooring or a non residential mooring good luck.I feel we should be totally exempt and although we do pay and our local council is quite hot on getting people to register, we are locked in and I dont give any info about our marina, its down to BW and my colleagues to find out. But Legislation wise, on a non residential mooring you are allowed to stay for 5 nights at a time - but whos counting. If a boat on a residential mooring moves off for a cruise for a couple of months legislation considers this the same as someone in a house going away on holiday therefore they will be coming back at some time and so the time they are away is on full charge. Just another way for the government to get our hard earned money. Thats it really.Hope it helps. Hi DennisWhat do you do for a living then..... its amazing what jobs people have living on boats.Im not big brother - or a spy - but youre right we dont knnow who is out there.I also design faeries and mermaids so how does that equate.....hehehe

Just to clarify this, I wrote and article in one of the boating magazines about this several years ago and I work for my local council recovering unpaid council tax. Sorry to say that if you are on a residentital mooring - BW or your lease (probably in very small lettering but it is there) will state that you need to contact your local council to register for Council Tax. Most residential boaters do register with the local authorities and pay - it is the minimum charge "A" band.It is all very clearly legislated and I wont quote you and be boring. I have signed a disclaimer with my local authority as it would be a conflict of interest to pass information to my office as I live on a marina and would cause problems - who loves a tax collector. Lots of people do get around it someway or other, and it does seem unfair when we are a self sufficient bunch and probably live along unlit lanes, dont use local librarys or schools etc. (although some do therefore it should be paid for)But there we are - please no replys to me personally, I just do a job like everyone else. sorry if Ive said things you dont like but hey! at sometime we are all going cruising are we.....and thing if you lived in a house you would be paying megabucks to live a horrid street - with neighbours you dont know or are stuck with....We have a wonderlife and lets just feel sorry for the others who do live in house and cant move about like us.... whoops me againsorry about my spelling.....

Help..... Ive got all confused about how to get connected to the internet without a landline in tow. I am about if get my website going....Ive been saying this for years but the techno stuff keeps changing and as I am about to retire I want to get going with it all. Im hoping to run a small business. I have a imac something or the other and am about to get an iphone....but in the shops, as soon as I say I live on a boat - I get the usual response...Oh ere Mrs....and.... do boats run on electric - etc. If any of you techno boaties out there can help or push me in the right direction I would be most grateful. I can then earn millions of pounds and keep the old man booze and comfort for the rest of his life.......

Hi MP Go for a vintage engine every time they are like a heart beat the slow revs get you out of most tricky situations and cos most vintage engines (that I know anyway) have fairly big props and chop up weeds a treat.

What an interesting topic - we are looking at all forms of "free" energy and I am very keen on solar panels - the other-half is a bit scepticle but I am getting him around to my way of thinking. I have also experimented with bottles of water on the roof on sunny days and even on a chilly day the water gets warm in the summer it has almost got to boiling point. useful for washing up or bathing the dog or a quick wash or laundering the smalls.....

have there ever been any pirates on the canals....if Tescos and shipping wine from liverpool to manchester then ......... Oh whoops my imagination has gone overboard

Oh No not something else going up - we just want to reitre and sail (well phut phut into the sunset and cruise for ever) I really dont want to have to crawl into work every day...I want to stay on my lovely boat... But I guess in the end will be worth the price. Come on now guys we do have a lively way of life and a bit extra here and there is worth it in the long run......think of you favourite little mooring spot -

weve just had new post installed on our marina and the leccy cards dont last as long... the old posts were a bit iffy. but the charge has definately gone up to us and thats is before November so some of you are lucky.... I guess we wil be reving the engines & getting solar panels and wind turbines......

wot !!! Oh dont you just jump in the river/canal with your bar of soap ....it keeps the fishermen amused for hours....

No But Ive seen Terry's knees on odd occassions over the last 20 years heeheh