Essentials

[MrsA]

Hi All, 

 

This is my first time posting, so please be kind.

 

We are hopefully purchasing our first narrowboat. (subject to survey)

 

We have had a share in a narrowboat for about 4 years and volunteer on the canal, so not complete newbies.

 

The boat we are buying is coming with nothing.... so can we ask if there is anything random I should have on my list that we may not have thought of ??

 

Don't worry we have the bottle opener ?

 

Thanks in advance 

 

Edited June 21, 2021 by MrsA

[matty40s]

17 minutes ago, MrsA said:

 

 

Don't worry we have the bottle opener ?

 

Thanks in advance 

 

Beer and wine.

[David Mack]

There's a couple of previous threads on here somewhere where folk have listed out all the usual stuff (ropes, windlasses, mooring pins, CRT key etc etc.) but as shareboaters you probably know about all that sort of thing. 

The one thing I would get though is a magnet on a rope for retrieving windlasses, keys and other things that find their way into the water. And no need to pay chandlers' prices for a sea searcher, cheap strong neodymium magnets are available on Ebay.

Edited June 21, 2021 by David Mack

[ditchcrawler]

Also put your mobile phone number on all your bunches of keys, I have engraved dog tags on each ring. That way you may get them back when you drop or leave them in a water point

[Idle Days]

Welcome to the forum MrsA.

 

Perhaps another bank loan to cover the purchase of all those things you don't yet know you need?  

[doratheexplorer]

a couple of windlasses with big and small holes

at least 2 mooring pins

at least 2 mooring chains/nappy pins

Lump hammer for the mooring pins

Good magnet

Headtorch

Stern gland grease

3 decent lines (ropes)

2 x anti vandal keys

2 x BWB keys

Hose pipe with screw on attachment

If you have a cassette toilet, at least 2 cassettes

Bottle of elsan blue or something which will do that job

Nicholsons/Pearsons guides

Boathook, bargepole

2 x propane cylinders

You may need a 240v hook-up lead

 

[system 4-50]

As previously published:

Boating Perquisites - Version 3,429.5b

 

1. Alarm, crew summoning ding-dong
2. Anchor with associated chain and rope.
3. Antifreeze
4. Anti-vandal key & spare
5. Armco hooks (like nappy pins but simpler)
6. Baby wipes - loads
7. Basic toolkit
8. Batteries for LED torches & spares
9. Beer
10. Beer money
11. Binoculars for seeing what is happening on the lock ahead
12. Bio washing liquid for use in Dump Throughs - where applicable
13. Bread knife
14. Boat hook
15. Boat license stickers
16. Boat sudden evacuation grab bag
17. Bottle opener
18. BSS stuff
19. Bucket
20. Burgee (optional)
21. BW key & spare
22. Camera 
23. Carbon Monoxide alarm [CO Alarm]
24. Cat o' nine tails to keep the crew in order (& some soft rope)
25. Chair
26. Chocolate biscuits - loads
27. Clock (for tunnels)
28. Clothes & footwear & spares (note all may be needed in a single day)
    1. For cold weather
    2. For wet weather
    3. For warm weather
    4. For hot weather
29. Cash - loads
30. Coffee
31. Compass
32. Cooking Stove & fuel for it
33. Corkscrew
34. Cup-a-soups
35. Cutters for use in weed hatch
36. Depth/draft gauge
37. Diesel
38. Dipstick for diesel tank
39. Dogs - minimum 2 max ~ 12 
40. Duvet - Tog dependent on boat heating system (or lack of) 
41. Electric Blanket 
42. Emergencies Action Plan 
43. Fan belt(s) - spare
44. Fenders (for sleeping) - various , to taste
45. Firelighters, box of, & spare
46. First aid kit
47. Floats for keys
48. Fuses, spare
49. Gang plank (for mutinous crew)
50. Gas bottle spanner (must be reverse thread)
51. Gas lighter thingy for lighting stove zip lighter blocks 
52. Glasses (optical) as needed & spares
53. Gloves, nitrile, for dealing with weed hatch material which can be sharp.
54. Goat chains 2
55. Grease - stern gland 
56. Guides - eg Pearson's, Nicholson's, Waterscape
57. Hammers 2 - sledge/lump 
58. Headlamp & spare bulbs
59. Heating system & fuel for it
60. Horn
61. Indoor games kit (for prolonged bad weather, contents according to taste)
62. Jubilee clips, Stainless Steel, spare, in a range of sizes
63. Jump lead - used on your domestic batteries if for some reason your starter battery dies
64. Jump rope - rope with loop at 1 end & nappy pin at the other. For quick securing to Armco.
65. Kart tyres on a few metres of rope as fenders (For Shroppie 15" - 17")
66. Kettle
67. "Keys", eg  for
    1. water filler
    2. toilet pump out
    3. diesel filler
68. Keys to everything & 2nd spare set (with keys individually identifiable)
69. Leatherman/Swiss army knife
70. Lifejackets (primarily for rivers)
71. Lock key longthrow with roller handle & spare
72. Lock key shortthrow with roller handle & spare
73. Loupe & tweezers for splinters
74. Machete, for quick release of trapped ropes
75. Magnet with string already attached or on rod
76. Maps
77. Mirror
78. Mobile phone & charging system
79. Nappy pins 4
80. Nappies, disposable, for engine bilge cleaning
81. Nail scissors 
82. Oil, spare, engine 
83. Optimism - large size
84. Padlocks - spare
85. Paper & pencil
86. Pins 4 (2 extra long)
87. Pole, barge (Must be comfortable with spending long periods of time on the roof)
88. Quaker's Porridge Oats - for use as a temporary adhesive/sealant only
89. RCR membership or similar (where appropriate)
90. Ropes, at least 3 (bow, stern, centre) but 4 (2x centre) makes life easier for some
91. Sacks, plastic, black, for the storage of all manner of thing including Smokeless Fuel & Rubbish
92. Salt (pinch of) for treating expert advice & traditional wisdom
93. Saw 
94. Scaffolding pole, 8ft, preferably heavy gauge aluminium
95. Scissors
96. Slippers
97. Sponge 
98. Stationary wallet, plastic, to keep paper stuff dry.
99. Sticky Tape - sellotape, duct tape, easy-off tape, double-sided tape. 
100. Sun glasses & spare
101. Sun hat & spare
102. Tea
103. Thermos flask
104. Tiller bar and pin (& padlock, depending on neighbourhood)
105. Tin opener
106. Tinned food - loads (for emergency use)
107. Tissue - loads
108. Toilet paper - loads
109. Torches (LED) & spare
110. Towel (for travelling around the Galaxy)
111. Two-it (must be round) 
112. Umbrellas - 1 large 1 small 
113. VHF radio & certificate
114. Vinegar for chips and wasp stings
115. Walkie-talkies, pair
116. Water
117. Waterscape Boaters Guide - print
118. Water hose & adapters (2)
119. Wellies (aka Wellington Boots)
120. Wire - spare, electrical
121. Wok plus two large wooden spoons (ramming speed)
122. Working toilet with more than adequate capacity
123. Zip ties
124. Zip (or other) fire lighter blocks 

[Alan de Enfield]

55 minutes ago, system 4-50 said:

As previously published:

Boating Perquisites - Version 3,429.5b

 

1. Alarm, crew summoning ding-dong
2. Anchor with associated chain and rope.
3. Antifreeze
4. Anti-vandal key & spare
5. Armco hooks (like nappy pins but simpler)
6. Baby wipes - loads
7. Basic toolkit
8. Batteries for LED torches & spares
9. Beer
10. Beer money
11. Binoculars for seeing what is happening on the lock ahead
12. Bio washing liquid for use in Dump Throughs - where applicable
13. Bread knife
14. Boat hook
15. Boat license stickers
16. Boat sudden evacuation grab bag
17. Bottle opener
18. BSS stuff
19. Bucket
20. Burgee (optional)
21. BW key & spare
22. Camera 
23. Carbon Monoxide alarm [CO Alarm]
24. Cat o' nine tails to keep the crew in order (& some soft rope)
25. Chair
26. Chocolate biscuits - loads
27. Clock (for tunnels)
28. Clothes & footwear & spares (note all may be needed in a single day)
    1. For cold weather
    2. For wet weather
    3. For warm weather
    4. For hot weather
29. Cash - loads
30. Coffee
31. Compass
32. Cooking Stove & fuel for it
33. Corkscrew
34. Cup-a-soups
35. Cutters for use in weed hatch
36. Depth/draft gauge
37. Diesel
38. Dipstick for diesel tank
39. Dogs - minimum 2 max ~ 12 
40. Duvet - Tog dependent on boat heating system (or lack of) 
41. Electric Blanket 
42. Emergencies Action Plan 
43. Fan belt(s) - spare
44. Fenders (for sleeping) - various , to taste
45. Firelighters, box of, & spare
46. First aid kit
47. Floats for keys
48. Fuses, spare
49. Gang plank (for mutinous crew)
50. Gas bottle spanner (must be reverse thread)
51. Gas lighter thingy for lighting stove zip lighter blocks 
52. Glasses (optical) as needed & spares
53. Gloves, nitrile, for dealing with weed hatch material which can be sharp.
54. Goat chains 2
55. Grease - stern gland 
56. Guides - eg Pearson's, Nicholson's, Waterscape
57. Hammers 2 - sledge/lump 
58. Headlamp & spare bulbs
59. Heating system & fuel for it
60. Horn
61. Indoor games kit (for prolonged bad weather, contents according to taste)
62. Jubilee clips, Stainless Steel, spare, in a range of sizes
63. Jump lead - used on your domestic batteries if for some reason your starter battery dies
64. Jump rope - rope with loop at 1 end & nappy pin at the other. For quick securing to Armco.
65. Kart tyres on a few metres of rope as fenders (For Shroppie 15" - 17")
66. Kettle
67. "Keys", eg  for
    1. water filler
    2. toilet pump out
    3. diesel filler
68. Keys to everything & 2nd spare set (with keys individually identifiable)
69. Leatherman/Swiss army knife
70. Lifejackets (primarily for rivers)
71. Lock key longthrow with roller handle & spare
72. Lock key shortthrow with roller handle & spare
73. Loupe & tweezers for splinters
74. Machete, for quick release of trapped ropes
75. Magnet with string already attached or on rod
76. Maps
77. Mirror
78. Mobile phone & charging system
79. Nappy pins 4
80. Nappies, disposable, for engine bilge cleaning
81. Nail scissors 
82. Oil, spare, engine 
83. Optimism - large size
84. Padlocks - spare
85. Paper & pencil
86. Pins 4 (2 extra long)
87. Pole, barge (Must be comfortable with spending long periods of time on the roof)
88. Quaker's Porridge Oats - for use as a temporary adhesive/sealant only
89. RCR membership or similar (where appropriate)
90. Ropes, at least 3 (bow, stern, centre) but 4 (2x centre) makes life easier for some
91. Sacks, plastic, black, for the storage of all manner of thing including Smokeless Fuel & Rubbish
92. Salt (pinch of) for treating expert advice & traditional wisdom
93. Saw 
94. Scaffolding pole, 8ft, preferably heavy gauge aluminium
95. Scissors
96. Slippers
97. Sponge 
98. Stationary wallet, plastic, to keep paper stuff dry.
99. Sticky Tape - sellotape, duct tape, easy-off tape, double-sided tape. 
100. Sun glasses & spare
101. Sun hat & spare
102. Tea
103. Thermos flask
104. Tiller bar and pin (& padlock, depending on neighbourhood)
105. Tin opener
106. Tinned food - loads (for emergency use)
107. Tissue - loads
108. Toilet paper - loads
109. Torches (LED) & spare
110. Towel (for travelling around the Galaxy)
111. Two-it (must be round) 
112. Umbrellas - 1 large 1 small 
113. VHF radio & certificate
114. Vinegar for chips and wasp stings
115. Walkie-talkies, pair
116. Water
117. Waterscape Boaters Guide - print
118. Water hose & adapters (2)
119. Wellies (aka Wellington Boots)
120. Wire - spare, electrical
121. Wok plus two large wooden spoons (ramming speed)
122. Working toilet with more than adequate capacity
123. Zip ties
124. Zip (or other) fire lighter blocks 

 

 

 

125) Spare boat (as a 'trailer') to carry it all in.

[Bee]

A sense of humour....

[Opener]

On 22/06/2021 at 09:21, doratheexplorer said:

a couple of windlasses with big and small holes

at least 2 mooring pins

at least 2 mooring chains/nappy pins

Lump hammer for the mooring pins

Good magnet

Headtorch

Stern gland grease

3 decent lines (ropes)

2 x anti vandal keys

2 x BWB keys

Hose pipe with screw on attachment

If you have a cassette toilet, at least 2 cassettes

Bottle of elsan blue or something which will do that job

Nicholsons/Pearsons guides

Boathook, bargepole

2 x propane cylinders

You may need a 240v hook-up lead

 

Once you have your Nicholson's guide(s), pop along to one of those low cost stationery shops and look out for a translucent plastic box. I have one, embossed as 'Keyway' - it holds one guide open flat at the page you are travelling on, protects from torrential rain, prevents pages blowing over in the gale and you can read all about what you are about to hit.

[blackrose]

126) Spare underpants