matty40s

....and you just know that CRT 'S master plan will be to place NO MOORING signs on this section after one or two widebeam owners complain about scratched paint because those nasty narrowboaters were moored there.

Is it as pink effulgent colour as well as the outside of the boat too..... ??

There is a 70 ft by 13 foot boat moored in the lower Calcutt locks pound, the owners don't take it out often as they get the feeling that other boaters don't think they should be on the canals!! The first section from Napton junction towards Braunston is almost too narrow for 2 narrowboats to pass, never mind a boat of that size. Even more worrying is the North Kilworth new marina having wide beam size dry and wet docks being built, and plans for widebeam berths when it opens. CRT could and SHOULD do something. They wont though, especially if they can get their widebeam increased licence fee through. I did witness a fully loaded pair almost take the back off a newly launched widebeam where the owners didnt have a clue how to steer and the steering wheel controls had been fitted back to front.

This must be a sitting on a wooden fence moment for you.

I used to go through 2 x 13kg gas a year on my own, gas hob, cooker. Present indications are that Kathy and I will probably increase this to 3 a year cos I'm a one pan man and Kathy likes to make sure all rings work.

Most narrowboat corrosion comes from boats being stuck in marinas for 8 months or more on landlines and not being adequately protected. Most hire fleets are used for 8 months plus a year and never on landlines. Virtually all hire boat hull thickness diminishing is down to abrasion and dents, not pitting or rusting.

....the Yul Brunner look. ( unless you shave in the shower)

They have gone to separate homes.

Mountbatten and Jellico are now back servicing the Welshies on a regular basis. Is Mark on Callisto back delivering again?? I tried a bag of Winterblaze (£8.50) 3 years ago and have used it ever since as Taybrite and Excel at the time were producing vast amounts of ash and clinker. 10 bags being delivered tomorrow courtesy of Ryan on Southern Cross part of Jules Fuels who do a splendid job keeping the top end of the GU well supplied.

To be fair, Wyvern take a lot of care of their fleet and the upper cabin will probably be sound. It's the 42 year old hull that has been bashed for 10 months every year that I would be concerned about.

Coal, or other bags, 25kg or 20kg???

I started off using Post Office PL Insurance for , around £100 per year.

I would be telling him I have a strict no volunteers policy if coming up and he told me that while he was on duty.

Wyvern and Calcutt boats have a set of boats that they have vastly exceeded the normal lifespan of a hire boat by. By doing this, they have managed to get a good annual income of some boats that would normally have been retired off and replaces. Yes, they have looked after them and repainted them regularly, but I wouldn't want to take one on given the lifetime use they have had from hirer's.

Silly thing is, I know how to use the wave to good effect to help stuck boats out of the lower locks. Holiday mode on...forget waves...

It doesn't matter how many times I do certain flights, I can generally get better each time by remembering small quirks observed previously. I also learn by moving boats of different lengths, some major changes in boating style can be beneficial with shorter boats. ....and it doesn't matter how experienced you are, you still make mistakes. ☺ Coming down Napton a couple of weeks ago, I forgot the bottom 4 locks keep a wave going as you open the bottom lock gates , and as I was closing the gates, watched Old Friends get very slowly moved out of jumping distance and had to jump the barbed wire fence on the offside and get muddy feet to clamber back on.

Just to assist??or annoy you further, I have never seen a skin tank with any kind of rubber fitting like the above described.

"It doesn't matter, the Closed Season is almost on us.. we will have it bodged up for next year." CR UNTRUST Press Release....

Don't forget you have to get past atherstone and tamworth before Nov 6th

They tried this with the roving winter permits a couple of years ago, it was a financial and boating success.. However, some very clever people from the Bargeenontravellingclub decided to challenge it's legality so they were dropped.

This area has been non stop since the schools went back.

If there are no boats there, you are entitled too moor for 14 days as per normal. This happens a lot. Occasionally....some wise peep may tell you otherwise , however, this is good and proper.

We did have some friendly abuse when doing the BCN challenge in 2014, and some young lads who couldn't stop singing about the Albion.....