exboater

I installed a squirrel stove during the refitting of my boat. Don't know if this was an approved procedure, but was cheap and easy to do. 1. Cut 4" diameter (I think, can't remember the exact dimension) steel pipe to correct length and rake. 2. Cut hole in roof to suit, a little larger than pipe to allow for expansion/vibration. 3. Fabricated steel flange 1/2" thick to serve as an integral collar. 4. Welded flange to pipe in situ so as to achieve correct angle for roof profile. 5. Cut asbestolux sheet for underside of roof. 6. Lowered pipe/flange assembly through roof from above, sealed stove collar with asbestos rope. 7. Bolted flange to roof through the asbestolux. 8. Placed chimney on pipe, lit stove. This installation proved to be problem free in the subsequent five years I owned her.

Hi Mike I can only echo Mac's comments. The tidal stretch on a nice calmish day is a walk in the park really. I single handed that route a few times over the years and the tricky bits are working the Trent locks if they are not manned as you will have to shin up and down those tall ladders, but I would have thought at this time of year there will still be plenty of other boaters making the trip so you won't be alone in that respect. Tbh it is actually easier to avoid Keadby altogether and just plod round Trent Falls and go in at Goole or Selby if the tides are neaps and the weather is calm as you then avoid the hassle of those bridges on the Stainforth and New Junction canals. I would have volunteered my services (used to moor up at Wanless farm) but I've got health problems at present, so good luck! Richard

I appears that this guy has purchased the thickness tester (off Ebay for £50) and is now offering to test boats for a fee. If I were were you, I would just buy the tester and do it yourself!

Listen buddy, it may not go quite as fast as the competion but it's still a jet ski, ok?

Well I don't post very often on here, but now moving a boat to Market Harborough (see an earlier topic), ice was pretty thick this morning at Anderton, but a Middlewich narrowboat coming in the opposite direction solved the icebreaking problem. I did have an upsetting experience before then with a moored boater who objected to me passing him breaking the ice which culminated in his attempt to break my windows with his barge pole though (thankfully unsuccessfully). With over 20 years boating experience, I have never come across anything like that before. I sold my own boat some years ago, but it's experiences like that which certainly put me off buying another!

Hi there, Bluebell was a hire boat, operated by Inland Marine Leisure, a hire company based at Anderton Marina (now taken over by ABC of course.) We hired her back in 1985, and shortly after she was up for sale. I did contemplate buying her, but the cabin construction and the lack of gunnels put me off. She had a blue and red composite cabin which was starting to look a bit shabby in the early 90's. I would estimate the build date as mid seventies. Richard

I remember chugging south through Preston Brook tunnel in the early nineties, emerged into the daylight to be confronted with a fancy black and white BW "welcome to the Trent & Mersey canal" sign. I was thinking, OK, there's been a perfectly adequate old blue T & M sign on the north portal for years, why are they wasting money telling folk what they know anyway? Things have been going steadily downhill ever since.

Fortunata, it's a buyer's market at the moment, especially for shorter length craft which are generally not considered large enough for living aboard. Do not compare other boats for sale with regard to asking prices. If your survey report comes back as less than favourable, and the seller is not prepared to renegotiate (a lot!), just get your deposit back and walk away.

Hmmmm. 15k for an aging 30 footer with a one pot Ducati is a lot of money. If it were me, I'd be budgeting for a replacement engine straight off. As previous posters have mentioned, this was a standard cheapo engine for Springers in their day.

My first thought after reading your post was.....do you have an anchor? Having a mechanical breakdown on a river is not good news, but persuading the boat to approach the bank, then deploying the anchor in the shallower water should be the first thing to do, especially with young children aboard. I can understand that you were angry because no help was given by the downstream boat, but deploying the anchor would at least have put you and your crew in a position of relative safety, and would have bought you time to wait for further assistance.

I wasn't criticising Stourport itself, I have passed through on many occasions and yes you are right, it's a pleasant enough place. Trying to work a boat through locks surrounded by a seething mass of humanity is not my favourite occupation however, which was why I posted my tongue in cheek reply.

Got to agree with John here. Seen too many photos of so called "quality fitouts" which appear to consist of a glorified lined shell with a few bits of your grandma's furniture chucked in. If there's one thing a narrowboat needs, it's loads of storage space, so I'll take that L shaped upholstered dinette please!

I remember boating through Stourport at a similar sort of do, years ago. Couldn't get away from the place fast enough.

Well, having looked at some of the offerings on Apollo Duck recently, you'd have thought 30 year old rusting steel turns to gold judging by the outrageous asking prices!

Free standing oven, B & Q kitchen sink and not a granite worktop in sight. Obviously not good enough for todays discerning boat buyer. I mean who in their right mind would want to cook in those sort of squalid conditions? The whole boat layout's far too practical for a start, notice the lack of leather swivel chairs to trip over for one. Nope, not enough fancy crafted oak faced 6mm ply stapled together to pull in the punters I'm afraid. There's no hope. The engine could have some novelty value though, don't see too many three cylindered ST2's around these days.