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The suction hose is (obviously) rigid and about 2 metres long. This easily stores in the gas bottle locker, though it is a bigger than average locker. The outlet hose is "lay flat" so rolls up nicely and two of them plus the other bits and bobs fit in a plastic shopping bag. A bit of care is needed to get the outlet hose layed out nicely without any kinks otherwise the pump does not prime. I suspect its much much faster then the 12volt electric pump that is popular and much less chance of having a messy accident 😀.

It never rains but it pours. Or something like that. The chaps are replacing the engine mounts. Disconnected the prop shaft. Found that there is wear on the shaft. Probably the reason for the prolonged stern gland issues that we have been suffering. To replace the shaft, out of the water of course, with associated bits and bobs is going to cost a couple or more pounds. Any ideas of costs. We are presently at Aquaduct, which by their own admission are not the cheapest in the land but this needs to be done. I am confident they will do a good job. i need helpful comments please. All the best Martyn

Bob Carolgees of Spit the dog fame used to hire his Mindon built narrowboat out. Can't remember the name of it

I don't know if this is relevant, but the lock keeper who lived in the cottage at the bottom of the Knowle flight in the 1970s was Bob Knight. I believe his son now lives on a boat in the area.

Yes that may happen and the danger is the extra would probably just get spent on more & more non-essentials. At least it would be a better option than this surcharge idea which is going to be an administrative headache. It wouldn't, but it would fix a few paddles. Many stoppages are caused by minor issues. Letting the ground staff fix a few instead of bringing in contractors might get canals open a lot faster and save a few bob for the bigger jobs.

This worked a treat at Hampstead Road Lock, Camden one very hot day. OC Domestic (all 4ft 11 of her) marched up to the large crowd of mildly stoned or drunk bods draped over the balance beams and lock sides and engaged her Swiss German persona at considerable volume. She had them sorting the gates and helping her with the paddles most efficiently whilst I bobbed around in the lock. Never had such an easy passage.🙂

I was sure I'd taken a couple but can't find them anywhere. I moored right next to it and walked about on its deck. Definitely floating; it bumped around slightly on its chains in the wind. The picture below was taken by Bob Hallam last year. I hope he doesn't mind sharing it here. The blue wheelhouse belongs to another boat behind.

When I stripped all the brass (off the boat) I used proper paint stripper. After a lot of searching I found it on E Bay. I think I became a business for a day😇. Far more difficult than the stripping was the polishing afterwards. You name it, I tried it. The most effective were buffing wheels and buffing compounds on a 6" bench grinder. Other methods tried included (in no order of effectiveness) polishing bobs in electric drills, Dremel with mini buffs, wire wool, fine wet and dry, car buffing compounds, Brasso, valve grinding paste, Finally - swearing😇. It took me over 80 man hours to get a reasonable result. Assuming that you intend to lacquer the end result the only advice I would give is to steer clear of a (very expensive) product that claims to be "many times harder" than diamond (can't remember it's name). Despite following the instructions faithfully it never hardened properly. Good luck.

I am pretty sure that the handbowl was painted by Bob Bush, and would probably date from the early 1970’s, the cabin block is well painted, and I would guess is fairly old, it seems to be less stylised than a lot of later work. I have no idea who painted it, or where it was painted though

Met one coming down the Cheshire locks who'd hung in the lock as they emptied it on those rubber tube fenders. Passing walker told us there was a boat stuck two locks further down and by the time we got there they had got free by cutting them off and apart with a breadknife then refilling the lock until it bobbed free. They were sat on the lock landing having a little rest, the lady of the boat was quite upset and the gentleman was red in the face and covered in lock slime, said they'd been stuck in there for over an hour. We don't cruise with any on, but after that we made sure part of our setting off routine was double-checking we'd not left any fenders attached.

as long as they get a nice bar 😃 swings in roundabouts, maybe, there’s always going to be the extra bits, bobs and add ons to improvements and developments, winners and losers, there are some boating clubs that seem to have done ok outta the HS2,

Sorry but I am so tired and I cannot make my images spin correctly, been on the boat all day, very hard graft and that insulation is the pits, but we are moving on slowly, nearly half the boat stripped, all the wiring is ripped out and a few bits and bobs corrected, I am hoping by this time next weekend we will be ready for some paint on the inside.

My local church has ringing practice Mondays from 6pm to 8pm.Personally I love the sound, to me it sounds very English. Once went up the tower with a friend to observe and found it quite interesting.Bells described as "she" and the boss ringer shouting "Bob and Cambridge Major" all Greek to me of course, but quite funny when the ringers get out of sync and you get a dreadful cacophony which sounds like the bells are rolling down the church steps,known I believe as "firing out" As a young lad in Hull on a calm Sunday evening,by the docks, you could hear the bells of Holy Trinity, and the bells of whatever church is on the other side of the Humber echoing across the river, punctuated by the metalic clang of the bell on the red marker boat which is used to mark sand banks. Very evocative.

At the top lock after midnight, the stronger stars and a lone planet, breaking through the haze. On into the dark, to Black Delph. A gleam of light from the bullseye of the Big Woolwich at the yard. 'Not long to go now!' out of the dark. We moor to the concrete bollards above Black Delph bottom lock at ten past one in the morning. Youths cross the bottom gate, going about their business. Loud male voices into the early morning, but none disturb us. Sunday 24th June 2001 0630. And the first boat comes down. 'Jemma D'. It will set a good road for us. A few minutes later, a boat comes up. 'Jemma D'. They ask if they will set the paddles for us. We say, not to bother, but they do. All the way up the Black Delph Seven remaining. A brilliant morning. Into Bumble Hole, rather to the disapproval of an angler, and on and up to the yellow boom. Back out again, shoving off the banks with the pole, to keep in the middle. Neat suburban gardens and cheerful people, looking on. Into the colliery basin, Windmill End. To the positive dismay of another angler, enjoying his Sunday morning. He empties his keep nets and packs up. We have ruined his fishing by stirring up the methane fumes of stagnant rotting mud and vegetation. We feel bad about this. We have spoilt his morning. Into the Boshboil Arm and up to the end. A Rotweiler dog savages a cootlet. The owner stamps on it and throws its body into the canal. He does not intend his dog to do this. The dead chick bobs in the water. We back out. Into the Main Line. And through the other tunnel. We turn into Brades Lock, passing an Alvechurch cruiser, its female crew basking on the roof in black bikini. At Brades Staircase, we enter the bottom lock as 'Rebekah' approaches the top. I draw the top paddles and he starts to enter. 'I only do this once a year. I'd forgotten this lock.' Jostles of people with varieties of windlasses, waiting their boat's turn. ' I can see who's skipper here.' 'We're a crew.' On to Spon Lane and a boat is waiting at the top. We turn quietly behind him. His crew remark 'He asked us if we'd like to come boating. It could do with a feminine touch. Like washing the tea towels. And washing the curtains. in no time at all it could be improved. It needs a feminine touch.' Said with feeling. They draw the top paddles of the middle lock for us. Scums of blanket weed , circle greasily on the surface. The water, dull matte black. It oozes and bubbles. As we turn, 'Carousel' goes down the Main line, and 'Plover' goes up. The water smells of oil as our prop churns the surface. 'It's spoilt my fishing!' A young lad willingly drops a paddle; '1,2,3..'. and lifting the ratchet. 'Not like that!' says Mrs Boat, following us down. She shows him how to do it. Her boat does not turn so quietly. It clouts the bank side with the bows and rebounds off. The crew son leaps for the bank. Luckily he makes it because this is not a place for swimming The rush for Birmingham. We follow a boat coming out of the Soho. It moves very slowly. We slide out to the right, down the Icknield Loop. On our way down the Main Line, we pass Dudley Tunnel Trust's 'Electra'. Duncan is the steerer. As we pass, he tells his passengers over the speaker system, that we'd gone through the tunnel the day before. I ask if Electra had come through. 'Yes' he says. 'That must have been a rare treat for you.' At a minute to three we are at the roundabout, in a jam of boats. Somebody from the bank calls that Colin is down there, trying to order things. We follow 'Ferrous' into Gas Street Basin and moor alongside the pub with a jazz band playing. Suddenly, like a swarm of gnats, and as agile, the Wilderness boats arrive. They flutter about like moths to a candle. , whizzing around the mooring. Soon the water is covered with Marathon boats. We chat to 'Marie 11' who tells us where they have been. So also 'Kesho' who comes to find us. We back out, to find a mooring away from the noise. We find one, as another boat leaves it. It is for permit holders only. So we back again, into the New Arm by the Box. Back we go, down the line, but there is no space. Good humoured, ribald comments follow us. As we pass the island roundabout there is space outside the NIA. Full reverse, hard over to starboard and we are there. People pass and repass. An elderly couple give the dogs a biscuit each. The hours chime. Laughter from two pretty girls, skimpily dressed in this hot evening, on the bridge above us. This is Birmingham Centre. This is Sunday evening. The 2001 Marathon is over. The Daveys pass us. They wave. 'See you next year.' That year was our best. We came 7th. Ferrous came first. We thought we had done quite well really, given just the two of us, a boat weighing 19tons and drawing 2'8" standing still. Other years we came in the late teens or early twenties. They were tremendous events, superbly organised.

I would be pretty sure that the Rinnai heater you have will be fine. Many boats have them and the joy of hot water instantly is especially important with three children. You won’t get hot water as fast all the time in any other way. Old it maybe but they are fairly bombproof. If it doesn’t work then contact @Paloma Bob who will service them. There are a number of people that will remove it and refit once serviced. It may just need the pilot light cleaning? By all means have other ways of heating but your plans / needs may change. You may regret getting rid of it.

oh lordy I did the soar at totally the wrong time of year myself about 6 years ago (blimey where did that time go 🙃🤔) in and out of flood all the way up and had to put planks down side of boat at syston to be sure.....yoghurt pot was bobbing around the picnic tables outside the pub!! stunning beautiful river but Sheesh you can literally watch the level rising!!! I find that although the Trent is much bigger, she feels easier.....but I started in the Trent so maybe that's why 😁😁 but yeah rivers are proper wild!!.....mind you all this rain is making any high cuttings a bit precarious on canals too....... I love the view as you get to where the soar meets the Trent and it's just this huge mass of beautiful river 🤩.... not like Ribble wide clearly 😳😂 I'm guessing/hoping contractors will know what to do about the length of the easenhall cutting.......🤔.....open up the old Oxford route???

Amazing that Mr Dyson is still getting away with the poor build quality of his vacuums and other bits and bobs. Walk around many markets and you will find stalls ‘specialising’ in Dyson resales and/or repairs.

I had a pint with Omar Sharif at a bar in Palermo. Didn’t know who he was until someone told me later. I stood next to Bob Hawke in the gents urinal. Does that count ?

And about 50 miles away from Manchester, so a few bob in petrol to commute every other day🚗

Thanks for all the input! Plenty of potential solutions…I absolutely love tug decks…but a large well deck is a good alternative. I’m imagining a bike under a cratch cover with coal and outerwear a bit of a struggle but if people manage it’s nothing I’ll rule out. I do like Brompton bikes…they are revolutionary. Amongst the suggestions I like foldable pedals and quick release wheels. I’m going to strip one of my bikes to basics and employ those ideas. Sans mudguards and chain case, flip the handle bars and invert them, lower the stem. With brake hubs I can easily go the quick release option on the front, try hinge pedals….great, just need to get the boat now. I’d been thinking tug deck but it looks so extravagant for the sake of a bike…in which case I’ll keep both bikes🤩 I’m certain hauling a steel frame bike off a roof is asking for back trouble. Yes I was mulling over engine room. Engine room is a must have for me. I think with the bike partly knocked down with quick release bits and bobs and pushing the handle bars through parallel to the frame….so you can wangle them through a side hatch? Diagonally sort of?

I've got a Paloma on one of the Boats. Its a lovely item but suffers from the jammed water temperature / flow control valve. I didn't want to take it apart so it occurred to me that I could put a PWM speed controller on the water pump to slow it down a bit and improve the output temperature from the Paloma. This was on a Shurflo pump. It works brilliantly. There is a bit less water but it is warm water. If this PWM controller were situated close to the water heater it could be used as a direct heat control. Depends on the separation distance between the pump and the Paloma itself. One can get remote control PWM controllers but I just used a dial type which is £9 on eBay. I'm well pleased with this. One for @Paloma Bob to comment on. It must have been done before.

Welcome to the forum Photos might help, I am assuming you are not short of a bob or two if you have bought a brand new WB, so I would recommend finding a boat painter and asking him to sort it. In the meantime, If there is bare steel, then use a very small paintbrush to prevent corrosion. You need to know what type of paint has been used on your boat, ask the manufacturer for advice, and if he arranged the delivery, ask him to make good the damage. A lot depends on your boat, if its a brand new spray painted high gloss job, it's going to be difficult. I do all my own painting, but of course any boat painter would know that as soon as he walked by, whereas the ordinary man in the street would think it looks very smart. Prepping for DIY perfection, I would mask off the area, then use wet and dry (wet), from 240, through to 1200, you may need to build up the coating using primer (this comes in both thick and thin), then you need to undercoat to change both the colour and the adhesive properties to allow the top coat to take. A lot depends on what your boat looks like now,, and if you are determined to keep it pristine, or accept that over the years most paint jobs will deteriorate to some extent. My attitude is to prevent corrosion while keeping the paint job smart, but I am never going to pay a professional to strip off the old paint, rub it down, and start again. PS sorry for waffling on, time on my hands! PPS if you are going to use eg a 1" quality brush for the topcoat, it might be a plan to have a test piece of metal to replicate the procedure. I find most paints have different laying off characteristics, and it takes a few strokes to learn how to get best results. "Practice makes perfect"