Chertsey
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Posts posted by Chertsey
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Had someone try to nick coal out of the hold in Wolverhampton once before we got the cloths on. They got the surprise of their lives when PB leapt out of a tent hidden under a bit of tarpaulin, wielding the keb.
Someone tried to nick the bike in Stone. It was chained to the cross plank and they ran off when we made an appearance.
My first boat was broken into when I left it unattended in central Huddersfield. This was when I was just about to leave, having been there eighteen months without incident. Nothing was touched except they stole a gas lighter and a rather nice knife (I do sometimes worry what might have happened to it subsequently). Had to replace a broken window.
That's three incidents in twelve years - so on one hand, not much at all; on the other, more than I've experienced re my house or my person. (I had a babysitter steal some money and jewellery c. 1986)
On the basis of the above I feel safer in the middle of nowhere than in towns.
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Chertsey was sat for years (decades?) with a hold full of mud and water, and the real red oxide had done a brilliant job of protecting the steel.
I found a photo!
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I believe that the old style red (lead) oxide paint is available, although not on general sale. I can't remember the suppliers name but I delivered lots of lead based paints to national trust properties, etc, it was used for period restoration. Similar story to proper creosote I guess.
Chertsey was sat for years (decades?) with a hold full of mud and water, and the real red oxide had done a brilliant job of protecting the steel.
It wouldn't be our old friends the Liver Grease and Oil Company would it?
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This all presupposes that fat is the greatest evil, and I think the consensus of nutritional opinion is shifting back away from that position...
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The canal I trafic, most often same length every day, up or down, have some sharp bends, just after or before locks and narrow canals, most is a shallow 6 feet, plus some between the locks, I can tell by the water level in the pond between the locks how well Dalslandia will turn that day, (also depending on load) before I remade the plane plate rudder to a Schilling rudder, some turns was very marginal, will it go well or not was the question, with or without using the BT. but with the Schilling there is always a marginal if i make the turn or not, so saying that a boat can't be improved is just a way to say "I am jealous on those that have the insight"
We dream of six feet! (Well, maybe not that much, we might drown).
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I'm intrigued about Hotchkiss cones. A brief google brings up no images, and only the sketchiest of descriptions. Does any one have any detailed information about what they are exactly, please?
Thanks!
I don't know either but I think (I stand to be corrected by Pete Harrison) Bath had them fitted at one point?
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Leylands gloss red oxide was brilliant but (and I'd be delighted to hear otherwise) they stopped making it. We bought up the last of the stock of Kelsalls in Cannock but it's all gone now. Don't know what we'll do next time so will watch this thread with interest.
Oh, I see Archie just said that! Sorry.
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But what he'll never be able to do is make the hull the same shape as a Woolwich or a Northwich. And for my money that's a big factor.
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Goodness yes. I don't think I could put up with that.Although the prop is sticking out a bit too far it does look nice and close to the leading edge of the rudder which should make the boat steer nicely astern, especially whilst kicking the stern across to straighten up. I would expect the tiller is more or less free of vibration too.
The shape of the hull possibly helps with reversing?
BTW that anode would have been on for at least 25 years so had probably done all the good it was ever going to.
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Is that an anode? It looks tiny. But I can't think of anything else which it could be.
I think it was, but too worn to be worth leaving unpainted; too small to be worth removing.
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I went looking for some photos of Chertsey's undersides in an attempt to see shy she steers so well (but NOT in shallow water; no deep drafted boat will) and particularly why she steers so well in reverse, and I was surprised by how little balancing plate there is on the rudder.
That's not the original rudder, but it looks pretty similar to this one, which I am told was.
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For one man's opinion of the handling (and other) characteristics of Joshers one can only refer the OP to this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5XVu_9l9Zo
Fantastic.
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The gunwale is steel with a timber top.
Any chance of a photo? Is there scope for screwing brackets to the gunnel, hanging down and returning beneath it?
Or by timber top (looking at your earlier posts) do you just mean the cloth batten?
A photo might be really helpful.
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We've used stick-on cable holders on the underside of the gunnel iron, but that's only to carry the headlamp cable. They're those flat squares of thin metal with cutouts that bend round the cable. They just about hold on. We tried hammering conventional cable clips into the gunnel but the oak was too hard.
Gas must be a whole different ball game. Doesn't it freeze on Fulbourne?
Maybe adhesive rather than welding or bolting is the way to go to get some batten in place to work off?
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Yes, but it's ironic that the dirt cheap, no survey, third party insurance includes salvage!
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It's been on the hull from 2004, I've just slapped some more on top on two occasions. For the small extra cost it's well worth it looking at the state of some "every two year blacked" bitumen hulls.
I'm from Lancashire, we don't do posh...☺
I'll report on how my Comastic has done when we get it out of the water this year for the first time since 2010... It certainly seems fine round the waterline and we were very happy with how it lasted on Warrior (as, I think, were the subsequent owners...). So that's another vote for it being worth the money.
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But how different is it from an original Woolwich bottom?Here is the next, (and final), photos of the steel-work done on Sickle in the late summer.
We didn't see the final result with all the blacking on, until it was afloat, and out of the dock.
Without comparing the actual photos detail by detail, that looks significantly different to a Large Northwich's original bottom, (including construction of the engine bed).
Why are there apparently missing bits to the top angle, towards the front end of the beds, please?
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Perhaps he's taken the first part of Ray T's sig to heart...
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Since that Hatton experience we've always tried to persuade fellow travellers through double lock flights to adopt the 'side by side' technique - come out of the lock together, keep together and enter the next together. It's not just a question of speed; just makes life so much easier and less stressful. Surprising how few people are willing to try it though.
And, a different point: why don't more blokes do the lock wheeling? Or even help? There's nothing in the rules that says the man has to be statuesque on the counter while his wife struggles. Might get rid of a few beer guts too
Indeed. By 'same technique' I was including women on the boats, blokes on bikes on the bank, and boats stuck like glue. Yes, I tried to persuade a few odd people to try it last year, I think they just didn't get it. It was KK on Owl who showed me that trick. Coming out of double locks together is also useful for holding back at the end of the flight to get the lockwheelers back on. Mind you, we went one better last year, breasted the boats up with one person taking them through the locks leaving three on the bank (but with a dog and no bikes). Not Hatton but that would have been good.
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Oi!
Haven't particularly been neglecting anything.
It is now clear, however, with hindsight, that when the HNBC awarded the Hemelryk award to "Sickle" the restoration was more complete in some areas than others(!) (Though it was undoubtedly a heap better than "Dover" which also won another year.....)
It is also obvious that the well known boat builder who wrote a satisfactory condition report for insurance purposes had probably done something rather less that a full detailed survey(!)
But if you have a good condition report, and the boat is fully comprehensively insurable, why go looking for extra expense before you need to? Nothing we have done, (or haven't done), has caused us to have to spend any extra money beyond what would have needed spending anyway, so we have the best result we could have had in the circumstances, given we decided not to have a full survey on the boat when purchased.
I am sure PB was referring to *our* neglect of Chertsey... Not had it out of the water since 2010 :-/ However I am not overly worried about the steelwork as that was either fine or fixed then... Just hope that's not famous last words.
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I've only read the last couple of pages so forgive me if this has been said before, but don't make any modifications until you've given the boat a real chance for you to get used to it - like at least a couple of years. You may need to learn whole new techniques, which you never will if you just start trying to make it into the boat you were previously accustomed to.
Also get someone else, who's used to that sort of boat, to have a go and see if they find the same issues.
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Blogger Diamond Geezer (highly recommended) has covered the twelve lost rivers of London here:
http://diamondgeezer.blogspot.co.uk/2010/12/lost-rivers-epilogue.html
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Our plans might be somewhat overwhelmed by repairs and maintenance which has been seriously neglected for the past 6 years. Some of this work is dependent on the availability of others; dry dock and an engine repairer in particular. Just hope that this neglect does not end up mirroring the sagas of the Owls and the Finchers :-)
Blimey, nothing like a bit of positive thinking!
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Well I'm amazed. I thought we'd done well when we went up with Holland in 2014 en route to Stratford. Same technique as Starman, but with only two people on the bank - albeit both on bikes so still getting them set ahead. My blog records 2:50 albeit 'without feeling we were hurrying'. I do recall it being very satisfyingly efficient.
I guess it helps a tiny bit having a shorter boat, you can be getting the gates shut while it's still coming in... I haven't got sufficient confidence in my/the boat's ability to stop fast to come in fast.
Ellesmere Port
in General Boating
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Not in many that I've seen there.
They're definitely going to be open at Easter for their do (but I'm foregoing that for the delights of Brownhills and Walsall this year)