Steering a canal boat
In essence, things are very simple. For throttle, you’ve got a lever that gives you a choice of forwards, backwards and neutral, with the speed varying according to how far
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Using your canal boat on rivers
When I first took my boat on a river, it was a scary experience. Whereas canals are shallow and (mostly) have no flow – so even an engine failure isn’t
Continue readingHow to navigate canal tunnels safely
As the canal builders became more confident and experienced, they faced geographical obstructions such as hills that would have taken many, many locks to overcome. Instead, they used dynamite and
Continue readingWhere can you moor, on a canal boat?
Before we start, do have a read of this page which is ostensibly about mooring costs but in which I inevitably had to describe various types of mooring so there’s
Continue readingWhere can you go on a canal boat?
So you’ve bought your boat, insured it and now intend to set off into the distant unknown at 3 mph; but where exactly will and can you go? Assuming you’ve
Continue readingDiesel engine servicing: the basics
Just like a car, a canal boat’s engine will also require regular scheduled maintenance. In fact, it’s worse than a car because that only requires a bit of an oil
Continue readingCanal boat engines: daily checks
I suspect it’s safe to say that with modern cars, few people bother to check the oil or water levels unless a light flashes on the dashboard to indicate a
Continue readingElectricity on canal boats: nerdy detail
After you’ve read this page about the basics of boat electrics, let’s delve further into the technical detail of batteries and all things electrical. If this is the stuff of
Continue readingElectricity on canal boats: the basics
It’s not something you have to think about in a house – other than paying the bill – but on a boat, the electricity supply will be something you really
Continue readingGas (propane) use on canal boats
Whilst it is certainly true that there are several gas-free boats on the canals, by and large, most boats do still use propane in some form or another, mainly for
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