OldGoat
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Posts posted by OldGoat
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4 hours ago, magnetman said:
Single handing is no problem. Just take it easy and learn the best techniques for you. Be careful about people offering to help because often they won't be in tune with your way of doing things and this can cause communication problems.
I've single handed all sorts of different boats from 32ft narrow to 72ft narrow up to 60ft x 12ft barge the length of the Thames several times and plenty of the canals and never had any problems at all. As long as you are sensible and never rush things its fine. Be careful on the Kennet and Thames in flood conditions though as it not very nice once the water is moving a lot.
If anything once you get used to it you will find yourself faster than other people who have crew because the great thing with single handing is you don't have to rely on what other people do. You just get on with it.
Its great.
You mean the sluices button.
You do have to hold the gate button until the gates are completely open/closed but the sluices are usually (not always) on an automatic timer so only require one press until you hear the click of the relay.
My bad - - I should have written "sluices"....
As a long time Thames (and canals too) boater I get cross / irratated / when I see boater holding the sluices up button when the console notice clearly states 'press once only' (what is really means is 'a momentary press only' or 'do not hold the button'. It was possibly bad design or some other constraint that made the quick push the only way to run the process.
Today's boater is often too much in a hurry to get to the pub / find amooring to wait for 1950s electro-magnetic equipment to grind its way inexorabily through the cycle....
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11 minutes ago, Hudds Lad said:
This sort of thing on the Thames, was sure there was a reset sequence but that may have been on a diff lock instructions, pic is from Marlow lock going up.
The only problem with the Thames locks was (as inevitable with most electrical systems ) is the user - in this case RTFM and this applies mostor to the open gates procedure. If you HOLD the open gates butting the system will see that as a malfunction and disconnect all power. The magic tric is to press the button and wait for a click from the pedestal. It's never more than 2-3 seconds delay.
As mentioned thaty all may have been fixed, but it did cost EA a lot of money to make the changes - so there may be th odd lock that's not been upgraded - so be warned.
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15 minutes ago, blackrose said:
Do you know of any narrow boat over 12m in length that has nav lights compliant with the COLREGs? I've never seen one.
Please Sir - mine does (or did when I fitted it out years ago ) AND the forward pair were mounted in a position similar to the boat under discussion / asassination.....
I did break the RHS nav light on a sticky-out-bit in a short tunnel on the BCN many years ago so the other comment earlier in this thread is relevant. Never mind the boat is sold / being sold and we've given up boating after nearly 50 years ( ! yikes !)
15 minutes ago, blackrose said: -
From my jaundiced view boats are sold on the quality of trim and not the very foundations of a boat which are (IMHO) -
The steel
Steelwork
Engine and transmission
quality of other services.
As in a new car, the shuny bits look great - but if the mechanics are rubbish.....
ps: there are plenty of boatbuilders around in the midlands and moving a boat is not difficult or expensive - so widen your search areea.
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I wonder / suspect / wouldn't be surprised -
if water is getting into your fuel tank from 'the environment' and not necessarily from dodgy fuel??
The obvious culprit is the fuel filler and its rubber washer.
Another source is the breather commonly fitted on the rear deck (well mine is), immediately behind the rudder bearing - an easy place for water to get in.
(I solved the issue by turning the vent inboard and rasing it a little. That was 20+ years ago and we've not suffered it since!
In addition I have a primary fuel filter and water separator which helps.
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If not already done so - there are lots of videos on youtube to get a general idea of the area and possibly wher it might be possoble to moor (which I guess is your prime concren - or it should be...
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22 minutes ago, Victor Vectis said:
Why on Earth do they want to go to London?
I was there a fortnight ago on the boat.
It's 'orrible and I ain't going again!
(Not on the boat that is)
C'mon _ Lunnon is 'where it's at'; must ne as anywhere that's moorable has two or three boats abreast....
Look at (any) videos on the U-tube and you'll see there's a buzz around. Not only that, but there are jobs to be had (may be) and few out in the sticks.
It's very difficult for seasoned boaters to offer caution (after all experienced boaters are over the hill and completely out-of-touch)
'We' can make measured sugestions based on experience - but who listens?
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THere's always some dead space where you step down into the cabin -so I used that to fit an airing cupboard with the largest tank I coud find / have one made.
Convection draws stale air from the underfloor bilge (keeping that dry) and there's sufficient height above for three slatted shelves to dry clothes / defrost the Sunday Joint (meat). Damp air rises by convection and exits through a mushroom vent in the roof.
Works for us for some 20+ years......
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Ours is a drop-through - so I made a graduated stick to measure the contents (also used to dispersethe contents ro aid aeration.
If the OP's tank is remote - usually under the bed then taping the tank should give an aproxinmation of the height of the contents.....
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? Large capacitror in the circuit betwixt the main batteries and the bow thruster unit?
OR
A smaller battery mounted mear the thruster to allow for voltage drop between the main bank and the thruster?
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It's all on the web -
Chas Newens Marine Company Limited
The Boathouse
Embankment
Putney
London
SW15 1LBEmail:
customerservices@chastheboat.co.uk
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Having spent my youth in Putney and near the Tideway - I always thought their market was for Thames wooden type boats and dinghies.
Methinks there aren't many on here who are local to that area or use. Well respected in my day - but that was a generation (or mog ago).
What was your query?
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A sideways thought -
(It seems daft to me that folks mount a large screen TV under the gunnel and watch from dead opposite - less than six feet away - bad for your eyesight)
On our boat I mounted a 27" TV on a tilting bracket, pull the TV outat an angle and watch programmes from the comfort of the pullman setee with the correct viewing distance and angle. when boating the TV is folded back (nearly) flat against the wall and we can get on with boating....
edit:
Loads on ebay -
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1 hour ago, Jerra said:
When I was first on the canals boats didn't have centre lines.
Not all that long ago - at least in geological time. I asked our long experienced builder for an attachment - and he fitted a gi-normous D-ring a nd equally large reinforcement, sufficient to lift the boat out of the water... (methinks he felt affronted that I - as a southern customer who (by definition knows nothing about prper boating etc - so we'll give him something solid.)
Over the years it's been very usefull....
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Maybe it's an age issue - not how old you are but how long
you've been cruising.
There were (virtually) no volunteers when we started boating - either on our home waters or on the canals. Part of the fun / pleasure was getting of the boat, working the locks and engaging with other boaters on all sorts of subjects and all sorts of disciplines. Boating was for seeing new places and chabce encounters.
Now its all about "getting there" and the devil taking the hindmost. I can do that by getting in the car.....
That said - mebe boating is becoming / has become just that; a slower way of seeing different places, looking around perhaps, and continuing on.
Give it a try.
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When boating we used a small 1200W (or mebe less) inverter to power an inexpesive caravak type washing machine . It was great to wash shirts, jeans ins small loads. Possibly powerful enough for single sheets. The hot water came from the calorifier. As an economy measure that might suit you.
IME PSWs are OK when all you want it to is heating the water but NOT to run todays devices which have electronics built in.
(I'm sure others may disagree.
I'm sure there are other solutions that might be suggested - but rgere are NO absolutes. What works for one respondent may not for another. It's facile to say but "it all depends" - the devil hides in the undisclosedvariables.....
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20 minutes ago, NewCanalBoy said:
It looks like you can head north on the Thames, go to Godstow Lock, then North Dukes cut to Wolvercote junction (then back to Thrupp) is that correct ?
Yes - done it many times
The trip along Port Meadow is 'beautiful' , but there's nowhere to moor as the banks are very shallow, thus the East Street moorings are your best bet. Eveb with the pub nearby anhd the A38 ober the bridge, these moorings are quiet and it's easy and quick to walk into the centre of Oxford via the main rouad or the quieter side streets.
If you're minded a walk through the colleges is well worth the effort - which most folks miss as they go through the shopping area.
You can visit many of the colleges.
Not to be missed are the three museums.
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1 hour ago, Tonka said:
You become immune to the smell after 30 years
Absolutely
By chance I fould some hospital grade deteergent in an 'empty' bulk contaner of the stuff, downloaded and read the product specs and gave it a try . Magic, all the smells disapeared instanta.
Only a small quantity - 10 - 20 ml needed. All you need is a commercial / hospital source...
Sooo- it can be done, but there are other solutions that work almost as well
After 30+ years of boat ownership it's the only product that really worked. 'Problem is it's not available on general sale.
My supply will go with the boat when its sold....
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Might be worth trying Beta Marine who more than a generation ago supplied BMC engines?
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What's the 'problem' with handwinding hydeaulics??
May be a bit tedious and slow - but needs a bit of patience.
OTOH if you attack the gear as if there's no tomorrow then it can be tiring and pontless as most of your effcort goes into pushing oil into the pressure release valve...
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12 minutes ago, Loddon said:
Get in there with your paintbrush😱
I will hit the same problem in a couple of years, might Photoshop the pictures just to get people interested🤔
AH, but, yes, but - having spent hours carefully selecting the best planks from a pile,
machining said planks to get the finest possible finish,
Carefully machining the tougue and grooves,
Varnishing the planks with the best quality varnish to seal all surfaces,
I'm not in the best state of mind to cover all that hard work to cover all that with a coat of worst trade white paint...
A chap has his stabdards doncha know........
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4 hours ago, Victor Vectis said:
Whats the water and lock opening/closure situation on the Thames @pres?
I was planning an Oxford - Brentford jaunt there next month but I'm beginning to think that the GU might be a better (wetter?) option down to London.
Last time 'we' had a real shortage of water on t'thames - probably not in many boating lifetimes on here, the EA
jacked up all the overflow weirs, made some restrictions on lock usage (but couldn't / didn't control out of hours use and boating continued without much, if any, inconvenience.
It could be a touch of rose-tinted-specs, but we managed (sod the rest) or not many NBs cruising anyways. The locals dont go out of their marinas....
AFAIR some lockies waited until a lock was full of boats before filling / emptying.
Nobody complained - either because they didn't know how to or t'intenet was pretty awful.
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4 hours ago, mrsmelly said:
Remember its best to paint it white, you may want to sell it later to someone in London.
Or anywhere blurry-well-else, as far as I can see...
My boat is tastefully finished in real solid oak, best quality upholstery for bouncing on, impeccable machanics (but who understands that) middling price - but nobody looks at it 'cos its not WHITE
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1 hour ago, TheBiscuits said:
I do wonder how some of them manage to get into narrow locks.
Simple - use the lock walls as a lever.....
Engine noise
in Boat Equipment
Posted
When we hired boats many decades ago, I learned from Teddesley (under the tutilage of Peter Milward (much missed) that the easiest way for quiet boating was a watercooled exhaust. When we built our-very-much-missed boat, I ordered a watercooled exhaust manifold and freshwater pump as part of the beta marine setup for our first and only boat.
Some 30 years later I doubt whether the new / next owner apreciates the quetmess of the boat that she has bought....