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There are a few posters on here who did not have expensive educations. Their spelling and grammar are not very good. But we all know what they mean and it is rare that lack of punctuation makes their posts ambiguous. I would hate any of them to be put off posting by having their errors publically corrected. It's patronising and elitist.

I think it is a terrible decision for a mod to make changes to someone's posts only to try to correct spellings or grammer, (did you see what I did there!?!) I would be fairly hacked off if that happened to my posts. It is just plain wrong, and certainly not part of the role of a mod.

I wouldn't. The role of a moderator is to moderate, not correct grammatical errors Richard

History shows that there will be no change in policy until the very last moment just before the entire forum implodes and everyone disappears to new forums. Brinksmanship par excellence! Which is a shame because i've always thought that mods should have two log-ins, one for posting as normal humans and the other for mod activities. Whilst it still presents a temptation to misuse modding power to help win ones argument, it would be a clear demarcation of the point of a post or intervention both in the mind of the author and the rest of us. I think this would help to reduce the blurring of the role of a person who is a mod as well as a frequent contributor. Whether any misuse has occurred recently I can't say, but it is a better to minimise opportunity and temptation anyway - and be seen to be doing so.

My choice - from experience of hiring and our own boat - but we're not CCers / liveaboards Beta engine with twin alternators large battery bank Trad stern (somewhere for the dog to sleep, and dry wet whatever Gas cooker Wet central heating (4 radiators) Stove in main room Dinette (to seat several people) and dining table Good size bathroom (boaty size...) with bath and shower over and radiator as a towel rail Pumpout loo (why bother to cart your poo to a disposal point - let the vacuum take the strain TV (satellite and Freeview) and small soundbar (HD tv channels aren't quite as load as SD) radio in the cabin for me, ditto in the bedroom for The Management to listen to the Archers while cruising... Large water tank 3 cylinder gas locker Bus windows and side hatch (portholes are trad and OK for the rear but throughout make for a dark boat) Carpet on the floor - can slip on polished wood Some of the above are for good practical reasons and many years of hiring. Some are for comfort.....

When this happened to a couple we know on the Thames, RCR told them to stick it in reverse add some revs and go and make a cup of tea. This they did and about 40 minutes later the flow of water under the boat had washed enough away and they were floating again

I used this trick once to get off a shallow bend on The Thames. Take a long rope, stand on the roof and throw a loop over the front end as if you were skipping. Now drag it along the full length of the boat to the back end with a sawing motion side to side. Rocking the boat as you do it. You're looking to break the suction of the mud. If it doesn't work first time tie some bulky knots close to each other in the section that will be sliding under the boat. Good luck

Jules, why not have a look at the boats for sale at Great Haywood Boat Sales? I have dealt with them before and unlike some brokers I think they price their boats sensibly. They have a good few boats that fall in your price range so you could maybe draw up a shortlist and try to arrange to view a few in one day. I have no connection with them apart from having sold a boat through them a couple of years ago.

I grounded in exactly the same place a few years ago on my first foray up the Aire. The bit about "where the cows come down to drink" gave it away. We had a whole herd watching us. The bank side was about 18 inches deep and tother side was dunno but deep. Luckily the water skiers were out when I grounded and one of them pulled me off. I know this is not likely but a mate of mine is taking a boat to Goole on Saturday so if your still there then we could pull you off. It's only a 30 footer with a 2 pot lister but it should be okay. Hopefully you will be off before then though. I doubt you will get any help from Selby Boat Yard these days. He doesn't have any boats other than private ones. I am in Selby but I don't have a boat any more. But I do have a winch thingy and some rope but where you are there are no trees on that side so you would have to get to the other side to use a rope. I'll pm you my phone number though and if you think I can help ring me. I'm about 10/15 minutes away.

I must admit that when an environmentally friendly product replaces a noxious, toxic, aggressive product the new stuff just does not work. The more hazard symbols the better it works. - Paint stripper, oven cleaner, descaler, water based paint, 'glow in the dark' paint, mole smoke, weed suppressant, fence preservative.................... Added - I used some mole smoke many years ago and it generates poison gas - very effective. Went to buy some more recently and this will get rid of moles by generating a smoke they find 'irritating' and will leave after a few applications. Didn't buy it.

Haggis yes for sure, the more people that know the better! Zen. Yes I will be getting the to take him tomorrow if the owner is not found. And yes, I am going through the usual motions.

I'm sure there are lots of people who would cut through a cable and then stick it in their mouth to see if the power was still on - now, post RCDs. But before RCDs, Darwinism made sure these people were few and far between.

But the old hands have the T shirts and forget what its like being a newby.

Cilla Black used to tell a story about the phone in quiz on Liverpool radio where the question was "Which pop group recently had a hit with The Lion Sleeps Tonight". The answer was of course "Tight Fit". "Can you give us a clue" the contestant asks. "Think of your husband's underpants" says the DJ She replies "Is it the Dooleys?"

There is a beautiful little mooring on the off side above the lock above Scout tunnel. In Slaithwaite these days I tend to moor where the café boat used to be, below the guillotine lock (there are bollards above the guillotine lock but it can be difficult to get in to the side). I've never had to use a plank at the Kettle (31E). There, I'm not telling you any more of my 'secret moorings of the HNC'!

Have you had a look at the thunderboat forum?

The forum does have a limit to the number of questions any one person can ask, as a 'newbie' your initial allocation will be 1000 per week, as your 'post count' increase (see the little number below your name / avatar) you will get a gradual increase - once you become a boat owner, due to the problems you will face, the number becomes 'unlimited'. Ask away - but ensure you give background / your reasoning to the question so the answers become relevant. Type of toilet questions will always evoke a mixed reaction - but don't worry - as long as you go for a cassette toilet you will be fine (see what I did there - got the 1st strike in !!!) Good luck.

You missed out the ' on ere as it represents the missing "h", otherwise nowt wrong wiv wot you wrote. A bit of culture: “The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ, Moves on: nor all thy Piety nor Wit Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line, Nor all thy Tears wash out a Word of it.”

We like that part of the system. Lovely ain't it? We also like Llangollen,the L&L,the South Oxford,the Shroppie. We are to find if we like the Birmingham parts of the system during the next month or so.

If I were able, I would certainly be tempted to edit another posters post if I felt the need/urge. Mike, feel free to correct any short comings in my posts. But don't change the storyline,if indeed the post has one! If,however you changed my post and I wasn't in agreement with the changes, I certainly would make a song and dance about it. Really,some people.

I suspect the number of posters who went to public school is slim so IMO the vast majority of posters had a free education. Feel free to correct any mistakes I make I am into life long learning and if my mistakes aren't pointed out I can't improve.

I agree, although I'm not sure we need Sir to correct our spelling! But where a post breaches the FR&G in some minor way, it is helpful to the poster and to others to see it and know why.

Having your posts publicly 'corrected' or 'tidied up' is not a good idea. OTT posts should be hidden until the poster and mod agree on some action,

To me who clears it up. Jeez.

Unless the two accounts were in different names somebody would still make accusations of bias. I am also of the opinion that a person with a low level of posting wouldn't make a good mod. I think they would either be too far removed from the general membership or get bored by reading and not making any contribution.

No one is suggesting you post less, in fact your contributions are capable of being entertaining and even informative. What is irksome is when you actively moderate a debate in which you are involved. I would have thought you intelligent enough to recognise the potential for a conflict of interest. Even if you don't feel such conflict, that it is now the subject of debate should alert you to the possibility it can be perceived as such.

Interesting that this should come up, I do hope it does not lead to another Great Cull, I thought that moderation had settled to a sensible level and another round of warnings and bannings will not follow. Phik

Good, as I hate Carling, and most largers as they all need to be served very cold to prevent you from actually tasting them.

I don't think it is as simple as that. Some liveaboards rarely if ever move out of the marina, so have relatively little experience of handling a boat or operating locks and swing bridges, whereas some leisure boaters and genuine ccer's cover many hundreds of hours of boating per year. Also just how much experience of emptying a bog or filling a water tank do you need to do it competently? Surely after a few times, there is little else to learn. I think pigeonholing people is divisive and pointless unless the purpose for gathering the information is clearly stated and understood by all before anyone comlletes the poll. We are all boaters, and if we allow CRT or anyone else to divide us then we are all weaker for it.

Yes, no problem there, I am "one of a kind", rather than weird, its everyone else who is "out of step" lol. I just don't think I can be 100 % sure its the right thing to do, early days. I have seen a boat I really like, at a fair price, has been renovated and lived on over four years, this is after a good month or more of searching, so they do exist, scattered in amongst many monstrosities / tired ex hire boats. I just could not afford to buy a nice flat, however small in a town where I would want to live [Newmarket], I can't buy one now. Currently rents are really high, its only going to get worse. Supposing I had to get a residential mooring, I would just have to pay for deliveries if I could not manage, and buy a sack trolley. There are ways of making the phyisical tasks less arduous, it just takes longer, and one needs to feel the effort is worthwhile, but even in town, one has to make some sort of effort to get out and about. PS I suspect that I will not run out of water , gas, diesel and cassettes all on one day, and I can cope with one problem a day, ty

Yes op needs both sides of the coin but the negatives usualy I have found over the years come from hobby boaters who do not even live aboard, thats a bit like getting advice re flying an aeroplane from someone without a pilots licence. Hobby boating and living aboard are so disimilar that are uncomparable surely as a liveaboard you understand that?

I suspect that initially your mobility may well improve because that is what I find after a summer on the boat BUT I am sure that eventually you will find not only moving the boat but also routine maintenance of the boat and its equipment will get beyond you. Then the boat will become more and more difficult to live on and have a decent quality of life. I am sure many of us on here have seen boats where for one reason or another the owner has lost the ability to care for it and in many cases themselves adequately. How many years that will take is of course unknowable but what I will say is that I will be selling the boat in the next few years because I recognise boating will become dangerous with an increasing lack of mobility and strength AND that suggest I will not longer be able to look after it. I am 73. Then there are the increasing appointments for doctors & hospitals etc. Please give this lots of thought. At least with a flat you have a Local Authority who more or less are obliged to take some care of you. I bet if you are living on a boat in a way that means that you do not pay council tax it would be very difficult to access the small amount of help a Local Authority will give. Still if you think that you will remain active and with good health and strength until almost the last then go for it but please give it lost of thought.