lockedout
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Posts posted by lockedout
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Point of order Mr Athy
We don't "do" Locks on the Thames,they are manned or on"Public power",all one has to do is throw a line or two!
CT
Throw??
That is a bit much, we just pass the rope up. Less risk of spilling the Gin and Tonic.
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Try getting on the GU at Brentford and heading North (errr... is there any other direction?) Pretty much all the way through to Bull's Bridge there is a coconut every 100 yards or so. I think I had the occasional one ping off the prop, but they don't seem to do any damage and normally float off on the bow wave.
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What everyone else has said really...
Our two Border Terrorists wear their lifejackets when we are on Rivers (chiefly the Thames). They can both swim, but in the time it takes to turn a boat round they will have travelled a fair old distance so will need help. Having a handle is really useful, even with smaller dogs, we also made sure that the lifejackets were brightly coloured to help us, and other river users to see the little varmints.
Ours are made by Ruffwear - can't remember where we got them, would have been online somehwere.
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We have one of these:
https://www.miracleleisureproducts.co.uk/rescue-ladder.html
Pricey, but we needed a new plank anyway. I have tried to climb up the side of a big shiny, GRP hull in lumpy water while wearing full oilies using a rope ladder, I was younger and fitter but it was bloody nearly impossible!
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Long email this morning from the Head Lengthsman updating on this issue.
It appears someone is roaming up and down the Wey, helping themselves to other people's stuff.
Vigilance is asked for, the partial number plate of the vehicle at Pyrford is also included.
I am not sure about posting the content on here, but if anyone would like to see the email, please leave me your email address as a PM and I will forward it to you (I think that would be ok?)
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Just to add to Richard's comments, from personal experience, the guys and girls at Merlin are excellent and can't do enough to help - http://www.merlinequipment.com.
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So, we have a pair of three year old Border Terrorists, brother and sister from the same litter. They have been on the boat since they were 8 weeks old and are really at home on board. They are a perfect size for the boat, they can always find somewhere to sleep that isn't in the way, they are good swimmers and will make a noise if anyone shows too much interest in the wrong circumstances. They don't leap off too often, they see the boat as their 'safe place' so they will always remain on board or return swiftly if unsure. Being consummate ratters, we need to keep an eye on them on the towpath as they like nothing better than clearing out a rat's nest, we haven't taught them the difference between a rat and a water vole yet, so we keep them under close control at all times unless we are sure the local wildlife is safe.
We sadly lost our last boating dog about a year ago, she was a Rottweiler, a lovely dog but a little on the large side for a narrowboat and she wasn't introduced to boating until she was older so she was a little bit nervous, particularly going through locks, she didn't like the noise and the occasional bang.
Having all three on board was a challenge at times!
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I made half a dozen from some spare 18mm Marine Ply I had left over from a project, few minutes on the bandsaw, couple of coats of decent paint and they are perfick!
We don't tent to cruise with them down, I do have one ready at the back just to quickly drop a fender if needed - mainly on the Thames lock landings. Haven't had one break yet...
The felt pad idea is worth pursuing once we get re-painted in a few weeks - at the moment they couldn't make the paint any worse!!
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There must be something about that short stretch of water!
We lost our chimney cover in exactly the same place last time we were there, it got swept off by a stout branch between the wharf and the lock.
I will get the dry suit out and recharge the air bottles, I could build myself a new boat with a bit of luck.
(that has just reminded me, on the same trip we were held up at the lock as there were divers down)
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Not a huge fan of The Anchor - all very portion control and thrown at you by students working part time for beer money.
And... strangest thing, they make you queue at the bar for a drink when they are busy, which is pretty much every weekend when the sun shines.
The New Inn at Send is much nicer.
There are something like 20 pubs which can be walked to from the boat on the Wey - Another reason not to come!
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I have to agree Mark, the Wey is such a disappointment, all those horrible pubs as well.
I have no idea why we still keep the boat there....
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Curiously, I am just about to refit my fairleads.
I will be drilling and tapping the hole to take a nice stainless countersunk head bolt.
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She is lovely, technically a Double Doodle as the Mother is a Golden Doodle whilst the Father is a Labradoddle. Try and let her off the lesh as much as possible as she has huge amount of energy to expand but always an eye out for when we need to put her back on lead. Oohhh..
You mean a mongrel?
Sorry, did I say that out loud??
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Hey they just played "Cherry red" by the Groundhogs on the radio. Right to the end. Not heard that since I was 15!
Brilliant Band - I think they were the first band I ever saw live - it was either them or Jon Heisman's Coliseum I can't remember exactly - Split and Who Will Save the World? are both still on my iPod.
I saw Tony TS McPhee live a few years ago, just before his stroke, the voice was showing signs of age, but he could still play like he did in the 70s.
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I've phoned them in the past
Now there's clever, isn't it?
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How do you get to live on the wey (assuming you're using 'live' in the commonly accepted use of the word)?
I thought the NT prohibited permanent liveaboards apart from wardens, or have I got that wrong?
Sorry to cause confusion - we don't live on the Wey, in the Wey or next to the Wey.
Our boat is moored at Pyrford. I thought by putting the word live in inverted commas, readers would take the meaning to be less than literal.
As a self proclaimed Grammar Nazi, I am mortified!
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For those that think us Southerners are miserable, can you point to the invisible boundary where this happens
According to my Mrs., about a metre north of where I am presently standing...
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We 'live' on the Wey, and we love it.
We were out for a couple of hours today, had a friendly hello from the 4 boats we passed and either a wave or a chat with all but two of the towpath users, both joggers with their heads plugged in. We have never found the Wey any snootier than any where else on the network, and we have never come across bridges lined with idiots armed with chunks of paving slab.
The locks can be challenging, mainly the first three which are bas***ds, after that they get friendlier and they are usually pretty well maintained. One thing to remember is that convention on the Wey is that we leave lock gates open on departure. Yes, it takes a bit of getting used to, but it is how the NT want it done.
A good selection of mooring opportunities, yes, the towpath can be sandy in places, so be aware and maybe put an extra pin in.
If you are interested in the history of the waterways, Dapdune Wharf is a wonderful half day's insight into the history of the navigation and don't forget to cross over to the other side and have a wander through the sculpture park.
It's a horrible place, if I were you I would steer well clear
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Tonight's show is only 10 minutes in and they have already been on two different boats, Grace and Isabelle.
Switched a couple of times.
I wonder why?
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Have you ever tried it?
Tie a life belt with a fair length of warp and see if you can get it near the casualty!
Only, mind your end of the line because you might just get caught on what your trying to remember!
Nipper
That is why the standard advice when sailing on lumpy water and you unfortunately lose a crew member overboard is that you throw everything that floats over the side after him/her.
Don't tie a life belt to anything before you chuck it - just chuck it. It stands a much better chance of getting within grabbing distance of the casualty if it isn't being hindered by a piece of string, particularly if you are on water with a current. And, let's face it, it is more important that the casualty can float, you can worry about recovery once they are safely attached to something buoyant.
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Moving away from the bedroom....
Did anyone else think there was something odd about the porthole windows?? it looked like they all had to be cut in to the roof lining, but from outside they looked perfectly proportioned.
Do you think they 'overstuffed' the roof/ceiling or was I missing something??
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Not just unacceptable but on a properly crimped battery cable it should be all but impossible, there should be nowhere for solder to go as the strands are effectively fused. Of corse on a poorly crimped termination it would be possible but as you say, unacceptable. I am no longer allowed to use solder under ISO 13297 issued december 2014, I know that applies to low voltage AC but is just as valid for extra low voltage DC.
I can't remember where I saw the whole soldering a crimped joint thing, it was when I was researching my recent rewire and contemplating making up all of the cable myself, it was probably on youtube somewhere...
As it happens I decided against doing it all myself and got a professional to do it for me, you are right the quality of the crimp was so good I probably couldn't have got any solder to wick into the crimp anyway.
Certainly worth remembering for the future though.
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Brilliant stuff! Thanks very much for posting.
Proper boat porn
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Do make sure that the person who is making up the cables is using decent kit. The dies that form the crimped connection should plastically deform the connector and the individual strands into hexagons. This means that each strand is in full contact with its neighbours. I have been in boatyards and asked to borrow crimping tools which I refused to use. One just pressed a spike into the connector and effectively spread all of the strands out.
If you are using a crimping tool yourself make sure that you get the right connectors to go with that tool.
N
Belt and Braces...
If you have any doubts about the quality of the crimp, you could, carefully fill the crimp with solder. Has the effect of tinning the individual strands as well which helps prevent corrosion in the marine environment, but if the crimp is good and tight (mine all were) and then heatshrink wrapped, probably no point.
She is lovely, technically a Double Doodle as the Mother is a Golden Doodle whilst the Father is a Labradoddle. Try and let her off the lesh as much as possible as she has huge amount of energy to expand but always an eye out for when we need to put her back on lead. 
Two twelve volt systems
in Boat Equipment
Posted
Prior to my recent re-wiring, our boat had two different 12v systems. I have no idea why and it is one of the reasons I did a full re-wire. I had three 110s running the domestics and two 110s completely separate running the 240v through the inverter. The only point of contact between the two systems was the feed from the charger and the feed from the alternator.
It could be argued that I actually had 4 different systems, if you count a single 110 running the bowthruster and a single 110 for the engine.