Paul C
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Posts posted by Paul C
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5 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:
I'm amphibious - I can use both/either hand on land and underwater.
I suppose that's an interesting variation of "The Stranger".
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Where is the breach? (Its not in the video)
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38 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:
both Winter Moorings, and Roving Moorings, are currently not legal.
(Its a bit of a rhetorical question, I am 99% sure of the answer but.....) Why are they not legal?
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7 minutes ago, magnetman said:
Its the first time I have heard of 'other boaters' being described as a sperm whale.
Interesting comparison.
There was a girl in my class whose nickname was "sperm whale".
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6 hours ago, Gybe Ho said:
OK it has become a pointless word game. I tried to describe a situation where a lefthander helming a boat with a left rear stern rail mounted throttle would struggle a bit when reacting to a pending collision. You deliberately misinterpret that to provoke an argument.
I've not misinterpreted anything. You just disagree with what I say.
6 hours ago, Gybe Ho said:You could engage reverse throttle and move a narrowboat tiller, neither Newton or Einstein will complain.
Occasionally you see people do this. Not for the "meeting a boat head on around a corner" scenario though.
6 hours ago, Gybe Ho said:You might cruise along in your Perfect Peter bubble and never get in a pickle but in the real world lumpy water or canal things go wrong and it is advantageous to have both tiller and throttle to hand for optimum control. When the unthinkable happens I advise that you priorities speed reduction, MV squared and all that then in the final seconds try and reduce the angle of impact with what ever bite the rudder has remaining.
In the real world......how much experience of narrowboats on canals is this based on? I've not been impolite but you've personalised it (why? Its against the rules). Put simply, narrowboats don't steer in reverse because the water isn't flowing over the rudder. Blind bends really aren't that rare on canals (try the Shroppie Middlewich branch, or the upper stretches of the Llangollen, for one of many examples) and its just one of those things where with a little bit of real-world experience you will develop skills. Its basic stuff, hirers "get it" within the first few hours or days.
So given there isn't really a scenario where you're finely juggling both tiller and throttle (and given the tiller is kinda fixed), the throttle control position isn't really that important. So just keep it on the left rather than overthinking it.
"Don't reinvent the wheel"
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2 minutes ago, Gybe Ho said:
I thought you were one of the more experienced members but apparently you have never needed to stop urgently using the throttle and tiller.
Hard as it may be to believe, I've never stopped urgently using both those controls. I've only used one of them at a time. I've either stopped with reverse, or I've kept the throttle as-is and steered the boat to avoid/etc. Because despite my vast experience, I have never quite managed to break the laws of physics yet.
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If its a REALLY tight blind bend, I'll slow down so I can stop in half the distance I can see. Use the horn. Even if the other boat doesn't beep back, they've probably heard the horn and slowed or whatever. 9/10 the other boat will actually position themselves to allow a close pass, even in a bend. On the odd occasion, you'll meet a boat that's "fluffed it up" and you'll need to stop.
But what I DON'T do is flap around with tiller and throttle together, trying to steer in reverse gear!!!
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2 minutes ago, Gybe Ho said:
Now a hireboat appears ahead around a bend and you have to hit reverse and steer right pronto.
Best of luck with that
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4 minutes ago, IanD said:
You must pass a lot fewer moored boats than I usually do then... 😉
Or just long lines of well-organised moored ones?
Yes, the lone moored boat is a PITA to pass. I normally check 1) if they're tied up on mooring pins, 2) if they're occupied, before slowing down.
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2 minutes ago, Rod Stewart said:
Should he hire a boat with a left handed throttle or a right handed one or both?
Just do an out and back trip, and drive it backwards on the second half of the week
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You SO need to actually get out there and do it. A lot of what you say, shows the gaps in your knowledge. Winter hiring is very cheap.
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11 hours ago, Mark R said:
Thanks Alec (@agg221), that's a really detailed response. I've been using a 100mm wire wheel on an angle grinder to get deep into the pits. I'm not sure if I''m being paranoid (given the pits really aren't deep), but am thinking of coating it in Vactan or similar prior to a final grind and then primer.
@dmr, thanks for your input regarding Bonda too, it's the roof I'm doing. Given I've had 20 hours plus on the roof itself, I think taking the extra step of preparing the rusty spots might be time well invested, however looking at Vactan I need temperatures of 10°C and above. The pitting is maybe 0.5mm at worst and I've used the wire wheels shown below (there is no sign of any remaining lose material), it almost looks polished once I've been over it, countless times. I am in two minds as to whether additional rust treatment is needed or is it overkill. I appreciate I've probably carried out the work at the wrong time of year.
The technical guidance on Bonda product says I can use it in high humidity and low temperature environments. Have you experience of using it in these conditions? I've been impressed with it so far.
I've not used a needle gun but have used a whole range of angle grinder/drill attachments as shown below! These have got as deep into the pitting as possible.
Is #10 or #22 a flap wheel? I'd try a flap wheel for rust.
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2 hours ago, Gybe Ho said:
Most narrowboat engine throttles are positioned to the left of the tiller allowing the helmsperson to steer with the righthand I assume. This places lefthanders like me at a disadvantage.
Is this a universal configuration particularly on cruiser stern narrowboats?
My thoughts have turned to ordering a shell with a throttle mounting position on the right but I assume this is a rarity and would be a problem if the boat was placed for sale.
The reason you've not had a direct answer is because its a complete non-issue, something you'd have quickly realised in the first hour of driving a narrowboat.
I am lefthanded and our boat is assymetrical, in that its a semi-trad stern with a built-in bench seat on the left, a wide enclosed area to the right and a door on the right to the cabin. Its actually pretty comfortable, to sit on a stool on the right and hold the tiller with the left hand. You see, throttle adjustments don't happen very often - you're not planning on slowing down through bridges or stuff like that?? For passing moving boats, it really doesn't matter if you're on the left or right, you can judge where the boat is. Just like you know where the kerb is when you're driving a car.
My girlfriend is also lefthanded but drives stood up and can do it both ways.
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There's various stages of "battery monitoring", approximately:
1. A thing which shows green/amber/red LEDs according to voltage
2. An actual voltmeter with numbers on it
3. A voltmeter properly installed and of a decent quality so you can trust the number shown is accurate
4. A crappy old ammeter, probably installed in the wrong battery bank anyway
5. A hand held clamp ammeter which you can manually take measurements with
6. A shunt ammeter (actually installed on the correct battery bank).
7. An amp-hour counting battery monitor
8. An amp-hour counting battery monitor with some kind of algorithm(s) to be vaguely accurate
9.
I've not included Merlin Smartgauge - which is (3) but with an algorithm to attempt to give a capacity; or taking specific gravity readings from the cells of the battery, which probably lies around 3 and 5. Or a workshop battery tester, which does something a bit different and (attempts to) give a reading of battery capacity/health.
Each of the options gets progressively more expensive in return for more accuracy and less "caveats" with its readings.
Given its not your boat, buying a decent multimeter for about £20 and a DC Clamp ammeter makes a lot of sense at this stage.
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Canals perform a role in flood management, many of them would have to stay in water for that reason. And they'd need at least the bare minimum of assets (eg weirs, embankments, aqueducts etc) maintained as such.
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46 minutes ago, Gybe Ho said:
A favourite sport of the regulars here is to propose draconian license fee hikes that must put the fear of god in some canal liveaboards existing on the financial edge. They might worry that the CRT CEO has these forum notables on speed dial for whenever a 3rd party sounding board is needed.
It is a shame the wannabe CRT CEOs lurking here don't heed your advice.
As I recall the development of this thread:
- I admonished @IanD who proposed an "until the pips squeak" licence hiking policy. I pointed out this would result in single mums and their children being driven out of their floating homes.
- One poster linked to a YouTube video documenting the eviction from the K&A of a mum and her peddle powered narrowboat.
- Another poster provided a link to a controversial regional K&A manager documented on a K&A community web site.
- In response I said I need to read more about the distinct culture of the K&A
Is censorship one of your specialty lanes?
Its more a case of, you need to appreciate that not everything is online. I've never suggested you don't post, all I want you do to is fully appreciate the subject matter. Almost every time you post, you display a lack of knowledge. You're not censored but your posting style renders your posts ignorable.
1 minute ago, Allan(nb Albert) said:No. Results were presented to the board as three choices compared to equal price rises for all.
3 choices and another option? 3+1=4, right?
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58 minutes ago, nicknorman said:
So your advice is to drive the boat straight over it? I guess it might work if you had a good run up to gain plenty of speed.
Ha ha
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Just now, peterboat said:
Actually as Alan NBAlbert has shown CRT cheated to get what it wanted 60% voted against the CC surcharge and even more against the width surcharge do keep up. It's a few posts above mine, also note they arnt replying to his FOI request and we know why that is don't we?
I believe it was a vote with 4 options? So the most popular option is very likely to have "more vote against" it anyway, so its a bit of a daft thing to endlessly debate.
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5 minutes ago, blackrose said:
Are there any documented cases of this actually happening? I can imagine if there was some mud suction and the engine vents were low then possibly water could start to enter before the boat had a chance to refloat. However, in most cases the pull of the mud will never be greater than the buoyancy force lifting the boat.
How many documented cases are there of narrowboats in tidal or wide-ranging berths? Given that the "normal" of a non-tidal river is normally the lowest it would be, it would be very unlikely you'd want to "go lower" than what you cruised to, moored up at, then would rise again then depart. For example, think of a flood-safe river mooring. You may well want/need to moor to it in flood, but you'll also want to be floating and depart from it later. Hence why they are purpose-designed to go up and down and allow mooring/unmooring in all conditions.
And.....a narrowboat simply isn't designed for waters in the same way as a sea-going boat (some of which ARE designed to work well in tidal moorings). Its inlets/outlets are the lowest of any boat, I'd not want to be taking chances. Having said all that, the mud will definitely loosen up once the dried-out mooring is flooded again, so its unlikely to hold with much force over the boat's buoyancy, so I'll put it down as "myth" too!
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5 hours ago, Gybe Ho said:
Which apparently is CRT politics and classic car tax.
I meant geographic areas I know - as in, been there, multiple times, in a canal boat. Hence why I don't get much involved with "London" and "K&A" matters.
Canals, more than most things, aren't something you can encapsulate very well into an online experience - its about being there, dealing with the challenges it throws at you, soaking up the unique atmosphere it creates.
Have you heard of the expression "stay in your lane"?
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Having driven a 58' narrowboat between all 6 permutations (the 3 combinations of route in both directions), it is difficult/impossible to do it any other way than the shortest/most direct route.
It is similar to mini roundabouts with a 30' rigid truck - if the roundabout is impossible to negotiate due to the size of the vehicle, you can ignore the painted central area and drive over it. (Highway Code Rule 188) (except it can be interpreted as, with a large boat at Old Turn, you can go the "wrong" way round if you need to).
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31 minutes ago, Gybe Ho said:
Do you follow your own advice for the whole 2000 mile CRT network?
I restrict my comments to the areas I know.
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4 minutes ago, Momac said:
Enforcement from an overstaying perspective is simply not cost effective. C&RT do not recover any fees of fines from boats that overstay.
Enforcement from a licensing perspective hopefully is cost effective although I have no doubt in some individual cases there is a great deal of expenditure for little or no recovery.
As for not displaying of licenses C&RT at one point said it was not necessary (in the same way that displaying a tax disc on a car is no longer necessary). They even stopped the supply of those license holder that stick on the inside of a window. C&RT now correctly state it is a legal requirement to display a license . But I don't expect there is any penalty for not displaying. Not displaying a license is not fraud. Not having paid for a valid license could be considered fraud.
You're exactly right, its not fraud in itself but it is commonly used as an evasion tactic.
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Different waterways are different though. For example on a river, there's long stretches of unmoorable bank then a visitor mooring. Canal is VERY different in nature. The evidence needs to be obtained, to start with. This is a huge cost in itself. And if the boat has no index, you can't progress.....
So the law on display of indexes needs to be amended for a start.
A good parallel is the Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) Regulations 2001.
Survey, After Market Warranty or both?
in New to Boating?
Posted
Can you post the full T&Cs?