Boaty Jo
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Posts posted by Boaty Jo
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Just bought a small yamaha keyboard (NP30).
Very compact and light. Runs off mains / batteries, nearly full size keyboard (76 to 88), takes headphones.
Sounds terrible but you can't blame the instrument.
Lobby Loo - you could mute your clarinet by sticking your bell end in a sound-proofed cardboard box.
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Which one(s) do you have and how are you getting on with it/them for fuel consumption, ease of use, performance and reliability etc?
Had the Old Dutch on the first boat. To be honest can't remember how many radiators it ran (probably 5/6 plus calorifier) but you have to have enough to act as a heat dump when the whole system is up to temperature. This was the only means of heating and as the boiler is in effect either on or off for extended periods and for us was not flexible enough.
On the second we had an E3 (which is also drip fed) which was built into the bedroom wardrobe. The (well protected) flue ran up through the wardrobe - in effect a good airing cupboard. We had seven radiators plus calorifier (though some were turned low). Consumption on average was about 5 litres a day. We also had a multi-fuel in the lounge.
We never ran either of these boilers flat out, cleaned them out once a month and got an extended flue which helped somewhat in windy conditions. The KW will be in the specs but an E3 was enough for us (57ft NB).
If we could have afforded it we would have had a pressure jet (on demand) boiler for heating and water.
Jo
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www.kuranda.co.uk
These guys supplied me with CH boilers.
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Hello Alice,
Given the choice between SectionVI (Narrow boat owner) and section V(aspiring NB owner) I'm afraid I can't help.
Do let me know if you decide to widen your net to cover other inland craft.
Ditto.
Rather narrow-minded!
Others may have a GRiPe too.
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The very best of luck with your treatment David.
Have a great Christmas.
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What a wonderful snapshot of times gone by.
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Is not the CAB your best bet?
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Littleborough, my home town. I spent many a happy hour in The Summit (although I did have my hub-caps knicked on one occasion).
That stretch of canal is lovely and though I can't be there I'll be with you in spirit with a touch of envy.
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Yes, it's a wonderful ship.
To see Tjalks like this and other ships (klippers for example) under full sail is a fantastic sight and one of our abiding memories of cruising in Holland.
I see also that it is berthed at Makkum on the Friesland coast. It is a beautiful old town where the inland waterway meets the sea (or IJsselmeer now). You can see smaller canal craft inland of the 'sea' lock and large charter ships, like this one, call in over the summer and mix with fishing boats drying their nets.
Down the channel a large, modern marina houses a wide variety of sea-going (and pricey) cruisers. The whole area gives you a fair snapshot of boating in Holland.
Jo
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'.....when we picked him up....'
It might be called Leo but it's probably a SHE.
Narrowboats are female – beautiful, bright, colourful, elegant, graceful and warm
NOT male – dull, shallow, noisy, solid, polluting, weighty, ponderous and loathesome
Enjoy her.
Jo (male)
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Ok then, one large or two small vertical loops welded to a plate which is bolted to the roof. Run two ropes back to the steering position, one down each side, so you can hop off either side.
You don't need to disturb much roof lining to get at the nuts from inside. Just cover up the 'small' area inside with a false grill.
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Sounds a bit dodgy (to a non-welder).
Are you saying it's possible to weld when you have spray-foam, rockwool, polystyrene (or whatever insulation you have) tight up against the roof-plate?
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We engaged Terry Robertson of TR Boat Handling for pretty much the exact reasons the OP states - my wife wanted experience and confidence. The day was really beneficial, including Terry guiding us through our first lock. Jan was the only person to touch the tiller through the training. Both of us learned a huge amount and Jan subsequently had the confidence to handle the boat in and out of locks 'solo'.
This training was on our own boat and gave us the basic skills to enable us to set off on our own and really learn to handle the boat in a wide variety of situations.
Best of luck
Jo
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I have great respect for anyone with more experience than me, that’s partly how I learn, and often read with interest posts on matters technical and navigational both here and on other forums.
Despite the technical ‘shortcomings’ of a narrowboat for the larger waterways (e.g. ill-placed bollards, lack of side-deck etc.) an earlier post stated that, with skill, it can be done. Entering a lock that may be 200m long, 11m wide and 10m deep surrounded by 1000-plus tonne commercial barges in gear driving against a forward line requires a great degree of care in any pleasure boat. I agree that a great deal of caution and careful planning is required.
We too have been pyssed off by the behaviour of other boaters – but hitherto never a narrowboat – possibly because it’s a numbers game, in other words they are few and far between. Speeding and overstaying are probably problems the boating-world over and it is no different here. Many cruisers and hire-boats simply ignore the speed limits and I am unaware of any policing of this. One 18-metre barge came through a stretch of canal, where boats of all shapes and size were moored on both sides, at 12kph! Two boats lost at least some mooring lines and the rest probably spilled their soup. The guy’s excuse – ‘We’ve got a flight to catch!’
Many boats from countries to the north and east cram as much as they can into their 2 – 6-week trips. Apart from the fact that they have no chance of experiencing ‘real’ France, it means 6 + hour days at some speed.
We were told that France is cheap too. Well, compared to our experience of Holland, it’s not. 400+ Euros for our vignette (season cruising license) plus the overwhelming majority of town moorings with electricity charge from 6 euros per night (often + electric), often more. Many marinas and some Port de Plaisances are restricted to 15m maximum – Challon (15m max) on the Saone for example is 25 euros per night. These charges deter the ‘doddery people looking for a cheap home..’ (insulting) and the ‘mature’ narrowboaters we have encountered moor cheaply (or free) bank-side on pins or non-serviced out of town moorings.
I believe that any boat here less than 15m requires no qualifications to drive it – hire boats are 15m and less, as are the vast majority of cruisers. 10 minutes instruction from a bloke about to rush of for his escargots and the hire-boat is away. Anything over 15m requires a qualification, in our case an ICC. Like the (car) driving test, all a pass gives you is a rudimentary understanding of the car and road – an ICC is little different; it’s when you get out on the water you really learn to drive.
It is not unknown for people to buy a boat or have one built with little or no experience of handling one – an ICC (with cevni endorsement) and you’re away (with insurance, VHF certificate, proof of ownership etc.). Narrowboaters will at least have some experience (in some cases vast) of their boat’s capabilities before they learn to deal with the bigger continental waterways.
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I met a Dutch couple at Crick a few years ago who were buying a NB to use in Holland!
It seemed a bit odd to me but they said they liked NBs, so good luck to them.
May be Henk & Marjolein.
Their boat was built by Pipers, we saw it half-finished when we went to Pipers 'yard' to find out we couldn't afford a new barge!
A couple of years later we were dithering as to whether to venture onto Lauwersmeer in the very north of Holland because there was a '5' blowing. We were nervous despite being 4m plus beam and the water was really pretty choppy.
When, off the lake come Henk and Marjolein in their narrowboat.
It was only later when I met them in Zwartsluis (our home base) that I realised it was the same Piper boat.
They bought a narrowboat because they'd previously hired a NB on the K & A (and fell in love with the UK canals) and dreamt of cruising Holland 'till Marjolien retires from work' after which they would ship the boat to the UK and do the system.
He'd previously worked as a Marine Engineer for Howarth's in Poole.
Jo
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I suspect cost, availability and familiarity. Some, like Terry Darlington, also bring the boat back and continue to cruise on the narrow canals here. When I bought Ripple I had a grand plan to have a summer on the canals of Brittany (which are about Witham Lock size) but I wasn't going to buy a new boat just for that.
If I was going to cruise long term in France I'd look for something like a penichette, the equivalent of our clonecraft, based loosely on the peniche. Locaboat Plaisance, who came up with the concept, were a lot less po-faced than canal enthusiast here, and don't pretend they are "real" peniches
I don't think the insulation is up to much on the hire boats (considering it went down to minus 14 here last year).
The heating systems are for cool nights during the cruising season, not sustained sub-zero temperatures.
Yes, some 40 ft cruisers are really well designed space-wise, using space on a number of levels, but most need upgrading to make them full-time live-aboards.
Also I am sure our octagenarian narrowboat friends would find it hard work clambering up steps / ladders too and from the various levels.
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Where abouts did you see them?
My parents live in France, near Macon, and they have told me there are a couple of narrowboats in their local marina at the moment. I've asked if they can get some photos and I'll post them up here if they can. Apparently they've caught the attention of the locals, although my parents are struggling to overcome the language barrier trying to explain about narrowboats in French.
We are based at St. Jean de Losne about 30k south of Dijon.
There are 5 NBs moored here for the winter one of whom we met in south Holland (near Roermond) - they were heading north as we were heading this way.
In addition to the 3 that I've mentioned above we've seen at least another 3 this summer.
Dor
If you're referring to Bill Davies being the number 2 that I mentioned, no, it is not him.
I'd rather not give out names and boat names without their knowledge.
Jo
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Better – mmm?
Safer – possibly.
I would have thought that narrowboats represent great value for money. When you consider you can buy a new NB, with a good level of equipment (central heating, multi-fuel fire, generator, good spec kitchen etc. etc.) for less than £70k and a second (or third) hand boat (which has probably been tried and tested on rivers like the Thames and Trent and possibly upgraded equipment-wise) for considerably less.
Trying to find a comfortable, well-equipped live-aboard barge or sea-going boat for the same money is a real challenge.
Decent barges, even second-hand, are expensive. New ones are beyond many peoples means. We found that the barges within our price range needed a good deal of upgrading to bring them to the level of the narrowboat we lived on.
I don’t know the figures regarding the safety of narrowboats in Europe but I agree there is certainly ‘perceived’ increased safety in a wider boat. The 18-year cumulative experience of the three examples above suggests that, with caution, cruising in Europe is within many peoples range.
In addition, because of the limited draft and air draft of a NB, there are smaller waterways (particularly in Holland from our experience) that are prohibited to higher, deeper craft.
Jo
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I hope you have all had a good seasons cruising.
In case you are wondering whether to extend your range and ‘have a go at France’ we befriended three NBs en route who demonstrate what is possible.
A lady (around retirement age) who has been cruising single-handed for ‘a number of years’. When we met she was bashing some wood about building a new cover for her batteries. When we last parted she was heading out onto a river for a 6 / 8 hour trip to join another canal where she would find somewhere to moor for the winter.
A man (50 ish), single-hander (with dog) who has cruised many of the mid / northern rivers and canals during his 6 years here. This year his trip included a non-stop 10-hour run down the Rhine from Niffer to Strasbourg in 30-degree heat.
A couple (he admitted he was 80, she must be close) who have cruised France for 6 years. To set off on an adventure like that at 74-years of age is, to my mind, remarkable. When we first met he took a line from us in a strong cross-wind and dashed round a tree a couple of turns to hold us into the canal bank till I could bash a couple of pegs in. A couple of days later I could repay him by helping him fix his large ‘pump-out’ diaphragm pump.
Interesting (and gutsy) people all, and like many boaters, friendly and partial to ‘ an evening reviver’.
I an NOT saying that it’s easy or without danger. Tackling big rivers, big locks while encountering commercial boats requires skill and caution but it shows that with planning things are possible.
Jo
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Depends a bit on your budget.
Personally (if I could afford it) it would be a Kabola pressure-jet which can be fully auto and linked to one or more room stats.
Drip-fed boilers are great but do require a bit of regular maintenance and (I think) use more fuel than the P-J.
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We had solid oak flooring from Border Hardwoods in Wem, Shropshire (www.borderhardwood.co.uk)
It was all prepared to order for us and we ordered a mixture of 4 and 6 inch width to make it look more random. Our floorboard were also taken from the outer edge of the trunk which gave it a really attractive (we thought) look - in other words there was rather more grain then you would expect with oak and also a good contrast in shading.
I'm afraid I can't remember the name of the guy I dealt with but the timber cost me about £600 3/4 years ago to do the cabin of a 57 footer front to back. I cut and laid it myself; floating except where I had to go round inspection hatches where it was recessed screwed.
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Another variation on a theme..
We also wanted the extra width so I went to the trouble of building the base in 2 longitudinal sections each 2 ft 3 ins.
Each section was made from planed 2 x 1 and configured so that the inner section could be slid vertically up the cabin side so dragging the outer section with it to the outer edge of the 4 ft bed frame. (If you can’t picture it put your hands together palms down with your thumbs tucked down out of the way and raise your right little finger up an imaginary wall; you’ll see your left hand is pulled to the right).
As it turned out the 4 ft 6 ins bed (increased by 2 or 3 inches by mattress / bedding overhang) left ample room to walk past so we never used the fancy arrangement. The only other thing we did was to make a couple of triangular brackets to support the overhang. These were joined to the main bed frame with pairs of strong hinges so they could be folded back if the bed was slid in.
The other advantage is that 2 ft 3 ins is standard mattress width so we bought 2 basic mattresses and overlaid the whole lot with a memory foam topper which was unbelievably comfy.
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Just googled anal (not something I would normally have done) but after a link to a common irritating complaint the vast marority of entries (?) are sexually related - a sign of the times I guess.
We'll just have to hold off using the word - which I suppose could clasify as anal retention.
Bridgewater canal photo
in General Boating
Posted
If this link doesn't work google Daily Telegraph.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/topics/weather/...t-networks.html