monkeyhanger

In 15 years I have never put chemicals in my holding tank. After each pump out I put in a large pot of natural yoghurt -I've heard that the enzymes, or whatever is in there, act on the bacteria and stop it smelling. It seems to work well. I have also used a sprinkle of brewers yeast when I can get it, but yoghurt is much cheaper and easier to get.

Looks like it may be a Hancock and Lane shell

Midland Chandlers have a selection. Jack

I drained the calorifier on my boat today prior to re-siting it. As the water was draining, and the level getting quite low, the water turned a milky colour, with what looked like limescale pieces in it. Has anyone had a similar experience? If it's limescale, I can't see it being a problem, because I've now flushed it out, but there did seem to be an awful lot of it. Every Spring I clean out the system with Milton sterilising fluid and I was wondering if perhaps there was a reaction with the copper of the calorifier. Any suggestions gratefully accepted.

BW operatives put mooring bollards in the wrong place yet AGAIN

If you want to save money, Mick will re-cover your existing fenders. He really is excellent.

I should also have said that he removed the flywheel, machined it (or had it machined elsewhere) and fitted a ring gear. He's worth speaking to

Tony Redshaw fitted en electric start to my JP2 this summer. Very nice job, but not cheap!

Try "General Engineering Supplies", Leytonstone, London E11, or "Wakefields" in Lea Bridge Road,( I think) London E10

I've had a Kabola E5 for over 15 years, which has never let me down. Brilliant!

You could try Ray Bowern at Streethay Wharf, near Lichfield. He's been doing it for over 20 years. 01543 414808

While he was dragging my boat around by a lock yesterday, a friend commented that my boat seemed particularly heavy compared to his. I don't know the actual weight of my boat, but I suspect it's well over 20 tons. Now I'm interested to know the answer. I'm sure this question has been asked many times before, (and answered as well!) but can someone remind me of the formula for calculating boat weight, please? Thanks very much.

On a similar vein, but quite clever, I thought, was the name of a narrowboat which used to moor in the East End of London. It was called "The Dogs". Underneath the name was written its home mooring, which was "Bow Locks"

An interesting name I saw was "The Dogs"? (Home mooring, written underneath, was Bow Locks)

I once shared a lock with a narrowboat called" Tender Seas". The owner was an actor from Eastenders. It made me smile, anyway.

Thanks, everyone, for the info. I've got the barbed wire ready, and I've stopped feeding the Rottweilers. They should be very hungry by the time I get there!

I'm hoping to "weekend" my boat from Braunston to Stratford upon Avon in the next couple of weeks. I work Mon/Tues/Wed, so I've got a" four day" weekend, so to speak. I'd like to spend Fri/Sat/Sun in Bancroft Basin if possible, so my Wife can join me and do some sightseeing together. How long can I leave the boat in Bancroft Basin, assuming ,of course, that there will be room for a 70ft boat? How busy does it get? Are the moorings secure? Can anyone suggest secure moorings nearby, where I can leave the boat for 4 days between the weekends? Finally, any tips on cruising Braunston-Stratford would be much appreciated. Thanks.

I've come in at Limehouse with a 70ft narrowboat with a JP2 engine on several occasions, and tried 3 different methods The direct approach, cutting straight across, with the boat at 45 degrees to the tide,slipping sideways with the tide, is great until you get just to the entrance. As your bows get into the slack water the current swings your stern downstream, and you have to be quick at manoeuvering.With a shorter boat, and more instant horsepower, you could be OK, but I've smacked into the upstream corner of the entrance more than once.The second way, going just past the entrance and coming up against the ebb tide, worked OK but be prepared to be pushed against the downstream wall, and "scrape" around the corner into the lock. The third, and possibly least traumatic, way I've tried is to get across to the north side of the river a quarter of a mile or so before the lock. Once there, go as slowly as possible, (forwards) ensuring you still have steerage way.Keep as close to the shore as you can, so that you are out of the current as much as possible, but make sure you don't run aground! You can get surprisingly close to the shore without touching. As you turn into the lock cut, any following current will help your stern around. It worked for me!

The second half was built in Nazeing, Essex by Jim Pailing. I think thats his first name anyway. There was a small article about him in Waterways World a few(quite a few) years ago

Absolutely correct-hence the (almost) permanent connection. They are registered, I believe, as a 14ft wide boat

The two boats are owned by Gerry, a lovely old guy who lives aboard. Originally he owned one boat,found space a bit tight, and had another identical boat built. He now lives on one and uses the other as a workshop/store. The two hulls are actually bolted together using heavyweight girders, so can be separated for drydocking, but are not too easy to get back together due to ballasting issues. Both boats have engines, but Gerry normally only uses one, and steers from that boat. Gerry is very security conscious and every conceivable opening is well covered. When I first met Gerry, moored on the River Lea, painted in Battleship grey, and with his extendable, double, TV mast erected, the boats looked like a Goverment listening station!

I was very impressed by the work of Mick Betts of Cosgrove. Instead of selling me two new stern fenders (which I would have bought from him anyway) he reckoned he could cover my existing ones. Result- two brand new (looking) stern fenders at a fraction of the new price. And he fitted them properly for me as well! After a year they still look great. Mick lives afloat at Cosgrove and his boat name is "Agnes ( I think) Broomfield." Look him up, I'm sure he'll do an excellent job for you.

You can buy red diesel canalside from New Era Fuels on the lower Lea. Head south from the juction of the Hertford Union and the river Lea. They're about 10 minutes south of Old Ford Lock on the left. They close Saturday lunchtime-ish, so you can either have an early start, or wait until Monday. Another alternative is Candlebridge Carrying. Ring Tom on 07973915146. He may be in the area

Yes, I have tried this. You wouldn't believe the variations in size there are for a supposedly standard sized item. However, i didn't realise that I could get a part made to measure! I'll give this a try, Many thanks