sebrof

Hmmm. Might we ask what?

Beaky, there are several reasons why "many of our Continental cousins" don't own property. They include the fact that land is scarce in England, and property prices therefore high (so the economic arguments are more pressing); that thanks to building societies it has been easy to borrow cheaply; that the British are insular people in more ways than one, and like the privacy that a house provides (the proportion of houses which are owned is higher than that for flats); that for many years mortgage interest was tax-deductible, whilst rent was not; and no doubt there are others. But the fact remains that at times of high inflation (and high inflation is returning), it makes economic sense to borrow in order to buy. Your argument about the landlord having to pay the cost of repairs is fallacious. He has to charge a rent high enough to cover all his costs and make a profit, so ultimately it is the tenant who pays. It really is time that we abandoned this sort of "joke".

Your understanding is correct - in most cases. In London people will sometimes pay a premium of £100,000 or more to buy a boat with a mooring with no security at all. It's a big gamble. The complication is that the seller, who will himself have paid a large premium, can't "sell" the mooring separately - the landlord will just re-possess it. So he won't sell to you, unless you come up with an elaborate scheme whereby you buy the boat with the mooring, then replace the boat on the mooring with another one.

Like Alan F, I have no idea what "slow speed control" means. If the prop really does make it possible to steer the boat in reverse, then I would rate that as a significant advantage. However, I am far from convinced that it would make a significant difference.

There is a much more limited selection over here, and many come with a mooring, which adds a lot to the price. If you don't want the mooring, things get complicated. On the other hand, it is much cheaper and easier to view a boat that's already here. OP, don't discount the possibility of finding somebody to do the deed for fun. I might be interested if timing etc fitted. But I'd want to do a test drive first to make sure everything was tickety-boo, and I'd want at least two crew - one of whom I could probably rustle up. I'd assume you would be the other. It goes without saying that the boat would need to be shipshape, properly equipped, and legal. Clubs like the DBA and the Cruising Association are good for finding crew, some of whom would be more than capable of taking command. Seems a shame to pay for something that people would be glad to do for you.

Don't.

Well, it's taken a while to get all the bits together, but yesterday I finally fitted the Albright. And so far, it works! However, I am surprised to find that the coil gets quite hot. It is the continuous use version. Should I be surprised? I must say it's nice to have the BT working again. The last few months without it have been a useful experience, but there have been times when I might have handled the boat more elegantly with a little help up for'ard. Tony, thanks again for your brilliantly simple solution. When I return to Chiswick (yes, I really did depart in the misty morn) I shall pay a visit to the RNLI.

They are not at risk. The only time a boat owner is at risk when somebody goes bust is if he is the owner of a part-finished new boat. Unless it has formally changed hands, it will be regarded as work in progress belonging to the boatyard. There are ways round this, and anybody having a boat built in these troubled times should consult a solicitor before signing a contract.

The breather should prevent siphoning.

Agree 500%. Everything should be removeable/dismountable. ETA: Just noticed that this is an ancient post, and that you did it properly!

I happened to bump into my surveyor today, and discussed this with him. He specialises in barges, which tend to be older than narrow-boats, and they usually have thinner hulls. He stressed the importance of keeping bilges dry, especially when there has been over-plating. If not, pinholes can develop, and changes in pressure can cause water or air, or both, to be pumped in and out of the cavity between old plates and new - with obvious and potentially disastrous consequences. The solution is threefold. First, obviously, make and keep the bilges dry. Heating, ventilation, fixing water leaks (especially fresh water), and dehumidifying, all play a part. Second is to identify any holes in the inner skin and block them with epoxy. If it is possible to extract any water, so much the better. I would suggest that the cavity should be left full of air, because filling it with oil, for instance, will tend to blow out any epoxy filler, whereas air, being compressible, is less likely to do so. However, putting in a little Owatrol would be an excellent idea. Once you have a dry bilge with no holes, apply barge grease (AKA hull grease). Barge grease forms a flexible and impermeable layer over the steel. It is much better than Waxoyl because it never dries out. Barge grease can be obtained from EC Smith. So there you have it.

Will the charger not draw too much current from the genny? 1700W compared to 950W. An, BTW, OP, don't believe these things are silent.

That must be a very expensive van.

Depending on exactly what has happened, Companies House might be the last to know.

That'll do just fine. And you're neither an animal nor an old lady!

I meant that Mr Mayall on his own might be heavy going. He does like to be right all the time, though I admit the possibility that in the flesh he might be very different. Having him and Carl together though would be another matter altogether. It wasn't really a bad boys list, and on balance all three are A Good Thing, in my view. They just happen to be opinionated people who post a lot and don't feel a need to be excessively polite. And they are not alone in that. You are on a slightly different list, that of Forum Stalwarts, without whom the place would not be worth visiting.

Yes, of course. He's getting the traditional CWDF welcome. Those who think they are at the top of the pecking order like to make sure that new people know that. FYI, GD, CarlT is generally well-informed, but he does consider himself to be the godfather of the forum, and likes to be shown the respect that he considers his due. MayallD (exit the dragon) is something of a control freak, who spends hours looking things up so that he can demonstrate his superior knowledge to all and sundry. This has the advantage for forum members that what he says is usually correct, but he's not somebody you would perhaps wish to invite round for dinner. Not if you wanted a convivial evening. Cotswoldman is a brave colonial boy, who never flinches from offering his opinion on all sorts of matters, even ones he knows very little about. He is rather prone to telling people that they are talking rubbish, and though this is one area where he speaks from experience, he often gets it wrong there too. Whilst Messrs Mayall and Carl see themselves as authority figures, CWM wants to be regarded as wise, hence his carefully chosen avatar. It's rather touching. In fairness, people tell me that Carl and CWM are actually nicer than their on-line personas sometimes suggest. I have yet to hear the same said of Mr Mayall, but nobody is all bad, and no doubt it is just a matter of time before somebody tells me he has a heart of gold and is kind to animals and old ladies. Note that Phylis (the bumptious tupper-sailor) is NOT an old lady.

Yes, GD, there's no need to waste effort picking fights with people. Let them pick fights with you. And they will!

Yes, they tick all the boxes. Low revs (more reliable, nicer noise), 3 cylinders (smooth running), water cooled (quieter, and you can use the heat).

Contractors are like consultants. You should employ them to do things you don't normally do, or don't do regularly. I can quite see that getting in contractors to do occasional jobs like tree cutting would make sense. What doesn't make so much sense is to employ contractors to do everyday stuff. Even if it appears cheaper on paper (because contractors are paying starvation wages) the loss of continuity, lack of local knowledge, and absence of loyalty, will all tend to result in a poorer service than would be provided by well-managed and motivated employees. As for training staff in the use of chain-saws, you can argue that it cost too much, or that fewer people needed it, but you can't argue that training isn't needed. There are few more dangerous things than a chain-saw.

Over your life time, that decision will cost you perhaps hundreds of thousands of pounds. Why? Because whilst the value of a house keeps pace with inflation (and perhaps does a bit better, but not much), the value of the loan is reduced by inflation, so that it will end up costing much less to repay than the bald figures suggest. Basically, a mortgage is the nearest thing to a free lunch you will ever get. Seize the opportunity. The parable of the talents springs to mind. PS: But repay your credit card in full every month.

At the end of the day, three things stand out. 1 It's wasteful, and expensive, to generate electricity to propel the boat. Lynch motors are 93% efficient (at best), alternators are no more than 60% efficient, and batteries are perhaps 80% efficient. That's a lot of wasted energy. Admittedly, a diesel running at constant speed to generate electricity will be more efficient than one running at variable speeds to drive a boat. 2 Range is a problem unless a fortune is spent on batteries (which will need replacing periodically), and a lot of batteries take a long time to recharge. 3 Free sources of electricity (solar and wind) cannot generate enough energy. So, for most of us, direct drive from a diesel engine is the only way to go.

If living aboard, there is a lot to be said for going wide.

Try a little punctuation, Bux, please. And the odd paragraph, just now and again. It makes a post so much easier to read. PS: Capital letters are nice, too, at the beginning of sentences. Though I see there was only one.

I've tried, Lord knows I've tried, to read this whole thread. But, by God!, it's boring. It's worse than those B*****y blogs. Is there a Vet in the house? Put it to sleep, please.