Canal Side Food And Attractions

PaulaPixie

I expect a lot of you already do these things but we keep picking up tips when we go away from thosemore experienced, so I thought I'd share them with you. One live aboard couple supplied us with two handy ones:

the centre rope which I don't know how we would manage without (like we did on our first trip together because we hadn't seen them in use). You know how you need to keep flipping it from side to side for the towpaths, and if in a long boat, when you enter a double lock and you go in one side waiting for another boat and need to keep straight - easy, have two, one for each side; how good is that! And this particular couple had lovely soft rope that didn't tear your hands which we will be investigating for when we eventually get our own boat.
the second sounds silly but when there are just the two of you, they had their pole up at the back and when the lady was struggling with a very hard to move gate, her husband assisted a bit by pushing the gate with the pole - every little helps sometimes.

9/24/2006

PaulaPixie

This is probably telling you something you already know, but if you decide to print off the lists of pubs, shops etc, highlight just the information on the page that members have entered and choose print, and tick the selection box, that way you just get the required information and not all the web stuff around it. Easier to read and easier on your ink...

2/26/2006

beyn2604

For those of you out there that hire boats on a regular basis, try keeping a boat box. This, for us , is one of those plastic storage boxes with thelid, and if you buy more than one, they stack beautifully. In our box we keep all the little bits and bobs that make life a lot easier. E.g. Clothes pegs, torches, batteries, spare dog leads(which can double as a clothes line), nappy sacks for all manner of unmentionables....doggy poos mainly, folding shopping trolley, sewing kit,......I'm sure you can think of things that you always wished you'd brought along. then when you're ready to load up, all you have to do is load up the box.

10/24/2005

beyn2604

....there's more !! I have just ordered a fold-up shopping bag with wheels which tucks away into nothing. I had one before I learnt to drive andit was a god-send. Then when you have a little way to go to the nearest shop, and you have a lot of shopping etc, it drags along behind you,instead of you having to hump those awful plastic carriers that cut into your hands

7/23/2005

PaulaPixie

A tip from WhaleyT

Here's a little tip that not everyone seems to know, and it makes an otherwise messy job easier

Re-filling the the stern greaser.

Remove the grease cylinder from it's base. The pots of grease normally have a doughnut shaped disk on the top. Push this down slighty, and spread a layer of grease on top of the disk. Turn the greaser handle so that the piston is close to the bottom of the cylinder, and place the open end of the cylinder on top of the disk, covering the hole. Then turn the greaser handle in the opposite direction, drawing the piston up the cylinder while applying gentle downward pressure. The greaser will then fill itself.

7/2/2005