noddyboater
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Posts posted by noddyboater
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I remember speaking to a well known shell builder in the north a few years ago who confirmed that “I can build anything, but there’s no money in that”
Luckily customers who do have an eye for what a boat should look like usually find the real boatbuilders that are still out there, rather than a fabrication company. I’m sure Mr Kemp, the Wains, etc aren’t exactly rolling in money but at least they can be proud of what they produce.
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48 minutes ago, dmr said:
I'm with Carlt on this one, everything in this world should be a thing of beauty, but boats especially. I suspect it doesn't actually cost much more to make a narrowboat attractive, but does need skill and inspiration from the builder. I think trouble is so many boats are now built to absolutely maximise the internal space and this usually does conflict with beauty. Those cabins that go all the way to the front and even curve in over the bow are a good example of ugliness, and the tug deck an extreme example of beauty over space. I reckon a gentle upsweep here and there don't cost that much once you know how to it.
...............Dave
Well said. I lived quite happily on my boat with it’s 16’ deck and 9’ central engine room, yes I could have acres more space in a 60’ boat but at least when I stand back and look at it I don’t feel the urge to throw up.
I’m lucky enough to live in a canalside cottage now, it’s tiny but looks great!
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I’ve never got the ugly boat thing either. It’s possible to make a good looking narrowboat, but not many people seem to bother. It’s all about curves isn’t it? Any good looking boat has curves, grp, wood or steel. There’s too many etch a sketch builders around using pre-cut and bent plate, cheap but ugly.
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Dogs welcome in the Swan at Torksey, (you probably knew that) the one at Fiskerton I can never remember the name of.. The Lock keepers rest at Sawley and The Anchor at Kegworth.
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Not on eBay but I’ve just listed a cheap single cylinder Coventry Victor in the for sale section. Water cooled, hand start, 7hp. Might be useful for spares to someone.
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Dave used to dread the flood gates going on before he opened the pub.
Not so bad now- captive customers!
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An old champagne cork makes a good bung.
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18 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:
A quality (proper) weld is the joining of two plates into a 'single piece', the addition of an external 'snail trail' (or blobs of duck poop in my case) adds nothing to the integrity and just shows how poor the standard of welding is.
I’m referring to additions welded to the shell, quite important things like a T stud on the bow or a centre mooring line ring on the roof.
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Be careful of that shiny new boat from a well known builder, it’s worth having a closer look as corners are often cut when people can live off a “name”.
Are the cabin sides lovely and straight because there’s no framing behind them? The welds ground and polished to half their original strength? And there’s no point having decent length swims then sticking an egg whisk prop on because it’s cheaper and the customer won’t know the difference anyway..
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We found the wooden fishing platforms handy for mooring up the Stonebridge drain. Just the right distance apart for a 60’ boat, bow and stern. (Never saw a fisherman in 2 days)
The only real weed problem was on the Sandy Bank drain where I ended up bow hauling for half it’s length. That was in early May.
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This discussion could go on til the cows come home, then move onto trad or cruiser..
A couple of points though; To say vintage engines aren’t fuel efficient is complete tosh. Unless you’re running a DM6 or similar you’ll be using less fuel on on average day than a modern engine. I’ve got a day tank with a gauge and just over a gallon is normal for a long days cruise. That’s with a Gardner 3L2, which incidentally is a genuine marine unit originally supplied to the navy. Gardner made many marine engines, but most were destined for posh cruisers, yachts etc as they were expensive.
Neither are vintage engines- if well maintained- any less reliable than a modern unit. There’s less to go wrong in the first place, there’s a good chance you can sort a problem yourself with basic tools if something does happen, and most parts are still available. Lots even come with something called a “hand start” which means you can still move if your batteries have been nicked or the starter has died. Imagine that..
Lastly, there’s a good chance if someone has gone to the expense of an old engine it’s going to be in a decent quality shell, (not always the case!) which makes for more pleasurable boating.
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39 minutes ago, Athy said:
I think that they ceased producing them some years ago. Yes, they were built in China - I believe that the fit-out was done using bamboo wood. Their most common length was 44 feet, as a boat of that length would fit into a standard sea container. Perhaps they built them as wide as possible too, which would account for the lack of tumblehome.
I seem to remember an expression "Birmingham square" which described British boats built with straight sides, but I could be mistaken - and someone will soon tell me if I am!
I think “Birmingham square” may have been invented by Mr Tyler and his good friend Mr Wilson, along with “Joshua style”..
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21 hours ago, Pluto said:
I have previously suggested that Hebble was one of the boats built for the construction of one of the railway tunnels at Standedge. There is certainly a suggestion that steam tugs were used for towing boats loaded with spoil out of the canal tunnel after they were loaded at one of the cross tunnels connecting with the railway tunnels, and it could have been one of the earliest uses of steam power on canals, though I have not researched the possibility in detail
Narrow boats worked regularly onto the wide northern waterways, and this is a brief list extracted from the C&HN registers for around 1819:
204 The Duchess of Oldenburg; master Robert Robinson; owner Southam & Co of Buckingham; built Birmingham 1815; 19 tons on 2ft 8in
205 The Emperor Alexander of Buckingham (ditto)
212 The Betty of Clayworth; master William Husband; owner Edward Sawdon of Clayworth; built Worksop 1812; 20 tons on 3ft 4.5in
217 The John Barley-Corn of Clayworth; master John Palmer; owner Edward Sawden of Clayworth; built Worksop 1813; 20 tons on 3ft 6in
219 The Plow Boy of Clayworth; master and owner John Palmer of Clayworth; built Worksop 1813; 20tons on 3ft 6.5in
220 The Hop of Huddersfield; master Joseph Brearley; owner Joseph Lofthouse of Huddersfield; built Manchester; 20tins on 3ft3in
227 The Happy Return of Marsden; master John Mellor; owner David Haigh & Co of Marsden; built Marsden 1818; 20ton-9cwt-1qr on 3ft 1.5in
229 The Hopewell of Manchester; master Robert Ingham; owner Hery Hanson of Manchester; built Fairfield 1810; 21ton 10cwt 3qr on 3ft 2.75in
241 The Dewsbury of Manchester; master John Shuttleworth; owner Edmund Buckley & Co of Manchester; built Manchester 1817; 14ton 2cwt 2qr on 2ft 8in
243 The Fox of Manchester (ditto); built Manchester 1814; 17ton 8cwt 3qr on 2ft 11in
246 The Blucher of Marsden; master and owner Robert Stanley of Marsden; built Manchester 1814; 18ton 12cwt on 3ft 4in
247 The Wellington of Marsden; master James Whitehead; owner Josh & Robt Dowse of Marsden; built Chester; 19ton 6cwt 3qr on 3ft 4in
263 The Prime Minister of Lymn; master James Pennington; owner Radcliffe Bradbury of Lymn; built Manchester 1803; 20ton on 3ft 4in
267 The Hope of Marsden; master and owner James Grime of Marsden; built Manchester 1817; 18ton 15cwt 1qr on 3ft 11.5in
270 The Betsey of Marsden; master and owner William Mellor of Marsden; built Manchester 1812; 20ton 10cwt on 3ft 2.25in
That’s an interesting list Pluto, the three boats from Clayworth must have been Chesterfield Canal “Cuckoos”. I’ve heard they worked as far afield as Lincoln or even Boston but I didn’t know any went up north.
I’m sure Cheshire Rose would like to know more when she catches up with this topic if you have any other info.
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11 minutes ago, alan_fincher said:
I was intrigued from the original add what "conversion" it was carrying!
IIRC it was advertised as quite recent, but seemed incomplete. This is the only remnant of the advert I can still find....
I don't think any precious history will be lost by OTLEY being returned to fully unconverted condition, and I don't think it has ever carried an "historic" cabin conversion, has it?
I take your point though, I think, it is a shame that some long converted boats have now lost conversions with some history.(I hope whoever buys ELIZABETH has no plans to de-convert it!)
EDIT: As an aside CRT give some financial incentive to strip off such conversions. FLAMINGO without the cabin conversion would qualify for the historic boat discount, but while it remains in place, is subject to the full undiscounted fee.Is it true that Slough has changed hands again and is to be restored to working trim?
Maybe one for being left alone with it's "historic" conversion, especially with the recent passing of Sir Frank Price.
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I've never been a fan of bow cabins that aren't on the bow either. (Or potters cabins as some call them??)
The only boat I'd say carries it off well is Amsterdam which I haven't seen for years. Emerald does look top heavy at the stern, almost like a Stowe Hill tug with their high cabin sides and rib tickling tillers.
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5 minutes ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:
I've always thought that the 60' limit at Tinsley was over conservative as a 60' NB still has quite a bit of room to manouver. The walkways at each end on the lockgates would need to be watched with care to prevent being sunk by them when ascending. Don't know if anyone has tried taking a Sheffield size keel up in recent years.
Jen
I'm not sure the last time a Sheffield size boat was up the flight either. JUNE was based at Tinsley marina for a while and of course A39 spent many years as a restaurant/trip boat in Sheffield but they're both shorter at around 58' I think. Getting A39 across Staniforth Rd aqueduct cleanly was always a challenge but that was a width issue!
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2 hours ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:
Definitely not the Tinsley Flight up to Sheffield. The lock keepers won't let boats over 60' attempt it. Definitely not the Calder &Hebble and the Huddersfield Broad. 57'6" officially, but possible with a 60' done diagonally. I travelled with a 60' boat once on the C&H and the Saltherhebble locks had to be negotiated backwards to descend and the bottom gates only just cleared the boat. 62' would not get through.
Jen
I met a chap moored in Sheffield basin who'd come up the Tinsley flight no problems in his 62' boat. Expecting grief he'd told the keepers it was 59' and had no bother. But seeing as Sheffield keels were 61' and wide I don't suppose he would. The worst part is going back down the flight where your stern deck gets a good wash from the water cascading over the gates.
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On 23/01/2018 at 15:40, Joe Bourke said:
He does keep busy. His tug Brodsworth is moored opposite me in Goole and he's here most weekends.
Has he had the old 8LW (yes, I did say 8!) fired up lately and gone for a cruise? He looked to be welded to the bank last time I was there. Some excuses about 6' draught...
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4 hours ago, Joe Bourke said:
Noddyboater on this forum has a 3L2 I think.
Well remembered Joe, I do have a 3L2 and it is indeed a fine piece of engineering. In the 19 years I've owned it the only maintenance has been oil changes and a nip up on the timing chain. If I'm feeling energetic it'll start by hand on all but the really cold days, never misses a beat and is very frugal. A long day at canal speed uses around 2 gallons.
As you've probably heard the 3 and 4 cylinder engines do get smokey after days of slow running and idling at locks etc. Been based on the Chesterfield mine gets a regular clear out on the Trent, the amount of crap left on the roof from the exhaust is quite impressive pushing a tide for an hour or two!
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Be careful if you're heading up to Ickles. As you leave the cut from Rotherham lock you'll be on a short river section before you head right towards Ickles. The river is high at the moment and a lot of crap will have been swept down into the slack water outside the court buildings. I'd head back to Eastwood and hang on there. It might look bleak but it's safe enough.
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The lockies are based on the Tinsley flight and only venture down to meet you, usually at Jordan lock. Looking at the River Don in Sheffield yesterday I'd say you'll be waiting for that to drop now too as you're on the river for a short section below Tinsley bottom lock.
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I'd also recommend Union Canal Carriers modern 'Barney' boats if you want to hire something with a bit of character. Along with the great slow running sabb engine you get a solid fuel stove, a rare thing on a hire boat.
Could be the start of a slippery slope though.. I hired one for the Christmas week 3 years in a row, next thing I was visiting brokers and looking at adverts in the back of Waterways World..
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You don't have to pay to stay at Ickles Lock, there is a private boat club there but you'll have plenty of room to moor on the landing stage above the lock, opposite the house.
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I recently met the owners of "Jacks Ferry", the tiny isolated house on the flood bank. They run it as a holiday cottage with diesel for the genny and logs for the stove included in the very low nightly rate. A footpath leads straight to the "Swan", and you get to drive down the private access track. Just maybe not in winter..
Not One But Two Dangerous Incidents. Stoke Lock.
in General Boating
Posted
Might not make much difference with some of the full time plonkers already on. It was me complaining a while back when Keadby lock gates were closed on me as I cut across the river towards it! His excuse was not that he hadn’t seen me, but that he didn’t know it the narrowboat booked in at 9am. Despite it being exactly 9am and me being the only downstream boat on the river.