AJLintern

Trouble is, the ring I want to cruise round won't be restored until about 2025 Though it will probably take me that long to build my boat anyway!

So you could do the ring maybe 4 times a year by moving say 10 miles every week or so. That means you'd only return to the same place every 3 months - not including the time you'd spend going to other places further afield while on holiday etc. That sounds fair enough to me

What about cruising round a ring constantly, say 80-100 miles in total? Would that be considered staying in the same locality? That may allow someone to keep a job somewhere without having to commute too far, as long as they moved the boat a good distance regularly. Where do you draw the line?

I think in a boat, all you'd need is an electric motor/generator inline with prop shaft. The small efficient diesel would run the boat under normal conditions, while charging the batteries through the inline generator. When more power is required, the motor gives the engine some extra torque. Not sure if you'd need a variable pitch prop though...

Can you not put a switch into the system that would allow you to charge either from the alternator OR the inverter/charger?

Yes I suppose it's one thing getting into a lock, but if the obstruction is part way up (or down) then you're going to be a bit stuffed! Hmmm, maybe you're right - I suppose size isn't everything, it's what you do with it...

I think when I build my boat I'll be making it 7' rather than 6'10". If many of the working boats have few problems navigating the system, then I'll take an extra couple of inches thanks! Besides, the more wider boats there are, the less tight locks there'll be as the tight bits will get worn off!

Wouldn't it be better to use one of these flat panel TVs? Or do they dislike inverters too? They use a lot less power than a normal CRT tv and take up much less space - perfect i'd have thought!

It seems they are quite aware that the majority of people who are 'Continuous cruisers' are also those with the lowest combined income. They are living on a boat for that very reason - because it's cheap! I can see that BW would say 'but they are cruising around a lot more and using the facilities constantly, so they should pay more.' But of course we know that a lot of 'Continuous cruisers' prefer to stay in a one place as that's where they 'live' so of course don't use the waterway much except the 70' x7' bit under their boat! Now I'm not saying that staying around a certain area and not cruising around as much as BW would expect for a 'Continuous cruiser' is particularly bad (maybe a little selfish and not in the spirit of things) but it's obvious that BW are doing this as an excuse to charge these people more. Of course people who do cruise around a lot might find this unfair, specially if they see people with a cheap mooring paying a lot less and being allowed to use the waterways just as much if they like...

Yes, that's the problem!

I'd have thought using the waste heat from the engine (while cruising) to produce steam, which could then be condensed to form pure water would be by far the easiest method...

The Wilts & Berks canal is narrow, though someone told me the locks are actually 7'6" which is a little wider than average apparently. Anyway is still narrow - so a narrow boat it is! I would build something of a length that can go pretty much anywhere - so 57' I think? This should also make it that much more manouverable - though I'm also thinking twin screws and a bow thruster, all powered hydraulically from a big, mid mounted engine... I'd want it to have a fairly deep draught, maybe 3'? (should be ok on most canals I'd have thought, though of course they aren't dredged for loaded boats anymore...) and low centre of gravity to reduce roll. I'd also design it with a keel of sorts and a slight v-bottom. It would be steered from the front in a wheelhouse. I'm going to use 3d CAD (ProEngineer) to design all this, probably over a few years!

Obviously it requires a certain amount of planning and common sense to take any inland craft on a coastal passage. Not only taking account of the weather conditions, but also the local tides and currents. What I'd like to do (and this is in the very distant future!) is depart from my mooring on the Wilts & Berks and meet the Thames at Abingdon. Then travel down to the Wey & Arun all the way to the channel and cross the Solent to Poole Harbour. Then I'd sail up the River Frome to Wareham and have a pint at the Quay Inn. It's nice to have a dream anyway...

Yes that's the idea! I will design everything (it's my job) and then if I can't do it, pass over the hull manufacture to a boat builder. There are very few 'different' styles of narrow craft on the waterways network - I have in mind a craft that has a more seaworthy hull shape and loads of power. Then I can sail to some coastal ports that might be less accessable to the average Narrowboat (though Chris Coburn's Progress has shown just what can be possible in a modified Narrowboat!).I have often thought of living on a canal boat, and may do so, because of the way house prices have gone. Though of course finding a residential mooring is so difficult these day, because of just that!

Ok so I was maybe being a little sarcastic, but one day I'd like to build my own boat, either using the services of a proper boat builder for the skilled parts, or even having a go myself! I think once it's designed the only remaining problem is finding sufficient money - I just thought doing it myself might save a bit of cash, though would obviously take a while longer...

Has anyone built a boat from scratch to their own design? How difficult can it be to weld a few bits of steel together...? How much does it cost in materials to build a 57 ft narrow beam craft? Obviously this would be a long term project! Ordinary Narrowboats are ok, but I want something a bit different - and it will hopefully be ready for when the Wilts & Berks Canal is restored, as that's where I want to moor it