drunkensailor

Thanks! I phoned Springwood. I can get it cheaper, but £60 a week is still quite a lot. I see BW have something at Hartshill. So I have sent them an email. Let's see.

Can't get to Baddesley Wharf, as the Atherstone Flight is shut. Springwood Haven is £10 per day! I can't run to £300 a month for a mooring. Do you know of anywhere else?

Hello I have run out of summer, and work has gone a bit crazy. My boat's on the towpath. But I've no time to move it. Does anyone know of somewhere that could give me a mooring till the end of January? I won't be there, I just want somewhere safe to leave it.

Of course it would. I know plenty of people who live on Springers. Some on Springer Waterbugs. It's well outside what they were designed for though. For winter use, I would want something with much better insulation than any Springer I've ever been on. And certainly, something with a bigger water tank. The point you made about electric heating is what I was trying to get over though. A fan heater for a couple of hours on shoreline is no great shakes, and will require no remodelling. Total cost will be about £20. It means you can't travel off-mooring in winter, but so what?

That's 25 miles inland. Sorry, I should have made myself clearer.

Hello I have my little 35' long narrowboat, Drifter, coming out of the water soon. I want to move it nearer to where we're staying. Managed to find a few places that will accomodate the boat nearer to where I'm staying (there are a couple of farmers that will accomodate it for very little). Now, the expensive bit. How much to move a 35' narrowboat 25 miles with a craning at each end? New boats get delivered to where I'm moored all the time, but most of them are widebeam. Is it reasonable to think my boat is less than 10 tons? I imagine we could get it loaded by crane, but be removed on a Hiab - is this feasible? Also, do you know of anyone local to Derby that would be able to do that? Thanking you in advance.

I think that even with secondhand stoves, installation will be uneconomic compared to what the boat will ever be worth. Don't be fooled by the large numbers of Springers on sale on Apollo Duck at high prices. And I can really see why your parents don't want the second bed removed from a boat they helped pay for. It may be the difference between them being able to use it with you or not. My advice, which you are welcome to ignore, is to fix this one up for the lowest possible price, sell it, then buy a bigger boat which already has heating if you plan to take up winter cruising. The stove takes up a lot of room in my 35' boat, god knows what it will be like in one fifteen feet shorter. Springers are great little boats which don't deserve the poor reputation they suffer from, but they simply weren't designed for year round cruising.

They're both quite a trek. And I really don't fancy Redhill. My worry is we remove the boat, and then it's such a distance from us we never finish up sorting it. It would be sad if the boat was abandoned in four years. I was thinking of just a yard, somewhere nowhere near a canal. If we crane out and have it transported the 20-odd miles it will still be cheaper than all the other stuff (BSC, mooring, license etc).

I'm taking it's just a holiday boat. Are you really going to use it in the winter? I think it's perfectly reasonable not to have a heater on a 20ft boat if you're only using it in the summer, and it frees up a loat of space. If you've a mooring with electricity, a 2kw fan heater will have that boat roasting if you plan to visit in winter.

Hello I have been thinking about lengthening my old narrowboat, but it's just not a goer. I can't let my heart rule my head. My girlfriend (who is, luckily for me an out of work woodwork teacher) will do some cabin refitting and repaint it. I may also get the overplating done. I imagine that would be cheaper than getting its boat safety and relicensing now, then leaving it to sit in its (expensive) mooring until next summer. So, does anyone know of anywhere that could provide a hardstanding for a 35' narrowboat near Derby? Ideally, somewhere it could be craned to so she could work on it near Chesterfield would be best. It would need to be somewhere safe, with a supply of electricity. I'll then sell it with a new BSS and license next year when my business is better established. Also, suggestions for companies to do the craning and transporting would be great. Cheers!

Hello - sorry I've been a stranger! I have settled somewhere nice, and met someone nice, and it is time for me to move onto the next bit of my life. My lovely narrowboat, home for the last ten years and source of countless adventures, is going to be too small. It failed its 30 year insurance survey the year before last because of some pitting on the baseplate. I had decided not to worry about it, as although the surveyor told me that warranted an entire new baseplate(!) it's still 3.5mm at its thinnest, as opposed to 5mm when new. 3.5mm is a lot of steel. This means, of course, that it is worth nothing. Plus I love it. So rather than sell it for scrap and buy a new one I want to get the overplating done and extend it by 12 feet or so. I'd also like to add two side hatches, and box in the front of the boat (it has a welded roof area that could also usefully become cabin space. The engine had a lot spent on it fairly recently; I'm sure it will do the job. Who would do this kind of work? Streethay Wharf are close to me. But it's a massive job, and I would be happy to move the boat to do it. I want a quality job from people that have done it before. Any suggestions gratefully received.

I wear one when I'm singlehanding. The self-inflating kind; I feel daft in a bright orange lifejacket on a canal. It's not a major inconvenience, and it might save my life one day.

This is all sound advice, but I just thought I'd add something. If it's just a little bit of water in there whenever you check, it won't be a serious problem. Water coming into a boat from the canal when the hull is actually damaged squirts in, it's never just a drip. Or perhaps it is just rain. Either way, don't panic!

Does it have rental insurance? Is it properly licensed for commercial use? Does the mooring come with any security of tenure? Is the boat owner allowed to sublet a mooring in the first place? You'd really have to do your homework with that one. Best to contact the RBOA if you're not buying. (Or even if you are buying!)

The owner of your mooring will not be happy about subletting.

Sorry to hear about your theft. It's horrible having things stolen. And thanks for the warning.

At the minute, I'm stranded at a marina (my boat needs a lot of welding which can't happen for a while). Here's the interesting thing. I reckon that on this marina, my living costs work out about the same or slightly less than living on the towpath and cruising. Once you factor in diesel costs and wear and tear on the boat, a frugal towpath existence isn't that frugal. Of course, that would usually be subject to change in the summer, as you won't be using so much fuel for heating. But the wear and tear thing holds true. So how about at least a winter mooring, and a little part time job from say October-April? It's nice to do something that gets you away from the boat on winter nights anyway, and it would (theoretically) take you from being on the borderline of paying for it all to managing. This is based on what I pay for my boat.

If you're happy with a stove that can only burn wood, I have one of these and love it: http://www.windysmithy.co.uk/html/woodburners.htm It's a nuisance when you're travelling though, wood takes up a lot of space!

I am seriously thinking about buying one of these for my van: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CAR-ROOF-TOP-TENTS-NEW-/260853971456?pt=UK_SportsLeisure_HikingCamping_Tents_JN&var=&hash=item8265accaca It will live on my boat and function as a part-time guest bedroom. Will be a bit choppy if the wind gets up though!

At the risk of sounding cynical, I think anything that costs so little that comes with a solar panel attached is a toy. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Roberts-ECO1BK-Ecologic-Digital-Battery/dp/B001G1FRVO/ref=sr_1_5?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1326991840&sr=1-5 This looks more interesting, but I haven't tried it.

It's quite plush. Nicer and friendlier than most of the Thames marinas. But absolutely not a bargain! Best call them to confirm that price, though; the £350 is what my friend who has a widebeam there said.

I came from the Reading end of the K&A, and now I'm moored up near Derby. Three things I've learned: 1. I can tell you from bitter experience beer is no cheaper here. 2. The locals are lovely, but I still can't understand a word they're saying. Just smile and nod, it works every time. 3. There's spaces for a widebeam at Mercia Marina, at about £350 a month.

This is not the time of year, but why not buy a little plastic cruiser in the spring and live on that till autumn? Not as good as a narrowboat, but totally acceptable in the summer. You could buy one for a couple of months rent of a house. If you are careful, you will get your money back when you sell it too. The best deals for all these things are found by people who are already on the inside of boating. So the way in is to dive in. Put an advert up here, what's the worst that can happen?

^^beat me to it!^^ Lots of moorings, just stop earlyish if it's busy.

Sadly, I will need new fittings as well. What do the assembled masses think of these? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3W-4W-GU10-MR16-LED-Spot-CE-ROHS-3YR-WARRANTY-EDISON-/170624790458?pt=UK_Light_Bulbs&var=&hash=item6d6fb7991e Would I need some sort of regulator to run them from my battery?