You Show Me Yours... What Gives it Away?

Seen them in a lot of films. Usually on the Everglades :+1:
Lots of these.

There is also a marina in Keynsham, with links to the River Avon. Lots of houseboats moored here.

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We don’t have any billboards in our rural area but my neighbouring farmers find their own attention grabbing ways of advertising their produce! :pig:

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Gator thumper :crocodile: :grimacing:

Yes, it is an airboat. They are especially suited for our marsh and swamplands that would otherwise get tangled up in motor propellers, rudders, and the like.

Too funny! :rofl:

Excellent and very appealing! I have never seen one of these before. Are most used as personal watercraft, rentals, or houseboats? I hope those never go out of fashion. Just lovely.

Those are great, Boot! I have never seen bale wraps like these. Maybe I need to import a few and make a few dollars :sunglasses:.

:rofl: There have been an occasional bump of a boat with a gator. That is a fight I would not want to enter.

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They are used as mix. The beauty of them as houseboats is you can move from place to place if you get fed up in one place.

This link gives you more info

I am sure glad these were repurposed. They really are gems. Thanks for the link. Narrowboats - something new to that jumble of unusual knowledge in my head. Good stuff!

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There are a lot being used as house boats on the river Avon near where I live. Some look quite cosy with their log burners. A lot have solar panels fitted as well. :slightly_smiling_face:

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Narrowboats can be very cosy in Winter, when the solid fuel stove is lit - we have spent a few Christmases on ours - we don’t travel far in Winter, though, it stays moored up at an old Wharf - we usually spend Spring and Autumn travelling on the canals and linked rivers in England and Wales.

It’s a very stress-free way to travel and incorporates lots of lovely countryside plus some interesting industrial heritage.

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They do look cosy. Easy way to get around to places which otherwise may be inaccessible.
Haven’t been on a narrow boat, but have done the Broads a few years back. Nice and relaxing :slightly_smiling_face:

I “follow” a few narrowboat channels on Youtube I find it quite interesting though it would not suit me, travelling at an average of about 1.5mph and dealing with getting through locks would drive me up the wall.

Holly the Cafe Boat or Cruising the Cut are a couple of narrowboat Youtube channels I enjoy.

As for the topic…

Bloody obvious really

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That’s quite a treasure, Boot! I know you must thoroughly enjoy your time on her, whether moored or leisurely making your way through the canals. I hope you are taking some pride retaining your history and culture bye keeping her in such good shape… Well done! How much work do you have to spend on it to keep it in such good shape?

:rofl: That is one big rat, Bruce! You all probably laugh at us for taking such pleasure in them. Deer populations are up here and it’s not unusual to have one cross the road, but I always slow down immediately because if there is one, there’s going to be more. The same with kangaroos?

Realspeed, thanks for the video. Is this a special event or is this an ordinary gathering?

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You don’t see so many historic working narrow boats left now - the original ones were constructed from wood and those must take a lot of tender loving care to maintain. Some of the finest examples of the traditional old working narrow boats travel around to boat festivals and are also used for educational school visits etc
Many of the narrowboats seen on the canals these days are more modern and were built as leisure craft, either for the holiday rental companies or custom made for private clients.
My partner built and fitted out his own boat, the one in the picture, over 30 years ago. He bought a paper plan and some sheet steel to make the hull, then fitted it out as a family holiday boat.
He’s refitted it with a more modern kitchen and bathroom since then and he is always tweaking bits and pieces.

He likes fiddling with engines and boats, so it’s all part of the rest and relaxation time for him!
And I love polishing brass, which is rather fortunate, because there’s a lot of it, inside and out!

The part of the maintenance that feels most like work is when it needs re-painting and when we have to take it out of the water in a dry dock every few years, to remove all the rust and treat the steel sides that sit in the water.

Incredibly interesting, Boot and I appreciate the education! Your partner’s work on your narrowboat must be a great source of pride for him - and should be. You are sure keeping a beautiful shine on it! There is clearly a great deal of skill that goes into building one and I can see how these narrowboats could have almost a cult following. Just lovely! I asked about maintenance because as much as we love our boat, it is ever in need of maintenance and cosmetic work. Fun but the work never ends!

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My home areas duel carrigeway. Two single lane country roads divided by a bank. It is only a few hundred yards long & no one really knows why it was built.

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We also have these. The sail is designed to make the best use of the wind above hedges, river banks etc. I was once lucky enough to be able to spend a long weekend sailing a Werry around a few of our local rivers & broads.

00Sailing_mainL

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Very interesting to see medians in the country, Gee. I can’t recall seeing any in such a remote place. Beautiful sailboat! Is that design very old? Lucky you to have such an adventure on one. :grinning:

Apparently the Norfolk Wherry only dates back to the early 1600’s, so no, not that old.

This is the one I spent a weekend on.

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Wildlife here tends to be most active at dawn and dusk and they are times I try to avoid travelling on the road out of town. Kangaroos are unpredictable I have a bull bar for a reason :smile:

Deer on the other hand are fair game they are a designated feral pest and I love venison, if I see a young one on the road I don’t slow down, alas I have missed them every time so far, they are too quick.

It’s very risky to be driving around most anywhere in the states at dusk and dawn for the deer population. Looks to me like your a lot more likely to get a steak with a side of angry rancher than any venison :icon_lol:.

Always enjoy your videos. I can see why you don’t take your eyes of the roads very often. Florida is just now completing this 10 ft fence across the entire east west interstate highway in Florida to cut down on wildlife strikes. Of greatest concern is the near-extinct Florida panther.

https://www.fws.gov/uploadedImages/Region_4/NWRS/Zone_2/Southwest_Florida_Gulf_Refuges_Complex/Florida_Panther/Images/Panther%20-%20Profile.jpg?w=493&h=211&mode=crop

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