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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!

Hi all, my 60A alternator has given up and I need a replacement/ repair job done. I've tried to take the alternator to car parts dealers recently, but no luck. The serial number on the unit has worn away, but the engine is a Beta four-cylinder keel cooled diesel engine. Any ideas of where to go to get a replacement, or if it can be assessed for repair?

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 All, I am looking at possibly purchasing a boat from a friend. I am aware of most of the things I need to be considering in regard to this (safety certificates, hull blacking, etc) but one thing I am concerned about is the size of it's outboard motor. It is a 27' Springer narrowboat and is powered by an 8hp Honda outboard. It is currently only used on short stretches of the Rivers Ure, and Ouse north of York. The engine is felt satisfactory for this, but not for trips South of York. Can anybody provide me with any thoughts regarding this please. In general I might have preferred in-board engine but I have good reasons for considering this boat. Many thanks, Izzy

Hi all, we have a 50ft Mindon narrowboat and am keen to learn a bit more about the builders. As i understand Mindon started around 1972 and went out of business on the early 90s. Keen to know a little bit more. We have a mindon by tbe name of Ptarmigan. Look forward to any comments. Thanks Martin

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

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 )

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.

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.

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?

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. 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.

Hi. I've recently started a new blog on wordpress.com and have had great success with it. I've had around 200 views in the first few days of the blog, but am now struggling for material to write about. The blog is called Canal Works and Nature, the URL is - http://www.canalworksnature.wordpress.com . I would be ever so greatful if anyone could give me a few ideas on what to write about, or any opinions on the stuff I have already began. Cheers

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 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!

Looking for a bit of advice...I’m looking at buying a narrowboat which comes at a good price, however the survey recommends gritblasting and painting the baseplate, because apparently it is thinner than usual and has ‘widespread pitting’ There seems to be two schools of thought when it comes to baseplate maintenance from what little research I’ve done, ie painting or leaving as is because of thickness/lack of oxygen etc. I would prefer not to have to blast and paint it if I didn’t have to because of the expense. Here’s an excerpt from the survey for more details.... ‘The base plate had a nominal thickness of 8mm, but point thickness measurements indicated some diminution. The majority of readings were above 7mm, the lowest reading being 6.1mm. Widespread pitting, not uncommon on narrowboat base plates, was widespread, resulting in shallow craters with an estimated depth of 0.5 – 1mm, but no loss of structural strength was detected with hammer testing. 1. Given the comparatively thin base plate, grit blasting and applying a protective paint coating would greatly reduce the chance of serious diminution in the future. However, boatyards are reluctant to take on this work due to the limited access beneath the hull.

I bought a canal boat about six months go, it is a 50ft rose cruiser stern canal boat, ex hire and has been extremely neglected over the years. Previously has been over plated. It has been surveyed and the surveyors are extremely happy with the thickness of the steel. Have had welding done, and have put a lot of love and energy into restoring this boat into a live aboard. Really need some help and advice to help me get to the finish line on this project. Whilst Grinding out and de-rusting my bilges inside the cabin of the boat i exposed two small holes of the old steel. Unfortunately the boat was flooded whilst in dry dock lol, and the hulls must have filled with water and now there is water trapped in-between the plates of steel on both the starboard and port sides plus the bottom. The boat is now on hardstanding, out of water but there is still water coming into the cab. When I jump up and down inside the boat I can hear the water sloshing around. The water has not been in there more than two months, but I am worried this may cause serious problems. Is this is a case of drilling into the gap and extracting the water or worse case scenario over plating again. Any help would be greatly appreciated, Thank you in advance, T.

When would you think the first narrowboat specifically designed for leisure use was built? Previous to buying Malaya I would would have thought maybe the 1960s or 70s. Before that, most leisure use on the canals seems to have been with converted working boats, as indeed was Tom Rolt's Cressy in the 1940s which really popularised canal cruising. Malaya though was launched in May 1926 and designed at the outset as a leisure narrowboat with a beam of 6' 9" and 40' in length, three cabins able to take a family of up to six, and a toilet and small galley. Waterways World latest issue (October) has my article about Malaya's history which readers of this group might, I thought, be interested in reading? Enjoy.

as some of you might remember we bought a boat that needed a bit of work. Well when we looked under the sink it had two of those mould preventer type containers- full up. The sink smelt like mould. So I pulled out the shelves and found a puddle of water under the shower gulper. (I quickly put the shelves back down and buried my head in the canal sand) (Just kidding) ​ I can't see where the water is leaking from. But I know some things. It doesn't appear to be the pipe going to the outside. It does not appear to be the pipes going to the taps. And it does not look like the pipe attaching to the gulper. But somehow there is water under it. When showering under the sink fills up with clean water- not soapy. So I thought maybe the water was leaking through the tiles. I filled only the basin of the shower and it still leaked, thus ruling out tiles. So I tried to take the basin out. WOW. So I ended up removing the bottom layer of tiles- not easy but the shower still wouldn't budge. I unscrewed the plug- then it occurred to me- could the shower be leaking through the plug- it is only a flimsy black bit of plastic on the other side of the hole? So that's where I'm at at the moment. An unusable shower and the thought that it is worth just siliconing the plug to stop leaks around the edges and seeing if that stops the leak. Any other suggestions, or this happened to anyone else? thanks Anna PS On the plus side we've used the marina showers now and they are quite nice.

Hi all, For a while I've been toying with the idea of buying a narrowboat to continuously cruise along the London Canals, for a few weeks or so I've been doing a fair bit of research but for some areas I still haven't found the answers I'm looking for so thought I'd turn to you guys to see if you can help me out at all! Apologies in advance if some areas have been discussed already and also, if any of the questions sound silly... I really am a complete newbie to this... 1. As I mention - I'll be CC along the Canals in London, so have been researching what distance as I need to travel each week, obviously don't want to take the mick and want to stay on the right side of Canal and River Trust. However, their website isn't totally clear on how far - all I can see is that in a years licence, 15-20miles is expected, which seems more than fine. But how far is the minimum? Just for an example, say I started in Little Venice and was travelling East, how far would I need to travel to satisfy the Canal and River Trust for say one weekend I didn't want to travel 'that' far? 2. Which brings me on to my next point - as I read, each 14 days would be the time I top up water, which would top up my batteries (as I'm moving) and usually empty the loos out. May seem like a silly question but are these water points at regular intervals? Similarly, to electric points? (if I needed it half way) Also, are loo-emptying-places at regular intervals also? 3. Again, brings me on to my next point of water storage tanks and electricity batteries... my budget is around 25k and aiming for around a 40ft-er trad steel narrowboat so from what I've seen, many don't have a tank or seems quite small. If so, can this be retrofitted and to what cost? I understand becoming more frugal is all part and parcel of it (which I'm excited about) but for say a 10/15minute shower a day - what sort of tank should I be looking at to tide me over for two weeks? However, I guess this would hinge on question number two! In terms of electricity, I don't watch a lot of TV but would like to charge my phone, listen to music, have lights! Where should I even start with what to look for to tide me over 2 weeks again? 4. I guess this question is more to the nitty-gritty when I view but what are the main tips/points you'd recommend to look out for a bad conditioned narrowboat? Is there such a thing? Don't mind buying something that requires a bit of modernisation but in terms of 'behind the scene' stuff, what do I look for when looking at an engine? At the electric board? Heating system? Or should this all be taking care of at survey stage? Anyway, I think that's probably enough for now on my first post. I really would appreciate any tips/answers - no matter how big or small! Really excited to be buying - just need to get my head around it all first!! Speak soon, Nat

Ok, first of all, be gentle we have had a bit of a shock. Moored up fine on our first night. Lazy start to the next morning. Wife turned the key and then engine made an odd noise, then smoke escaped from the exhaust hole and we shut her down- though she wouldn't initially turn off. The smoke smelt electrical right away and was later confirmed to be electrical. We called the RCR and it was unfixable- even if he had all the parts (alternator, starter motor) he would have run into difficulties as we later discovered that the wiring was burnt and the ignition switch unusable. As you can imagine we are quite shaken up by this and not a little sad. We were also on a public holiday, so unable to get help till four days later. We were fully stocked though and optimistically managed to have a great time moored up on the tow path watching the boats go by. So, that's our story so far. How common is this? xx Anna

I am looking for some advice one a less than perfect situation. I spent my summer doing up a narrowboat that I now live on as a continuous cruiser, however the Stove now seems to be giving me grief in making my Asthma unbearable and I have recently been travelling back to my parents just to breath. There seems to be really differing schools of thought on this, but I seem to have a theory of what may be happening. My stove seems to have a decent draw (bare in mind I have nothing to compare this to as it's my first stove) but As the flue Pipe I have used is vitreous enamel and barely a mm thick I wondered whether as I shut it down for the night, after sometime (in the early hours I pressume) the flue may be cooling due to it's lack of thickness and letting some of the gases drop and enter the room via the tiny gaps in the vents. The chap at my local chandlery is really helpful and believes that if it's not setting any of my co2 alarms off then it's probably nothing to worry about and is not convinced that changing my flue will work but suggested changing coal instead. He also handed me a smoke test match to test for any leaks but I think this is unlikely as I sealed everything as best I could. In another local stove shop the bloke at the desk practically threw a catalogue in my face and said 'nothing less than this £800 double insulated flue would do', I left as briskly as I entered. If anyone has any experience of breathing troubles or flue pipe tekkers and knowledge I would really like to hear it as I desperately want to stay on my boat. thanks, Pete