captain flint

And yet.... heh.

There's a Hindu festival once a year where statues of Ganesha are traditionally thrown into waterways. Ganesha is the elephant-headed Hindu god, so you'd have thought not easy to muddle up with Buddha (!), but I've that (unsuprisingly) many end up in the GU around the Wembley/Neasden area at that time of year (I forget when), and I saw a FB post asking the same question - why so many barge buddhas? - which ended up actually being about Ganeshas, which has been pulled out of the canal. Probably not traditionally the luckiest thing to do, removing a holy offering, but of course, on the other hand, a free ornament, and hey, Ganesha was a big hearted kind of god, who's to say he'd really mind? Or that the whole religion thing isn't hogwash in the first place....Then again, I remember a story Nils Bohr, the famous physicist: someone saw an upside down "lucky" horseshoe on the wall of his lab, and said, "surely you don't believe in all that, Nils?" - to which Bohr is said to have replied, "Of course not! But they say it works even if you don't believe in it...." ramble over

Hi all, I'm trying to find out what people think of R&D boats. Looking at a boat built in 2002, the year Ray Denton sold up, or wound up, I believe. See lots of references to them on the forums, but just detailing the various connections with Paul Widdowson, XR&D, Hancock and Lane (going back) etc, ...no views on their quality or otherwise whatsoever. I'm kind of thinking that with all those connections they're likely to be a solid enough firm employing reasonably experienced builders, but it's all just guesswork on my part. Anyone able to share any thoughts?

I checked out the thread above, and phoned the Gary mentioned. He knows nothing of them. Pukeko, on sale at New and used boats, listed as a mallard boat fitted by Tony miller. I can't find anything on either. The broker said he'd sold one before but knew nothing else, but anyway he's the broker so I'd rather find out from now independent sources.. I'd anyone has info that would be great, but I'm guessing not...

Thanks to all the replies, basically what I thought but with some more info and insight, helpful. Not to everyone's taste but I think it's nice in a bonkers kind of way. Can't help but think of he'd done something similar in a modern boat he'd find a buyer willing to pay top price for his wacky fitout (if it's technically sound). Expect he didn't have enough capital, but seems a shame, in that he's obviously put time, thought as money into what is, in the final analysis, a turkey...

Hi there There's a Hancock and Lane boat fitted out in an unsual way I really like. I've seen a recent survey (I'd get a new one if bidding). Not awesome, to be honest. I'm wondering what people think about making a bid. I'm inclined not to even try a lower price than being asked. I'll explain why She has been beautifully fitted out, with really top greade materials and in a style I love. I hesitate to post a link as I have a feeling it's not to everyone's taste! But anyway, the point is, the cost is £49,000 and I am really am no expert but from what I've seen I would think half of that would be the more normal price for that boat, were it not for a fancy fit out. Of course, there are questions about the fit-out - like has the guy done boats before, will the panelling all pop out in the first cold snap, etc. But even if it turns out he's an experienced boat fitter, I'm left thinking I should not let me heart rule my head, and should not spend 50 grand on a boat like this, however pretty the interior. The 2016 survey itself shows that she's not in bad nick in general but has not been all that well well looked after recently, needed various bits of overplating at various times over the years (of course - and better that they've been done than not!!) but that not all the overplating was done perfectly (no suggestion of leaks, but some done over the rubbing strake, which is considered bad practice according to the survey, and the odd bit left off, not filling one with confidence, including one place ommitted on the stbd waterline where it was down to 3.6mm). The baseplate is a bit less than 6 in some places, as to be expected on a boat that had 6mm as new, but generall between 5.7 and 6.7... The survey did say that when it was last looked at it hadn't been blacked recently enough and there was some signs of corrosion through what was left of the bitumen, but the gyuy says it now has four (!) new coats. I think the thing to do is have one last, lingering look at the photos of the inside, and give a whistful sigh, then turn away, never to look back again. I suspect he spent a lot on the various hardwoods he put into this venerable little boat, and wouldn't be able to come down in price much, but what would people think was OK? It's a hard one because I think a newer, better boat, done up like that, could cost more than twice, but that a 30+ year old hancock and lane should go for half that price!

I have little experience but was once at a rodeo where they were chasing bullocks on horseback and roping them, for practice. I was very much out in the sticks, and although I kind of disapproved, it was interesting. I felt so sorry for the bullocks at first, but the more I watched the more it struck me that all the animals were actually having fun. Now, I'd be the first to accept that any view I had, positive or negative, was ill informed - and that even the best informed most experienced people will struggle to confidently and certainly assess state of mind in another human let alone another animal. So that's a big caveat - that what I saw was simply how things struck me, and might tell us more about me than about the cows and horses. But the cows, while waiting, crammed together, in a narrow run, before being chased around the rodeo, none of them seemed agitated, no wide eyes, no tossing heads, no stamping. They made social sounding noises to each other now and then, but seemed more like a queue at a playground or theme park, waiting for their "go" if I'm honest! Of course, their flight response was triggered when their turn came up, and there's no doubt they - and the horses (and the cowboys!) felt some adrenaline at that point, but adrenaline and cortisone are two different hormones, and who knows if they actually suffered stress, or just excitement? A cople of nights playing games of "chase" might be the highlight of those young, male animals' lives! They generally didn't get caught and tied and when they did they were released very soon after, and didn't seem to bothered (they ran like billy-o to get away but seemed fairly passive when caught, almost as if they knew the rules of the "game"). I had a go on one of the horses The cowboys even let me have a go on one of the horses (minus the rope, thank god, I would have been more likely to hang myselfor break the horses legs than rope anything!)... and yes, of course it is because of how it was trained and what it expected, but it really wanted to run and chase around the bullocks, and always tried to drag you back to them if you tried to ride it elsewhere. And the cows, it almost seemed like those that had run were watching the others and laughing at their mates getting caught. I really 100% get that this might be a very fanciful thing, that I might have been projecting my own thoughts onto what I was seeing, and I am certainly not posting this in defense of any sporting activity involving animals. I guess it's just that I just had a big caffeine hit and was reading this, and it made me think of the rodeo back in the sticks in brazil. I think lots of us find these impossible to answer musings about the feelings of animals really fascinating, although I'm not sure I know exactly why.

Fair dos, though I was walking the towpath more east- camden, islington, hackney, etc. Didn't seem so bad but maybe that's because I don't have memories of it being less busy (I mean, I do, as I have been along these waterways on foot and bike all my life, but I probably wasn't thinking about what I was looking at in the same way)

Zombie reply, just chatting - short version: lots of people on these forums say walk the towpaths and form your own view, so I have, by looking, thinking, and talking to folk, and my view is it doesn't seem that bad. And it's mid summer.... The thing I saw quite a lot of that I would be making a fuss about more than the cruisers are the great big hulking chunks of listing, rusting iron, with boxy extensions built on the top, that look like they will sink any day! They are massive and take up so much space - especially in the run up to Broadway Market. I know they're not on the towpath side, but still! LONG VERSION: I see people say this a lot on here. I have lived in London all my life (including on boats at times, not recently), and I walk and sometimes (shhh) cycle the towpaths. Not all the time, but now and then all my life. I've always wanted to live on a boat again, and wanted to CC - and was blissfully unaware of the last few years' uptick in boat numbers. It's unsurprising, in light of the ridiculous state of the housing market, but I'd not thought about it. I have been walking along some of the busiest bits of the GU and the lower Lea recently and they seem busy and full-ish but not packed and impossible by any means. I keep expecting to be horrified, perhaps I should be! And the people I speak to all say they don't generally have any major problems getting around and finding moorings. I really don't have a wish to stay in the busiest places, or even in town, actually. I want to cruise, and I intend to go out to at least Devizes, maybe further, as well as the GU and Lea. But maybe it's because I'm a Londoner (with an elderly mam) that I will be kind of operating "out of" London. What I've seen and heard is not putting me off. I keep thinking maybe I'm missing something!

I'm guessing there's more to this than people worrying about spilling tea? When I lived on a narrowboat we had boats going past, I don't remember being bothered when my boat rocks - but, having said that, it wasn't *my* boat - I was in a friends' for 8 months. Maybe every time the boat rocks there's a bigger chance of [insert narrowboat maintenance knowledge here] that I need to find out about? Or are people who chose to live on boats truly getting narked when their home rocks on the waves a touch...?

Now now don't get hysterical ;-) (what I actually mean: well said.)

Hmmm but I don't see the Eagle as a Jag E type - just a great car put into the same bodywork...! Maybe i'm being dumb, but I'd see an Eagle as a better car that does indeed look amazing, but a proper classic jag as a thing of love, and money, and time, and class. To me there's room for completely modern-made "reboots" - but if someone got a classic and stripped it out to put modern stuff in, that would be a different thing again, seem like a shame...

Classic! And well told...

I see engine rooms are on the list as a waste of space. Makes sense... But without one (And with the engine under the stern deck) I've been told pram hoods are a good idea for inclement weather, keeping the engine nice and dry etc

Nice cobra....Is that you, Nico....?! Your friendly forum stalker ;-)