MtB

Which leads to something else I notice about boating. There is perhaps no need for Diversity Managers beacause there is (almost) no 'diversity' amongst boaters. Almost all of us are caucasian white! Faintly odd, I find this. I was reminded of this a couple of weeks ago when I saw an asian-looking chap steering a narrowboat on the southern Oxford. First 'ethnic minority' person I've noticed out on the cut for several years.

Yep, totally agree its perfect for the OP except, is it actually a MF stove? (And as Booke23 amusingly points out, probably nothing to do with mothers) Its a TINEEE firebox if you're only burning wood!

Y'know I'd totally forgotten about that! I think the light ale gave the grim bitter on draught in those days a bit of life and flavour. I think this was in the early days of CAMRA, and part of the reason they really started gaining some traction. We used to go to the Haut Boy out in the sticks near Guildford back then for a decent pint of proper ale. Theakstons Old Peculiar if you wanted to live dangerously, IIRC.

Yep I shall make a point of asking that every time I see NORWAY out and about, lol!

Looks like you didn't read the review of mine I wrote on here then!! Summary: Excellent stove for the money but when you've owned Squirrels for 25 years before, you notice all manner of minor features on the squirrel missing from the Boatman. The chimney pipe I bought with the stove from Northern Fabrications lasted 7 years on mine before corroding through. The proper cast iron flue tube on the Squirrel that it replaced was the original fitted in 1994. This was burning Oxbow Red.

Flue pipes tend to corrode from the inside out, right up at ceiling level first. Just an inch or so before passing through the ceiling and into the collar usually. Never quite worked out why. Something to do with meeting the cold from outside makes condensation occur at that point I think. Actually thinking about it some more, the condensate inside a flue is probably mildly acidic and corrosive. Condensate occurs on the inside right at the top where it is coldest when the stove is first lit. It runs down and evaporates where it meets the hotter part of the flue inside the warm boat. As it heats there and evaporates the acid concentration rises, leading to the fastest corrosion at that point.

I'd say if you have all of that lot in your boat you are quite exceptional. Especially the dishwasher and the "washing mashing"! And who in their right mind runs an immersion heater off their batteries!!

Exactly correct. When you apply to attend with your historic, you get a form to fill in which includes a box to describe your boat and its history, which is then given to the commentator!

Might also be to make the cabin properly dark so hirers don't get woken up by the dawn at 4.30am.

Thanks, I knew it would be obvious after someone told me!!

I'm not sure I agree with the standard advice handed out here to hire first. Hiring is EXPENSIVE, and I'm underplaying it. For the cost of 4 or 5 week-long hires on various boats to see what you like, you could burn through the price of buying a second-hand entry-level narrowboat. The forum isn't that good at general questions like does anyone have advice for a beginner. You're far better off starting a series of threads each asking a specific, focussed question e.g. "How much should I spend to get a decent second-hand narrowboat suitable for a beginner?" Or better, go through David Mack's post just above and post answers to each of the questions he poses, then people here will have a better idea of what to advise.

Don't they all say stuff like that? Regardless, stoves in boats generally work just fine with a short flue. Ok I'll be first to ask. WHat does "MF" stand for?!

Buy a boat you like, and use it. Nothing like chucking yourself in at the deep end to learn fast! Ask specific questions on here for endless advice on the details of everything. Read old threads on here.

Its because fatty owners are "having it large" with CRT only charging them an extra 20% over narrowboat licence fees when they have boats 70% larger by deck area!

Can they charge at the same phenomenal rate as LFPs? DO they sulphate if kept at low SoC for long periods like LAs?

True. I check my cabin bilge every year or two which is always bone dry and dusty and one time I was shocked to find 2" deep water. A bit of hunting found the shower tray waste was leaking slightly, and this was a year or twos-worth of shower drain leak water.

Have you been tightening the stern gland greaser every day you cruise?

I wonder if they are planning to go back the way they came....

Cue nine pages of whining about how unfair this is!

These two statements are mutually exclusive!