Nearer the OP topic.
I saw this on YBW forum (thames) and it is am interesting and amusing viewpoint that I thought worth sharing. ...
a personal view only.
Once apon a time....Everybody knew their station in life, their place in the world order and could afford to live in a in a house.
They also did the decent thing and expired about 3 years after retirement.
Canals were a muddy ditch at the back of the industrial estate and very useful for getting rid of your Astra GTE or your old Formica table.
A recent trip to a bit of the Medway by dinghy under the 6ft airdraft bridge in Tonbridge town revealed loads of NBs.Had no idea that so many existed unseen on the Medway.The Wey TV programme simply confirmed that hundreds of them lurk in the back waters and bywaters of our navigations.
Quietly and unrealised they have proliferated like an alien species until they were everywhere.
All of sudden we have a generation,with the time,the money and the inclination not just to fade away but to do something and what better than a canal boat to enjoy this knew found liberty.
This was fine all the while they stayed in Macclesfield or Industry on Tyne.But they got adventurous and started to move south.
The glistening Thames lay there under used in all its glory,warm climate and lock keepers who actually worked your lock,what better way for those with more aches than ambitions to spend a summer.
After all there is nobody there but a few well heeled gin palace owners who rarely use their boats and seldom venture
out of the marina.
Suddenly the Thames mafia could no longer find somewhere to park 40ft of shiney white plastic out side Hampton Court on a Saturday evening and the grumbling started.
Here endeth the first lesson.
By the way how much does it cost to buy a NB and believe the Cart charges are very reasonable indeed.