Idunhoe

Canalnoob, you may well be correct in your assumption that an ex hire boat will come with a safety certificate that complies with the more stringent standards required for hire boats, but, don't forget that such safety certificates need renewing at intervals less that that for private boats.

As a CRT licence holder I believe it would be difficult for me to visit Manchester and stay for more than a couple of days

The spec. Mentions only one leisure battery which is not enough for a live aboard. It also talks about a separate gas bottle container, this is a requirement of the boat safety certificate so I wonder why they have made special mention of it.

In an attempt to address the original question You may keep your boat on its home mooring, be that Marina, boat club, farmers field or end of garden, for as long as you wish. But once away from that mooring you are subject to the same conditions and restrictions as someone without a home mooring, for example limited to only fourteen days in any one place, unless other restrictions apply.

I confess to being very cynical where surveys are concerned as in my humble opinion the questions being asked and the way those questions are worded will determine the outcome of the survey.

Oh the joys of boating

Add to that the Caldon Canal

If you do find yourself stuck at the northern end I would recommend going a mile or so up the Macclesfield Canal for a decent overnight mooring. Like OldGoat says the Kidsgrove end is 'right grotty'

There is a school of thought that says 'If you want a particular supermarket to take a greater interest in what happens to their shopping trollies then next time you recover a trolly from the canal then you should return it to the customer service desk inside the supermarket' It's amazing how the presence of a stinking mud encased trolly inside their store excites both the store management and the environmental health executive.

My nephew has been regularly steering our boat since he was 10, and is very capable and totally reliable in all circumstances

Which just goes to show there are tosses in all walks of life

Very many of us 'private boaters' started out as hirers one way or another. As a complete generalisation I would say that, in my experience, I would much sooner travel with a hirer rather that a private boater who bought his/her boat on a whim and ventures out from their chosen marina just once or twice a year. For me hirers are enthusiastic and willing to learn. Though I will concede that stag/hen parties are best avoided.

Unless the wheelhouse can be lowered in some way then I would say it is a 'no goer' for the canal system

My alarm bell would be this...the broker will be fully aware of the facts highlighted in AndrewIC's post so why have they thought to mention it. Methinks there is more to this than is being told.

I have a 26 ft boat and like all things it's swings and roundabouts. No need for winding hole to turn round (real benefit that one) Can squeeze into a mooring where larger boats will not fit Seriously affected by any sort of wind Quickest way to the bank, though not necessarily the bank you want to moor alongside....let go of the tiller even for a couple of seconds Locks are not a problem particularly if you allow no one to 'help' Generally lower running costs

Like all insurance you will only truly know when you need it, that said and for what it's worth I opted for legal protection when I last renewed my insurance

Just received notification that Harecastle Tunnel is closed again due to mechanical problems with the rescue boat, again. Expected to reopen tomorrow (30 March) when contractors have carried out necessary repairs. Whilst I am normally a fan of CaRT twice in a month does, for me at least, bring into question the competence of the contractors

Certainly was

I seriously think it is time for new presenters, there seems to be more interest in what damage he can do rather than the canal journeys they are attempting to portray. The phrase 'quit while you are ahead' springs to mind.

Association of Continuous Cruisers I believe

Have a non return valve in the discharge pipe from the bilge pump to overboard. Very annoying when the pump stops and a 'tube full' of water cascades back into the bilge.

I would suggest that there are relatively few places where a boat can achieve anything like 4mph. I believe that concentrating on an arbitrary speed of 4mph is not helpful, 3.9 mph acceptable 4.1 mph speeding? There are too many factors that decide if a speed is appropriate or not.

Can't say that I have found that conkers make any difference, or am I supposed to challenge each one to a game and hope that if they loose they will leave hanging their heads in shame