BrumBargee
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Posts posted by BrumBargee
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1 minute ago, magnetman said:
Cable ties.
I've never had any trouble but always idly wondered how it would work if you could rapidly knock out the intruder with a heavy item then cable tie their wrists to something immovable with heavy cable ties. Then call the rozzers.
Would the act of cable tying the person be constituted as an assault of some sort?
Probably not that easy to knock someone out but it's interesting to consider how this work.
De-escalation certainly the best option. Perhaps the offer of a nice cup of tea or a bottle of beer would help in this scenario.
If it was reasonably evident that they were committing (or attempting to commit) a crime, it's always been my understanding that you can use reasonable force to detain them until police arrive.
As you suggested the 'knocking out' is the grey area. Hitting someone hard enough in the head to render them unconscious is not an insignificant amount of force and could result in much worse. For example, if you hit someone over the head who then tumbles unconscious into the cut and drowns because you can't lift them out, you're almost certainly going to be tried for manslaughter. It's then very difficult to prove that you acted entirely in self-defence, especially if this happened on a dark towpath with no CCTV or witnesses to back you up.
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Just now, frangar said:
Hit them hard enough and they won’t be coming back with a few mates…..
There's a very fine line between that and killing someone (genuinely). I personally wouldn't take that risk unless my life was in immediate danger.
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The thing to consider with escalating a confrontation (which is what pulling out a weapon does) is what comes next?
A boat is relatively immobile. It's not like a van where you can be 20 miles away within a matter of minutes. If you pull out a weapon to scare someone off, who's to say they won't come back in half an hour with 5 others? It's all situational but as much as it might feel counterintuitive, the best option is almost always to deter and de-escalate.
In reference to OPs point, I have a locker just inside the stern door where I keep all my mooring pins, chains etc. and a machete for clearing vegetation. I would assume this would provide a good source of scary pieces of metal if it ever came to it.
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Just now, frangar said:
In 30 years of living aboard and some fairly long term cruising not once have I been caught short of needing water…there’s always a tap a days cruise away at most….beer however has run low…..
Fair enough, but I can recall at least 2 times recently where I have been really stuck. Once getting iced in on the K&A and all the water points being turned off at the stop cock (we fought through 2 hours worth of ice only to have to turn round and go back with no water) and once on the River Nene where conditions meant we were stuck on a pontoon for weeks on end.
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Has anyone had any experience with these setups? I've been following https://waterfreedom.co.uk/ online for about a year now and they seem to be doing good business amongst the liveaboard community. Not sure exactly what the installation cost is but the filters are cheap and it seems like it could be worth it, especially when cruising waterways with sparse facilities.
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I read the TNC account of doing it in 2004 and was very impressed! I wonder if anyone has managed it in the last 5 years or so?
Was there much of a window for the tide?
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Having walked the Dee Branch today and taken a stroll over to the weir to look at the state of the water gate, it seems things aren't looking up in Chester for the link between the SUC and the river. The water gate is now completely obstructed by a boom (installed by United Utilities?) and full of debris. The branch is equally full of debris, currently obstructed by a (temporary?) CRT barrier to stem water loss from the stretch above. Even worse is the exit on to the River Dee from the lock, as the trees have taken hold to such a degree that it looks like even a narrowboat would struggle to squeeze through the gap.
I know in recent times the River Dee has seen very few craft navigating between the river and the SUC, but it seems such a shame to see it going downhill again. Looking at the navigation notes, it looks possible to safely (albeit with the right precautions) navigate out of the SUC and go as far as Connah's Quay going downstream or if you want to brave the weir, explore the non-tidal Dee going upstream (which, incidentally, is a fantastic stretch of water).
Does anyone have any local knowledge of this stretch or any up to date information? Last I heard was a feasibility study for a boat lock in the weir had been proposed/conducted but nothing more had come of it since. It would be really interesting to know if any progress is being made because it looks like this is another navigation link that could disappear in the next year or so.
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I'm not sure about Webasto specifically as I've always had an Eber, but if it shuts down within 1-3 minutes of starting it's most likely either failing to light or overheating due to lack of circulation.
Obviously there are a few different potential causes for both of those issues but a good starting point is checking for any blockages/air locks in the plumbing and ensuring a good supply of fuel.
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I think I've finally spotted one of these new-fangled blue and white signs everyone has been talking about 😀
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Liverpool has some amazing independent pubs, bars and restaurants but you won't find any of them around the waterfront unfortunately (those spots seem to be reserved for the big chains). If it's the kind of thing you're after, the area between Bold St and Duke St is not a bad starting place. There is also a growing scene along Jamaica St. starting where the Cains Brewery used to be.
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On 01/07/2021 at 16:17, IanD said:
And the people protesting (via NBTA and the press) about how CART are "taking their homes away" (how can they possibly move that far CCing when their kids have to get to a local school?) are 100% (well, maybe only 99%...) guaranteed to be not CCing, according to either the letter or the spirit of the rules, and would certainly not "satisfy the board" if push came to shove.
I've lived aboard full time for nearly 5 years now. For the first few years, I had to stay in one place for work and so paid for permanent moorings. I've since changed jobs primarily to enable me to work remotely and enable CC'ing. I've already gone as far North as Liverpool, East to Peterborough and South to Devizes all while working from the boat. If I have to travel to an office, I jump on the train.
I know it's easy for me to say but this is what I consider 'Continuous Cruising', ie bona fide cruising the system and moving around the country, not endlessly circling the same town. If you need to stay in one area then by definition you can't cruise continuously. Really, you need to decide whether the elements of your lifestyle that are keeping you in one place are more important than your desire to live on a boat without a home mooring. My previous job was tying me to one area, so I left it and found a different one.
I support most of what the NBTA do because they're one of the few organisations that genuinely recognise the value of having people living on the waterways. What I don't agree with is people who really need a permanent mooring abusing the system, but they are a very small minority compared to the 10,000s boats on the system.
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Like most voluntary codes, the people that read it will be the ones that already follow it. The people that need to read it won't bother.
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21 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:
suspect it may be caused by younger and more selfish people using boating as cheap housing, so the age profile of members has altered.
It's a common assumption Tony but I'm 29 and have been using the internet since I was 7 years old. I too remember the days when forums (and the internet in general) were much more civilised and wish it was still like that. It used to feel like much more of a community. I don't think age has as much to do with it as experience and speed of adoption. I see just as many older people who are new to the internet get wrapped up in pointless bickering because they don't understand the etiquette.
I think like a lot of things, once it starts to get mass appeal any sense of community standards go out the window and it becomes a free for all.
P.S. I am almost 30 so I'm not sure if I qualify as a younger person anymore ?
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Bluepoint marine is the only real "boatyard" in the city itself and they have hardstanding available. They will no doubt be at the pricier end but the facilities and expertise there are very good. It's accessible from the network via the Liverpool link - their lift is situated in Brunswick Dock.
Scarisbrick marina is probably the next closest. (Narrowboat slipway and hardstanding)
Although a bit further south Hesford Marine on the Bridgewater is a dedicated DIY yard, set up for longer-term hardstanding users. This might be of interest particularly if you're looking to be out of the water for several months or more.
It's worth saying that I've never known of any boatyard on the canal system that would let you use their machining/woodworking facilities. Generally the arrangement is you provide all your own tools and if you're lucky they might let you use the power supply. A number of deaths and accidents in recent years in DIY boatyards has really clamped down on what they are willing/insured to provide.
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There's a certain amount of irony in people complaining about the quality of a YouTube channel in a thread where the quality of discussion has reached rock bottom. Can we maybe cut out the personal insults, unfounded generalisations and false sense of superiority?
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Funnily enough when we had a mooring at Yarwell, we tried to tell people we were living on the 'River Nen' and they hadn't the faintest clue where it was. As soon as we said 'River Neen' though, they said they knew it. ?
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3 minutes ago, frangar said:
I think that sums it up rather well. They also have delusions that they are something special…a bit like purveyors of towpath tat…or roving traders as some seem to think they are.
That's fine and people are free to criticise the quality of the content. What's more sinister is some of the posts I've seen in recent months targeted specifically at the individuals rather than what they produce.
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This specific incident aside, I'm not sure why this forum seems to have such a broad hatred for vloggers. Is it because people are jealous of the attention they get or they view them as somehow 'skipping ahead' in the canal prestige league tables? Yes some of them are new boaters (definitely not all) but they don't claim to be oracles of the waterways, they are just making a bit of light entertainment. There's no need to demonise them.
I happen to think Mrs. Brown's Boys is the worst thing to happen to comedy for a generation, but I don't have anything against Brendan O'Carroll - in fact I'm sure he's a lovely man. And there are millions of people who no doubt adore that sitcom. You can criticise the content without hounding the creator.
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2 minutes ago, Tonka said:
And how do you distinguish between a car going over the bridge or a boat coming the over way. And just because you hooted it does not give you a right of way through the bridge as some steerers seem to think
You don't really need to distinguish between them, if you hear a horn the safest thing to do is assume it's a boat and proceed with caution until you can see more of what's going on.
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16 minutes ago, David Schweizer said:
I had to learn all of those as part of my Board of Trade Boatmaster's training, and can still remember most of them, not that it did me any good. One day I needed to get the Trip boat onto the opposie bank to moor, and was being approached by the RN Yeovilton boat "Pussers Rum" I gave the correct signal indicating that I wished to move to Port. They responded with the same signal, confirming that we could pass Starboard to Starboard, and promptly moved to Starboard almost hitting us in the process. Moral of this tale? if the Royal Navy doesn't understand standard maritime signals, what hope is there for the general public?
I can see why most canal boaters won't know all of these signals, but one long blast for a blind bend is almost common sense. I just find it strange - why would you risk running into another boat when a simple press of a button is all that's needed?
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Back when I was little and my dad first taught me to steer a narrowboat, he always stressed the importance of using the horn at blind bends, bridges etc. for avoiding collisions. It's something I still do and I am convinced it has helped to avoid a significant number of incidents.
It seems recently to me though, that many boaters don't use their horn at all (and some don't even have a working horn onboard). I recently came through a blind bridge hole on the GU just north of Gayton junction. I did my usual procedure of backing off the speed and sounding the horn. There was no reply, but as I came through there was a boat stopped on the other side. The skipper was very thankful, saying "thank you for the signal, we wouldn't have been able to stop in time otherwise". Why then, did he not sound his own horn as he approached? I can understand not memorising all the different horn signals (I struggle to remember the full list myself sometimes) but a horn is a universally recognised sound to signal "I'm here". It's why boats have them in the first place.
Has anyone else found that boaters are just less horn-y than they used to be? ?
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Just a thought - do you react to these boats yourself? Dogs (particularly in new environments) are very reactive to their owners' emotions. If you get stressed or angry at speeding boats, your dog might perceive this as being a sign of a threat nearby. Similarly if you over-comfort a dog in a stressful situation, they can also become unsettled as it comes across as out of the ordinary. Often the best thing to do is act as if nothing has happened.
I don't think you'll ever stop people speeding on the canal, but if you can find a way to be at peace with it your dog might follow. Not meaning to sound patronising, but it I've seen it work wonders for some dogs.
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In theory you could do it in a 70ft x 14ft boat but as some have already mentioned it's not always a good idea to build to the full dimensions. 14ft widebeams can get stuck in certain locks that have subsided etc.
Consider a 62ft length if you can make it work, it will allow you access to a lot more of the Northern waterways. Although your plans are to stay in the marina, you might feel differently about it in the future. The beauty of living on a boat is if you get the itch to move, you can.
We've lived in Liverpool Marina for the past year. We had planned to stay longer but we are going back to continuous cruising a lot sooner than expected.
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It really depends on your circumstances and what you can afford to spend:
Built-in generator: Really the 'gold-plated' solution. It's the quietest, saves wear and tear on your engine and is most convenient. The down side is it's probably the most expensive option and it takes up extra room in the boat. You might be able to offset some of the initial cost against that of installing and maintaining a gas system, as a generator could allow you to go gas free.
EDIT: I'd definitely echo what David said above. The only generator that should be built-in to a boat is one that was made for that purpose. Don't be tempted to modify a suitcase genny for use inboard. Not only are they not gas-tight, it may well be a fire/explosion hazard.
Suitcase generator: Even the quietest Honda will be too noisy for some neighbours, particularly if you're working it hard to get charge into your batteries. It might make you unpopular depending on where you moor. On the plus side it's much cheaper than a built-in generator and relatively cheap to maintain provided you buy a decent one (having owned a few, I wouldn't get anything other than a Honda now).
Boat engine: You probably already have one, so it's free. It might also be quite quiet depending on your exhaust. The down side is idling to charge batteries long-term can be bad for some engines (although you can mitigate this by charging in gear, you may damage the bank if you keep doing it in the same spot). You also need to ensure your alternator to battery setup is getting you the best efficiency as ultimately it's not the primary output of the engine.
Needless Blue Signs
in General Boating
Posted
I wonder if people complained as much about this era of blue and white signs? 😄