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Narrowboat Books....recommendations please

dazzlar3

By dazzlar3
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dazzlar3 Explorer

dazzlar3

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Hi everyone, hope everyone is well and afloat smile.png

 

Some of you may know that I am looking at living the rest of my life aboard a narrowboat....and I am moving forward with positive attitude so far.

 

I would like to read up on narrowboats and also life as a liveaboard......are there any books any members would recommend please....

 

Educating myself more and more as each day comes but would appreciate further reading recommendations

 

Thanks

Darren

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junior Veteran

junior

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Pmsl.....thats what happens when you don't re-read what the active spell checker on your tablet thinks you mean !!

 

...positive attitude :)

No worries. Sounded a bit like that funny office/management speak that my girlfriend keeps coming home from work with, which is really just a load of random words joined together to try and confuse the listener into thinking they are ultra clever, but in reality they are crapping themselves that somebody might actually ask them what they mean.

 

Serious answer: Look on ebay for a book called 'Narrow Margins' by Marie somebody...

 

I read a load of books before i moved onto a boat, most of which were a load of crap and a waste of money. 'Narrow Margins'sticks in my mind because it was quite funny.

 

Please don't waste you're money on any of the books with titles claiming to be some sort of liveaboard guide. A few weeks reading things on this forum will give you more useful information than any book.

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dazzlar3 Explorer

dazzlar3

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That looks a very interesting book....thank you for the offer but I would not want to take your copy away from you....but that is one I will add to my list

 

I will be visiting my local library tomorrow and putting in a request for books.....

 

 

I know what you mean about the office talk.....I'm a local councillor ...and the amount of times I've chuckled in meetings when someone as done what you described.....especially when what they say makes absolutely no sense but everyone else around the table nods as though they understood perfectly :)

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Psycloud Rising Star

Psycloud

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No worries. Sounded a bit like that funny office/management speak that my girlfriend keeps coming home from work with, which is really just a load of random words joined together to try and confuse the listener into thinking they are ultra clever, but in reality they are crapping themselves that somebody might actually ask them what they mean.

Serious answer: Look on ebay for a book called 'Narrow Margins' by Marie somebody...

I read a load of books before i moved onto a boat, most of which were a load of crap and a waste of money. 'Narrow Margins'sticks in my mind because it was quite funny.

Please don't waste you're money on any of the books with titles claiming to be some sort of liveaboard guide. A few weeks reading things on this forum will give you more useful information than any book.

I'm on the last of the 4 "Narrow" books and they are brilliant - and the similarities to our experiences are scary. I bought them as eBooks for just £1.99 each - bargain!

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Tiggs Community Regular

Tiggs

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To understand what it was like when the canals were used for transport (and in WWII):

 

Idle Women by Susan Woolfitt

 

Maidens Trip by Emma Smith

 

Narrow Boat by LTC Rolt

 

The Last Number Ones by Hugh Potter

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Peter-Bullfinch Rising Star

Peter-Bullfinch

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If you look up 'narrowboat' on Amazon a whole selection will be there.

I've just finished Green and Silver by Rolt about his travels along the Irish waterways just after the war.

Troubled Waters by Margaret Cornish and Anderton for Orders by Tom Foxon are interesting reads.

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Joe the plumber Community Regular

Joe the plumber

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I know what you mean about the office talk.....I'm a local councillor ...and the amount of times I've chuckled in meetings when someone as done what you described.....especially when what they say makes absolutely no sense but everyone else around the table nods as though they understood perfectly smile.png

 

You clearly need your own copy of 'Bullshit Bingo' to enliven your meetings. The latest 'in' phrases such as 'Swim Lanes', 'Blue Sky Initiative', 'Kickstart', 'Stepping off the roundabout on this one' (which is one of my own from my civil service days) etc, etc, are put onto a bingo card and passed to the participants. All you have to do is listen intently, cross them off as you hear them, and when you get a line, you jump up and shout 'House'. You'll probably get the sack, but it's a great laugh, and you'll find everyone is really concentrating on what's being discussed.

 

As to books, I'm very keen on Stuart Fisher's 'Canals of Britain', which covers pretty much all of them and is packed with details about the area each passes through. Sadly, he only includes metric measurements which drives me nuts (if the 2016 Pevsner for Warwickshire can be in Imperial, with the metric in brackets, his book ought to be too), but it is due to be reprinted in January, so hopefully he'll sort that out:

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Canals-Britain-Comprehensive-Guide/dp/1408181959/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1472756978&sr=1-1&keywords=canals+of+britain

 

I also like this, and the author is a member on here:

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Narrowboat-Life-Discover-Afloat-Waterways/dp/1472927087/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1472757025&sr=1-3&keywords=narrowboats

 

and this:

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Narrowboat-Guide-Complete-Designing-Maintaining/dp/1408188023/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1472757025&sr=1-1&keywords=narrowboats

 

Yes, you can find it all out on here, but both books will give you plenty to consider which you can then ask for more details about here. And they work if you've got no internet access, too!

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dazzlar3 Explorer

dazzlar3

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Well...well...actually I do have that one DeanS....downloaded in PDF and it is stored in my BOAT Folder on my laptop....although I'm not sure if it's the most up to date one....but the one I have says the following...

 

"CRT guidance for boaters without a home mooring.May 2012: this is as published by British Waterways October 2011 with changes to organisation name only."

 

I'm sure someone will tell me if there is indeed a newer version than the one I have......

 

I have several PDF guides from the Trust as well as local canal groups too...some boring...some slighlty interesting and some very, very important, cannot do without ones :)

 

Plus copious amounts of video's too ranging from how to guides, essential maintenance guides etc, etc....which up to now have been of vary interest....

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IanM Experienced

IanM

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This is the book which got me first hooked on narrowboats and canals in general. I can't remember exactly when or which relative of mine gave it to me but I read it cover to cover so many times when I was younger.

 

016725.jpg

 

Have still got it on the shelf :)

 

 

  • Greenie 1
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Ray T Veteran II

Ray TDonate to Canal World

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This is the book which got me first hooked on narrowboats and canals in general. I can't remember exactly when or which relative of mine gave it to me but I read it cover to cover so many times when I was younger.

 

016725.jpg

 

Have still got it on the shelf smile.png

 

 

 

Rose Bray & Ernie Kendall, I am unable to identify the lock though....

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