David Mack

And that is such a generic and vague description that could prompt arguments for years about what is or is not a Major Craft Conversion! To be licenced the boat needs a BSC. To be sold by a broker the boat now apparently needs paperwork to demonstrate RCR compliance. Two completely different sets of standards. And scope for much confusion amongst boat owners and prospective boat owners who are not immersed in the minutiae of such matters!

Did you buy it from them directly? Did it come with an Annex III(a) declaration that it complied with the RCD up to the then stage of completion (and if so do you still have that declaration)?

No. Anybody wishing to sell a boat in Europe (EU country) has to comply with the EU RCD. Whether or not there are equivalent regulations in UK law has no bearing on that. At present the UK RCR is the same as the EU RCD, the EU rules having been transferred into UK law en-masse at the point of Brexit. But one of the purposes of Brexit was to enable UK law to differ from EU law. So far the idea of just dumping all the EU rules has been pushed into the long grass, but presumably over time both UK and EU rules will get modified, and the two sets will diverge. But I can't see the RCR being high on any UK politicians priorities, so we are probably stuck with the current rules for the foreseeable future.

Enforcement of the RCR is the responsibility of local authority trading standards departments, and most are so under-resourced that this comes such a long way down their list of priorities that only the most serious cases are likely to be followed up. More likely is a dispute between a customer and a boatbuilder or supplier about RCR compliance, which could eventually end up in court. But most people's experience of RCR issues will be when trying to sell a boat, as it seems that brokers are increasingly requiring complete and up to date RCR paperwork before taking on the sale. For a boat which has been owner fitted out or significantly modified, demonstrating compliance can be as much of an issue as actually doing the work in a compliant manner. So who are the 'bureaucrats' in your case? That says: "As in the previous Directive, there are still some boats which are exempt from the RCD, these are: Home built: where the boat has been substantially built by the owner for their own use and is not sold for a period of 5 years. However the boat owner may employ specialist services for elements of the build and still be considered a self build. However, you may find it challenging to sell the boat after 5 years without the relevant RCD documentation, builders plate and CE marking." That is reasonably clear for an entirely home built craft, but it doesn't say whether a sailaway built by a professional builder, and sold with full RCR documentation for a craft completed to the relevant stage, can then be regarded as 'owner built' in relation to the subsequent fitting out, and therefore exempt from a PCA and updated documentation if kept for at least 5 years.

I think the only Cruiseway sections of the BCN are the Main Line/ New Main Line from Aldersley to Gas Street and Farmers Bridge, Netherton Tunnel Branch, Dudley Canal west of Windmill End and the Birmingham and Fazeley (including the Digbeth Branch as far as Warwick Bar). Everything else is remainder. At the time of the 68 Act, none of the BCN was regarded as being of any use for pleasure cruising, and the sections listed above were the minimum necessary to connect other cruising waterways.

A meaningful start can either be the actual commencement of the proposed work, that then proceeds in earnest. Or it can be a token activity undertaken with the sole purpose of keeping planning permission alive, without actually intending to do anything more in the near future.

Can you imagine the hoohah NBTA would make if they were 'banned' from having a stall at Cavalcade? Better to have them inside the tent p*ssing out, than outside p*ssing in.

Looks good. Do you have to cut pockets in the back of the trim to accommodate the nut and bolt?

Or possibly too long, got caught on a lock side or bridge arch, and got bent.

And new top 'plank' both sides welded just above the top guard, so no rivets left along the gunwale angle. Fitted out back cabin, but no pictures. And engineless, yet photographed on the River Nene without a motor or tow line in evidence?

Planning permission usually expires after 3 years if work on site hasn't begun. So has anything happened on site? Or is the permission now defunct?

At school I made a key for a small store room that a school group I was involved with used. And then I filed the sides down and converted it to a master key that would open any classroom door in that building!

The general description says that, but in the detail it says "For immersion service: steel; blast cleaned to ISO-Sa2½". In practice you may well get away with a lesser standard of preparation, but no manufacturer or supplier is going to say that as they don't want any responsibility if the paint system fails.

Yes you will need a licence, but one where you declare a home mooring, rather than one for 'continuous cruising'. And from this month a home mooring licence will be cheaper than a CC one. (The exception to the above would be that if you find a mooring in one of the few offline marinas or basins which is not subject to CRT's standard Network Access Agreement, then you may not need a licence in the marina itself, but will to venture out onto the canal. For planning purposes you can ignore this option.)

I don't know if this is relevant, but the lock keeper who lived in the cottage at the bottom of the Knowle flight in the 1970s was Bob Knight. I believe his son now lives on a boat in the area.

I would fit the outlet close to the bottom of the tank, so that the water flows under gravity, rather than having a dip pipe (hose) in the tank. An internally threaded socket could be welded to the outside of the tank, and you could paint the threads with the same epoxy as used for the tank. Then screw on a brass fitting from the outside to connect to the water supply pipework. That way there should be a minimum of exposed steel in the connection and less chance of it getting gunked up with rust.

Twirl batons you mean?

And if you do find a permanent mooring (whether officially residential or not) you won't need a 'continuous cruising licence'.

That's not a hopper. It is designed to carry road-based plant, hence the drop down ramps on the right hand end. Since it also has hydraulic spud legs it looks to have been designed to allow a conventional excavator to be used for dredging.

This is just the stern end of the butty Achilles, now going backwards. Achilles was cut by Roger Farrington in about 2015 amid much concern from historic boat enthusiasts that yet another of the few remaining full length butties had been lost. I see this displays the name of the original boat. At the time it was cut I thought it would be more appropriate for the front end, which is most of the original boat, to carry the name Achilles, and the back end should be named Achilles Heel.

With the Reliant car factory in the background, the same year as they ceased production.

John Gagg's 1970 book 'Canals in Camera' includes this photo of a converted tug on the Stort. The caption refers to it as a former hire boat on the Grand Union, and I always thought it was the with Wyvern fleet (although I don't know where that thought came from).

Made in Germany, exported to the USA and sold through their Doraville-based US subsidiary?

Specifically, what promises has Parry made and been unable to keep? How? Please give specific examples (rather than vague assertions), indicating how much money would be freed up for other activities. What are theses "non essentials" and how much money could be redirected as you suggest?

And if they did pay council tax, how much of that would CRT see?