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Hi all 👋, first post on here but probably one of many, I'm currently looking into the heating system I am going to install on my widebeam i was hoping you could take a look and tell me what you think and if it all looks ok. (Heating sorce: Solid fuel fire and diesel water heater Heating up - radiators, under floor heating and hot water) I am thinking of installing the bubble b1c1 corner stove with back boiler, also what are peoples thoughts on the Prity AM 12 ( https://fireplacesforhome.com/Wood-Burning-Stove-Corner-Model-Fireplace-Log-Burner-Solid-Fuel-Prity-AM-12kw ) multifuel stove? And also a webasto diesel water heater. All my heating appliances are going to run to the NRG zone 5 manifold wich does allow thermosyphon , I plan to have 4x radiators, underfloor heating and calorifier attached. The diagram is missing the PRV and the pipes from the back boiler to the heating manifold will be in 28mm. My biggest worry is the thermosyphon safety as it is going to run to the heating manifold so i dont have any heat leak. Any input would be appreciated. Kind regards Brad I've linked the NRG zone let me know what you think to using this as I can't see any post speaking about this or any manifold. https://www.nrgawareness.com/product/nrg-zone-4-5-6-32-32-28/

Hi I need to keep an eye on what's going on inside my narrowboat as I steer it along. Does anyone use a video system of some type to do the same? I'm thinking along the lines of baby monitors. Many surveillance cameras rely on access to wi-fi which I don't have on board. I would hope to power any device from a 12v supply. I'm interested to read the suggestions. Regards Ian

Hello all! I have a Morco F11E water heater. Every time I start it all the flames ignite but go out either immediately or after a few seconds. It then tries to relight but only one or two flames will light around the ignition. In the relighting stage I can manually light all the others with a handheld flame. Seems to me there are two problems, the gas flow shutting down and the ignition failing to light fully after the first try. Any ideas? I've cleaned out the water filter and pumped up the accumulator and the water flow sensor stays on while running so i don't think it's a water pressure issue, more likely gas pressure? Thanks in advance!

Hello there! I'm retired and am looking to do something better with my savings than have them earning a meagre interest rate in an account. I had been looking at static caravans, as a holiday home and to rent out, but the fees seem ridiculously high. I then thought about the canal holiday I had years ago and how peaceful it was, so I'm now thinking about getting a narrowboat in Northwest England to use and to rent out. I'm aware of the certificates it'll need and the annual cost of running a narrowboat, but as I'm completely new to this, I'm aware that there's LOADS that I don't know. So...... 1. Is it a viable idea? 2. If I had someone (Hoeseasons?) managing the rentals, cleaning etc, what would they charge and are there any rules about the boat's age, size etc? 3. I'm not looking for a large boat and have a budget of £30K. Would it be better to buy a project boat cheaply and pay for refitting it or get a better boat that needs less work? 4. I'll pay for full hull and engine surveys. Can you recommend a decent surveyor? Thanks in advance for your replies. Chris

Hi all! We are looking for someone to help us move from Paddington to Islington before Saturday the 20th. Have called all the "usual suspects" including the boats around us, but no one is moving! Happy to pay of course. Much appreciated

Hi all, I am a new boater, excited to be on the canals, enjoying the experience, and learning a lot in a short period of time. After a recent visit from a River Canal Rescue (RCR) engineer, who was very helpful, I found myself in need of a tank clean and an informal recommendation to use Tankbusters. As this seems to be an issue many boaters will come across at some point I thought an honest review of the Tankbusters service and what to expect from their pricing would be useful. I've seen a request on this forum for advice too. I called Bruce from Tankbusters and after a pleasant phone call ended with a quote for cleaning the fuel tank on my narrowboat which amounted to £275 for a "base clean and removal of contaminants", plus extras and the hire of their generator, filters and £0.22 per mile for travel. A few days later Bruce and his Wife arrived in their van. The actual tank cleaning was pleasant enough. We helped with the fetching and carrying of equipment from the van, the Tankbusters along with a very friendly fellow boater helped us pull my boat a short distance to the nearest bridge. Before Bruce started I asked how much the actual total would come to and in a joking way Bruce told me a story about a large river boat "at least twice the size of yours" whose tank he had recently cleaned "they had change from a grand" at the end of the process. This was given across with a joking reassuring tone the implication being "so yours will be nothing like that". With the £275 quote at the time I was assured that all would be well. During the cleaning conversation flowed, and I kept the tea and biscuits coming. The Tankbusters gave me a few samples of the nitrile gloves they were using, we used my power cable for their generator. For interest, the process was simple, a generator runs a pump connected to a long metal nozzle and a filter, sucks up the diesel, filters it and runs it back into the tank. This is repeated as required. At the end of the cleaning (approx two hours) I was given three diesel samples from my tank, a sample pre-cleaning, a sample post-cleaning and one Tankbusters considered as minimal requirements for any diesel we put into the tank. I was advised strongly against taking fuel from any work narrowboats on the canal and informed I should take the "minimum requirement" sample to any refueling station from here on in and not to refuel if the diesel was dirtier than the sample. When it came to starting the engine up, the Tankbusters sprayed a little quick-start to get things moving. We helped pack the gear away I was given an invoice for the job (which I confess I did not pay close enough attention to - it was getting dark and I wanted to move the boat to out of sight of the bridge to moor overnight. We said goodbye with the understanding we would take care of payment the next day. The next day I looked at the invoice for the service, this amounted to £679.70 The original quote was £275 The extras had totaled £407.70 Water filters (£192) 1 micron filter bags (£68) Fuel additive (£24) All year fuel additive (£18) Generator (£12.50) Mileage had been added at 0.55p a mile. (£90.20) I called Bruce to discuss the invoice, he insisted that I has misheard the cost per mile for travel, I had written this down during the quote conversation and certainly would not have been happy with 0.55 a mile. I also communicated that I believed he had over charged me for an extra set of filters (£94) which had not been used and also that I believed he had misrepresented the final cost of the job when he had given me the quote. He told me the invoice was correct and that he cannot give a full quote at the time of quoting as he does not know the full extent of the job before arriving. Personally I think it would be an honest better practice to give the price of the filters and a general impression of the final cost. Also to give the correct price for mileage. The next day Bruce called and informed me the 4 water filters were added accidentally to the invoice and he would subtract them from the total. I requested an updated invoice to reflect this which I would pay. Bruce demanded I paid the full amount before sending the invoice and after a back and forth of text messages Bruce agreed to produce the invoice. I pressed the point for an invoice as by this time I was concerned at the amount of trust I should have and I wanted to cover myself in case something more were to happen. Bruce emailed the invoice through, a total of £583.70 (still a £308,70 difference) & I paid. On a personal note, I would consider that if the 'extras' for a job are to exceed the quoted price to this extent then an explanation of these costs of those extras should be explained at the time of the quote. The jovial demeanour and impression over the phone in my case certainly did not reflect this and was, in my opinion a calculated decision. Now I must stress that this was my personal experience and I have no experience with any of the Tankbusters team beyond Bruce. Obviously it goes without saying that you are free to make your own choices. My sincere hope is that my experience is useful to anyone who is looking to have their tank cleaned in the future. As a new boater (and as such in a vulnerable position) I certainly would have benefited from this information and I would have made a very different decision at the time. It is probably obvious that I had a disappointing experience here but I have tried to be as objective as possible so other boaters might benefit from the experience either way. Happy boating!

Hi All... Hope you are all well? Looking to buy my first narrowboat, it will be my partners 2nd. He had a Liverpool Boats, cruiser stern. We have been on a few holidays since he sold it in 2012, after a job offer in NZ, however that fell through. At the moment, after Covid-19 it is very much a sellers market at the moment, with very few good quality and cared for boats on the market. We have looked at the usual agency websites, such as Apollo Duck, and also contacted a number of Marina brokerages in the UK, as well as visited a few very nice craft in Leicestershire. Would anyone recommend any sites, or specific marinas with good craft at the moment? Specifically Semi Trad, or Trad. Thank you

Hi all! I am looking to buy a sail away and wondering if you lovely lot can offer some advice please. I want to work on my boat and create my own feel to my boat as I need specific elements due to being an artists and using it as my studio toobut don't know whether I should be doing this on land or moored? Has anyone else have any experience of this or know of anyone who has and how they went about it please? Kim

Just found out today that my BMC 1.5 could cost thousands to repair... The chap could only have a quick look at it, but there's a major knocking noise coming from somewhere and it will only operate at very low load. Very smokey, etc. He can't get to having a proper look at it until next month, but he reckons it could cost thousands to repair... With me not having thousands, I was wondering what my other options are? It might be considering getting hold of a replacement engine - so would I have to replace it with another BMC 1.5 or can something else go in? And where's a good place to get hold of a decent used engine at a reasonable price? Thank you, James

Hi everybody. Not sure if anyone remembers, but I posted a few months ago with reference to narrowboat door panel sizes (whether standard or not) - we are looking for head for the cut as the children get a little older, therefore don't have a boat as yet. I cut portraits and other items using scroll saw techniques, and would really love to re-create the 'Roses & Castles'. I have discovered that the traditional techniques are slowly dying out - which would undoubtedly be a tragic shame. I have started creating my own templates (as with my other work) and used a technique called Segmentation, to cut the image. I have used the standard Humbrol oils, although some of the mixed colours are not quite true to form. I would really like any comments or opinions, as this would surely help me to get this important traditional art form correct. I'd like to make it perfectly clear that this is not a sales pitch in any way - I'm experimenting in the early stages and here seems the perfect place to ask for advice. Contact details of anyone who's an authority on Roses & Castles would be perfect. Thank you for reading, and any comments are greatly appreciated. Kindest Regards, Nick.

I'm currently fitting out a 64ft narrowboat and have reached the point of fitting out the plumbing. I'm concentrating on the fresh water system, of which im adopting a very similar (if not identical) structure to C-Warm's schematic drawing...(see image link below) http://www.tnorrismarine.co.uk/images/cal1.JPG This system on paper looks pretty straight forward to me, I've sourced most of the parts yet connecting them together is a mystery to me. I'll be using push fit Hep2O which is relatively basic to fit, my concern lies more with installing the main components like the calorifier, water pump, accumulator tank, shower, valves etc... Has anyone installed a fresh water system and can guide me in the right direction? P.s - I'm very new to boating and unfamiliar with plumbing 'know how', hence theoretic or jargon related advice won't really help me, im much more apt at learning in a practical and visual method, I would be truly grateful if you could cater to that medium of information, regardless any help would be very much appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Hello fellow boaters ! We bought our boat last May, moved from Bristol to Newbury to 'pick it up'. We finally set off from Newbury in September, but.. sadly.. we got a rope wrapped around the propeller, and knackered the engine - within half an hour. We've been stranded in Newbury, having spent all of our existing cash on various other 'engineering issues'. Anyway, we're full time musicians, we street perform and gig around the UK - it's a sort of an alternative combination of soul/folk in the form of an acoustic duo.. guitar and vocals with accordion.. I blog regularly about our experiences. After everything, I massively look forward to getting on the move, living the real boat life, meeting all of you.. and playing our music wherever we go. If you want to follow the journey, or just even say Hi ! Check it all online Many thanks, have a fantastic 2014 ! Bex x www.facebook.com/rebeccacullenmusic www.rebeccacullen.co.uk (for the music and blog! It's all free, I promise )

Following the success of last years rally this event is to be repeated. Although there is limited space and additional boats cannot be accommodated within the basin itself there is significant mooring in the area and at Hawkesbury junction and members of the public are encouraged to take and active part in the event. Further more if you own a steam boat or know someone who does, I can only urge you to get in touch with myself or the organisers directly if you are able or interested in taking part with your boat or otherwise, The event is open to steam launches, dingies and canoes, as well as steam narrowboats. Previous years thread located here: http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=47817 Daniel

My parents are coming up to retirement, and are considering investing in a barge, because of the cost-effectiveness. What size would be best for two 60-somethings to buy in terms of feet?

Hi. I've just started a new blog about the Canals and the Nature that goes with them, but i'm struggling for avid readers, and thought that I should try to tailor the content more to what people want to see. So, if anyone could suggest good blogs about canals or anything that they think could help me out I would be ever so greatful. Cheers.

My Narrowboat is in need of a complete engine rewire (its a Perkins Diesel engine). I'm looking for recommendations for electricians to come out to my boat, moored near Camden Lock, and give a quote. We're new to the area and don't know who to trust (certainly not the buffoon that did the shoddy wiring in the first place). Any help is appreciated.

But, I'm moving back onto the cut after a 30 year gap. Something of a sudden decision, but aren't all the best ones like that? Get ready for all the daft questions...... Bye! John.

hi there, Im matthew and i am soon to begin a life on the river. Intitially i wiill be renting a permenant mooring on a 55ft narrowboat and intending to purchase my own boat and moorings sometime next year if everything goes according to plan so wish me luck! Having done rather alot of reseach the only obstacle i forsee is that of securing permenant residential moorings at good price as they do seem to cost alot. My question is as follows: Where should i look to find available moorings preferably within the midlands but not too far away from worcester? Any help will be greatly apprieciated Regards Matthew

Hi, I'm looking at buying a narrowboat, but its original engine - a keel cooled Yanmar 4TNE84 diesel engine - has packed in. Seems there was a problem with the coolant pipe, which caused damage probably to one or more of the pistons or the block, but maybe to something else - rebuilding it failed to fix the problem. Anyway, it's out of action and my engineer friend recommends scrapping it and replacing it. I'm new to boating (I thought about putting this in the New To Boating forum, but thought this probably made more sense) and wanted to get some advice on replacing an engine. What kind of money should I be expecting to pay to buy and install a decent engine in a 55' narrowboat? What kind of timescale would be sensible for getting a replacement and getting it fitted? What sort of trade-offs might I be making if I really wanted it replaced within a month, say? And can anyone recommend someone to fit it in Edinburgh or surrounds? Thanks a lot!

Mods - please allow this post - which is not a sale pitch - but some exciting and long awaited news. Thank you. CJB === Flower of Gloster - 2 x DVD release - Sept 2015 This is a very long awaited 'lost' t.v. series that started many folks on the long path to holidaying / living on the canals. The gods in their ivory towers must be listening ... http://networkonair.com/shop/2225-flower-of-gloster-the-the-complete-series-5027626436841.html "The first Granada Television series to be filmed in colour (though initially transmitted in black and white), this popular children's adventure featured a star who is 72 feet long and painted in cheerful shades of red and yellow! She is The Flower of Gloster, a converted canal barge which over the course of the series winds her way from Wales, through the inland waterways of England to the Pool of London at Tower Bridge. "When their boatyard owner father is taken ill, ten-year-old Michael, his twelve-year-old sister Elizabeth and elder brother Dick decide to deliver a narrow-boat to a buyer on his behalf. During their 220-mile trip, they make new friends but also encounter all kinds of danger and difficulties, played out against the changing pattern of the British countryside." CJB. ===

Hi, I've been living on my narrowboat for a couple of years now. Over this time our 42ft narrowboat hasn't left it's mooring very much. It doesn't seam natural that this wonderful boat hasn't seen much of the lovely countryside, so I've decided to plan a trip (not sure where yet!). I wanted to make sure we're in good shape before heading off on our epic adventure! I've got the interior sorted, new and spare pumps for everything inside, spare light bulb's etc. One thing I noticed the other day was we didn't have a seal for weed hatch (critical). What critical things would you check or advice getting checked before heading off? Any help and advice greatly appreciated! Thank you in advance!

Ditch bricks and mortar and buy a canal boat? It costs a fraction of a house but it's not all plain sailing ...? http://www.dailymail.co.uk/money/mortgageshome/article-3084373/Living-canal-boat-cost-fraction-bricks-mortar-s-not-plain-sailing.html

Hi I'm currently considering selling my existing 45ft cruiser narrow - investing in a new sailaway or a completed used boat or just getting an extension My boat would probs be worth about 24k I have about 5k saved up but would consider a loan if needed I need more space - an extra bedroom and more living and storage space - A significant change of circumstances - so I really do need to find a way Does anyone have any insights? Gone through the same thought process and decided on a particular option.... Maybe a recommendation for a boat builder that was really good, not misleading and extended their boat at a great price Thanks! Martin

Hi I moved onto my first boat a month ago, and today noticed water stains on some of the floor boards. The stains are above the area I think the water tank must be, so I think they are probably related. As I am pretty new to this I am now panicking with no idea what to do next - all advice gratefully received!