Cockatoo

Thanks guys, you've all told me what I want to hear :-) Indeed Debs will be back here one or two nights a week and the BCE (see sig) will flit between the two depending on whether he fancies a pint of AK or a pint of Ghost Ship.........

For sure the mooring would need to come first. Starting a week Saturday we've got three weeks spread between Moonlight Shadow and Thunder so it will give us a chance for a leisurely look around. ETA I can also see what seasonal work is available.

Long story short, we are thinking of buying a boat and living on it for probably 8-9 months of the year. Debs is still at work, I've semi-retired (doing a bit of agency work to stop me getting into trouble). Originally we were looking at canal boats, maybe to live on full time, but have decided that we would rather have something with a bit more room generally. That, plus the fact that I am originally a 'Norfolk Boy', means we are looking at the Broads. I know there is a shortage of true residential moorings but would that sort of use class as residential? We'd still have our place here in Waltham Abbey, paying council tax and whatnot, indeed Debs would still be using it a couple of nights a week to save on travelling and for three or four months a year we would be here full time. Are we shooting at the stars? Steve

I would so love a wooden boat. The problem is I am to woodwork as a drunken monkey with a paintbrush is to fine art and I would have to pay someone to do all the work. And I haven't won the lottery :(

The problem is Mazda's are Alfa Romeo'esque in their ability to rust :( Great in Japan where they don't spread salt on the roads.

Does if you wear glasses But I actually meant it makes them easier to clean.

I've got the posts plotted in Viewranger on my tablet in case viz is poor :)

Rain-X helps :)

This thread was inspired by something @JennyMorgan said on @EastCoastIPA,s April Fool thread: Overcoming the fear that so many North Rivers boaters have of going outside their comfort zone, e.g. Breydon. When did it start? When I started coming to the Broads as an adult (questionable) in the late 90s as far as I know people just got on with it and went north to south and vice versa.

We'll hope to see you on the 14th April then. And maybe the 21st @ Coltishall if the tide is good to us at Wroxham Bridge.

Any other dates for late April?

That's sort of what I had in mind here https://www.facebook.com/groups/170393677234349/

Just to echo what @scaniaman says I always used Brakes International as well. There are a lot of dodgy, fake brake pads on eBay (especially fake Mintex) but as you are not going to be doing the work yourself I don't suppose that matters. I would keep away from main dealers though. There are a lot of BMW independents about and the cost savings would be enormous. Also front and rear pads wear at completely different rates, I do a lot of miles (about 25k last year) and get through 3 or 4 sets of front pads to every set of rear so changing the fronts because the rears need doing is not so bad but next time the fronts wear out don't be tempted to change the rears 'to keep them even'. It doesn't work like that :)

And water cooling produces a lot less noise compared to air/water cooling. :)

+1 for Dropbox here. Anything I think I might need while I am out and about goes there. Main backups go to a network attached storage box that I built and that has mirrored hard drives. I just have to remember to leave my laptop turned on on a Wednesday night otherwise things are bit slow on Thursday Morning.

Hey Robin, I don't know if you were seriously going to look at the chinese heaters but if you are this Faceache group has some good info in the Files section. https://www.facebook.com/groups/146837062640024

I find it mildly irritating when someone takes over the helm and straight away increases the speed from the, for example, 4.6 mph you've been pottering along at to bang on 5mph because that is the speed limit

Are you anywhere in the week following?

I must admit I take ours every time we go and the only other person I have spoken to is Griff on a couple of occasions.

Admiral Our shares work out costing us just under £400 for each allocated week(plus diesel and pumpouts) and we have (in the last six months) had three extra weeks as well which have only cost us D & P. Yes there is the initial purchase price as well but that is hard to quantify as unless both boats get beamed up by aliens they will always have a value. Steve

My advice would echo Alan's, I would also add go for a boat with more berths than you think you might need. Think about all the issues you may face as you get older, less mobility etc. and also where you want to go. There are a few of us on here in the Thunder and Moonlight Shadow syndicates so any questions just ask away.

I've only lived in a small village once, for about six months. No shops, a handful of houses and a pub which luckily was right next door to me. One Sunday morning I woke up about 11.00 and I'd run out of cigs, knowing the landlord would be about I wandered into the pub about 11.20 in my dressing gown to get some cigs from the machine before they opened (a regular occurrence), I walked in to a bar full of people, the clocks had changed overnight. Doh!

Those two are the gentlest swans I've met when taking food from your hand. They even got used to the dogs peering over the stern at them while they were being fed. And they certainly have us lot well trained. Tap, tap tap "Got any bread?" Steve

Poissibly faulty/unused bilge blowers.

I know a few syndicates have gone the managed to self-managed route but have any ever gone the other way?