jupiter1124

I just tried the sheet bend and the carrick bend. Both feel strong, sheet is a little easier I'd say, carrick was a bit of a b*****d to untie but much prettier, I think I'll go for the sheet. I am still not completely sure where I would use a bowline, but I tried it and it does "feel" useful. You're right about needing to use them regularly, that's the reason I only know four. I have tried out many others but it's about getting yourself into a situation where you need a knot, knowing which one you want to reach for, and then being able to execute regularly.

I think as with many things, knots are easy once you know how. I don't feel the need to learn two bends that are basically for the same purpose, so I'd rather just learn the better one?

So two votes for Carrick bend, two for sheet bend? I have been told that I should use a clove hitch (I think) to attach a rope to my mooring pins (which do not have loops) so that if they pull out, they will remain attached to the rope. At the moment I just take the rope around two turns then back to the boat. Thanks for a couple of boating-related uses for the bowline. I'm usually single handing, and if not i normally just throw the rope up, not sure it is the right knot for me. Any other uses that don't involve climbing things? I'm a ground ape, not a tree monkey Related, I need to replace all my ropes as they have broken and frayed a bit and are getting too short. I need two centrelines of about 12m each, a bow and a stern line of about 5m (?). Plus 3 or 4 lines each side, of about 2m each, for fenders (these could be thinner) So that's possibly as much as 50m of rope needed - perhaps I should buy a reel? If I get a really long reel I could have a go at making my own fenders maybe.

I have done a back splice to finish off an old rope, but I just followed the instructions in my book. I agree much prettier than a bend, but is it really necessary to know it by heart? If I needed to join a rope quickly I think a sheet bend is adequate, I can always do a splice later when I can sit down with my book and a beer. But it sounds like that was only a temporary fix anyway? Not situations I find myself in, so I think I'll pass on that one An eighty-eight maybe? Also not situations I find myself in, and my boat doesn't have fairleads or cleats - so probably not one i need to learn.

The sheet bend looks just as easy to tie as a reef knot, so I may as well switch it out for that one if it's more secure, thanks. For a temporary fix, why not use a sheet bend rather than a splice? What do you use it for?

I only know four knots by heart, which is fewer than the number of years I've been boating. I have a book of knots but there are too many to learn by heart, and I don't have experience of the right situations to call for them. So I have these four go-tos: * canalmans hitch for temporary moorings to bollards, especially in locks as it can be loosened under load. * round turn and two half hitches for mooring up (back to the hard points on my boat) and tying other semi-permanent knots, like affixing my anchor. it's a bit harder for scrotes to undo and you can add as many half hitches as you have rope. * for temporary mooring with the centre line back to the boat, a quick release hitch that I don't know the name of - tied by passing a loop of rope around a pole 3 times, then making another loop in the dangling end of the rope which you pass through the third loop. Can be untied by just pulling on the dangling rope. You can even pass the loop through a mooring ring, meaning the whole thing can be untied with one pull. * Reef knot I use as a bend, e.g. if I need to pass up my too-short centrelines to a lockie. I probably should learn a stronger yet easy to untie bend. I'm sure you'll agree, this is a sad state of affairs, and I should be ashamed to call myself a boater. If I was to learn just one or two more knots, what would you suggest?

Thanks for the local knowledge, really helpful. It would be my first home and I have no idea how to judge whether the price is reasonable etc, especially since the river frontage makes it quite incomparable with other houses for sale in March. I am worried about buying right now given the turbulence in the economy, apparently some banks are pulling mortgage products. and I think March might just be a bit far from civilisation for it to be a safe bet. There are a few other things that worry me, buying in the fenlands might be a risk for flooding in the future, it is very close to an A road so might be noisy, and it is an old house, with a weird layout, very low ceilings and probably terrible energy efficiency (band F) which is a bit worrying given the energy crisis. Altogether seems far too risky, but somehow I do still like it...

Being far from civilisation is part of the appeal for me, having grown up in rural Norfolk and still with family in the east. I wonder if there is a danger of flooding there as i expect it might be lower than sea level. March itself doesnt look exactly picturesque from Google street view. but perhaps I'm being expecting too much at the 400k price bracket, which is a bit more than I can afford already really...

I like the idea of a permanent short rope with a nappy pin, might steal that one. Without doing this it would be very hard to moor up single handed i feel. Since the centre line is very long, I normally put a loop of line through the eye, then back up to the roof, take loop three times round the handrail and then tuck the end of the rope through it. That way once you have the bow and stern lines secured, you just pull on the end, and the whole arrangement unravels itself. I met a boater who owned a butty, converted to electric power with a pod on the rudder, whose boat lacked centre lines entirely. I have absolutely no clue how I would manage. But he said it was the way the working boats did it. I didnt want to question him so no idea if that is true!

What does the forum think of March, and in particular this house in March? It has a 50'+ mooring and a 375k to 415k guide price. I think the navigation authority on the Old Nene are the MLC, are they amenable to mooring rights and reasonable with their prices? I'm planning to take a train to go and view it, but would appreciate some opinions, especially if you know the area (perhaps @Athy @Scholar Gypsy ) https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/126620840

Why on earth do people do this? I have seen boats that are clearly owned by people who know enough about boats to have a very pretty one, moored with nice 45 degree bow and stern lines, and then inexplicably with a centre line for good measure. Full disclosure, I actually use my centre line for temporary mooring quite a lot, at a lock landing, need a quick cup of tea, or a pee. I take it down to a nappy pin or bollard and then back up to the cabin roof with a quick pull-to-release knot. But then I best believe that the boat is not secure in the slightest, and I wouldn't dream of having a moan at someone passing by at normal cruising speed! Hear, hear! Hence why I am considering a "please don't slow down on my account" sign. My impression is that the slow down brigade is a vocal minority who just by the nature of the request has somehow gotten their way written into boating etiquette. Perhaps the way to combat it is for those who would like to actually see more of the network to speak up more? What it really comes down to is whether your boating is causing an unreasonable amount of nuisance to your fellow boaters. Sometimes if you are on a particularly shallow canal it is fair to crawl past at tickover. But when on a deep stretch of canal or even river, with several miles of moored boats, where passing at 3mph or even faster doesn't cause so much as a wobble, it is a completely unreasonable amount of nuisance to shout at the cruising boat to slow down because you haven't the sense to tie up your boat properly, or because you are under the impression that floating objects oughtn't move, no matter how slightly or harmlessly. Which really is the crux of my bafflement. Why do people care if their boats rock? Is it spilling their tea, waking them from their nap, or causing some kind of damage?

When people have travelled past my moored boat at speed I usually dont notice, occasionally a slight rocking or pulling on the lines, or a creak of the fenders as the boat gently presses into them. I have never been on another moored boat getting passed at speed, so perhaps my boat is unusual, but in most conditions the issue of passing at speed is wildly exaggerated. I think it is mainly just unpleasant people looking for something to grump about. I have noticed that the shouters often have their mooring lines perpendicular to the bank so perhaps the inexperience works both ways? In some canal conditions there is no harm at all in going a bit above tickover, in others a kayak will make your boat rock. The blanket tickover rule is just silly. I have considered getting a version of that popular, obnoxious fitoutpontoon sign with "pass at tick over" in a red circle, saying "pass at whatever speed you like" instead.

I read once that the unbelievable nature of the claim (complete with spelling errors etc) is intentional, designed to have the marks self-select. If you are targeting a million people with this scam, it is best if they filter themselves down to just the 100 most gullible, so that you don't waste time and resources following up and communicating with people who will eventually baulk when it is time for them to wire the scammers the "small transfer fee" for their Nigerian gajillions.

I burn smokeless fuel (excel preferred) in my squirrel, it easily lasts the night. However I am considering switching to wood, because I can't abide the smell if a gust of wind blows some of the fumes in through a vent. But I am worried about getting it to last the night and also storing that kind of quantity of fuel (wood being 40% as energy dense). Another option I think I could try is a 3' chimney, obviously I'll have to switch it for cruising.

I painted Jupiter on the towpath last year. I chose a light grey gloss from Epifanes Bootslak after seeing a boat I liked and calling Braidbar up to ask the code. I just did one solid colour. The thinking was to try to minimise the heat in summer and it is definitely helping with that. But i have come to regret my choice. i think i went too light because streaks of greybrown dirt running down the sides (Jupiter doesn't have rain channels). The paint seems to still be quite soft or a little porous so it is very hard or even impossible to clean perfectly. So I'm now considering putting on another two coats of a different colour. I am not that fussed about what colour the boat is aesthetically. I'm considering trying to colour match the dirt streaks ha. What's the best colour to paint a boat?