Canal Boat — February 2018

canalboat.co.uk Canal Boat February 2018 73

TONY BROOKS

What he doesn’t

know about canal

boats just isn’t

worth knowing

PHIL SPEIGHT

The country’s leading

canal painter and

an expert on paint

processes as well

TERRY ROBERTSON

TR Training’s man

really knows how to

handle a boat

MARTIN LUDGATE

Our Deputy Ed is a

guru on all things to

do with canals

ASK THE

EXPERTS

If you have a boating query our team of experts are here to answer it – ask your question online at canalboat.co.uk Alternatively, you can
EMAIL: [email protected] or WRITE TO Canal Boat, Archant Specialist, Evolution House, 2-6 Easthampstead Road, Wokingham, RG40 2EG

It’s vital to

keep your

boat aired and well

ventilated when you

are not on board

Last month I mentioned a report

that one insurance company

stipulated that any electric heaters

that were left running while

unattended would invalidate

the insurance unless they were

approved for marine use. I strongly

suspect the same would apply for

electric dehumidifiers. If you do use

a dehumidifier please ensure that if

it needs a drain it cannot freeze up.

Also remember that unless you seal

all the ventilation for the living space

you will be wasting money trying to

dehumidify the atmosphere. There

is a BSS and safety implication in

blocking vents. When you are not

on the boat it is my view that it’s

far more satisfactory to maximise

the available ventilation, keep the

accommodation bilge free of water,

and ensure the drain holes in the

window frames are clear so any

condensation on the windows

flows outside. On my boat I keep

all the window hoppers open

unless they are above a bed or

soft furnishing. On a similar note if

you are leaving the boat for a time

during winter stand mattresses on

one side or end to air.

Ask your questions and get the answers online at Canal Boat’s website – what’s more, you can

read other people’s questions and answers by simply clicking on to canalboat.co.uk

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TONY BROOKS

Technical Consultant

Bung Out Another Thousand!

After more than 30 years of using hire

boats my wife and I are thinking of taking

the plunge and buying our own boat.

We’re currently thinking of a narrowboat between

45 and 50 feet long. A friend of ours who owned a

similar boat for a while was able to give us figures for

the annual fixed costs of such a boat, but was unable

to help me on the actual running costs. For instance,

what are we likely to get in terms of miles per

gallon? How much would it cost us to complete, for

instance, the Four Counties Ring? As to repairs and

maintenance, if for sake of argument we were to do

four hours boating a day for two months a year, what

might be a sensible figure to budget? I’m thinking a

minimum of £1,000, but this is really little more than

a wild guess.

CHRIS DODGE

TONY REPLIES: Narrowboats across the

whole range of engines and sizes tend to

return fuel consumption of around 1 to

2 litres per hour in canal and river use but it does

depend upon your speed or attempted speed. If you

base you calculations on 1.5 litres per hour you will

not be far out. The website canalplan.eu gives a good

idea of the travelling time between places so if you

input some journeys by place names it will tell you the

typical travelling times. It gives the travelling time for

the Four Counties Ring as 60 hours and six minutes

but that does not include engine running for battery

charging and water heating while tied up or any side

trips like the Cauldon canal or to Chester. Expect to

buy about 90 litres of diesel for just the travelling but it

may be more or less than that.

Every two or three years you will need the hull

reblacking unless you have a modern two-pack

blacking system. Allow £700 to £1000 for that unless

you do it yourself and hire a dry dock. Four yearly

mandatory Boat Safety Scheme inspections cost

around £150 to £200. The cost of engine and gearbox

maintenance will depend upon what engine you have

because they all tend to demand different oil and filter

change intervals. It could be anything between 100

hours and 300 hours. The fuel filter(s) may well last

longer as will alternator drive belts. The parts to do a

service including oils and all filters will probably cost

less than £100 for non-branded items but more if you

buy from the engine mariniser. It may take a couple of

hours but as the labour rate differs all over the country

I cannot give you an estimate. It will cost more if the

engineer finds other things wrong.

Then there are the less frequently required items

like water and shower pumps – say £100 each every

six years or so but again depending upon the make

and model.

Batteries from about £80 each (you may well have

up to five or six) and upwards to “ouch”. Typically the

cheaper ones last two or three years but if you abuse

them it could just be months.

Some years your £1,000 may be more than enough

while in others it could cost a lot more - e.g. when you

need the boat painting £6,000+ or new covers made.

Remember it is said that BOAT stands for Bung Out

Another Thousand.

Have you considered mooring costs, insurance, and

licensing? You will get your boat confiscated if you

try to leave it tied up on the towpath for more than 14

days at a time. Make sure you understand the CRT’s

rules about this.

A

Q