For rooftop blogging, it has to be a trad

Your intrepid blogger, last night

Trad, semi-trad or cruiser stern narrowboat? The question that divides the nation. As the primary purpose of a blog is to give any halfwit with an internet connection an unfettered and unmediated outlet for their worthless opinions, I shall now utilise that to the hilt.

For me, lover of tradition that I am, I has to be a trad every time. All the usual reasons ... dry engine, useful space, best chance of a good looking boat, warm legs, people can't come and talk to you when you're steering (oh yes that is a good point. On a short boat of course they can still shout criticisms of your steering from the front, so best get a longer one. Or a noisier engine). Plus, if the extent of your technical equipment, coupled with the mobile reception where you happen to be, means that undertaking blogging activities entails typing with the laptop on the roof of the boat, then this can also be done whilst keeping your legs warm, assuming you have a back cabin with a stove ...

Now, a cruiser stern, I can see the attraction if you like that sort of thing (i.e. being sociable in the open air whilst steering a boat - because let's face it, if you only want to be sociable after you've tied up, a space at the front is just as good). It doesn't make for a pretty boat, but it's honest.

Some of my best friends have semi-trads. Well, OK, one. And I'm sorry, but I still have to say this. I have read many (actually, no, a few. Maybe one) arguments in favour of them, and they are all utterly spurious. Semi trad rear ends: waste of space, worst of both worlds. What is the point of them?

Ooh, how dogmatic. How prejudiced. Normal reasonable diffidence will be resumed tomorrow.