Bare minimum equipment.

[David Mack]

6 hours ago, MartynG said:

What law is that please ?

BRITISH WATERWAYS BOARD

GENERAL CANAL

BYE-LAWS

1965

6. Every vessel navigated on any canal shall have ready for immediate use proper fenders of suitable material and in good condition and the master of such vessel shall use such fenders whenever there is a risk of the vessel striking against any other vessel or against any wall, lockgate, bridge or other thing.

[Momac]

1 hour ago, David Mack said:

BRITISH WATERWAYS BOARD

GENERAL CANAL

BYE-LAWS

1965

6. Every vessel navigated on any canal shall have ready for immediate use proper fenders of suitable material and in good condition and the master of such vessel shall use such fenders whenever there is a risk of the vessel striking against any other vessel or against any wall, lockgate, bridge or other thing.

Yes that's been established some hours ago.

it was the front and back requirement claimed by another poster  that I did not understand 

The bylaw doesn't specify fenders front and back.

 

 

[tree monkey]

15 hours ago, MartynG said:

What law is that please ?

I can't say I have ever owned or used gaffer tape in my life 

What do you use it for on a boat ?

Loads of stuff that needs tapeing up

I've also used it to act as a temp repair to a split radiator hose (on a mini though), it got me home and to the spares shop and back again and even then wasn't leaking 

 

Edited September 21, 2023 by tree monkey

[Sea Dog]

2 hours ago, tree monkey said:

Loads of stuff that needs tapeing up

I've also used it to act as a temp repair to a split radiator hose (on a mini though), it got me home and to the spares shop and back again and even then wasn't leaking 

 

I carry self amalgamating tape for that (and other jobs).

[magnetman]

Self algamating tape as the man in my local hardware on East London calls it. 

 

Brilliant stuff.

 

 

 

 

A kettle is important if you have a gas cooker. 

 

It sounds silly but trying to find a normal kettle is quite difficult. I once had to do this on a boat with no kettle and ended up in Hellfrauds of all places buying a camping kettle. 

 

Lots of shops only sell electric kettles these days. 

[robtheplod]

19 hours ago, David Mack said:

The official name is a 'Watermate key".

Again ebay cheapies can vary in quality, and may get stuck in a lock. Then you either have to wait for CRT to come out and sort it, or you leave it behind, meaning the paddle or swing or lift bridge is not locked, and you have no key for the next one.

i got told off by a vlockie for calling it vandal key... he said 'we like 'water preservation key'...... i asked was that to stop the vandals?  he just walked away...

Morse cables

[Momac]

4 minutes ago, magnetman said:

Lots of shops only sell electric kettles these days. 

But maybe you are looking in the wrong shops.

Google finds loads of options eg  B&Q, Duenlm, Asda , John Lewis,

 

At home we changed to an electric  kettle this year after years using the a stove top kettle on the gas hob. I thought it would save a few bob in energy cost but have noticed no change in total energy bills.

 

[magnetman]

B&Q was the first place I went as I was in Hemel Hempstead. No hob kettles. 

 

Don't think there was a John Lewis but went to places like currys and supermarkets nothing. Hellfrauds had a camping kettle. 

 

Never been in a Dunelm I thought that was a bedding shop. 

 

 

You might find the Google search comes up with home delivery items rather than things routinely kept in stock. 

[Jen-in-Wellies]

2 hours ago, magnetman said:

Lots of shops only sell electric kettles these days. 

Look for things sold as camping kettles. Replaced one after around 15 years use. Got a red one from The Range, as red kettles boil faster! 😀

We haven't gone off topic. The equipment to brew up on board is essential.

[system 4-50]

The bare minimum:

Alarm, crew summoning ding-dong

Anchor with associated chain and rope.

Antifreeze

Anti-vandal key & spare

Baby wipes - loads

Barge pole

Basic toolkit

Batteries for LED torches & spares

Beer

Beer money

Binoculars for seeing what is happening on the lock ahead

Bread knife

Boat hook

Boat license stickers

Bottle opener

BSS stuff

Bucket

Burgee (optional)

BW key & spare

Camera 

Cat o' nine tails to keep the crew in order (& some soft rope)

Chair

Chocolate biscuits - loads

Clock (for tunnels)

Clothes & footwear & spares (note all may be needed in a single day)

For cold weather

For wet weather

For warm weather

For hot weather

Coffee

Compass

Cooking Stove & fuel for it

Corkscrew

Cup-a-soups

Cutters for use in weed hatch

Depth/draft gauge

Diesel

Dipstick for diesel tank

Fan belt(s) - spare

Fenders (for sleeping) - various , to taste

Firelighters, box of, & spare

First aid kit

Floats for keys

Fuses, spare

Gang plank

Gas bottle spanner (must be reverse thread)

Glasses (optical) as needed & spares

Gloves, nitrile, for dealing with weed hatch material which can be sharp.

Grease - stern gland 

Guides - eg Pearson's, Nicholson's, Waterscape

Hammers 2

Headlamp & spare bulbs

Heating system & fuel for it

Horn

Jubilee clips, spare, in a range of sizes

Jump lead - used on your domestic batteries if for some reason your starter battery dies

Kart tyres on a few metres of rope as fenders

Kettle

"Keys" for eg

water filler

toilet pump out

diesel filler

Keys to everything & 2nd spare set (with keys individually identifiable)

Leatherman/Swiss army knife

Lifejackets (primarily for rivers)

Lock key longthrow with roller handle & spare

Lock key shortthrow with roller handle & spare

Loupe & tweezers for splinters

Magnet with string already attached.

Maps

Mirror

Mobile phone & charging system

Nappy pins 4

Oil, spare, engine 

Optimism - large size

Padlocks - spare

Paper & pencil

Pins 4 (2 extra long)

Radio (for weather forecast)

RCR membership or similar

Ropes, at least 3 (bow, stern, centre) but 4 (2x centre) makes life easier for some

Salt (pinch of)

Saw 

Scaffolding pole, 8ft, preferably heavy gauge aluminium

Scissors

Slippers

Sponge 

Stationary wallet, plastic, to keep paper stuff dry.

Sun glasses & spare

Sun hat & spare

Tea

Thermos flask

Tiller bar and pin

Tin opener

Tinned food - loads (for emergency use)

Tissue - loads

Toilet paper - loads

Torches (LED) & spare

Towel (for travelling the Galaxy)

VHF radio & certificate

Vinegar for chips and wasp stings

Walkie-talkies, pair

Water

Waterscape Boaters Guide - print

Water hose

Wellies (aka Wellington Boots)

Wire - spare, electrical

Wok plus two large wooden spoons

Working toilet with more than adequate capacity

Zip ties

 

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

3 minutes ago, system 4-50 said:

Walkie-talkies, pair

they’ll just need one if single handed,

the second can be a spare 👍

 

[Sea Dog]

3 hours ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

We haven't gone off topic. The equipment to brew up on board is essential.

In that case, we have a rather posh LeCreuset stove top whistling kettle. 1.1 litres, all hob types (including induction for those with wide beams ). Cost (iirc) about 14 quid from TKMaxx - 10 years later it's still good as new.

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

anything Le Creuset is a good investment 

[magnetman]

40 minutes ago, Goliath said:

they’ll just need one if single handed,

the second can be a spare 👍

 

 

They are one-way communication devices using radio waves. Not like a mobile phone so if you want to talk to yourself you have to have two of them. 

 

 

6 minutes ago, Goliath said:

anything Le Creuset is a good investment 

 

Occasionally the lovely orange things turn up in cheery tea shops. Always good although I have chipped the enamel before now. 

 

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

4 minutes ago, magnetman said:

 

They are one-way communication devices using radio waves. Not like a mobile phone so if you want to talk to yourself you have to have two of them. 

 

 

I often argue with myself with out the need for either. 
 

Edited September 21, 2023 by Goliath

[Sea Dog]

27 minutes ago, Goliath said:

anything Le Creuset is a good investment 

I'll give you first refusal when it's time to hang up our windlasses...  

[agg221]

Given that you are planning to run an old engine, you might find a tube of Wellseal to be a good investment. It will deal with leaking gaskets until you can replace them - water, oil and diesel.

 

Alec

[truckcab79]

16 minutes ago, agg221 said:

Given that you are planning to run an old engine, you might find a tube of Wellseal to be a good investment. It will deal with leaking gaskets until you can replace them - water, oil and diesel.

 

Alec

Good call.  Not used wellseal before though K-seal always has fantastic reviews.