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I have no argument what ever against wide beam boats boating on a cut that has designed dimensions to suit them but the lack of upkeep is a factor that is causing problems & the fact some don't move much if at all the condition of the cut that make them concerned & if they move they have problems & don't enjoy so stay put it's a chicken /egg syndrome which will only get worse with the lack of maintenance & the increasing number of wider boats or for that matter boats in general the increase of newbie posts on this forum titled I'm looking to buy a liveaboard which is fine if they comply with the T's & C's but i wonder how many become disillusioned with the constant moving if they choose CCing & become stay putters or bridge hoppers so the cut has boats moored in awkward places so the round of difficulty's may start again for boats wider than the narrow beam dimensions, The purpose the cut is now used for is compleatly different to its designed use but without being adapted to today"s requirements such a shame

Some alarms are sensitive to high 'concentrations' of inverted commas.

Martin Kedian?never heard of him till I joined this Forum!

Now on the way back to the Shroppie and on the Coventry having just done the 11 locks on Atherstone flight and stopped for the day now (it was only going to be for lunch but the boat moving just when I was climbing onto the bow to tie up meant that I was able to check the depth of the canal quite effectively - not having spare shoes was certainly a serious omission! ) "So how goes the new skin tank?" I hear you ask... Firstly, let me say that Martin has done a lovely job and my poor old Thorneycroft 90 (BMC 1500) has warmed up to mid-70's and stuck there no matter what engine speed - a massive difference to previous outings when one eye on the canal and the other on the temperature guage. Secondly, a massive 'Thank You!' to the Kate Boat technicians who connected the new cooling system and replaced all of the cooling and Calorifier feed pipes - having a few issues thrown at them on the way as old fittings either snapped or were rusted to the point of uselessness, they were both friendly and very profesional and I'd have no hesitation in recommending them! The calorifier took a couple of days to get rid of all of the air in the heating coil making some 'interesting' gurgling noises in the process. We now have an engine being cooled properly, oil pressure remaining stable (because the coolant temperature is correct I presume) and plenty of nice hot water too. Previously the coolant temperature was not stable and would randomly rise to over 100c and stay there until the engine was stopped for a couple of minutes, this appears to have been eradicated, temperatures rose briefly while the air came out of the calorifier and dropped once the gurgling ceased. The new cooling system appears to place no appreciable load on the water pump over the original keel cooling but certainly inspires more confidence than previously. When we called in to refill the Diesel tank (just in case) I enjoyed a good conversation with the proprieter about overplating / skin tanks (he does the same engineering himself) who asked who did the work, then commented that the surveyor who had done the hull survey after Martin had finished my boat had called in Wednesday to do a survey there - he had commented about the excellent work on the boat he had just surveyed in the last week - it just happened to be mine... What more can be said?

I think you need to get out and meet more boaters There is a growing assumption of late that people live on the canal to get cheaper housing, but there are a huge number of people living on the cut because they choose that lifestyle, I fear some are even boat/canal fanatics. And no matter what the sartorial intention was, a few years on the cut and scruffy appears to take hold. ...........Dave

How old are? By co-incidence I was discussing this sort of stuff with a total stranger (boater) in the pub last night. At some point in life some people (especially boaters) realise that having a good lifestyle is more important than saving/investing for what is a finite future. I reckon quite a few people are still saving the day that they die whilst some youngsters go for the lifestyle choice dangerously early. Boats are not an investment but a very good way of life. .............Dave

I think my rough and ready batt selection guide may apply here... as follows: Does the user have a genuine lasting interest in batts and batt charging? No? - Fit reasonable el cheapos Yes? - They probably already know what batts are best for them. btw 95% of people probably belong in the first category.

https://canalworld.net/forums/index.php?/topic/83402-bridgewater-canal-charges/ https://canalworld.net/forums/index.php?/topic/83402-bridgewater-canal-charges/ Does anyone remember either of these threads or taking part, and can they get more info on the people who said they paid or had contact? Please If only to get confirmation of a few facts that some on here have questioned.

You should pass my place after about 2 hours. I'll try to look out for you and give you a wave as you pass.

I did see that - my post was sent before I received yours but did not think it worth commenting . . . However, given the potentially lethal consequence it does not hurt to remind people again.

If you have one cylinder not firing, and that seems likely since surely the fuel in the oil is coming from a split injector pipe? Then decompress that cylinder and take the injector pipe off at the pump an stick a bit of plastic hose on instead and run it to a catch bottle. Then go home on a single.

It could have been gigoguy

You do that, and I will have Malvern. Interestingly, I saw the FMC Malvern today for the first time. Full length conversion but still looks good.

Yes it is and you can see the post advertising the fact. This picture show just how this section is only suitable for narrowboats. Even if CRT were to cut back the official mooring there is absolutely no wriggle room for anything else. Two can just about get by with care. Put a wide beam in the picture and it's not a joke.

Lovely Basset you have there having one is sensible lol having 2 is nuts having 3 is our lives are not our own no more we rescued 2 badly treated

Is it actually running on both cylinders. Running on one cylinder would still deliver several hp, enough to power the boat along quite merrily, but would stall easily when the throttles closed. Can be tested for this using the de-compression levers, if they've not been trodden on and broken off. Or feel the valve covers. If one is a lot cooler than the other then that would be the faulty one.

I know this is 'oft said', but I do not think that a week or two is really sufficient - in that time you have not filled the toilet, not emptied the water tank, not needed to fetch / carry sacks of coal or gas bottles, in fact, it is just a Winter holiday, and, irrespective of what you are 'thinking' your body realises that it will all be over soon and you will be back to the conveniences of Bricks & Mortar living. Unless you are going to hire for 2 or 3 months then the only way to actually experience the highs & lows is to 'just do it'.

I think the OP should hire a boat in December for a couple of weeks, to get a flavour of what it is like living on a boat when the towpath is muddy, the nights are long and it is cold and damp. If he doesn't like it, then he will have saved himself the bother and expense of buying and immediately selling the boat and still have a share in the house thus being able to consider other options.

like peas in a pod perhaps?.

The more I think about this the more I think the ship has sailed. Given the clamour for moorings in popular locations such as Oxford and the crowded narrowboat market it's a dodgy proposition that Mike may regret in as little as 12 months if the bubble bursts and boat prices start to tumble. Too many other folk have the same idea at the moment. Also, a lot of Mike's comments suggest that he has a very idealistic, romantic, view of the boating life. Most of us on here know that they can break your heart when things are going wrong and it's often a short step from love to hate. One of the problems with CWDF is we never, or hardly ever, get to hear accounts from people who tried the liveaboard life and failed. Most of the liveaboard members are fully committed and happy with their lot and there's nothing to balance out the "come on in the water's lovely" view. Sorry too many metaphors, or are they similes - where's Athy..?

It’s a very expensive and better class of steel from Japan , massaged every day and fed beer .

Based on house prices over the past 30 years, (and longer), you will definitely be burning your bridges if you sell the house you already own half of, and spend all/a chunk of the money on a boat. With just over twice as much experience of life as you have, and given the opportunity you now have, I would do whatever you can to retain your place on the housing ladder.... WHATEVER IT TAKES!!! Where is the house? How much is it worth? Buy your sisters half with some kind of mortgage, (buy to let mortgage on the basis that you are going to rent it out). Remortgage it once you own it, (you may have to wait 6 months before a lender will consider the next loan), to release as much as you can to buy your boat. The rent will cover the mortgage, (the lender wont lend the money if it wont), you get to buy a boat and live on it, and you are invested in double the amount of property that you are right now, as against not invested in property at all. When property values have doubled again in 10 years time, (or 5 years, or 15 years, or whatever), you will own outright more than half of the property, and you have a variety of options. (In the past 30 years, property has generally increased in value roughly ten times) If the above doesn't release enough money to buy the kind of boat that you would really like, buy the kind of boat you can afford. £25,000 should buy a 45ft trad stern boat, with enough room down below, (just), for a couple to live aboard. I could go on, but you will get the gist..... IMHO, of course

too much knowledge is a dangerous thing. let's face it, on inland waterways, away from commercial traffic, a horn is just an alert - not a means of sending a message; anyone who thinks otherwise is kidding themselves.

I suspect that those of us here who've done regular sea survival courses where one of the tasks is to swim to, and get yourself into, a liferaft would agree with you. Propelling yourself backwards with flappy hands whilst floating on your back, unable to see where you're going because of your fully inflated lifejacket is a proper struggle as it is - the challenge of swimming to, and rescuing, someone else whilst you're wearing one I can hardly imagine.

Rings are always placed so that they are not the right distance apart for your boat.

For now it does not need one so its not that causing the conking out. Just renove the foam if you have any. What engine? Petrol or diesel? Its not a Perkins 4-xxx because they do not normally have air filters. my be a BMC 1.5 because they used washable wire mesh or open cell foam air filters. If so try Calcutt Boats or ASAP supplies. If it is a wire mesh one then that can be replaced by an opened up stainless steel "Goldilocks" pan scourer for all the good they do in marine use.