nebulae
-
Posts
832 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Events
Gallery
Blogs
Store
Posts posted by nebulae
-
-
Agree with what has been said. Would not attempt the Rochdale between Picadilly and the Irk Aqueduct on my own. Hard work and not somewhere you can stop. Road is a bit noisey at Slattocks Top,but a good mooring. Shop nearby.I prefer the Huddersfield Narrow,but you will have to book the tunnel.(and not be over 60ft,pref. a bit shorter.)
-
My Standard Horizon HX270E is a few years old now and has given exellent service. It is much clearer than my fixed VHF(Which needs an extention speaker) Cant find the invoice,but I think it was just over £100
-
Just a note to help anyone exploring the Guilsfield Branch. Steven Hughes book states that the terminal basin is 300metres from Guilsfield. This is incorrect. It is nearly a mile.The turning to the basin is easily missed and there is no parking. Take the next turning go over the bridge and there is plenty of parking by the side of the road.
-
I agree that getting the back deck swamped is an issue. We are only 50ft,which gives some wiggle room. Not sure I would fancy taking a 60ft cruiser stern down the Sir John Ramsden and Calder & Hebble canals.
-
I suspect that the toll free access to the Weaver would have been through the lock into the Mersey opposite the Weaver entrance. As the Ship Canal have closed this lock,they have to give passage from Eastam. The grain barges which used to moor below Frodsham Bridge,thus had free passage and free mooring. I understand that the sailing club based below Frodsham Bridge and the water skiers above the bridge have free access to the water,but I am open to correction.
-
As I understand it,the Weaver from the junction with the Ship Canal to Frodsham Bridge is a toll free navigation. Vessels whose destination is on this part of the river,have toll free passage on the Ship Canal from Eastam to Frodsham Bridge. I do not know if the river is toll free from Frodsham Bridge to the old Derelict Frodsham Lock,but I believe it may be. CaRT is not the navigation authority,neither is the Ship Canal. As an aside,I believe the Ship Canal paid for Weston Marsh Lock,although it is owned by CaRT.
-
I appreciate that supply of lpg could be a problem in the future. The number of caravans,boats,private houses and power stations that use it as a fuel,if it is no longer available it will be a major problem. We cook on lpg as there is no gas available on Welsh mountains.We also use Kerosine as a heating fuel. We are wondering about Biomas,but I am concerned that the present government scheme is a fraud against the taxpayer,in my opinion.
-
1
-
-
My RoverP5B is nearly 50years old.I cant see why it wont last another 50. I dont care if they stop building new petrol and diesel cars cars. I am sure there will be some garages left to supply me with fuel. If pushed,I might change to lpg.
-
1
-
-
Fabricate steel beams to look like wood. That will blunt their chainsaw.
-
Yes,the corrugated store and the brick warehouse have been joined together and are now a very nice house. The Inn is also now a house. I cant really understand why there would be any restriction on boat width on the Guilsfield Branch. The width and depth is at least as good as the Caldon Canal,for instance. As I have confirmed,bridge width allows a boat of 7ft plus to pass and there are no locks on the branch. Any restriction will be the locks on the Montgomery Canal main line?
-
If I may quote Steven Hughes "The Archeology of the Montgomeryshire Canal". " This branch canal terminates three hundred meters before Guilsfield Village........A triangular pool remains alongside the Guilsfield Brook from which this canal may origionally have drawn water. A BRICK WHARF WALL REMAINS TO THE NORTH ON WHICH STAND A CORRUGATED_IRON STORE AND A SMALL WAREHOUSE OF THE LATER NINETEENTH CENTURY" The waterway is certainly as wide and as deep as the rest of the Monty. I assume that the presence of warehouses at the terminal basin means that boats loaded at the basin. These wharf buildings are now a very nice house. I am sure I have read that timber was an important cargo for this wharf.
-
The stream which passes close to the terminal basin could possibly have had a wier to bring its level up to a point where it could feed the canal. There is some evidence of a pipe in the corner of the basin. If the basin is about the size it was when the canal was in trade,it must have been tight to wind a full length boat.
-
Sorry I have not come back before. Been on the boat for a few weeks. The entrance to the Guilsfield Arm is obstructed by a large pipe. Bridge No1 has been eliminated,with a short length of canal each side. There is no restriction in width that can be seen now. Bridge No2 is in good condition,has one origional cast iron number and one new CaRT number. I was unable to check width without a ladder to get to the far side. The bridge appears to be identical to bridge No5 in every detail. Bridge No3 has been destroyed and the road flattened. Bridge No4 has been bypassed by a causway,It is in good condition and has one cast iron number and one new Cart number. I could not measure width,as it is concreted level with the towpath. Bridge No5 is in good condition(AS are 2 and 4) has a cast iron number on one side and a new Cart number on the other side. The width of the navigation between the coping stones under the bridge and the far side of the structure is 11 feet to 11ft4ins. The coping stones are set out slightly from the wall underneath. This may be origional,or ground pressure may have moved them out slightly. The wall underneath the coping is in good condition and is upright. As an aside,the bed of the canal is in good condition apart from vegetation. The towpath is in generaly good condition,apart from a section between bridge 4 and 5,which is almost impassable.
-
The other element of registration is registration as a British Ship. This is,rather amusingly,the same process as registering the Queen Mary. It used to be a requirement if you needed a marine mortgage,even for a small yacht.(Not sure if you can still get a marine mortgage on a narrow boat.) The other reg.which may seem pointless to some,is a Small Ship Registration number(SSR).However,it is a legal requirement under some maritime law.
-
Sorry,did not manage to get to Guilsfield over the weekend and off on the boat for 5 weeks. Will measure it when I get back. Photo number 3 shows why I have never waked the arm. It is reputed to be a nature reserve now.Dont know who controls it,although I believe it still belongs to CaRT.
-
When visiting Stourbridge,we usualy go to the end of the basin,wind and moor just outside the basin.We have not had a problem up to now. Never failed to find a mooring at Stourport.
-
Relating to the wrecks at Elsmere Port, I have always been curious as to the identity of the boat sunk below the bottom lock in to the basin.Its red funnel is showing above water? Several times i have moored near to Combermere?(Have I got the right name) and moored on top of sunk boats, Very odd feeling.
-
I have never walked the length of the \Guilsfield arm,only walked a couple of short lengths. It looked a bit of a scramble when I last visited the junction area. From memory,there are two bridges,apart from the infilled bridge by the junction with the main line. Might pop over this weekend with a tape and see if I can get a measurement. Considering the scale of the task,clerks of works must have struggled to get consistency from the various workmen spread along the length of the construction site. Most of the CofW probably had to walk and scramble between work sites.
-
Watched a hire boat a few years ago. Many people winding everthing in sight, resulted in the boat scraping over the cill,It then jammed before the rudder cleared the gates. Many willing hands closed the gates before other willing hands opened the top paddles.I suggested that it might be a good idea to close the paddles and release the boat.Bit of a Fred Carno. No idea where the locky was. Probably turned his back for a minute.Fortunately,no harm done.
-
Best advice for locking is to take it slowly and do watch what is happening. So many accidents happen because the person working the lock is not watching the boat. If you are nervous,I suggest you just use one paddle until you get the feel of it. You will need to use ropes as a single hander. Statement of the blindingly obvious,dont tie the boat up tight when locking down. If roping the boat into a lock with a bridge below the bottom gates,,you will need to develop a method of passing the rope under the bridge. Best of luck for your first cruise.
-
Many old B,M.C. cars had an expansion tank. I have used the rather nice brass expansion tan off an MGB in several boats,which works well and polishes up .The Bowman heat exchanger can be filled to the top and 1" of water in the expansion tank.As has been said,coolant will return to the Bowman via the little bleed in the Bowman cap,if the coolant expands to overflow it. I have added an expansion tank to my present Isuzu indirect system to prevent slight leakage of coolant to the bilge. The problem with not filling the heat exchanger to the top is that some of the tubes are not covered. This allows the engine to run hotter when running hard.
-
The saloon at the front(standard layout)seems to be the most common,if only because years ago,most boats were built that way. Personaly ,i would never buy a reverse layout,as i like the saloon opening into a well lit bow area. I have no idea whether a reverse layout is easier or harder to sell on? Maybe a reverse layout works better with a cruiser stern?
-
Auto inflate on rivers and long tunnels since the loss of life in Harecastle. Did much dinghy sailing in my youth so dont need convincing of the value of a good lifejacket.
-
Some of these locks are getting pretty old by now. One of my keys(well used)will not open very worn locks. Some keys seem to have a better machined square than others?
Marie Stranded on the Trent
in General Boating
Posted
I remember on a previous thread on this subject,the need for a V.H.F. was contemptuously dismissed as" boys toys". Fortunately,fatal accidents on the canal and river are rare, If people operate boats without some degree of skill and all vital safety kit for the water they are on,sooner or later they will come to grief.