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You really dont get it do you? Trevor Maggs is not operating an ex-working boat, there is no ex about it. He as been running Corona as a full operational working boat, as Alan suggests, since the 1960's and is an very experienced and well respected boatman. I have known him for most of that time, and he is one of the most competent, courteous and considerate boatmen I know. The fact that you appear to know nothing of him, merely demonstartes how little you really know about the canals, and those who work on it. Unfortuantely this lack of knowledge does not appear to act as any sort of impediment to you making uninformed observations.

You are sounding a little pompous Alan. No doubt it is down to the brainwashing by the cult! But anyway, please could you explain the significance of the second part of your sentence that I've highlighted? It seem irrational. I don't understand what the type of boat owned, or the age and experience of the boater has to do with it. It really DOES sound as though you are suggesting that because this chap has an ex-working boat and because he has been doing it for a long time, he really does have special privileges in that he is exempt from any criticism when he makes a mistake (as everyone does from time to time). Extraordinary! The cult is strong with you! i come back to the fact that if it were the same post but about a hire boat, you would be much less vociferous in your objections.

Whether we like it or not CWDF postings are completely public to the entire world. It is inevitable that some of the posts will be brought to the attention of people who are not members here, particularly when there is some controversy about those posts - I think it is fair to say that handing out unsubstantiated accusations of implied damage to the canal infrastructure by a working boat owner that has owned and operated his boat since the 1960s comes into that category. I am aware of some exceedingly unpleasant stuff said about members here on another so called canal forum, but I wouldn't in my wildest dreams choose to ask to be a member on that forum to try to fight the bile I have seen. I would however consider it completely acceptable to discuss it on here, and to say why I would never choose to be a member somewhere active members on here are regularly defamed for no apparent purpose than to prove they can do it. I imagine, (in fact I know), that some of these complaining about what has been said in this CWDF thread about a person completely unable to defend his own corner, would not want to join CWDF, because they are very unhappy with much of what gets posted on here, or what they conclude about the types of people who are members here. I also know that some have in the past, but choose to no longer be part of it. It's a personal choice isn't it? I choose to stick with CWDF, because there is much about it I still like, but equally came close to walking forever when certain people seemed intent on destroying it. I post far less than I did, but still hope I have something to offer, particularly when it comes to the controversial topic of (mostly but not exclusively) ex working boats. I'm of the view we all share the same waterways, and need to co-exist in a friendly manner. Some, (whether working boat devotees or working boat haters), seem only to want to dwell on how much those on the other "side" are ruining their enjoyment of the waterways. Personally I don't see that productive in any way at all.

Oh, I can cite them, but if you think I am going to trawl through eight pages of posts and qoute them just to satisfy your inflated ego you can think again.

Mines a William Rogers of Sheffield, bought in Falmouth to remove a stubborn Welly boot. I once was helped a garage equipment installer friend of mine for a couple of days to install a new compressed air system in the lorry workshop at BOC's north London. We heard that they had fish and chips in their canteen at lunch time. We turned up there and sat down at a table with the usual vinegar and brown sauce bottles with rivulets of old dried out sauce running down it and the red plastic tomato shaped ketchup container with the same rivulets of sauce stuck to it, the salt in the seller was damp and wouldn't come out either and no table cloth. Anyway Lil the chief dinner lady ''canteen chiefs are always call Lil'', complete with turban and pinny declared that the fish and chips was nice. So we payed our money and went to collect our cutlary from the cutlary box, but lo!!, no proper fish knives or forks with bone handles to eat our fish and chips with. We gingerly approached Lil to complain about it. She went berserck, shouting with a voice louder than Peggy Mount to Doris her helper, ''ERE Doris, ark these two wanting fish knives to eat their dinner with, bone andles an all'' well we ain't got none see, cackle, cackle, was her reply. So we ate our fish and chips with those horrid cold all steel knives and forks, with no salt and blobs of sauce. Next day we decided to wind up Lil proper for a giggle. We took along to the canteen our own bone handled fish knives and forks plus table cloth, salt seller, and to really wind up Lil a bottle of wine and two wine glass to eat our fish'n'chips with, in a bit of style. The place had a very strong union at that time and workforce were threatening to come out on strike unless they had fish Knives too and dry salt in the sellers. Poor old Lil was very disturbed about it all, but perked up when she heard that we'd be finished that day and wouldn't be back. Well, that's my knife story, which is quite true.

There are new houses at the other end on that stretch: they were in progress two years ago when we were last in Marple and now they're finished. Very good they look too. A terrace, about the same density as this development (and the other houses in the same area). Moorings still available opposite. The area in question is a real eyesore, development will tidy it up and make money for CRT. Boaters get a new sani-station. What's not to like? Cheers, MP.

Heed this post it is very true you have to Want and PREFER a boat over a house or you will not last. Also when buying a boat I will list now the three most important things you need to consider in order of importance 1/ The HULL 2/ The HULL 3/ The HULL Oh and have fun

Rearrange these three words into a well known phrase or saying: Black Pot Kettle

Exactly right. Live on a boat only if you really want to live on a BOAT. Then, the extra physical work in keeping it all going (locking, pump-out, water-filling, hauling groceries down the towpath, etc...) will result in the great payoff of ... living on your own boat. Exactly where you want to be ... in the middle of nowhere ... with oddball boaters, waterfowl and trees for friends ... a lonely spiral of coal smoke marking out your rural existance ... yet ... tentatively ... plugged in ... wirelessly ... to the cyber hive ... if you can see a communications mast. (Or, insert your own version of a floating fantasy here). I, too, think you will do best by respecting the pointy end of your home -- designed to quietly slip through water and make passage.

Interesting that the new toilet/elsan/refuse block is to be situated next to the "luxury" conversion of the old warehouse. I wonder how long that will survive before the new owners complain and have it closed (if it gets built in the first place)? George

I have their small forest axe at home. I split a bit of kindling with it when I first got it, but the thing is just sooo gorgeous it's more of an ornament now! Each one is hand made and individually marked by its maker. Superb quality and a tool for life. I have a cheaper, mass produced hand axe aboard for chopping kindling and emergency use as MrSmelly described.

I can't be sure but I have a feeling you may be missing a big clue in there somewhere

This raises an interesting question. At six years old the batteries are probably heavily sulphated anyway, and in my experience the more a battery is sulphated, the less susceptible it is to further sulphation so yours probably won't suffer noticably. Is this possibly true or just a matter of my distorted perception? I suspect your batteries will drop to about 11v in about 24 hours given their age, at which point the fridge will lock out and stop drawing power anyway. So when you get back on saturday, a good recharge will probably return the batts to much the same condition as they were yesterday, i.e. still half knackered!

At 6 years it doesn't matter. Replace them anyway.

Perhaps he's Santa.

Just had a 'Bimble Update' They have 255w unused panels at £99 (that's under 39p / watt) http://www.bimblesolar.com/recsolar255w-surplus Its now getting so 'cheap' its daft not to have at least some solar.

and longer on your side

And to add to Athys list, smell it. If it smells damp and mouldy then you too will soon smell damp and mouldy and things kept in low down cupboards will go green and furry. If the broker / seller says it just needs airing he could be right but a damp boat with poor insulation and ventilation is a horrid thing.

I think that if it had been a car driver banging on on social media about the thrill of driving without brakes before killing someone the sentence would have been longer.

is there any way that an old thread can be noted as such when it is resurrected years later? I am sort of confined to barracks at the moment after a knee op so I am on here more than I usually am and I see what appears to be a new topic, open it and start reading then later find that I am reading something which was written years ago but a new post has been added on the end. If someone decides to resurrect a thread (usually for good reasons) which had the last message say over a year ago, is there any way this can be flagged up in the heading? Thanks, haggis

Thank you for notifying me regarding the latest development. Still absorbing it all at the moment. As you can imagine, we've been living a nightmare for all this time. Update soon x

On The Rochdale I find the cyclists re-assuring when moored in some if the urban or semi urban areas, it's good to have people around and most of them are sensible and considerate. So I wouldn't say cyclists are ALWAYS at the detriment of boaters but sometimes!

And you said you had not done anything! Excellent work as always.

Excellent stuff again. I love your home made crimping tool.

Greenie again Wayne. Excellent work as usual I like the drawer too.

We picked up the boat from somewhere near Watford, so Milton Keynes is not that far away!. the boat was wooden so sounds like this could be the boat. I note for comments any am sorry if I over stepped the mark, if I had had more posts with Mark99 I might have taken his joke and not as a dig at me

Curious, this. We have practical people in this thread talking about personal experience of lamination and other well informed people saying the steel quality cannot vary. In the world of plumbing we get pinholes in copper pipe occasionally, and in copper cylinders after many years of use. Something that should not be happening as corrosion resistance is the whole point of using copper.

Living in a house can never be compared to living on a boat as they are totaly differing lifestyles. Living in a house is crap and boring to me and living on the boat still vastly better after many years of doing it. People need to WANT to live on a boat if anyone is thinking of living on a boat to save money then they are in for a shock and are not going to enjoy life.

There are lots and lots of moorings but maybe not exactly where you might want to be. You don't need a residential mooring, many people live on leisure moorings but this means no postal address and you might need to keep a lowish profile and not upset your land based neighbours. The other option is to "continuously cruise" which means moving on at least every 14 days. If you just go up and down your favourite 5 mile stretch you will soon get into big trouble. If you travel all over the country life will be wonderful. If you want to travel just a little bit more than 5 miles then you can spend the rest of your life worrying, protesting, and trying to establish just how far is far enough. ................Dave

It appears people driving historic boats can't now make mistakes. I occasionally (some might say often) make a mistake, misjudge the stopping distance, or have problems with stuff around the blade or shallow water. It happens to everybody, young or old. When it comes to hitting infrastructure, you will notice that in places where it might happen (or even designed to happen) there are metal plates which spread the load across the gate. The gates in this instance are under several tonnes of pressure already, so a shock load of a boat hitting doesn't do any damage other than perhaps superficial. When entering a lock with a full length working boat, it is usually advisable to place the fore-end on the gates to hold it in place while a second boat joins. Where it is windy, with an unloaded boat it can be difficult, and might result in the need to bring the boat in faster. A light touch of the gate is preferred as then it doesn't spring the back end out again, but this isn't always easy to do. Strapping in with ropes is not always possible due to removal of correct lock infrastructure, so we have to do our best with what is available. I've been through several lines because of poor positioning of ladders, bollards, and getting it trapped on concrete and wooden posts. Using the engine to stop the boat usually results in being in the middle of the lock due to the amount of water needing to be moved. A problem not normally found with modern light and highly responsive and powerful vessels, now found on the canal. Trevor has run his boat commercially since the late 1960's first delivering loose coal (bagging on the way), and then once full time coal boaters appeared providing bulk moving services. He had a commercial licence until recently where it was un-economic to continue. In the picture above he was carrying a load up to Braunston for Hills and Sons for transfer to a coal boat, I believe he didn't charge for it. If it wasn't Trevor steering, then someone unfamiliar with the boat made a mistake, if it was Trevor, then he just made a mistake. Case closed.

I've smashed into a lock gate before, twas on the Nene, in winter, powering into a lock to beat the side on current from the weir and as I went into idle the engine stalled. Couldn't re-start as the old start needs a 2lb clout 50% of the time. I hit the lock gate with such force it bounced open briefly, everything that was on anything in the boat was on the floor, even the cooker and kitchen units moved! It also opened the bow somewhat! Mistakes happen, move on with your life and don't make assumptions about folk.

One breaks your teeth when used to make sandwiches and the other doesn't.

I'm sorry - are you asking me to explain 'coal for sale'?

If my memory is in gear I think Trevor acquired "Corona" 66/68sh & has boated non stop since, during the time I boated he possibly clattered the gates after getting a blade full, at the time I was boating I never saw him make any move on any canal structure that would result in damage it would not be in his or any ones interest as it could result in a stoppage Does the OP know if he picked up a blade full on "chucking back " & having no means of stopping

In other news.... Man's pint drinking slightly disturbed by the sound of metal abrading painted wood.

So how did the owner of Corona indicate to you that he thought he had any kind of priority over everyone else using the canals? It would be highly uncharacteristic of the man many of us know. As to just leisure boats, both mine indeed are just that, but in this case you have picked a bad example......