Basic tips for maintaining your narrowboatOwning a canal boat can be a great experience, but you'll need to know at least the basics for maintaining your boat. If you look after your boat and take care to maintain it correctly a canal boat can last a very long time and hold it's value reasonably well. However if you do not take care of your boat you will likely find that it ages very quickly. Read our top tips for basic maintenance. This is however not a comprehensive list!Engine MaintenanceRegul...

Whether your boat has been hibernating over the winter, or whether you've been using it regularly over the winter, Spring is the perfect time to give your canal boat a good clean throughout the inside and out and carry out a few maintenance tasks. Follow our tips for a sparkling, odour free boat ready to go cruising!SuperstructureTake great care to use the right products to clean the exterior of your narrowboat. A gentle boat shampoo is best, as products that are not specifically made for boat m...

Fascinating canal factsDiscover ten fascinating canal facts from the deepest lock to the shortest canal. . .  1. Which lock is the deepest?According to the Nicholsons Guide (set of guide books to the waterways of the UK); the deepest lock in Britain is Bath Deep Lock on the Kennet and Avon Canal at 19ft 5", Tuel Lane Lock on the Rochdale canal comes second at 19ft 4 1/2" Although there is some controversy over this, and if you look on Wikipedia they are listed the other way around with Tuel Lo...

Considering The Options When It's Time to Replace your Engine CoversThere is a tendency over time for exposed wooden engine boards to deteriorate by getting damp and rotting. Which in time could undermine stability of the boats engine board and an unsuspecting helmsman could fall through the rotten board, which could cause quite a nasty injury. So we thought we'd discuss the options when it comes to replacing the deckboards above your engine. You basically have three choices of materials to use; ...

Christmas on a narrowboat or widebeam can be difficult, but not to worry we are here to help! Follow our top tips to have a great Christmas on board.

Regular bilge inspections are crucial if you want to avoid flooding and potentially sinking your narrowboat. Good maintenance and preventing build up of water in the bilge will extend the life of your narrow boat. Inspect and MaintainGenerally there are three bilge compartments on most canal boats; below the foredeck, below the accommodation cabin and below the engine bay. The engine bay may have a wet sump below the stern gland, which has been fabricated into a steel sump or receptacle to catch ...

Is Your Canal Boat Ready for the Winter?The temperatures are starting to drop and summer cruising is well and truly over. For those of you with boats on Britain’s canals and rivers it’s time to think about winterising your boat.  If you’re going to leave your boat unattended for any length of time you'll need to protect it from the damaging effects of winter. We’ve put together some tips to help you prepare your boat for the colder months ahead. Inside the boatYou shou...

Stoppages on the UK canal and River systemEngland and Wales has over 2,000 miles of Rivers and man made canals. So it's inevitable that at times the waterways may need to have restrictions or closures, these are called stoppages and can be due to a variety of reasons such as; maintenance works, lack of water during dry weather or leakage causing the canal or river to be too shallow for passage, or someone left the lock gates open and there's low water in the pound! other reasons could be; high w...

The Inland Waterways AssociationThe Inland Waterways Association is a charity that protects and restores Britain's 6,500 miles of canal and river waterways. The IWA organise local and national campaigns that have a real impact on the UK's inland waterway, such as festivals and boat rallies. They run workshops and courses designed to protect and restore the UK's waterways and run recovery groups to provide practical and technical support to the waterways restoration proje...

Common Flowers Along the TowpathIt's summer time, we thought it would be a great time to write about the wild flowers found on the waterways and towpaths of the UK. Rosebay Willowherb (Chamerion angustifolium)Rosebay Willowherb is a tall plant with pink flowers rising up a 1. 5 meter flower spike, it flowers June to September. It's leaves are lance-like and are arranged in spiral formation up its stem.   Rosebay Willowherb was once a scarce woodland plant, but has grown in numbers as a re...