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archie57

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Posts posted by archie57

  1. 5 hours ago, Tam & Di said:

     

    In my experience boatmen running a pair simply used the word 'boat' if they meant the one with the motor, and 'butty' for the unpowered one.

     

    Tam

    My late friend Hannah Boyes, who was boating 1896 - 1953 on the Grand Junction and connected canals, always talked of a pair as being a Motor  and boat........!

  2. On 15/04/2023 at 11:41, magnetman said:

    Physical restrictions should be in place where wide beam craft can currently fit but where the canal was not made for wide craft. For example Berkhamsted. That road bridge which slopes slightly. You could easily build a concrete structure under there limiting the channel to 7ft6. Whether this would be allowed I don't know. 

     

    The first one to do would be the A45 bridge out of Braunston turn on the way to Rugby. There should obviously be a width restriction there. 

     

    Give boat owners 6 months notice of works then sort it out. 

     

    Quite possibly not allowed by law. I don't know but it would deal with some problems. 

     

    Not a good idea to alter the A45 bridge leaving Braunston - being a blind bridge you need to be able to pass an oncoming boat there - which I've done many times.

    • Greenie 1
  3. 10 minutes ago, David Schweizer said:

     

    If you are referring to the engine, it certainly was not a steamer in 1967. We met up at the Leicester IWA Festival where Binky was very proud of his "new" engine, which he claimed was the most powerfull engine fitted in a narrowboat at the time. The Festival Organizers were organizing Tug-o-war competitions and we challenged Pearl. Our boat, Pisces, pulled Pearl backwards along the entire length of the contest. What we had not told him was that Pisces had a 36HP V4 English Turner fitted, wich proved to be more powerfull than his 3 cylinder Bolinder.

    I didn't mean to suggest it was still a steamer!  It was 1970 when I travelled with him from the bottom of Wolverhampton to Warwick via Norton Canes

  4. 2 hours ago, David Schweizer said:

    There was a converted narrowboat called Pearl, moored in Aylesbury Basin in the 1960's. It was owned by Binky Bush, who was one of the founders of the Narrowboat Owners Club. Is this the same boat?

    No - Mr Bush's boat was a composite (I'm guessing it still was then) FMC steamer on which I travelled on one occasion!

    5 hours ago, harrybsmith said:

     

    I didn't want to distract from the actual topic of the thread as it was a bloomin controversial boat in need of massive amounts of work, but it was ex Thos. Clayton tanker Pearl (wooden) 

     

    Was a few years ago, I imagine it sank too many times and they got fed up and chainsawed it to bits.

     

    Once the current steel (nearly historic) boat is done then I will do a wooden one to make up for not saving it ; ) 

    Don't think it would do a chainsaw much good trying to cut up a wooden boat........!

    • Greenie 1
  5. 42 minutes ago, Captain Pegg said:

    The Coventry also received water pumped from mine workings at Hawkesbury. As was established during the water problems this year it is a canal principally fed by natural discharge and not by reservoir.


     

    It did have a reservoir - Oldbury, near Mancetter - seems to have disappeared though.......

  6. 5 hours ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

    No.

    https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/notices/23844-minerva-wharf-wolverhampton-old-main-line

    Could be there for a while until the tow path side wall is demolished and any rubble in the cut dredged out(navigation stoppage) and the rubble removed from the towpath and a new boundary fence put in (towpath stoppage) is my guess.

    Doubt if they'll dredge the rubble out of the cut because it's probably now "contaminated" which is a good excuse to leave it there......

  7. 4 hours ago, Stroudwater1 said:

    One thing I don't completely understand is why CRT don't fit some vulcanised rubber strip where boats turn, its the same at Norton Junction. Lovely sandstone edging at Coventry basin, being mashed by boats turning and hitting the edge as often happens.

     

    Its sad, as replacement costs would be large and unsightly. Appreciate they haven't any money, and that they don't tend to do preventative . Thus perhaps I have answered the question. Surprised the Coventry Canal society/ IWA haven't raised it, or perhaps they have. 

     

     

    All the sandstone coping was replaced when the canal basin development took place - so it's only 30ish years old -  and that ridiculous swing bridge was installed, no doubt an architects whim, and doubtless at vast expense!

  8. 18 hours ago, nicknorman said:

    What is sad is that our licence fees and government grant goes in part to paying the salary of Lyn Pegler, whose role it is to create fake news and spin on behalf of CRT. Noticeable by its absence is mention that the Macc was closed long before there was significant drought, due to CRT’s failure to maintain the Todbrook reservoir in a safe state. 

    ..... plus their previous inaction on sorting out the Coombes feeder......

  9. 1 hour ago, OldGoat said:

    Worth a correction / but worthy of more research -

    How about mooring in Thrupp and walkong the short distance to the Jolly Boatman (or moor outside) and catch the bus into Oxenford?

    There is a bus stop by the JB - but I've no idea whether it takes you into Oxford or merely skirts arouns. The same probably applies to the bus from Lower Heyford.

    As a Thames boater, I'd love you to spend your money on a day's STL (the EA is broke and could do with some dosh...).,

    If you don't mind the fee (you can squeeze nearly two days out of it), then come off the canal at Duke's Lock and go through two Thames locks and have a magnificent view of the the City in the distance, ending up at the moorings just above Osney Lock (free for an overnight and a bit more). If you moor near the lock, these moorings are very quiet - given that Osney Bridge carries the A38 over the cut.

    The city centre is but a short walk away - and if you take to the side streets, not only do you get a quieter walk, but a more pleasant view of the City.

    It's easy to spend two days or more  in the centre with lots to see and do - provided that CoVid restrictions haven't strangled college visits too much...

    Just been down there -  we had no chance of mooring in Thrupp, it was totally clogged up with boats.  Meeting boats anywhere was a real pain, especially where the outside vegetation hasn't been touched. To say nothing of queueing for locks.....

    • Greenie 1
  10. 51 minutes ago, Mike Adams said:

    Ah I regret selling the Silverlit! I did think of buying back when I passed it ther a few years ago. Now that did have a Ford 6 cylinder that I dragged out of the Gannex Mac  Factory in the East End of London. The engines in the White Heather I believe were as follows. Originally fitted with a Robey 2 cylinder semidesel, changed by waterways to Lister FR3 both in the original location. Jason fitted the Ford under the rear deck and when I bought it was shot. Then fitted nice dorman LD3 crane engine (too heavy) and then the toyota which it still has.

     - plus the Petter PD4.........

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