Canal boat people. Please help me out.

[toolsntat]

If you're quick Chris you could be the proud owner of this classic craft
A tad compact but....
You have PM
Cheers Andy

 

[spanner48]

Have you thought about having a composting toilet?

They take a bit of getting used to [we made some smelly mistakes early on]. But once you've got into the rhythm, they're surprisingly easy to run. And they solve the "creeping across ice-bound gangways to the toilet block in winter" problem.

 

[Bod]

Have you thought about having a composting toilet?

They take a bit of getting used to [we made some smelly mistakes early on]. But once you've got into the rhythm, they're surprisingly easy to run. And they solve the "creeping across ice-bound gangways to the toilet block in winter" problem.

But what do you do with “contents” whilst the composting takes place?

Bod

 

[Spectric]

To live on, make sure you get one with decent electrics - lots of solar, good charging, lithium batteries if you can afford them etc.

When I looked at one I had set a length limit of I believe 57ft or thereabouts so that every UK canal would have been accessable, some up north cannot take 60 footers due to the shorter locks. It had an Izuzu diesel and a generator that was so well fitted that it was nothing more than a slight hum when running, had all mod cons such as a washing machine and fridge/freezer but you would need to get used to long thin living, it was built in Poland and to high standards, I do remember the welding was very good.

 

[Jameshow]

Go

If you're quick Chris you could be the proud owner of this classic craft
A tad compact but....
You have PM
Cheers AndyView attachment 113942View attachment 113943View attachment 113944View attachment 113945

Go on tell us what it is!!

The boat we hired had an Izuzu engine ran as sweet as a nut.

Cheers James

 

[toolsntat]

Go
Go on tell us what it is!!

The boat we hired had an Izuzu engine ran as sweet as a nut.

Cheers James

Alas James I have no idea, place is being cleared out by the family after the old chap passed on. He towed it from Wells Next the Sea as a shell and sadly never finished it.
Missed seeing his whole setup as most has been sold but he was one of those chaps who could turn his hand to anything with some serious kit to boot.
By the way both the saws are up for grabs, proper kit
Cheers Andy

 

[Ozi]

B.O.A.T>

Break Open Another Thousand

My brotherinlaw lives on a boat, nice guy barking mad, I think that may be per-requisite, on both counts.

 

[Jameshow]

I lived on

B.O.A.T>

Break Open Another Thousand

My brotherinlaw lives on a boat, nice guy barking mad, I think that may be per-requisite, on both counts.

I did many years ago.

Kestrel 22 must have been barking mad!

Cheers James

 

[glenfield2]

But what do you do with “contents” whilst the composting takes place?

Bod

Store them in bags on the roof
The Canal & River Trust has recently banned them from the canal rubbish bins because too many were arriving in, er, pre compost state. The rubbish bins are sorted manually to separate recycling at the Biffa depots. Yuk!

 

[Bod]

Store them in bags on the roof
The Canal & River Trust has recently banned them from the canal rubbish bins because too many were arriving in, er, pre compost state. The rubbish bins are sorted manually to separate recycling at the Biffa depots. Yuk!

Hope you got good bags!

Bod

 

[glenfield2]

When I looked at one I had set a length limit of I believe 57ft or thereabouts so that every UK canal would have been accessable, some up north cannot take 60 footers due to the shorter locks. It had an Izuzu diesel and a generator that was so well fitted that it was nothing more than a slight hum when running, had all mod cons such as a washing machine and fridge/freezer but you would need to get used to long thin living, it was built in Poland and to high standards, I do remember the welding was very good.

Yes length is limited on northern canals but width is the main restriction - there’s no way from south to north in a widebeam except via The Wash. And, yes, the Polish built Aqualines were v good - steelwork in Gdańsk shipyard and woodwork using redundant machinery from the UK.
PS we looked at buying a ‘gas free’ boat once: the owner offered us a cuppa and plugged in his electric kettle - at which point a thundering diesel generator fired up in the bows! We walked away - deaf

 

[Doug B]

B.O.A.T>

Break Open Another Thousand

My brotherinlaw lives on a boat, nice guy barking mad, I think that may be per-requisite, on both counts.

It would seem there’s a lot of truth in that, I've worked for several folks with boats the one chap had an ocean going craft the ownership of which he described as being akin to standing at the waters edge continually throwing £50 notes into the water I said he must be mad, didn’t answer

 

[Jonm]

The breadth of experience on this site is amazing. All good practical advice, on topic and interesting to read.

 

[Ozi]

It would seem there’s a lot of truth in that, I've worked for several folks with boats the one chap had an ocean going craft the ownership of which he described as being akin to standing at the waters edge continually throwing £50 notes into the water I said he must be mad, didn’t answer

The other definition of boat is "A hole in the water surrounded by wood into which you throw money"

 

[Jameshow]

Depending on budget but if I were looking at a wide beam boat I'd look at a broom 30, solid build, low air draft, value for money.

Cheers James

 

[glenfield2]

Hope you got good bags!

Bod

The only poo on our boat roof comes from pigeons. I’m far from convinced about composting toilets.

 

[hairy]

Separett composting toilets have a bucket inside, and you can get spares from them with good lids for not much cash. I believe in the UK after six months it's not regarded as hazardous anymore. Certainly when I went to a UK dealer they showed me the end result and you wouldn't have any idea what it started as or was. Since they were near the Cadbury factory you could buy big bags of the waste cocoa shells as the organic medium you need which then gives you a lovely chocolatey aroma Expecting it to be composted when it comes to emptying is where some peoples expectations come crashing down, the name is composting not composted

 

[spanner48]

But what do you do with “contents” whilst the composting takes place?

Bod

As others say: for solids, store them in [closed] buckets the roof. Need to add some bulk material [paper, sawdust etc.] each time you poo. Then, in a couple of months, it breaks down into dryish compost, that doesn't smell. For liquids, use any flush toilet. Overall, you'll be surprised by how LITTLE it all comes to. Two people, living abroad full-time for five months, generated one and a half 10 litre paint tubs of compost.

 

[Daniel2]

As others say: for solids, store them in [closed] buckets the roof. Need to add some bulk material [paper, sawdust etc.] each time you poo. Then, in a couple of months, it breaks down into dryish compost, that doesn't smell. For liquids, use any flush toilet. Overall, you'll be surprised by how LITTLE it all comes to. Two people, living abroad full-time for five months, generated one and a half 10 litre paint tubs of compost.

So, if I understand correctly, for liquids (wee), you still need to use a flush toilet ?

 

[spanner48]

Yes. Though, if you've got a garden, pee is a quite effective grass- and weedkiller.