[Act quickly if you want to enjoy a holiday in the slow lane this summer]

9 hours ago, Rob-M said:

I found this two weeks ago, arrived at Hillmorton top lock and found three boats waiting all queuing for the nearside lock. I got off the boat and operated the offside lock, helped the boats through both locks and moved everyone along in a timely manner rather than sit around watching the world go by and moan about queues.

At Woodend Lock yesterday to go down, we were lending a hand to a boat coming up, with two more waiting below.  One of their crew came up to check that we were going down, and then went to stand by her boat along with the rest of the queue.

 

Do people not realise that if open the odd gate things progress quicker, rather than waiting for one person to do it all?

[saleaway]

Some shell builders have prices on their websites:

 

Aintree Boats:  http://www.aintreeboats.co.uk/prices/

 

Tyler Wilson:  http://www.tylerwilsonboats.com/index#/traditional-narrowboat-1

[Coronavirus: Canal & River Trust to extend boat licences by one month]

On 25/04/2020 at 07:11, The Welsh Cruiser said:

My local authority immediately closed the tips, we now have lots of fly tipping going on. Why?, is it impossible to have a tip with social distancing? They also closed their 'call centre'. If you try to call them it's 'emergencies only'. Why? Banks, insurance companies etc. managed to keep their call centres going, either by re arranging things so social distancing in their offices or setting up employees to work from home. Why have local authorities been unable to do this? Could it be because there's no incentive to do this, better to just pack the staff up, send them home on full pay then have the annual moan 'we haven't got enough money' and whack the council tax bills up once again?   

A lot of councils have switched people to do other things.  My next door neighbour who works for the local highways department is working from home, but has been going through the government’s list of vulnerable people making sure they have what they need and can get food etc.

 

So just because you can’t see things going on, doesn’t mean they aren’t happening.

[March of the Widebeams]

32 minutes ago, frangar said:

Is that on the bend by midland chandlers?? It’s narrow enough there at the best of times!! 

Yes, between Midland Chandlers and the bridge.

[March of the Widebeams]

And this was moored on the North Oxford, just past Braunston Junction when we went past this morning.

[Barton Aqueduct closed 9.3.20 to 27.3.20]

The stoppage notice on the website gives the closure as ending on 20th, not 27th.  Any idea which date is correct?

[MANCHESTER SHIP CANAL - a guide. June 2018]

4 hours ago, Philip said:

Thank you all

 

The Pomona lock situation seems poor value for money if I'm honest; for £30 to be taken through a standard canal lock you'd expect an efficient service 7 days a week, rather than a 'turn up when it suits' approach that it seems to be! 72 hours notice seems excessive too to be honest. Was hoping to go up the Irwell as far as navigable before making for Mode Wheel!

When I phoned the book a couple of years ago, I got the impression that the 72 hour notice thing was to give you time to make other plans, if it turned out they didn't want to let you down on the day you wanted to go!

 

We turned right out of Pomona Lock but couldn't go far up the Irwell because of massive bridge works.  It was still worth going and having a look though.

[MANCHESTER SHIP CANAL - a guide. June 2018]

54 minutes ago, Philip said:

Do the Bridgewater Canal lockies come out to do Pomona lock at the weekend? Looking at doing the Ship Canal on the Monday and locking down into Salford Quays the previous afternoon.

You'll have to phone and ask.  It seems they'll only do it when it suits them -- so not even every weekday.

[NB Phoenix]

On 15/10/2019 at 19:34, leeburkitt said:

I think a cruiser but I'll stand corrected. 

I would say that a cruiser has access to the deck from the side — so between the cabin and whatever rail/dodger arrangement goes round 5e back of the stern deck.  A semi-cruiser would have access at the stern, like a semi-trad would.

 

So I would say this is more semi-cruiser than cruiser (although with the swim deck off the back it doesn’t really lend itself to existing labels).

[Brinklow Marina contact]

15 hours ago, Howlynn12 said:

Thank you . I have actually worked at a Marina where refunds were given and we were refunded from Dunchurch Pools after 18 months after signing and paying for 3 years . It is not receiving any contract that causes doubt as to whether it is their policy ? How does one know what the conditions of moorings / moorers etc are if no contract is given at time of securing mooring ? 
thank you for taking the time to comment .

Surely you check the T&Cs before paying, not after.  If you pay without knowing whether a refund would be due, there's not really much you can do about it.

[Brinklow Marina contact]

It always was pretty hard to contact them, but I’ve heard recently that it’s worse.  Someone told me the owner had gone awol, and even the harbourmasters had no means to replenish diesel supplies etc.

[How Much For A Signwritten Name]

3 hours ago, cuthound said:

My boat is currently being repainted. I have been quoted £500 for the signwiting on the sides, plus extra £150 for 3 colour candy striping on the swan neck, £150  for a panel of diamonds on the roof and £75 for a heart on the slide.

That sounds high to me.  Admittedly it was five or six years ago, but we paid £500 for the name and location on both sides plus number in a panel; diamonds on the bow flashes, cratch board and roof; scroll on each side; CRT number on both sides.

[Boat licence fees for 2020-21]

On 31/10/2019 at 22:27, jonathanA said:

Am I reading this correctly. I currently pay in one go and get the prompt payment discount. But from next year I might as well pay monthly by direct debit and get the same discount ?  I’d say that’s an own goal by CRT. Clearly they have no financial acumen at all ....

I don’t think you are reading it correctly.

 

If you pay in full online, you get the 2.5% prompt payment discount, and the 2.5% online discount — so the same 5% as before.

 

If you switch to monthly direct debit you only get the 2.5% online discount.

[buying a brand new narrowboat]

4 hours ago, Laurie.Booth said:

See post 95 where Narrowboats Ltd is the subject.

And at post 32 the OP said

 

Quote

It was exhibited by the dealer, but not narrowboats limited, the other company mentioned, our contract was with the dealer

 

[buying a brand new narrowboat]

21 hours ago, Laurie.Booth said:

The subject is "Narrowboats Ltd" not Collingwood.

No, it was established a couple of pages ago that the retailer was not Narrowboats Ltd.

[Boat builder]

1 hour ago, Athy said:

Mike Christian? I think that's the name they give to their basic boats. Someone will doubtless correct me if I'm wrong. As I remember it, Tyler and Wilson are uncle and nephew, and Mike Christian was a relative.

Tim Tyler and Jonathan Wilson are brothers-in-law -- and Mike Christian is a made up name.

[Tyler Wilson weed hatch shute]

43 minutes ago, MHS said:

It doesn’t, but at really high revs on the tidal Trent last week, we could hear the plate rattling. We wondered if this was due to the fact that the hatch doesn’t seem to seal correctly. 

 

I was interested to find out if it was just ours. 

The only time I’ve ever heard rattling was when it had worked loose.  But I always tighten it with a few taps with the lump hammer, so that doesn’t happen very often.

[Tyler Wilson weed hatch shute]

Mine has water above the plate.  Why would it matter?

[I never did like Steve Haywood]

30 minutes ago, Nightwatch said:

Nightwatch is only 6' 8" wide. If Its just us going through a lock our rubber fenders are down as im a lousy steerer.?If we are sharing a double lock with another boat our rubber fenders are down, down want to ram the other boat Shiney or otherwise. We do cruise with them laying on the tunnel sometimes, only because I can't be ar*^d to put them down. The one and only lock which we couldn't get through was Hurlesdon (smell chuck) button of the Llangollen. You know the thin one! 

The width of your boat makes very little difference when your fender catches on something, pings off, and then sometime later gets caught on the cill so the lock gate won't shut.

[New build Widebeam]

So basically, while thanking people for their comments, you’re going to ignore them.

[I never did like Steve Haywood]

1 hour ago, johnmck said:

It really all goes to show that journalists have no moral compass.

It really doesn’t.

[Stencil or Vinyl?]

8 hours ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

If you cut a comb in to the stencil at the end you want to curve, then you could lay out the curve as you stick down the stencil. Would need a lot of care, but would be easier to maintain the letter spacing. So, cutting most of the way between letters, but leaving a tag at the inside of the radius.

Or you could get a signwriter to do it -- because they'll be able to get it right with minimal fuss and the end result will give you joy whenever you set eyes on it.

[Another Kennet & Avon Mooring Row]

48 minutes ago, BruceinSanity said:

Met my Macmillan nurse for the first time yesterday. She produced this handy chart for discussing this topic: https://www.continence.org.au/pages/bristol-stool-chart.html

 

 

The chart formed one of the sequence rounds on the BBC2 quiz, Only Connect.  Surprisingly, the team knew it.

[Ponty Still Lit.]

52 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

But who is paying Enlightened of Bristol?

 

If you clicked on the link, you’d read:

 

This project would not have been possible without funding from Visit Wales and the National Lottery Heritage Fund

[Ponty Still Lit.]

3 hours ago, Athy said:

Wow, those are dramatic! I assume CART did the illumination.

You don’t need to assume anything if you read the link.  Then you’d discover that:

 

Each site is unique and is either graded, a scheduled monument or both and will be lit up by expert lighting company Enlightened of Bristol for two hours each evening from 7.30pm - 9.30pm.