CRT, or probably BW, introduced this ridiculous requirement of including fenders in the length of the boat when they discovered that boats were not fitting into their advertised lengths of bankside mooring.  IMHO it would have been better to allow for fenders and small fire breaks in the total length available for mooring at each site.  This approach would only have to be done once and is something they control.  I doubt most boaters are even aware of the requirement.

The measurement, length over all, is quite normal in lumpy boat marinas, My boar is 9.3m over deck, but 11.2m over all, as the rudder protrudes at the stern, and a bowsprit at the bow. I have to pay for fresh air. 😞 If you leave your anchor hanging out, they will measure outside of that.

One narrowboat owner thought he was cheated, when they measured his boat outside the bow fender, "Had I known I would have taken it off."

It is just the way it's done.

Allen, probably has to pay 1½ x length, for his two hulled boat.

5 minutes ago, Peanut said:

One narrowboat owner thought he was cheated, when they measured his boat outside the bow fender, "Had I known I would have taken it off."

 

Indeed, and this wouldn have been fine. The rule requiring a bow fender only requires it to be "available for immediate use" (or words to that effect), not fitted all the time when cruising. 

 

But if fitted all the time, must be licensed and paid for! 

 

 

11 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

Indeed, and this wouldn have been fine. The rule requiring a bow fender only requires it to be "available for immediate use" (or words to that effect), not fitted all the time when cruising. 

 

But if fitted all the time, must be licensed and paid for! 

 

 

I wonder what that bit on Tycho costs per year , remember licence length is in bands so in some cases it would make no difference to the coast 

9 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

I wonder what that bit on Tycho costs per year , remember licence length is in bands so in some cases it would make no difference to the coast 

 

I agree, I can't imagine CRT ever having any jurisdiction over the coast.   

 

But I take your point. ISTR the ram on TYCHO is about 7ft or 8ft long so bound to cost at least one, probably two extra license bands.

 

 

Edited August 31Aug 31 by MtB

3 hours ago, agg221 said:

The cabin will indeed need fully stripping to bare metal -

The roof yes. But I'm not sure the cabin sides need that. A good overall clean and sand down, and it may only need taking back to bare metal and patch priming in a few areas.

3 hours ago, MtB said:

Probably a top name builder like Dennis Cooper or Warwicksire Flyboat at a guess. 

Stoke on Trent Boatbuilders, built 1988,  according to the ad, and the canalplan boat listing. 

On 24/12/2024 at 13:44, Francis Herne said:

Various groups are often looking for volunteer crew at little or no cost. Canal societies run trip boats, community boats for the disabled etc., historic boats, workboats and so on.

If that sort of thing is of any interest we could suggest options given a general area.

 

Just now, Ken Jolly said:

this seems like a great way to explore and check your adaptability to the lifestyle without committing two much in funding.

 

On 31/08/2026 at 15:19, David Mack said:

Stoke on Trent Boatbuilders, built 1988,  according to the ad, and the canalplan boat listing.

A friend has a 1985/6 Stoke boat, it handles very nicely and a surveyor's guess at build date was about about ten years later.

 

Definitely worth a look - it all depends whether the hull (and to a degree interior) have been looked after better than the paint.

Edited September 1Sep 1 by Francis Herne

Just now, Francis Herne said:

A friend has a 1985/6 Stoke boat, it handles very nicely and the surveyor's guess at build date was about about ten years later.

Definitely worth a look - it all depends whether the hull (and to a degree interior) have been looked after better than the paint.

 

Stoke Boats built some sublimely beautiful boats in my opinion despite not being widely recognised as a top flight builder. 

 

I'm sorely tempted to buy it if the OP doesn't. 

 

 

On 20/12/2023 at 14:38, LadyG said:

Neither of those things have happened to me, yet...

I enjoy some of the old YouTube radio, the modern ones, well a bit variable...

I see some of these use Click bait "swallowed by a whale", these are to be avoided 

Folks like CHG are interesting, and he has  made money from it, so what, its not my money,  or yours.

CHG? I'm looking for some decent YouTube content on actual "boating"

1 hour ago, Lewisdb1978 said:

CHG? I'm looking for some decent YouTube content on actual "boating"

Country House Gent is about boating.

Just go to youtube and search canal. 

Edited September 8Sep 8 by LadyG

On 31/08/2026 at 14:25, Peanut said:

I have to pay for fresh air.

Im glad someone is, the rest of us need to keep breathing! 

20 hours ago, Lewisdb1978 said:

CHG? I'm looking for some decent YouTube content on actual "boating"

Kris Atomic: https://www.youtube.com/@krisatomic

Boat Time: https://www.youtube.com/@BoatTime

 

Cruising the Cut: https://www.youtube.com/@CruisingTheCut

Narrow Escapes: 

 

I’m new to boating. A year.

My lessons, you can’t live aboard permanently without having a minimalist lifestyle. Everything if finite.

Be hardened when it comes to the winter.

Not everyone can sit and listen to a speller engineer running idle for an hour + on dark days to charge you batteries. Nowadays any entertainment you need devises unless you stick are comfortable with books and puzzles. Even a radio takes power.

All in all. It’s a great experience , but you need to understand. Everything is finite. And it’s not easy at times.

Summer… great…. Novemeber- March is the challenge.

2 hours ago, Yarker said:

Not everyone can sit and listen to a speller engineer running idle for an hour +

How will I cope - I don't think I have one of those !

Ha ha! Poor typing. “Diesel engine”, if it wasn’t obvious ,

6 hours ago, Yarker said:

a speller engineer running

3 minutes ago, Yarker said:

“Diesel engine”, if it wasn’t obvious ,

It wasn't to me - I'd been trying to work around "propeller"

4 minutes ago, Yarker said:

Ha ha! Poor typing. “Diesel engine”, if it wasn’t obvious ,

An hour a day probably isn't enough!

Unless you have LFP batteries.

Just now, MtB said:

An hour a day probably isn't enough!

Unless you have LFP batteries.

Especially just idling.

7 hours ago, Yarker said:

Not everyone can sit and listen to a speller engineer running idle for an hour + on dark days to charge you batteries.

No one should do that unless they want more than necessary engine wear. Diesels like to run loaded so they get hot quickly and the pistons act against higher pressures so, as you should not run in gear, all you can do is load the engine as much as possible and that means by using the charging system. So you what the maximum charge going to the batteries. If you have an ammeter run at whatever speed gives the highest amp reading, although you can gradually reduce the revs as the charge falls off. If you don't have an ammeter about 1200 rpm will probably do.

Even with Lithium batteries I doubt 1 hour a day will be enough, and certainly nowhere near enough with lead acid batteries. Doing that is asking to have to replace the batteries every few weeks or more likely months. If you have lead acid batteries they probably now have only a fraction of the storage capacity you paid for, the rest being lost to a phenomenon called sulphation. Hence, you are needing to be frugal with electricity.

It will help you manage LA batteries far easier if you have a battery monitor AND learn how to get the best out of it and what readings are likely to be lies.

FWIW for LA batteries a rule of thumb is a minimum of four hours running a day with 8 to 12 or more once a week.

Im on year 5 with my agm domestics, it may be the reduction in solar, plus the age of batteries, but I think one bank is taking longer to charge up.

I use a nice little rechargeable portable lamp for reading, but I am going to buy two camping lanterns, about £15 each, and try them as the main lighting. I have the required 6xD batteries (£12.99) in stock.

I think they will last for three months, but i would rather pay another £12 99 than run the engine for two hours per day. In the past, the most I have run the engine for charging has been eight hours, only did that once!

On 28/09/2026 at 13:40, LadyG said:

Im on year 5 with my agm domestics, it may be the reduction in solar, plus the age of batteries, but I think one bank is taking longer to charge up.

I use a nice little rechargeable portable lamp for reading, but I am going to buy two camping lanterns, about £15 each, and try them as the main lighting. I have the required 6xD batteries (£12.99) in stock.

I think they will last for three months, but i would rather pay another £12 99 than run the engine for two hours per day. In the past, the most I have run the engine for charging has been eight hours, only did that once!

I have just got me one of those Ecoflow Delta 3 classic on early prime deal for £379, and grabbed a car plug to xc60 cable for £9. Apparently it can charge down to 4A on the cigarette plug so about 50w. And down to 200w on the 230v. My goal is to use it for doing anything over a few hundred watts to extend my AGM life. I do like the idea of trickle charging it at 50w in the summer and then using it to heat my water via my 1kw immersion. Or doing some cooking in my little instant pot.

56 minutes ago, WulfNut said:

I have just got me one of those Ecoflow Delta 3 classic on early prime deal for £379, and grabbed a car plug to xc60 cable for £9. Apparently it can charge down to 4A on the cigarette plug so about 50w. And down to 200w on the 230v. My goal is to use it for doing anything over a few hundred watts to extend my AGM life. I do like the idea of trickle charging it at 50w in the summer and then using it to heat my water via my 1kw immersion. Or doing some cooking in my little instant pot.

It is only 1Kwh - Have you worked out how you are going to recharge the Ecoflow on a regular basis ?

It won't do a geat deal.

It'll only run your immersion for about 1 hour - just about enough to get the water 'warm' then its totally 'flat'.

34 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

It is only 1Kwh - Have you worked out how you are going to recharge the Ecoflow on a regular basis ?

It won't do a geat deal.

It'll only run your immersion for about 1 hour - just about enough to get the water 'warm' then its totally 'flat'.

1kWh will heat a typical calorifier up by about 15C, barely enough to even get it warm... :-(

https://www.perseverancenb.com/post/how-to-measure-the-calorifier

3 minutes ago, IanD said:

1kWh will heat a typical calorifier up by about 15C, barely enough to even get it warm... :-(

https://www.perseverancenb.com/post/how-to-measure-the-calorifier

So he has pretty much wasted his £380 becausse he didn't ask for advice before buying.

I guess you only learn by making your own mistakes.

Edited October 3Oct 3 by Alan de Enfield

8 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

So he has pretty much wasted his £380 becausse he didn't ask for advice before buying.

I guess you only learn by making your own mistakes.

Lol. I guess this is going to be one of those "real world vs on paper" things. On paper, it can lift cold water by 15c. In the real world when I notice my hot water is getting a bit too cold i pop the immersion on for 20 mins if I'm on a hook up and have a hot shower. I suppose I could wait until my tank is stone cold just to align with the maths but that seems a bit mental.