Mike Todd
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Posts posted by Mike Todd
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The biggest probloem we find is that most of the towpath is impermeable to mooring pins and no piling to use clips or chains. At some stage the towpath was leased out to cable and telecomms companies - I hate to think what conversations are going on beside the canal . . .
Don't be overly worried about mooring in London, we've not seen much trouble since last spring in Victoria park.
Take usual precautions of locking everything, and speak with your neighbours and enjoy London
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We stayed a total three nights at Hackney Marsh last March - quite OK see http://takefiveboat.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/olympic-park.html
Yes Hackney Wick/Marshgate is quite good in my experience.
When I was doing a similar trip at the end of last week, I got talking to one of the CaRT bods. They were still working on the top lock, despite being timetabled to be on the middle one. Hopefully they'll be able to catch up!
The Hertford has been reported as a bit of a nightmare, although I've never had too many problems. Between Top and Middle the water often seems to be low, while between Middle and the hardly worth it Bottom, the pound usually cascades over the lock gates.
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I just had a look for moorings within the area im in at the moment, 0 residential, so I expanded the search , nearest one Leicester(thats a long way away ) , maybe that is why I was quoted £7000 by a marina , but that marina still has many empty berths . So even if I wanted a mooring from CRT i could not get one , not that I could use within the rules at least . Yet to me there is so much unpopulated canal surely the answer is more moorings , CRT get more revenue , boaters don't need to flout the rules , these boats are kept off the VM's everyone is happy , except someone will be along in a second to say they do not agree lol.
The number of residential spaces in a marina is also subject to planning regulations. Some marina operators would like to offer more but are not permitted to do so, even if they have many empty spaces. Planning is generally a good idea but it can have repercussions.
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it is bad positioning of the cratch / foredeck length on a modern narrow boat, essentially a pastiche of the real thing on which a line would be unlikely to foul the cratch until at about 30° to the bank.
But a fairlead is the solution, yes. I often see these on the cant on the bow of a boat.
In my opinion those who rely on centre lines for this, firstly are in danger of being in a position where they won't get a purchase and neither the weight of the boat nor the engine work in their favour and secondly, will be unprepared when, on moving water, a centre line is downright dangerous (talking narrow boats here before Mr Blackrose pokes his argumentative hat up).
The use of springs for manoeuvring is rare in canal boats, possibly because the wind is usually less of a factor.
There is no single 'best' answer - you need to have several techniques ready to deploy in appropriate circumstances depending in particular on wind and water flow. Unless you can read both of these, together with a readiness to deal with underwater obstructions and lack of depth, sooner or later you will have a problem. (And we all have at some time or another, don't believe anyone who says otherwise!)
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I am looking for a very low flush domestic loo to fit to a Saniflo domestic Macerator as I am convinced the marine stuff is, well, crap! I have a number of domestic Saniflows in buildings I own and they have given less than 10 failures in a total of 30 years service. 50% of which were malicious 45% were stupidity and the remaining 5% were of a no fault blame but not a failure of the macerator.
All of the domestic ones I have are pushing more often and further than my boat toilet system and work pretty flawlessly.
So all I need now is a very low flush domestic toilet and I think the problem of poor performance will be over, and hopefully a better cheaper solution to offer to fellow boaters.
In the USA they use 3" & 4" flush systems on close couple toilets giving a massive short sharp shock to do the flush with low water volumes.
5% = 1 in 20. Therefore fewer than half of one failure were no fault blame???
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The bye wash levels are set about the same height as the top of the top gates. I understand that it's a water conservation measure. The lock gets filled first with any surplus coming down the canal and so the lock is ready for any downward boats. Not so great if you're coming up the flight though. Better if the water can be "used" before it's lost forever to the Bridgewater. Problems of water control have become worse in recent years because the size of paddles ( particularly in tail gates) has been reduced either for ( perceived) safety or cost reasons. This means everything takes longer. The bottom lock "Dukes 92" has miniscule paddles in the head gates with recently fitted baffles further reducing flow rate , it can take 20mins to fill the lock , unless water is coming over the gates. I've been using the "nine" for over 35years now, it doesn't get any easier, just different problems over the years make it hard work. Oh,and the gate opening winches are rubbish.
Bill
See http://takefiveboat.blogspot.co.uk/2011/06/ducie-street.html for one of our experiences - first time the head of water above the locks was at least 200mm. Try opening a gate against that pressure difference!
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The few times we have done the Rochdale Nine they have been pretty tough but that was because of the amount of water coming down the flight. They do not generally have by-washes and so the excess has to go over the gates. If the bottom gates have a badly designed top level then there can be several inches of pressure above the top gates which can only be alleviated by running water through the lock to reduce the level of the pound above. This can take some time especially if you have to repeat the exercise at each lock (which we did)
A few years back we went up the flight in these conditions, taking much longer than expected only to discover that a boat coming down the Ashton locks from Marple had broken a gate and would be out of action for a week. So we had to turn around and go back down the same flight to spend another night in Picadillly Basin! It was raining hard all day just to add to it . . .
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For total clarity.....
I'm absolutely convinced that if all locks were 100% watertight at both ends, by far the most efficient way of working would be to leave gates open at the exit end, (and even to leave paddles up, because then ensuring they are properly down before operating a lock becomes the responsibility of the boat going through at the time, you are not reliant on someone else having dropped them fully).
Working boaters didn't operate this way out of cussedness - they did it because it is a no brainer that it is the fastest most efficient way of operating. Old photos and film clearly establish they left GU locks gates open, and paddles up, except at those having odd customs, (e.g. Cowley).
However, these days, all locks are far from 100% watertight, and drained or part drained pounds are regularly a problem on parts of the GU. For that reason I follow the current day way of doing things, even when on the 1936 boat.
I do understand why people don't, but actually I think these days that they should.
But it should be remembered that those working boats would have had someone lock wheeling so that any time taking setting a lock with the opposite end gates open would not lose time accordingly. However, they could not afford to have someone coming along behind to shut the gates. The lock wheeler could well be an older child, latterly on a bike, but originally just on foot. It was a hard life right from the start and one should be careful transferring their practice to modern day cruising practices.
Granted, I'd be taking a risk leaving the tiller to close a gate myself, not worth watching your boat disappear into the middle of, or down, the cut with no one onboard. To-oo risky!
When I do my stop, I rev hard-ish & the flow of water to the bow from my prop creates a "vacuum" between my swim & the curve of the lock wall sucking the boat firmly in, at which point I take her out of gear with power right off & she usually stays put whilst TW closes the gate & steps aboard. I only do this when I have locking crew with me. Single handed, I'd be tying her up before going back to close the gate.
You could take a stern strap off as a precaution. (Which is how I work a flight with the crew ahead setting and me closing)
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I trust that those who claim to have a CO2 alarm rally have a CO alarm - otherwise they may be disappointed with their effectiveness!
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That report did say that it was **in** the lock
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I understand from other postings that Osney Lock has not yet been cleared - a boat sank in it last November.
Does anyone know any details - especially whether there is a date for re-opening?
Tried EA site but nothing mentioned.
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just because a station is nearby doesn't mean its safe to leave a boat unattended so again you need to weigh up your options GU south is well served by the local trains Euston - Northampton, the Southern Oxford though only has a couple of stations Oxford, Banbury and Kings Sutton
the Coventry has Coventry, Bedworth, Nuneaton & Atherstone but very good bus services within walking distance of Hawkesbury
The Leicester section is poor for rail transport but Buses pass foxton village and A5 bridges
but then again would you want to leave a boat at Wolverhampton? as said earlier a planned route would lead to a good selection of tie ups
Heyford station is just metres from the canal
I used to use the Northampton to Euston line every day and the canal and rail are never that far apart
There are only about 10 stations once you get North of Watford so they are quite well spaced but not very evenly
From memory having spent years looking out of the window:
Kings Langley, Hemel and Berkhamsted the canal is close to the station
Not sure about Tring and Cheddington but they were stations not all that close to the settlement they served - particularly Cheddington which seemed to be in the middle of nowhere
Leighton Buzzard the canal is close as well
Not sure about Bletchley but MK central and Wolverton it always seemed close there as well
Tring is 3 minutes from canal
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Agreed, but I always like to have a backup just in case,
Accuracy costs money: hence in any system design it is important to know what the data is to be used for. If it is for general statistical support for policy making and overall planning then a few errors will generally even out in the wash and, in any case, good practice would include a few checks on accuracy levels.
However, if the data is to be used case-by-case, such as in enforcement legal proceedings, it must be accurate to a much higher degree of integrity and that will make it much more expensive.
For example, a 'guilty' person may well be able to mount a successful defence not by proving that they were incorrectly recorded but that others were and thus calling into question the validity of the evidence. See what happened in the history of road speed checks.
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yes i was looking at 14 day or 7 day moorings and moving to keep legal until we save some money
You may be making the assumption that you can legitimately move from one 14 day mooring to the next and then back again. If you are registered as Continuous Cruisers then you have to be 'making progress' around the system and, although it is not precisely defined, the courts are pretty good at working out what it means to move from one 'place' to another 'place' which you will have to agree to when you next register as a CC. Or at least working out when someone really is not attempting to do so.
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All of the red boards are down on the Thames - but still yellow boards being displayed at most places though.
Take care.
Dave
But do check the stoppages as some seem to have over-run. Was the final aspect which has made us opt to go the other way from Packet Boat when we set off at the end of the week. (We had to make a decision about a week ago in order to make other arrangements)
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Local planning authorities are getting more proactive in enforcing residential/non-residential use - hence mooring owners will be more careful when letting that they etsablsh evidence that you intend to use the mooring considtent with its designation. In the current climate, this is likely, I susepct, to push up the price of those with official residential use permission.
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Check first that said humble pie is free of horse meat
I know coat
What do you think 'umble pie was made from?
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Planning a trip later this year and looking for visiotr moorings to leave boat for a couple of weeks safely. I would like to contact Crook Marina just outside Wigan but cannot find any contact details. Any suggestions/info?
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Check your engine mountings. Sounds similar to our experience three months ago when we found that the mounting nuts had worked loose - also check the bolts between gearbox and prop, we have had those come loose as well with similar noises once put into gear.
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Newbury - Jack Thorne (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Thorne_(writer))
Reading (Gaol) - Oscar Wilde (for a while)
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I believe that Mercia Marina (Willington, Derby) cost over £5 million to build
Although it's large (about 560 moorings) it will still take the owner some while before he gets a return ion his investment..........
But that includes extensive other businesses on the site does iy not - same at Barton Turn and many others.
The opportunity is often to build what is in effect a pub where that on its own would not gain planning permission - and then is the major revenue generator, outstripping the direct boating income from mooring fees etc.
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As I understand it, bio diesel absorbs water much more than regular diesel which is why it offers better conditions for bug to grow.
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Perhaps it should be remembered that there is an existing policy to reduce in-line (towpath) moorings whenever possible - the (very) long term aim is to eliminate them. In some areas they are a real obstacle to pleasant cruising, esepcially after having crawled past a mile of them only to encounter another long stretch ten minutes later.
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I'll agree Skipton can get busy and crowded but Saltaire??
Not my pic. but this is pretty much the norm when we pass through.
Most boats I've ever seen there is three and we where one of them.
Gargrave gets much busier than Saltaire for sure.
If I recall correctly from earlier this summer, that particular stretch in the photo is mooring limited to a few hours and not overnight.
Responsibility
in General Boating
Posted
yes - many of us are in that category for part of the year at least. Mooring never implies that anyone is on board and the CC restrictions apply to the length of time moored 'in one place,'