Eastern

Words almost fail me. Why would anyone think that it is acceptable to dump their rubbish in the canal, on the towpath, or in a hedgerow? I assumed that forum members were canal enthusiasts!

Is it half term already? This was the level of debate I used to have in the playground at primary school. Well, my Dad is bigger than yours and I'm taking my ball back and not playing anymore.

But that isn't a rule - nor is it likely to become one.

What a great topic! Here's my two penneth.... If you are a member of society, then you must morally abide by the rules of that society. If you have a boat on BW waters then you need a licence and possibly a BSS. On the roads I assume no one is defending not having a licensed, insured and MOT'd car. What is the difference? The option does not exist to pick which rules you obey and which you do not. As to the point that the boater is too poor to buy a licence...Well, if you see them give them a knock and offer them the money for one (I think cash would be prefered), and wait to see how long it takes them to display the licence. The canals are not a freeloaders paradise, and I for one will report any boats I see without a licence.

What I wanted to convey in my earlier post is that the style of the drovers coat is great. It's just as a practical piece of wet weather gear that it falls down. I would have thought that preventing water being wicked up the sleeve was a basic requirement, which has been solved on my Daks waxed jacket by using a inner storm cuff. I would buy a pair of cuffs and sew them in to the Drizabone, if I knew where you buy them. Drizabone could easily solve the problem by increasing the size of the turn up on the cuff. I find mine is great for taking the dog for a walk etc, but useless as when steering a narrowboat in medium and heavy rain. Better to get a wax jacket on offer at Lidl next week - £29.99 IIRC! East

I hope that you are pleased with coat, but I must tell you that I bought one and I am very dissapointed with it. The construction of the sleeves is such that the turn up where the lining is attached is very small. Water runs down the sleeve and wicks up the lining giving you a damp arms. I have tried waxing the lining for a couple of inches up from the bottom of the sleeve, but it still happens. I also bought a sou'wester type hat. This is even worse. It leaks where the 'Drizabone' label is sewn in and the lining of the hat rubs on the shoulders of the coat, thus wicking the water up and onto my head. Again waxing the lining reduces this, but does not eliminate it. I'm afraid it is another brand that has 'style over substance' East

Yes, to search this forum, you go to the top of the page and select 'Search'

Canals should be used to move boats around. Not to be permanently moored on. If, as a private boater, you move around the canals from November this year you will paying double the amount for your (diesel) fuel. The exchequer will have gained a 'windfall' from this increase in taxation, so it seems reasonable that BW should ask for a share of this extra revenue, and use it to off set any additional licence fee. Anyway, boaters are not the only users of canals.

I have to go along with others and say that if money was no object then I would have my dream boat built by Norton Canes Boatbuilders. But if money was a problem.....then I'd still have a boat from NC. Hang on! I've just remembered....NC start my new boat next year...Phew, thats a relief! East

That'll be why most domestic electrical equipment is double insulated and does not have an earth connection?

the quoted 18% loss is for the piston type pump which is the more expensive option over the vane type which has a bigger power loss. Quite correct Gary, but to be fair the piston pump type including a Beta 50hp engine was £3700.00 and the vane motor was £3550.00. Not a big difference, I'm sure you will agree! The BW workboats are rare sight on the system, broken down or otherwise. I wouldn't have thought that hydraulic systems were inherently unreliable, as I see plenty of JCBs etc working away at digging holes and such like. I'm afraid I'm old enough to remember when the earth moving machine all worked on steel cables being wound on and off a drum! But don't lets go there

Hi Duztee, I visited the Hercules Hydrulics stand at the IWA exhibition at Wolverhampton yesterday. They claim that a conventional drive has loses of 10% from the flywheel to prop and that their hydraulic drive has an additional 8% on top, making an 18% loss. Their costs seem on a parr with conventional drive as a gearbox and flexible couplings are not required. The time and engineering expertise reqired to install a conventional drive is much greater (they claim) and there are savings to be made there. Their web address is www.herculeshydraulics.co.uk They seem keen to offer full support to boaters. With regards to your idea of using an hydraulic generator, I would suggest that you investigate the tax implications, because you would want all the fuel used for electrical generation to be taxed at red diesel rate. Regards East

Ah yes Steve, My grandad smoked 90 woodbines a day from the age of 12, and he lived to 103. There's alway and exception to the rule! I think you may find that every boat that has had problems with millscale has not been rusted and gritblasted. Over to the forum

Chris, How can you second guess my motives for posting a reply? If you read my post I did not say that you could not make living on a boat cheaper than living in a house. My motives are to help people who wish to live on a boat to have realistic expectations of what is entailed and what the costs are. If you take like for like lifestyle choices, the appreciation of propery value against depreciation of boat values (for we must compare buying with buying, not buying with renting) and the maintenance costs I would be very surprised if it was cheaper. May I also point out that we have entered the 'silly season', so you may expect stories like the average wage etc to appear in the media.

Hi Rob, I would agree with Dave. Make sure your expectations are reasonable. Many people seem to think that living on a boat is a cheap option compared with housing on land. This is not the case. You may be surprised to hear that you are not the first person to post on this topic, and I would recommend you search the archives. Regards East