A float on Miracle - 20ft narrowboat

Happy ending - well done.

On the battery issue it sounds like you need a dual battery set up and a changeover switch so you can keep a fully charged battery for starting the engine.

He just purred.. my little kitteh is super hard core!

On the battery issue it sounds like you need a dual battery set up and a changeover switch so you can keep a fully charged battery for starting the engine.

that's exactly the plan! tomorrow i am measuring the space I have for second battery and getting the biggest I can fit. Today I ordered my solar panel set up to keep them charged.

Tomorrow I order my wood burner. The dock yard may have some suggestions and I will see what they come up with but I sort of have my heart set one one already.. gonna call the guy in the a.m. to see if they are in stock.

Link to wood burner please.

absolutely fantastic Jacqui :-) look forward to the pix!

@bombcup - it is exactly a bug. Its a Waterbug. It is awesome.. and about to be more awesome ^
For those who don't know, (and why the hell should you?), I basically bought the equivilant to a VW Beetle, they have a similar cult following and have been out of production for near 20 years.

Sounds great - hard work, but great. Get these bits sorted and life will be more comfortable.

Haha oh my gosh your Duckie story reminds me of when I was really young (my parents lived on a narrowboat from when I was born until I was 5) and playing 'make boats of grass then put rocks on them'; kneeling on the tow path by the boat and one floated a bit too far away and I leaned too far and fell straight into the canal with a tiny splash and my mum WITH HER AMAZING PSYCHIC MUM POWERS despite being inside the boat at the other end instantly knew something had happened to me and ran out and dragged me out before I'd even swallowed any icky AIDS water.

/cool story bro

I guess that story is the one they tell, with the ending: "and that's why we moved out of the houseboat".

brilliant stuff jacqui!

envious.

DEPARTURE from day in the life for LIVE UP DATE
Its rainy out.
The boat is being worked on, which essentially means we're sitting here with no power (save an extention cord for laptop use) and in **total **darkness. I've been out in London all day. Duckie was undoubtedly desperate to go out and have cat time. So he went.

About a minute ago I hear some odd slippy noises like something fell and has lost purchase. then I hear a thump and a plop. Its pitch dark in here and I am having a beer BUT I get up because I know Duckie is outside. I have to stress that I didn't want to get up, and was considering not to; [B]then hear the most incredible YOWL[/B].

It's not catlike.
Its not fox like.
I'd struggle to repeat it, it was a sound of desperation and pain and sheer panic.
Something is fighting for its life.
Again, it chills me.

Again.

I am at the door, I call. *Duckie! *I hear some splashing and look to where my engine was and in the pitch black of the water I see it shudder. A splash. A white paw and a gurgle. I am still in the boat, inside but somehow (and I am not actually sure how) I am on the deck with my hand in the water reaching down, down.. I grab struggling fur and my arm rockets back to the surface.
Duckie.

Sopping. Water pouring off his little grey mass and out of him, his claws are embedded into my arm and i have never been so happy to have such pain. In my head I reason, if he's hurting me he's still alive.

I've towelled him off with my one manky towel and he's sitting next to me cleaning himself as I write this. There's a massive puddle on the floor - but I can't see it because we're in total darkness except for this screen.

I'm glad to know what it will sound like when he goes over, I couldn't hope to recreate that sound to tell you but its in my mind now and I know if I hear it again, *even if I am dead asleep** I WILL** wake up.*

OMG, this happened with my dad's dog all the time and I should've said...

They can't see over the edge to the bank, and they remember which side is the bank. If you move or turn the boat... moor on the other side of the canal or anything... then when they act on their memory they're likely to get it wrong and end up wet.

Dogs are worse than cats... dogs don't remember to look each time. At least the cat will learn this and go much much slower.

You might be able to train Duckie by putting something on the side that indicates the bank.

Great stuff, Jacqui! x

Time for one of these for Duckie?

Enjoying this Jacqui.

Have you, or anyone else, read Narrow Boat by Tom Rolt? It was mentioned in a book I was reading last night. First published in 1944 and said to have started off a revival of interest in narrowboats and English waterways.

@samuelson - I haven't read the book no, but I may do. I seem to have time on my hands right now... kind of. I ordered my solar panel etc., from your mate. Unfortunately both he and the lady that deals with off grid are off this week so i'm not expecting delivery for 8+ days.

Everything is taking ages..I want stuff NOW

Time for one of these for Duckie?

that's awesome. Maybe.

decisions, decisions..
Today Paddy brought out two second hand wood burners. The first is a home-made job, out of a propane tank its pretty funky and about 170GBP less than the one I am in love with. The second was a boatman. The second was about 100GBP less.

The girl in me wants the new one but I've not heard back from the company about it. It's pretty. The economist in me says go for homemade funky one. Undecided.

Pros: The new one would potentially add value to the boat. Be new and has room to heat a cuppa
**Con: **Cost!

The Funky one:
Pro: cheap
Con: adds nominal value

On a positive note, I will only lose 1/2 of the seat instead of the whole bench. This, for my sense of space is a WIN. I've lived in tiny spaces before and having more than one seating area is vital to well-being.

Blackberry does not have sufficient network cover here to upload photos... EPIC FAIL

Awesome read J.

Would a yacht wind turbine be a good idea on a narrow boat?

Time for one of these for Duckie?

Perhaps change his name ... just for safety, I mean? ;)

Bobbie ... ?

but Murts/Mrs Murts have already bagsied that kitty name.

@harrong - funnily enough I was talking to my new narrow boat friend Leonard about that today. He has a very serious looking wind turbine on his 50ft boat. He said for narrowboats in and around london they are not great. He feels it was a mistake to get his... frankly that's enough for me to avoid them. (there was justifications including the trees that surround the river and the buildings in central...

WE (duckie came too) had our first "narrow boat social" involving wine beer and food aboard Leonards boat. It was fun although the floating dock did give me some gip on the way... but only some, i didnt fall in or anything.. not yet. lol

ps. since his accidental river bath duckie has been following me everywhere, more than usual. The yard even mentioned he's more dog than cat. :)

Well jealous, sounds like an awesome new-life adventure!