Dekazer

I am under no illusion that my cork ball would float my keys (too many on the ring), but I once heard that it could aid retrieval with a keb from the bottom of the cut. I've not tested that and hope not to have to. I attach my keys to my trousers with a karabiner instead

That sounds amazing

How very dare you?! Disgustingly rude behaviour. Our current boat was a stock boat at a brokerage, and they had the good grace to respond very politely to my starting offer of £40k for a boat priced at nearly £60k

We did exactly that a couple of years ago. Our local fuel boat was more than happy to swap big for small. Somehow we have ended up with one spare cannister, but ho hum. In our case we were able to swap 2 big bottles for 3 smaller bottles. Because you get an economy of scale with the larger bottles, you pay more for your gas in the smaller cannisters. The advantage, of course, is that the smaller ones are much easier to lift, carry and transport. This might appeal to some boaters, come re-sale time, so I wouldn't sweat it

If you do a few more posts you will be able to receive private messages - I've got some suggestions to share privately I second Alan's suggestion of getting on the London Boaters facebook page - it will give you a good insight into the very specific issues that boaters face down here - it's very different to other areas of the country. Personally, if I were in your position, I wouldn't even consider CCing in London at the moment, but others have, and successfully. Very best of luck with whatever you decide, Lucy

Or Wakeham at Denham lock - I understand he's affordable and people have found the quality good. Still have your cruise though - the canal gets lovelier as you get further from London

We've used John Tough a couple of times, and I like his approach. He'll let you observe and will give you good insights into the boat there and then. How you use his advice to make your decision will be up to you, of course 020 8977 4494, johntough@btinternet.com

You should send a message to Wanted - it's right up his alley and although he may not have space he may well know someone who does..

I'd go for the Midlands. Somewhere around Daventry - there are loads of brokerages around that area, which will enable you to view tens of boats per day. You'll get a good idea of what you like and don't like, and what sort of boats are priced around your budget. Have a quick search on this forum for boat buying tips, including how much below the asking price you can offer When we were boat hunting we camped at Bush Hill Farm campsite near Daventry and that was really convenient. Google will help you find brokerages nearby - iirc we visited Whilton, ABNB and Braunston easily within a day. Rugby boats also within easy reach.

If you have a little more time I highly recommend Christmas Pudding vodka. I make it every year, and often give it as a gift. You can also give someone a DIY kit - a bottle of vodka, a nice Kilner bottle, and all the dry ingredients, wrapped up all nicely Recipe: Xmas pudding vodka Vodka – depending what’s available, adjust quantities to match Sugar – dark muscovado, 1 tablespoon per litre Honey – 1 tablespoon per litre Cinnamon sticks – 2 normal sized sticks Mixed dried fruit – 200g per litre Mixed peel – 100g per litre Nutmeg – ½ a clove, grated Cloves – 6 Preparation Place all ingredients into 1 litre of vodka in a sealed, sterilised container (e.g. Kilner jar, empty bottle etc) - ensure all containers are sterilised by running through a dishwasher cycle or washing thoroughly then warming in a low oven.Shake or turn the containers every couple of days for a couple of weeksStrain the mixture through muslin into a large, clean jug.Decant into nice sterilised bottles in time for Christmas. Store in the freezer for added loveliness.

There are also many many lovely places in Kingston if you can't find a spot at Hampton Court

Good to hear on all counts. Hope things continue to improve for you

He meant that £1,600 per month isn't too bad for a rental in that area and, scarily, he's right.

The reply is there, it's just been included within the quote tags, so is hard to spot.

There are currently 3 advertised at Willow Wren and 1 at Engineers Wharf. From experience (and talking to friends) Engineers Wharf is a nicer place to moor, but is further from Brentford. https://www.crtmoorings.com/auctions/search.php?search_type=basic&keywords=&min_length=&min_width=&county=&waterway=&mooring_use=2&postcode=&distance=&vacancy_type=2&sort_by=0&sort_type=asc&vsearch=Start+search If you like the area I'd recommend Engineers Wharf as a good place for a newbie boater - on shore facilities are good and the neighbours are lovely! There are several people there who are really good with boat tech and would be happy to help you in your first few months. The minimum lease is 6 months, so you can use that time to find another mooring if that's what you'd like, or to learn the ropes (and your boat) sufficiently to go CCing.

Hi Jennifer, You might be interested in this recent thread: http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=70155&hl= Lots of people seem to want to live in London, but are only interested in the system East of Kensal Rise. There are residential moorings to be had on the Paddington Arm as far as Bulls Bridge, and between Brentford and Uxbridge. All pretty well connected by public transport and priced far more sensibly than central London moorings. I posted a few in the link above. Best of luck, it's a lovely way to live. Lucy

All the above comments are my opinion only, but based on nearly 6 years of living aboard in London. Also, you might like to join the London Boaters facebook group to get a picture of what things are like. You might also look into renting a boat from Black Prince in West London and spending some time cruising East or West to get to know the area. Good luck

I have noticed recently increasing numbers of residential moorings in and around Edinburgh - that'd be an ace place to live. I also really like Nottingham - forumite Ange knows that bit of the woods and might be able to suggest likely moorings there. CRT seem to advertise resi moorings in Brum fairly regularly. Why not take a look at the CRT auction site (current and completed) to see where their moorings come up, and then decide whether you like the area?

Lady Muck is right. This will depend on where you want to live. If you're happy to live out West, it will be relatively easy to secure a residential mooring, and not too expensive. (As I mentioned on your other thread, check out Engineers Wharf, Willow Wren Wharf, High Line Yachting, Packet Boat marina, Willowtree marina). You can get your bit of water first then find a boat to float on it. You will also be able to apply for a marine mortgage if needed. If you wish to live within zones 1-4 and east/north, you will struggle to find a mooring, let alone an affordable one. Buying a boat on a mooring has hazards, and you will end up paying a premium for a mooring. I know someone who paid £40k for a boat that was only good for scrap, just to get a mooring - we got one on the same site for free. VC Marine is a local brokerage who sell boats with moorings, so that might be a place to check out: http://www.vcmarine.co.uk/saleresidential.html (They also use Apollo Duck, so you might have already seen these). As an aside, it can be worth checking the Duck for moorings. We found our Thames mooring on there, and the advert had been up for over a month.

Just a note on getting credit when you liveaboard - if you live on a fully residential mooring (i..e recognised as such by the local authority, liable for council tax, on the electoral roll) there's no ostensible difference to living on land. I've successfully applied for and been given substantial credit since living aboard - no different than if I lived in a rented flat. Something to be aware of is that, should you plan to get credit or a mortgage in future, you really need to be on the electoral roll. This is not the same as registering to vote as a No Fixed Abode CCer. There was a thread on this recently: http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=65394 Living on a boat may seem like fun now, but if your circumstances change in future you'll be glad you thought this through beforehand. On car insurance - again, having a residential mooring makes it all easy - we've never struggled to insure our cars or motorbikes since living aboard. The only odd question is about whether we own or rent our home - the true answer is both! We tend to err on the side of honesty and let the insurance agent decide how to answer it There are residential moorings in London - the very central ones cost a lot of money, the ones in the outer zones are much more affordable, although you then need to factor in travel costs. The ones with facilities can be a great place to learn about living aboard whilst retaining a back up of onshore shower, laundry, electric hook up etc. Check out High Line Yachting, Willowtree marina, Engineers Wharf (CRT), Willow Wren Wharf (CRT), Packet Boat marina, Moorhen marina (CRT) for starters, and register for the CRT auction alert emails. The really desirable private online moorings do come up occasionally, but tend to be exchanged on a word of mouth basis - make lots of friends on the cut and you'll hear about them It worked for us and for other boaters we know!

I know a few folk who have either moved their boat out of London or taken moorings lately. People do manage it, but I wouldn't - it sounds pretty grim. We tried to hold on to our narrowboat when we moved onto our new boat, and just shifting it every fortnight became a pain, and we didn't even need to worry about filling up with water or emptying the loo. If you're working long hours and have an active social life, and live alone, I'd say it would be damn hard work, not a massive financial saving, and fairly stressful. As someone said earlier, join the London Boaters facebook group for a real impression of what it's like, and to meet some helpful folk Good luck with whatever you decide!

It looks far better in real life than I thought it might. Nice to meet you (bellow at you across the river) earlier Marcus. If we can help with the clean up at all let us know Lucy

Woweee! Hope the rest of the day goes smoothly for you. I'm going to cycle past on my way home later for a gander (nosey parker that I am), probably about 430-4.45. Don't suppose I'd be able to help at all, but I'll give you a wave

Great stuff John - glad everything went smoothly and hope you thoroughly enjoyed it Sorry I wasn't on the boat to wave as you went past!