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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!

Evening, this boat has been out of the water for 24 hours. Wondering if these are normal rust patches or microbial/biological corrosion.

Good morning everyone, My partner and I have our 60ft narrow boat moored around Cambridge and she is in need of a survey and also needs to be blackened. Can anyone recommend somewhere we can take our girl around Cambridge or anywhere along the K&C canal (as we are thinking of heading that way in the coming months). Any advice/help would be greatly appreciated ✨

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!

So we are currently in the middle of buying a boat it has a sr3 3 lister With a lh-150 gear box but having issues with the starter moter it's a Lrs555 anti clockwise 11 teeth Tryed to get a new one but the studs holes are in different positions So I don't know if there's anyone That would know some one with a pre 1980s Lrs555 starter or someone that would recondition the old on any help would be greatly appreciated Thank you

Evening all, I need to find a surveyor to carry out a full narrowboat survey in the Cheshire area (Northwich). Any recommendations would be really appreciated. Thanks

Hi, My husband and I are considering a change in lifestyle. I have been a very keen narrowboat watcher for many years and have really longed to be on one to live on. My first home was a caravan when I was very little so small spaces is not a problem for, nor is being in the great outdoors, in fact I enjoy it. However, as my husband is now in the process of retiring and I run my business remotely we have decided that a change in lifestyle is in order. We are looking for something to live on, perferably not too big, just about 50 feet or so. This is what I think would be ample size for two of us to live on. But I know that there is so many different kinds of narrowboats out there it is hard to make a start of which could be the best design for living aboard. I really would appreciate some help of what is considered the most comfortable design. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog.

Hi, I'm in the process of buying my first narrowboat to live aboard. It was surveyed today and I've just received a quick update from the surveyor saying there's some pitting on the hull that needs spot welding. I'll receive the full survey report in the next couple of days. The boat is 16 years old and is for sale for just over 50k. Is pitting that requires spot welding a serious problem? Thanks in advance.

Hi, I'm buying a used narrowboat, ABC are the brokerage. Are there any searches/checks I can do to check for any outstanding debts/finance secured against the boat from the previous owner? Thanks

Hi, sorry if this is a stupid question. I viewed a boat for sale today and looking through the file I noticed it was originally built in 2007 with a bow thruster tube. In 2014 the owner decided they weren't going to use the bow thruster tube and because it caused condensation on the boat, and made access to shut off taps difficult they had the tube removed and 2 plates were welded to the hull openings. Will the extra plates that were welded on be a vulnerability or have any negative effects on the hull? Thanks

Hi, below are photos of pitting discovered on a hull survey on a 57 ft narrowboat built in 2007. The survey report says there is a small amount of deep pitting on the side plates and some other pitting measuring upto 0.9mm, and the deep pits require back filling with weld. The photos are of both the deep and upto 0.9mm pitting after the hull has been jet sprayed. The hull readings taken are all ok and there's only been minor diminution of plate thickness. I'm trying to get opinions on the severity of the pitting if possible based on the photos. Unfortunately it won't let me upload the individual photos because they're above the maximum allowed size limit so I've had to take a screenshot of all 14 images. Not sure if they will be clear enough. Thanks.

Hi, I'm in the process of buying my first narrowboat to live aboard and have viewed a really nice boat. My only concern with the boat is the engine running hours as it's an ex hire boat. The engine is a Beta 35 with almost 12,000 hours, it was serviced a year ago and had new filters and belts but that's the only engine history I can get at the moment. Should this be a concern or is 12,000 hours not to much of a problem if the engine starts and runs well? Thanks

Hi, roughly how wide should a sacrificial chine be? Does the attached photo look okay or a bit worn? It's a Liverpool Narrowboat boat! Thanks

Hello! Is it straight forward to replace / install a new starter battery to a narrowboat? How do I find out which battery to buy and is there a specific procedure to follow when it comes to removing the old one and fitting the new replacement? Thanks

Hello, I'm looking for advice. I'm laying a new floor throughout my 57 ft NB. I’ve just ripped up all my floor so I can lay a new one, I’m down to my subfloor which looks in pretty good condition. I’m going for an engineered, tongue and groove, parquet in a herringbone pattern (sample in pic). The manufacturer recommends gluing it down with a flexible glue. I don’t want to glue it directly onto my subfloor because if it ever needs ripping up for an emergency or otherwise, that would mean destroying both the finished floor AND the subfloor and that’s would be a real nightmare. So, I’m thinking to put down a second subfloor - a thinner layer of marine ply to glue my finished floor onto. Should I put a layer of insulation or something between the 2 subfloors? If so what? When I ripped up my floor there was insulation between the layers and I noticed there was moisture trapped between so I’m unsure it’s a good idea. The floor I ripped up had out of use underfloor heating + t&g + insulation + laminate on top though so it was a bit of mess. Maybe just a thin layer of insulation would be good? Tia

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/

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

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 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... 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

Hi all, Forgive me if this question sound stupid. I'm very new to boating but I absolutely love the UK's narrowboats! I however live in Belgium. Would it be possible to use a narrowboat on Belgian canals? Would that also include the more rougher one's with freight traffic such as the "Schelde"? Thanks in advance, ETVL

Hello! I was wondering if there was some kind of "bible" on all one needs to know to renovate a narrowboat from top to bottom? Would love a cohesive text, like an encyclopedia of troubleshooting etc etc I have a feeling I'm going to need to buy these piece meal!