Are you new to boating?? CLICK HERE

[Keeping Up]

Hi Copsmith, Hi Greybeard, and welcome. Keep asking the questions.

 

Hi Lulu and welcome. Locks really aren't a problem. I could either give you just one tip for them, or else fill pages and pages. So here's just the one tip - don't try and hurry. A gate won't open against 3" of water no matter how hard you push it, so enjoy the scenery and wait until the lock is ready then the gates will open easily for you. Have fun!

[MickG]

Hi All,

I'm retiring in September and looking forwards very much to a new life afloat.

I have my eye on a new boat from Darren Aldrige,at the moment i'm patiently waiting for my

house to be sold.

Cheers

Mick

[NB Phoenix]

Hi All,

I'm retiring in September and looking forwards very much to a new life afloat.

I have my eye on a new boat from Darren Aldrige,at the moment i'm patiently waiting for my

house to be sold.

Cheers

Mick

 

 

Hi Mick

 

Welcome to the forum.

[Lol]

Hi All,

I'm retiring in September and looking forwards very much to a new life afloat.

I have my eye on a new boat from Darren Aldrige,at the moment i'm patiently waiting for my

house to be sold.

Cheers

Mick

 

its difficult to imagine anything more frustrating - welcome

[Bookish]

hi - we want to go on a narrowboat over the summer but are having trouble finding something affordable to us. We love the sound of it (as do our kids) but they seem just so dear. Any pointers to anywhere reasonable?

Thanks in advance, and hi to everyone; the boating community seem very friendly!

(Oh, and my name's Tony and I live in Durham!)

[carlt]

hi - we want to go on a narrowboat over the summer but are having trouble finding something affordable to us. We love the sound of it (as do our kids) but they seem just so dear. Any pointers to anywhere reasonable?

Thanks in advance, and hi to everyone; the boating community seem very friendly!

(Oh, and my name's Tony and I live in Durham!)

Chas Hardern, at Beeston, on the shropshire union canal has a budget hire fleet. One of the nice, helpful people, doing business on the cut, too! A dying breed.

 

Clicky

 

Edited to say: Welcome, btw!

Edited April 6, 2008 by carlt

[MickG]

Thanks Phoenix n Lol

[DHutch]

I can put in another word for Chas Harden as well.

- Local to us, and a very good bloke, helpfull with all things canal and otherwise, as well as a good freind.

 

Dont know what his prices are like currently, but the boats are certainly nice enough, with money being saved mainly with common sence and hardwork rather than corners being cut.

 

 

Daniel

[sueb]

hi - we want to go on a narrowboat over the summer but are having trouble finding something affordable to us. We love the sound of it (as do our kids) but they seem just so dear. Any pointers to anywhere reasonable?

Thanks in advance, and hi to everyone; the boating community seem very friendly!

(Oh, and my name's Tony and I live in Durham!)

 

The hire costs may seem expensive but you save on entertainment. Eating on the boat costs no more than at home. There are few places to buy icecreams, no cinemas and no children seeing things they must have.

Sue

[saltysplash]

Chas Hardern, at Beeston, on the shropshire union canal has a budget hire fleet. One of the nice, helpful people, doing business on the cut, too! A dying breed.

 

Clicky

 

Edited to say: Welcome, btw!

 

 

welcome also.....perhaps we should mention to Stelios and see if he's up for creating an 'EASYBOAT'

 

 

Apart from the above you might also try out of season, we went away in october last year and the sun was cracking the flags

[Ange]

Hi

 

My husband Dave & I are so new to boating we haven't even bought our boat yet! We've got a week booked off work later this month when we're hoping to go boat shopping (we live in Kent which isn't too convenient for the canal network!) Our grand plan is to pack in our jobs and let out our house sometime between August this year and spring 2009 and embrace the canal life as continuous cruisers. We've just got to wait for our 19 year old son to get a job when he finishes college this summer, hence the big time window.

 

I'm looking forward to getting to know fellow boating enthusiasts via this forum, and maybe even meet some of you in person once we get trucking.

 

Take care

Ange

[NB Alnwick]

My husband Dave & I are so new to boating we haven't even bought our boat yet!

 

Welcome aboard Ange!

 

You will find that there are lots of us on this forum who have done exactly what you are planning and we willingly share our experiences - so you may find it helpful to trawl through the old topics especially on General Boating and Living Afloat

[Liam]

Welcome to the forum Ange

[Simon and Wendy]

Hello - I'm a newbie! My husband and I (residents of NJ USA), a friend from Manhattan, and two friends from London are planning a canal boat holiday starting on April 25th from Gayton Marina in Northamptonshire. We plan a round trip to Banbury. If any of you experienced boaters have any suggestions for beginners such as us, we'd love to hear what you have to say. Recommendations of good places to stop and to eat would also be very welcome.

 

Thanks, Wendy

[Liam]

Hi Simon & Wendy,

 

Welcome to the forums

[AlistairH]

Hi

Our names are Alistair & Margaret We have just bought our first boat a Sawncraft Dandy 19. Neither of us have ever had anything to do with boats before but alwas wanted to sail and explore the canals. We are in our winter years and complete newbies. We will often have to ask for advice so hope you dont mind too much

AlistairH

[bottle]

Alastair, Margaret

 

Welcome, ask away but the questions may already have been answered

 

Try a search (top right) if you cannot find the answer you need add your question to a suitable thread or start a new one.

 

If this is teaching you how to suck eggs, just ignore it.

[Liam]

Hi, welcome to the forums

[AlistairH]

Alastair, Margaret

 

Welcome, ask away but the questions may already have been answered

 

Try a search (top right) if you cannot find the answer you need add your question to a suitable thread or start a new one.

 

If this is teaching you how to suck eggs, just ignore it.

 

Hi Keith

thanks will search away and come back if we need help

Thanks for the welcome

AlistairH

[Black Ibis]

Just though I'd post in here first. The other half and I joined last year as FadeToScarlet - narrowboaters to be. We're much closer to getting afloat now - maybe making offers in May! But he has somewhat hijacked the account, so I thought I'd create my own to ask questions, esp since its going to be me buying the thing!

 

See you about.

 

my blog is here: www.amybee85.blogspot.com. I tend to keep it updated about our progress.

Edited April 17, 2008 by Black Ibis

[Ange]

Hi

 

I wasn't sure quite where to put this. Site crew - if you think there's a more suitable place feel free to move it. Dave & I are on our first fact finding mission we're currently in our caravan (very cold!!) at Braunston Marina. We're booked in tonight and tomorrow night. We had a great conversation tonight in the pub with a couple who have just bought their own boat and will show us round it tomorrow. I'm just wondering whether any forum members are in this area or nearby (we've got this week off to travel the Midlands area of the canal network). If anyone would like to meet with us in a hostelry in the area we'd be happy to buy them a drink in return for their wisdom / experience. It'd be especially sweet if anyone would let us look around their boat - we've so far only seen the inside of hire boats (more like hotel rooms than homes).

 

Thanks

Ange

[TommyD]

Hi all,

 

I'm new to boating, having bought a broads cruiser last September. I'm only now really turning my attention to getting it habitable, and will no doubt clog all the forums with really simple questions. That's Life is currently out of the water, in the boatyard carpark, whilst I get stuff done to it, at Runnymede on the Thames.

[JVD]

Are you a newbie to boating?

 

Well introduce your selves right here!!

 

And everyone will get to now you!!!

 

Have hired many times over the years but new owners on Grand Union Canal at Blisworth Marina.

[smudgersmith]

Hello there

I am so glad that I've found this site! I have always lived near tre Kennet and Avon and envied boaters as I walk along the towpath and now with son at college and a little bit of equity we've managed to scrape together from our house sale we are taking the plunge and buying a 70 foot boat. It's not due to be finished until the end of the summer so I will have a bit of time to learn what I need to know which is pretty much everything! I can't wait to take a step back from the world and the first step is to do a carboot sale this weekend and get rid of loads of the cr*p we have accrued over the years!

see you around

[bottle]

Smudger

 

Welcome to the forum, I like this bit

 

we've managed to scrape together from our house sale we are taking the plunge and buying a 70 foot boat............due to be finished until the end of the summer

 

Now you have wetted our appetites ( for being nosey) pictures and reports will be required.