Keeping Up

True. Most solar panels have a number of cells in series, and the output current is limited by the output of whichever cell is most in the dark.

Not really, you can easily keep it short enough that it couldn't reach the propellor. You only need a short length of rope outboard of the boat, a couple of feet is plenty. I usually attach BOTH ends of the rope to the dolly, so that I can either drop the loop over a bollard or drop a threaded piling hook through the armco (after passing round the front of the stern rail support); that way there is no loose end to pose a risk either.

An alternative version, not quite as effective but very useful when single handed: To moor up: Attach your stern rope to the boat as near to the edge as possible; on mine, where the rear dollies are a bit too close together, I take the rope from the dolly and forwards to go around the upright at the end of the stern rail (it's a cruiser stern). Then lead the rope backwards and attach to a bollard or use a mooring hook to grab the piling. Then keep the bpoat on forward gear, the bow will come into the bank and will stay there without the need for another rope while you go away to set a lock etc. To set off: On returning to your boat, change from forward to reverse gear. The rope will go slack, then tighten as the boat reverses past the bollard or mooring hook, and then the boat will stop and the bows will swing out. Keep in reverse until the bow is pointing the way you want, then engage forward gear. As the rope goes slack, take it off the bollard or take in the mooring hook. The technique is particularly useful when waiting at one of the old-fashioned lay-bys on the Thames locks.

Hooray, at last a tale with a happy ending.

Well I'm not arguing with that! Because if I did I'd be disagreeing with myself.

Yes you have to put the same amount of energy back in the next day, so at first thought it shouldn't make any difference. BUT if you switch it off overnight and then don't switch it back on until not only have you started the engine but also you have waited until the alternator has some power to spare (ie the charge current has started to reduce because the batteries have completed the 'bulk charging' phase) then you will have gained. Of course, in order to wait that long without the fridge temperature rising too far you may have to make your fridge extra cold to start with, which would cancel out the gain unless you have the engine running at the time (so it would have to be before 8pm)

I certainly feel a bit more reassured by these replies. It's a good few years since I was last there, and in my memory the wall was a lot higher - funny how different things look when you revisit them, maybe that's why I like revisiting them. I'm fairly sure I can get the dogs up to the wall (get behind and shove) but I'm a bit worried about the bigger one being able to jump down again without injury; at over 10 years old her bones are probably getting a bit brittle and she's not a lightweight - but knowing in advance what to expect, I can work out the best way to help her. Thanks all.

Yes it really does. A cycling cape is best - if you can still buy them.

Not sure but someone mentioned it to me so I looked it up on their website. It's £24 or £26 depending on length. Thanks Blackrose. I guess the thing to do is to go in and look at the wall first, but it would be good to know where else to go if there isn't a space there. How high is the wall (what chance of lifting a labrador on to it from the back deck?)

Seeing the exorbitant rate for overnight mooring in Limehouse marina (£26), can anyone suggest what would be the best and nearest alternative when waiting overnight before locking down through Limehouse?

I've used Danboline for engine and locker painting, and found it to be excellent. It seems to be well immune to damage from oil, diesel and water, and is pretty good at resisting the wear and tear of everyday use. I found out (don't ask how) that a good way to paint a large floor area is to tip a large quantity out of the tin and then spread it around as quickly as you can with a roller or large brush (or whatever else comes quickly to hand!)

We spent 4 years looking for our ideal boatbuilder, one who could understand what we wanted and then build it. Most of the boatbuilders whom we rejected, either said "Yes that's our standard design. If you like it we'll build you one; if you don't like it then I'm sorry we can't help you" or "Yes we'll build your boat exactly as you want it. Just bring us the plans". Eventually we chose Stoke on Trent Boat Builders, who could take our unworkable dreams and turn them into fully functioning reality by adding the benefit of their considerable experience. As most people here will know, we are still 100% happy with the result 18 years later. On thing that paricularly impressed us was their demonstrable commitment to our satisfaction with everything that they did. They were positively disappointed that we couldn't inspect their workmanship every week, and we settled for agreeing that we would try to visit them at least once a fortnight. They made a particular point of not covering up any vital feature with panelling etc until we had seen it and had been shown how it fitted together and how to access it in the future. We also took photos at all stages of the build, which were to prove invaluable in later years. I wouldn't want to place an order with any boatbuilder who didn't show this level of commitment. If they were in any way unhappy about regular visits from either myself or my representative (a surveyor for example) then I would keep well clear of them; and in these days of modern technology I would ask their reaction to there being a webcam to show me the progress in real time (a technique once used to good effect by Gary on this forum). If you'd like to read more and see some of the build pictures, there is a page on my website about it.

We'll be driving over from Milton Keynes (via Buckingham and Bicester). If anyone from this area would like a lift, we'll have 3 spare places available in the car.

The controls on ours are (as in most cruiser sterns) mounted on a pillar. On top of this pillar there is a small shelf, just big enough to take two beer glasses. So the pillar just had to be the correct height to ensure that the glass comes naturally to hand when you reach for it. That was how the position of the control levers was defined.

If you meet an isolated fisherman there is a good chance he'll indicate which way he'd like you to go, but in the absence of a signal you may be able to see which side they are fishing and therefore go the other way. Most of the time if they are using a long pole they wil be fishing on the offside and you'll be able to see that as you approach so you should aim for the nearside. If they're using a short rod they could be either side, so it's best to aim for the mddle unless directed otherwise. It can be very difficult when you meet a line of fishermen in a competition, some fishing nearside and some offside - and probably one or two in the middle as well - all waving at you to go one side or the other to their own benefit and possibly trying also to get you to upset their competitors. You definitely can't please all of them, but going down the centre will usually be the best option. Do remember that while slowing down is usually the best thing to do, on a windy day you must keep going fast enough to ensure that you don't get blown across to the side. If you run aground next to an angler, squashing his keepnet as you do so, and then churn up the bottom while you struggle to get going again, you're not going to have made him very happy. In fact the first issue of the waterways code for boaters, on the advice of the angling associations, specifically advised against slowing down for this very reason. And on certain waterways (the Chesterfield in particular) you'll get frequent requests to speed up and churn up the mud a bit so the fish can't see so well - but this is definitely on only a minority of waters.

They certainly can be a noisy nuisance - and I've seen a number of instances of damage this year where the heat of their exhausts has melted holes in the sides of the plastic floats of pontoons in marinas. One that we saw in Gloucester docks this summer had almost sunk the pontoon by making a big hole very close to the waterline.

Certainly as far as engine noise and storage are concerned, the semitrad is roughly equivalent to a cruiser stern. For weather protection they are slightly better than a cruiser but far inferior to a trad. Their looks can be quite pleasing - particularly if you don't like the looks of a cruiser stern - though I have also seen some dreadful examples. My main dislike though is that as far as access on/off the boat is concerned they are roughly equivalent to a trad stern (it can be difficult to get past the tiller and step to/from the bank with dogs & family, especially if they are very young or old) and while they are as sociable as a cruiser stern for adults, they are not as good for dogs and children. Children can't see anything so they get bored, whereas with a cruiser they can look out to the sides; the dogs inevitavly move behind the steerer so they can see round the sides, and then you step on them or trip over them and you can't get past them when you need to go ashore. I know these aren't absolutes, and not everyone would share this viewpoint (possibly seeing it as an advantage that children wouldn't want to be on the back deck for example), but for me the semi-trad doesn't give enough advantage to balance its disadvantages. The 'weather protection' argment is a good one, but it is often over-stated; even in torrential rain you can be perfectly warm and dry inside the right clothing, and then you're all ready to go ashore when you get to the next lock. On the Ashby and Bridgewater canals that's not an issue so maybe a pram hood makes more sense there than it would on a heavily-locked canal, but travelling on all canals I'd prefer to invest in a good set of waterproofs - or in a few pints of beer while I sit beside a glowing log fire in a friendly hostelry.

Yes, what better excuse could there be to go to the pub. Sometimes we've been trapped there for hours waiting for the rain to stop. Personally I really dislike semi-trads, I reckon you get some of the advantages and most of the disadvantage of both - but that's purely a personal opinion. It's a good thing we all like different boats, otherwise we'd all be trying to buy the same one!

If there is effectively no documentation, I take it the boat is old enough that there are no issues over a lack of rcd certification ?

The search button on its own is pretty useless, but if you click on "more search options" you can with care get good results from the page that comes up. We chose a cruiser stern because we like being sociable with lots of people for company when travelling and also it allows the dogs to wander about on the back deck. Admittedly we only live aboard for about 6 months of the year, but we have never for one moment regretted the choice we made when we had the boat built 18 years ago. We do cruise in the winter, but only for relatively short trips and not when the weather is truly awful, so we don't too much miss the extra protection of a trad stern, and not all trad sterns give that much extra usable room compared with a cruiser stern.

Everything you describe sounds fixable. If the hull is sound and you like the boat, I'd say lower your offer by the amount needed to do the work - and give the vendor the option to have it done himself instead if he thinks your estimated repair cost is too high