Tiller Slave

Several Winter Moorings are available at Saltisford Canal Centre, Warwick, on the GU . Both residential and non residential, run by a small canal charity. Winter Moorers pay a fee for the 17 weeks based on boat length, Period from 1 November through to 28 February ￡9.88 per foot, ex vat, ￡11.86 inclusive of VAT ( Additional weeks charged proportionately). For full details see http://www.saltisfordcanal.co.uk Good facilities: water, electric , gas, pump out, laundrette, close to town centre and railway station

Winter Mooring sare still avaialable at Saltisford Canal Centre, Warwick, both residential and non residential, run by a small canal charity. Winter Moorers pay a fee for the 17 weeks based on boat length, Period from 1 November through to 28 February ￡9.88 per foot, ex vat, ￡11.86 inclusive of VAT ( Additional weeks charged proportionately). For full details see http://www.saltisfordcanal.co.uk/

Winter Moorings avaialable at Saltisford Canal Centre, Warwick, both residential and non residential, run by a small canal charity. Winter Moorers pay a fee for the 17 weeks based on boat length, Period from 1 November through to 28 February ￡9.88 per foot, ex vat, ￡11.86 inclusive of VAT ( Additional weeks charged proportionately). For full details see http://www.saltisfordcanal.co.uk/

Saltisford Canal Trust - Day Hire Boat Saltie II http://www.saltisfordcanal.co.uk/ Saltie is a broad beam day boat, Unusually it is equipped to carry up to 3 wheelchairs, with a hydraulic lift for access.

Saltisford Canal Centre in Warwick http://www.saltisfordcanal.co.uk/ The Trust Visitor Centre has a shop which sells an extensive range of canal giftware, local honey, some chandlery, ice cream and snacks. We believe we have the biggest range of canal t towels in the UK!

Saltisford Canal Trust http://www.saltisfordcanal.co.uk/Saltisford_Canal/Mooring_on_the_Arm.html we fund our activities mainly from our moorings, including permanent, residential, visitor and winter. We have a number of Winter Moorings available each year, both to just moor the boat or to live aboard

Saltisford Canal Trust http://www.saltisfordcanal.co.uk/ "a small canal charity set up over 25 years ago to restore the canal arm which dates back to 1799, and is originally the terminus of the Warwick and Birmingham Canal. The Saltisford Canal Centre has been transformed by volunteers from a site of dereliction into a peaceful moorings, set in a series of gardens and orchards. The arm is home to a number of residential narrowboats, and also provides permanent, winter and visitor moorings within 10 minutes walk of the heart of Warwick. We have a range of facilities, which we hope you will use and enjoy, whether you are just mooring overnight, visiting on foot or staying longer."

That is true but they are 48 hour moorings, and there are only a handful

The British Marine Federation has a little known BUT very effective Alternative Dispute Resolution Scheme http://www.britishmarine.co.uk/what_we_do/legal__finance/dispute_resolution_scheme.aspx Where for a fixed price divided equally between both parties to the dispute a qualified Commercial Mediator helps them negotiate a settlement "The fee is £375 inc VAT per party irrespective of the amount involved or the complexity of the dispute" Members of the BMF include The Canal Boat Builders Association, The Association of Pleasure Craft Operators, The Yacht Harbour Association, Boat Retailers & Brokers Association http://www.britishmarine.co.uk/what_we_do/membership/region__group_associations.aspx in short most reputable companies! SO don't give the money to the lawyers , settle the dispute quicker and cheaper by mediation!

If the marina is part of the BMF or TYHA I suggest you investigate their low price Alternative Dispute Resolution scheme, to settle the dispute see link http://www.britishmarine.co.uk/what_we_do/legal__finance/dispute_resolution_scheme.aspx It is also open to non members

The Saltisford Canal Trust have plenty of secure moorings available in the centre of Warwick, five minutes cruising to the bottom of the Hatton flight http://www.saltisfordcanal.co.uk/ Cost is £4 per night. The site has water and electric on the visitor moorings, canal shop and a laundrette. Very close to the centre of warwick and shops ( much closer than the Cape moorings) Not a good idea to moor on the flight as some pounds can lose water overnight.

The Saltisford Canal Trust have plenty of secure moorings available in the centre of Warwick, if you want to weekend your narrowboat. http://www.saltisfordcanal.co.uk/ Cost is £4 per night. The site has water and electric on the visitor moorings, and a laundrette. less than 10 minutes walk to Warwick Parkway Station on the Chiltern line between London and Birmingham

Red Diesel Duty - charged on that sold for propulsion goes up from 1st September. This 'tax" is collected by the boatyard and then passed onto HMRC. The quote below is the guidance note sent out to British Marine Federation members "Red Diesel Duty Increase from 1 September 2009 Published on 20/8/2009 As announced in the Budget earlier this year, the duty on all types of fuel will increase from 1 September 2009. This will have an impact on the pricing of Red Diesel. The following is an illustration/example of a calculation of duty and VAT under the new arrangements. It is intended to be an illustration only. The proportion split between propulsion and domestic usage will vary. HMRC have confirmed that VAT is charged at the reduced rate of 5% on fuel for propulsion and domestic use. This example assumes a 60% (propulsion) and 40% (domestic) split for a purchase of 100 litres of red diesel (the price of diesel is assumed to be 70 pence per litre (ppl) which includes 10.80 ppl duty already paid to fuel supplier): Propulsion calculation (i.e. 60%) 60 litres @ 70 ppl = £42.00 60 litres @ 45.39 ppl = £27.23 (additional duty) VAT @ 5% = £3.46 Propulsion total = £72.69 Domestic calculation (i.e. 40%) 40 litres @ 70 ppl = £28 VAT @ 5% = £ 1.40 Domestic total = £29.40 Transaction total = £102.09 "

Split calorifiers are quite common on narrow boats- it has happen to me on two different boats I owned. They tend to get small holes in the welding at the shoulders of the tank. It is always a good idea to assume they will eventually go , therefore install them in a place where leaking water will not cause further damage i.e. not under the bed! The normal cause is the pressure relief valve being set at the wrong pressure. Boat builders often get confused between PSI and Bar. Also check the setting on your water pump- many are variable.

The interesting part is what precedent Huntingdon Council may set for other local authorities. If they successfully evict unofficial live-aboard boaters, this will be viewed with interest by other councils. OR if the give retrospective planning permission for what now happens, AND collect the resultant Council Tax and higher Business Rates form the Marina. If the latter happens some councils will gain a lot more council tax income quickly, but being a live-aboard will become a lot more expensive as no doubt mooring prices for newly official/legal berths will also rise.

Interesting that some many previous suppliers of diesel here have now GIVEN UP! What this demonstrates is that the extra paperwork, and hassle from boaters, for what is generally a low profit items, with huge potential fines if you upset/ get it wrong from HMRC, has lead many in the trade to give up selling diesel. Many of the posts here seem to fail to grasp that the"higher" rate is actually a form of tax collected by the boat yards for HMRC, the extra cost DOES NOT go to the retailer. If the boat diesel retailing business was lucrative, surely we would be seeing many more companies/ individuals rushing to open up/ cash in. The reality is many who currently sell will probably pack up if more boaters use jerry cans from road retailers, especially if they need to make any additional facility investments such as new pumps or tanks, as the profit margins are very small.

Hire Boat Companies - day and weekly- on BW canals and rivers, must have an independent audited "handover", to check that they are explaining to all hirers the basics. This is the Term and Conditions from BW: see 11 d "11. Each time you allow any person to use the Boat you must ensure that they are capable of using it safely. To meet this obligation you should: (a) Provide adequate and appropriate coaching in: (i) safe methods of navigating the Waterway including operating locks; (ii) the operation and care of the Boat and its equipment (including safety equipment). ( Provide on the Boat, and draw attention to: (i) the Boater's Handbook. You are strongly recommended to make this or similar material available to users of the Boat before they arrive; (ii) at least two copies of British Waterways' visitor incident report forms; (iii) other relevant publications about the local waterway; (iv) emergency contact details. © Offer to all passengers and users of the Boat free use of properly maintained buoyancy aids or lifejackets. (d) Be able to provide evidence that you have proper systems in place to ensure consistent compliance with these Conditions. We will accept a current British Marine Federation Handover Audit Certificate as this evidence. We may ask you from time to time to produce this evidence. It is not required as part of the licence application process. You are recommended to maintain a log of all breakdown or emergency calls." The handover audit scheme is run by the British Marine Federation- (who send out inspectors) and was developed with the MCA- Marine Coastguard Agency-, see here for details http://www.britishmarine.co.uk/what_we_do/..._programme.aspx The MCA Hire Boat Code, which will shortly become compulsory on all navigations and hire boat companies, makes the Handover Audit compulsory.

I have in the past used both Ebespacher and Mikuni systems. Mikuni is vastly better largely due to : Lower cost to buy. Much cheaper spares, and you can change individual minor compoents unlike Epespacher/ Webasto where major (expensive) units need to be changed. Will start on a lower battery voltage. Less fussy on fuel quality. BUT with all of these heaters the quality of installation is vital. Get a an experienced specialist to fit it and the number of problems later falls dramatically.

Normally if you want your batteries to last do not use more than 10 -15% of the ah i.e. work out max draw in amp hours over the discharge period and then multiply you bank by a factor of 10! If you do major discharges their life expectancy - number of times they will take charge- drops dramatically.

Have you tried the The Yacht Harbour Association berth search programme? see the link http://www.BerthSearch.com/?ref=TYHA

Several years ago I used a homemade trap to catch some signal crayfish at Osney Island in Oxford. Caught lots- several hundred- over a few days, delicious if boiled in salty water and served with mayo. It is illegal to throw them back - if you catch one it must be killed! I was told I needed a permit from the EA by the Lock keeper- i was catching them outside their office!- which was free! But they were not really bothered! see this link http://www.efishbusiness.co.uk/formsandgui...uneedtoknow.pdf In short catch and eat the little buggers- cat food works well as bait.

Try APCO- the hire industry web site, http://www.apco.org.uk Most hire firms do not hire over the winter period due to the number of canal and river closures, so firms are more likely to be open on a lock free stretch of water. Avoid rivers in winter as likely to be in flood and are not suitable under those conditions for inexperienced boaters!

If it is a new boat use the Canal Boat Builders Association contract available on their web site to download:http://www.c-b-a.co.uk/ If second hand use the Boat Brokers Association contract see http://www.britishmarine.co.uk/membership/...x?GroupId=49484

There are some real issues in the accounts/ annual report; enough to get even the most mild mannered contributors to this forum frothing at the mouth