MikeFarmer

The problems of keeping two rivers apart pale into insignificance when you try to apply the rest of the problem... how do you keep one set of clouds from drifting over another area of the country then raining? Nice problem though. I assume at the point of meeting the two rivers are at the same height? Are pumps allowed? I assume they are if you are going to the extreme of webbing straps...

This question has prompted me to ask.... why isn't the same relaxation of the tax rules applied to owners of petrol powered boats? Why is it ok for boaters who use petrol to pay exorbitant tax, when diesel power costs so little? It wouldn't seem to be beyond the realms of possibility for some red dye to be added at point of sale, to any cans of petrol where duty hasn't been charged. The same rules about red dye in the tank would then still apply. But then, it would mean the government actually giving us something back... silly me.

It could slip into the Middle Level, but would need to go through Stanground Lock. You could try ringing the lock keeper there, on 01733 566413, as they have to keep a record of everyone going through the lock. A photo of the welded on name might be useful if you have one.

We have a similar sized 25 foot GRP cruiser with a 15HP four stroke engine. It seems to use between one and two litres of petrol an hour. We have a 15 litre on board tank and a few 5 litre cans that I can use to transport the fuel to the boat from garages along the way. We had fantastic support when moving the boat from Rugby (110 miles and 105 locks), including having a couple of friends on standby to come and collect me to run me to a garage if there weren't any within walking distance. You won't have much to worry about with a GRP cruiser going into and out of locks... most narrowboaters know that if there are two of you going in, the steel boat goes first, and you follow him in. It saves you being accidentally squashed against the sides with mega damage possible. The lock gates i know of stay open or closed on their own. If one does happen to drift closed, then you will need to prop it open somehow. If you take your time and move slowly, no harm should ever come to you. You will finds locks are the place where you learn to 'drive' your boat, often with side winds trying to push you off course, or currents from bends, weirs etc. Always have a boat hook ready so you can grab a bollard as soon as you get anywhere close, and get tied up at the earliest opportunity. If you get into trouble and there are people around, don't be afraid to shout for help. Most people will gladly help rather than see you struggle. Don't expect too much though from people that don't know what they are doing :-). Good luck.

I tie my boat up tight, the level changes by up to a foot each way, the mooring lines go a bit slack, and speeding boats pull my boat out then push it back against the wooden jetty. I have damage to the fibreglass, creosote stains along the edges where the fenders are either too high or too low, and over time, a complete plank has been torn away from its place on the jetty, complete with boat, mooring ropes and tie-down bracket still attached. The Middle Level where I moor will never be dredged, so every speeding boat that comes past drags up or carries along another bucketful of silt and pushes it over to the bank. There are places developing where both sides of the river are 2 feet deep, and rapidly moving towards each other to meet in the middle. All the clever remarks in the world will not rectify this situation, so if you have been shouted at more than '3 or 4 times' then maybe you ought to think that just possibly the solution might be to actually slow down? Just a thought....

Dear all, Portable Satellite Receiver 69.99 12 complete system 3 year garantee and pota loo 29.99 both available soon at lidl look good for the money Cheers bill Liddle As a general principle, I'm not sure we should be supporting this shop.. the stores aren't contactable by telephone, you can't check stock or reserve any item, they encourage you to spend time and fuel exploring the branches in the hope they might have something left that you want, and their customer service is non-existent. It might be cheap, but you get what you pay for, and until they drag themselves into this century I would rather support other shops like Argos, who seem to have got their act together rather better than a second rate food retailer trying to make inroads into an area they obviously have no idea about and refuse to take seriously. Sorry, rant over.

Hi All, The boat failed the BSC because the fridge has a pilot light, and the whole thing is mounted below the level of the petrol locker. We want to replace the fridge with another one, 12volt is impractical for long stays and mains would be useful for the initial start, but no good when out... so gas is preferred. So what do others use on a boat that runs off gas? How do you get round the pilot light issue, and is electronic ignition the answer? Any advice appreciated. Thanks

If you cause damage to a boat when you are moving and the other boat is stationary, then you most definitely could be liable... why would you think otherwise? It is a big responsibility piloting a boat, and if you get it wrong to the extent that you cause other people financial harm then you must pay.. just as you would expect compensation if the shoe was on the other foot. Equally, needing to take on water etc as mentioned in another post, seems a good reason to have to move through ice, but no justification whatsoever if it means putting another craft at risk. Cars share roads with bicycles, walkers share pavements with joggers, narrowboats share waterways with grp boats.... whats the big deal?

Hi, Two things to mention... I bought a second hand boat from Ken Yates, and it came with a mooring that cost an extra £500. Everything was fine until the boat was sold on. Because it was moored at the boatyard, a commission then became payable, even though Ken Yates took no active part in selling the boat. The mooring was 'withdrawn' the minute the boat was sold, with no refund of money paid, and the boat turfed out of the marina in the middle of a force 5 gale with two hours of daylight left and no other mooring within easy reach. I haven't been back since.So be warned, if you aim to sell your boat on in the future, check out the terms of your purchase contract before you put the boat up for sale. I have a cruiser that burns about 10 litres of petrol a day, and it has a 13 litre tank.... so lots of trips backwards and forwards with the 5 litre cans! It is a pain, and you have to plan journeys quite carefully, or have good friends prepared to run you about to garages at every opportunity. I usually try and carry a couple of spare cans in the fuel locker, which gives me 2 full days without needing a garage. I keep a third can as a sort of 'work in progress', so if I can't empty a complete can into the tank when I get to a garage, the third can comes into play (walking anywhere with two 5-litre cans is more comfortable than with one). I suppose it depends where you will be doing your boating, I never seem to be too far away from a source of petrol. And I agree Honda's are brilliant engines, I am really pleased with mine.

So... does anyone reading these boards own, or know of, any other Leisure Line GRP 24 foot cruisers? Literally any information would be of interest, as I would like to know as much as possible about this particular species of cruiser. So how about a photo ? Regards Graham. ok...soon as I figure out how it's done Mike

Hi all, I own a Leisure Line 24 foot GRP cruiser made in about 1993, and while visiting Ely last year I saw another one that was very similar to mine. A very interesting chat with the owner revealed that there was only ever eight of these brilliant boats ever made, and obviously mine and his accounted for two of them. I thought it might be a bit of fun (not to mention quite a challenge) to try and trace the other 6, if it was at all possible. So... does anyone reading these boards own, or know of, any other Leisure Line GRP 24 foot cruisers? Literally any information would be of interest, as I would like to know as much as possible about this particular species of cruiser. For information, the style would be similar to the Norman boats, and I suspect that most of them would have been finished off with grey and blue melamine woodwork. The engine could be either inboard or outboard (one of each so far !), and beam would be 6'10 to make canal travel easier. Any info gratefully received. Thanks.

Update... The 'Mercury' name is a mistake, someone had stuck a Mercury badge on the engine for some reason, but it is just a Yamaha 5. The post goes down when I engage reverse, so I'm guessing it locks in position on its own. No progress on the throttle/fuel yet, but I will drain it all out and filter it. Without a manual I don't want to do too much to the mechanics at this stage, hopefully it will be something simple. Thanks

Hi all, I've just bought a second hand outboard engine, but unfortunately no handbook. It is a Yamaha 'Mercury' 5 hp engine, 2 stroke pull-start, with a dark blue engine cover. It has a rotary choke, which seems to be anti clockwise for off, and clockwise for on. The problems.... I have had the engine running, but it is lumpy and won't tick over very well. Then every so often the engine just loses revs and eventually dies. Starting up again is then very difficult, and as yet I don't know whether its best to start with choke or without, primed or not primed, etc etc. The way I found that does work when warm is to disconnect the fuel pipe, give it some throttle, then pull... the engine starts up, and then I put back the fuel line (hopefully before it stops again). I haven't tried changing the mixture settings or idle speed from when I bought it, as the seller assured me it was running, and I don't know what I'm looking for anyway. The other problem I have is that I can't find how to lock the engine in position. It has a sprung loaded hook arrangement, which is supposed to engage on the 'rod' that runs between the brackets, but in its way is a post that prevents it from going down far enough to engage. I can't see how to move the post, unless there is another lever I haven't found yet. If anyone has any experience of this engine, all suggestions gratefully received thanks in advance Mike