Barnfather

thanks for the replies. In response to someone earlier in the thread, the wake I encountered recently wasn't too dramatic - just hurled us around a bit. It was more a realisation that this will be a more common occurrence being based up there now, and how best to deal with it. It seems like the general view is to just to ride out the wakes impact and try and keep as on-course as possible (I don't think going stern-on to the wake would help, as I think it would propell me too close to the bank). I suppose you don't hear of recreational boats on rivers being capsized due to wakes, so I'm not quite so much worried about tipping over as much as wanting to know that I'm not doing something wrong at the moment I encounter one

Just moved my boat down the Trent from Sawley to Farndon/Newark. I have a Viking 23 narrowbeam cruiser. A few years cruising experience on canals/Soar/Upper Trent. On a trip to Newark In a previous year (different, smaller boat), myself and then wife were caught out by the water skiing zone on the Trent near Gunthorpe, where we were buzzed closely by a passing speedboat and it was a someone interesting experience as you can imagine. This time, I was at least prepared and whilst I was not passed by an idiot like last time, was overtaken at a slightly more moderate speed by a speedboat with trim setting so the bow was high out of the water and all his passengers were at the rear of the boat effectively digging a huge 'hole' in the water and causing a huge wake. I am fully aware of the optimal approach when passing a boat causing a large wake (almost at right angles to cross the wake), however when being overtaken and the wake approaches from behind, I am not sure the correct approach - other than bobbing around uncontrollably like a cork until you can get yourself inside the wake-boundaries. I figured I would ask now as being based in the area of trip boats, gravel barges, speedboats and so on, it would make sense to handle this properly. Also a question - are any boat types less effected by wakes than others? Or are the wider-beamed sports cruisers that are common up there affected equally?

Agree that actually claiming to be a CRT employee would be baaaad, but someone posed a question earlier in the thread which crossed my mind too, and that is....is it actually illegal? The waterways are public spaces, and people routinely volunteer to help people through locks on an ad-hoc basis, which presumably no-one has any objection to - especially if they have boating experience and offer beforehand. Where is the line drawn? Someone who tells a boater that they are working for the 'waterways' is fraudulent to a point, but unless they are advising people to put themselves (or others) in danger I can't really see how he could be charged with anything. And I would think any boater who has demands for money on river/canal-side is going to know they are not CRT anyway. It would be like me standing outside the gates of Harewood Hall with a hi-vis vest on and directing traffic to the official car park. Bonkers perhaps, but not really doing anything illegal (to my knowledge). Of course knocking on boats in the dead of night is a different kettle of fish, but again the charge wouldn't be impersonation of a CRT staff member but rather anti-social behaviour. I may be wide of the mark on this of course, and happy to be corrected!

Being in Coventry will give you that feeling

No, there was definately a post made on here a long time back on a thread about finding bodies in the canal. And someone said either they (or someone they knew) went to clear an obstruction via the weed hatch and had the face of a dead body staring back at them. Although I can see how this event was similar - although probably less of a surprise!!

Wasn't there a story from a year or two back about someone who went to clear their weed hatch and found a face (of a dead body) staring up at them?

Is there one co-ordinated number you can call in advance to check these things for a region/area - such as the soar, or nottingham to sawley - rather than calling individual CRT people? I'm surprised in this day and age, there isn't a 'real time' online system

"merely concerned with navigation" I wouldn't let them hear you say that

I had a similar issue, but being stuck on the Soar just passed Zouch. Ended up diverting to Loughborough, but will need to collect the boat as soon as the weather stabalises. It did bring home that the status of things like this are very hard to ascertain at the time they are happening, especially in relation to flood locks/gates.

Thanks for the replies. So basically, just use the levels as a general guide and don't take the actual figures too literally, which I figured was the case

Just been perusing the EA river station data, and am surprised at the current river levels of the Trent and Soar, even the 'highest recorded' levels seem relatively shallow to me. Is this because the monitoring stations are situated near the bank, and therefore at the shallowest part of the river? Dumb question I know, and I don't know why it hasn't crossed my mind before over the years of boating For example - Kegworth/Soar is listed as a current depth of 0.48m, which is only 1'6". The highest recorded was 1.31m (4'3"). Obviously, if the current river depth was 0.48m, it would be practically non-navigable, so I guess it must be because of the siting near the bank. Just thought I'd check here

To the OP - it's not really clear if you are planning on getting a narrowboat or cruiser (unless I've missed it, in which case apologies) I ask because if you principally want to navigate rivers then a GRP cruiser may be more appropriate for you. If you want to take in the whole system and liveaboard for any length of time, then a narrowboat would be better. One good thing about a cruiser (aside from its hull, which is more at home on rivers anyway), is the size/manoeuvrability of them, which can certainly help when finding mooring spots. To others - I don't want to start another tupperware/crawler debate by the way, jus' sayin' The other points made are all salient too - especially the additional need for lifejackets, VHF, charts etc when venturing onto tidal stretches. Personally, I much prefer river cruising to canals but your mileage may vary

The weather, plain and simple. On any opportunity to go out it was either raining or blowing a gale. On the times it wasn't, invariably the river was in flood from previous rainfall so we couldn't get out of the marina. I don't think we could stick another 'summer' like this one, as it becomes an expensive toy sitting in the marina if its not getting used, so fingers crossed we will have better weather in 2013 and lots of cruising opportunities!

When we bought our first boat it was pretty much on impulse, however given that we knew nothing about boating we did go about it via a boat dealer which yes, cost us a bit more probably, but also allowed us to buy with confidence and ask a myriad of questions. We bought from David Mawby, who has a yard based at Castle Marina in Nottingham. He is an expert on cruisers and local waters also, and often gets cheaper part-exchange boats in that may be perfect (and all come with full safety certificate). So my first piece of advice to the OP would be to pay David a visit and chat about what you want to get out of boating. I believe there can also be preferential rates at Castle Marina too, but don't know how much this would be. Whilst I think Birchwood 25's are great boats, I would recommend starting with something a little smaller and most importantly narrow-beam (up to 6'10"). This would be the most 'portable' solution, would allow you to potentially sample the canals as well as rivers and also will come in a little cheaper which may suit your financial situation. You can always upgrade to a bigger boat once you know its for you. You may find you much prefer the rivers and eventually upgrade to a bigger cruiser, or prefer the canals and start looking at narrowboats. Either way, you can do this without spending a fortune. Given your location preferences, I would probably get a boat and either moor at Castle Marina (centre of Nottm), Beeston Marina (on the outskirts of Nottingham) or Colwick Park Marina (just outside Nottm). The latter two will be cheaper. Any of them will allow a gentle cruise to Trent Bridge when needed. There is mooring at Trent Bridge either on the visitor pontoon or outside County Hall on the embankment. Mooring nearer to home will be easier for you to drive to, but will take a couple of days to get to Trent Bridge. Our boat is moored 1hr away from home, despite us being much closer to Newark which has marinas - simply because of the waterways we want to cruise on. So, in a nutshell my advice (which you can freely ignore any aspect of!) is : - Discuss with a local boat dealer and consider getting a cheap boat that way (including BSS) - Consider a narrow-beam cruiser, in order to try canals out (if you want to) - Base your boat in or near Nottingham in order to meet with friends, cruise to Trent Bridge.

In my experience, this really doesn't work that well although I guess the nature of the specific lock may have something to do with it, so now if sharing a broad lock with a NB, I will always insist on boats being roped. Ironically, the worst two times where the un-roped nb caused most worries with its uncontrolled movement, had been following an exclamation from the skipper that they 'don't need ropes' due to their years of experience.

It may well have been that the volunteers were not there for the purpose of assisting in the lock operation, but rather in the sprucing up of the immediate area around the lock (planting, painting etc). I understand that many casual towpath-based volunteering opportunities exist which are nothing to do with lock operation. Worth bearing in mind when approaching a lock with volunteers - especially groups of them. And I note with interest the comments about using a centre rope in locks. As a cruiser owner I am acutely aware of the potential danger of nb's and heard a nb the other day tell us that they wouldn't share a broad lock with us as previously they 'amost crushed a cruiser'. It turned out, that they (the nb) had not used ropes to secure the boat however as it was relayed to us, this was somehow the cruiser's fault! I've also had to fend off untied nb's in locks on several occasions where it was clear that the 'experienced' nb skipper had little actual control over their boat. If people want to use ropes or otherwise in locks is entirely up to them, however when sharing with any boat (whether plastic, steel or wood) - there should be some consideration to the other boats wishes. Not wanting to start a tupperware vs crawler debate though! Just an observation

I know we are past this particular discussion, however a point in relation to GRP boats and fires.... Of course GRP will burn faster than steel boats, however - and this is very boat dependent - there are a few key differences which make it somewhat less of an issue, and I'm using my particular boat as an example here : - GRP cruisers are naturally (in inland terms) shorter than narrowboats, therefore fires - especially overnight - are likely to be noticed far quicker than a long accomodation with separate rooms. This should provide some time for speedy escape. - Many GRPs will have outboard engines and 12v electics. Part of the workflow when at the boat will be doing things like shutting off fuel and gas lines, and the majority of GRPs will not have generators running overnight necessitating some fuel usage. - Most cookers on GRPs will be gas powered and if people are sensible, will be disconnected from the gas bottles when not in use (Ventilation is the biggest issue here that has to be adhered to). Same goes for hot water systems, showers etc. This is compared to the solid-fuel stoves/heating often found in NBs. - I can't speak for others, but as a smoker I've never had a problem not smoking inside the GRP cabin, as it feels so enclosed and potentially dangerous. If cigarettes are only smoked in the cockpit, and are extinguished properly there should be no problem. This is a key difference with a nb, where the area for outside smoking is more limited (esp in bad weather) and the more spacious interior may create a false sense of security. I'm not saying fire isn't as big a hazard on GRP as NBs, and certainly not wanting to tempt fate or be too complacent - however I think the avaerage GRP cruiser may present fewer opportunities for fires to start (vandalism notwithstanding) than a NB. And when it does, you should know about it sooner and be quicker to escape - in theory at least. All the comments about proper fire equipment are true regardless of vessel

Absolutely fantastic day today. Wanted to go down the Soar from Sawley and moor up for the afternoon in that beautiful spot just after Kegworth Deep Lock, but when we got down past red hill there was clearly a queue of about six narrowboats to go through the lock so spun around and came back onto the Trent and moored up on Cranfleet Cut. Got the stove out on the towpath, cooked up some burgers then cracked a beer and lounged around on the back of the boat, eventually nodding off nicely for a nap whilst a friendly little Coot was making all sorts of noises as he fished for food at the side of the boat, and the lambs from the field opposite were paddling in the cut. Absolute bliss, and such a surprise as only last weekend we were talking about the prospect of winterising the boat. I think what made today so very special, was the 'bonus' aspect of it. Completely unexpected, and somehow that just makes you enjoy it so much more. Never seen Sawley locks so busy when we returned either. Two narrowboats, three other cruisers, a dutch barge and another large cruiser coming up behind. It seemed that nearly everyone was hell bent on getting out today.

One of the first, and most useful things I learnt in terms of boat handling. The key bit of info though, is that as you approach the bank or mooring (slowly) come it at a 30-40 degree angle to the point where the bow has almost touched the bank (hence why slowly!), then engage reverse and turn the wheel as far towards the bank as possible. Assuming there are no silly currents or wind whipping your bow back out, the boat should just slowly pull into the bank and you don't need to worry about pivoting so much. When the conditions are right this is one of the most satisfying bits of boat handling in my opinion and looks quite impressive too! I approach most side-on mooring situations like this now, unless the conditions call for something different (like side wind towards the bank, where a slow tick-over drift towards the bank is often sufficient). I think the most important thing with boat handling is to do any tricky manoeuvres as slowly as is possible, and don't worry if you have to keep pulling back, correcting and trying again. I may jinx myself by saying this but when I first started boating I had real problems pulling into our marina finger berth - I tried to approach wide and then with as big an arc as I could muster, tried to drive it straight in. Bounced off my neighbours boat, bumped into the pier, banged into the finger berth itself etc. It took a while to work out that simply doing this but the stopping and pulling back just shy of the berth, correcting angle, pulling forward, pulling back a bit, correcting angle until I am pretty much straight and then pulling in on tick over, with my able assistant ready to hop out at the earliest opportunity to help pull the boat in means that in normal conditions I just slide in perfectly. Once again its all about taking time and doing things slowly. I haven't any experience on Viking 26 centre cockpit boats, but from what I understand they are one of the best cruisers around for slow-speed handling, so getting to grips with all this stuff should be fairly easy with a bit of time and practice Also, to the OP, if you are interested - here is a link to all the original brochures and stuff http://www.jonesboatyard.co.uk/boat-sales/viking-26-aft-cabin-boats-for-sale.html

The reason we recently upgraded to a narrow-beam Viking 23 rather than the wide-beam Viking 22 was due to the height and the inability to get through the low bridges on the T&M. The Viking 23 is practically the same height, but has a foldable windscreen..... We were advised (correctly) when we started boating to just get a River licence, and then buy temporary Canal licences as and when needed as they are pretty cheap and most of our cruising will be done on the River. My understanding is that on a River licence, you can use canals as long as you are using the canal to get back onto a river - hence the canalised sections of the Soar and Trent are fine without a specific licence. If we ever want to pop up the T&M we just nip into Sawley marina office and buy a 2 day or a week licence. In terms of handling GRP cruisers...... Our first boat was a Mayland 21 Safari and it used to bob around all over the place in the wind and was difficult to steer. Partly due to the lightness of the boat and partly due to the hull shape, which was designed more for speed on estuaries than cruising around on inland waters on tick over it seemed. Our new boat, as mentioned, is a Viking 23 and it is SIGNIFICANTLY heavier, no doubt partly because of the full galley and oven etc. Anyway, we stuck a bit of ballast in one of the side cupboards in the cabin to correct a slight list to the right and ensure our water tank is full in the bow, but I have been amazed at how stable and controllable it is in the wind so far. On Monday coming back up the trent there was a reasonable wind with the trees blowing around and certainly the sort of weather I would have preferred not to go out in on our first boat, but the Viking handled as though it was on rails. I was seriously impressed. The only time the wind became a problem was when moored for locks with a cross-wind coming at us, it was sometimes a bit tricky to get off the mooring, but nothing dramatic. So perhaps there are variations in boats depending on load and weight. The Viking feels a lot heavier than the Mayland and with the stuff on board perhaps we just hit the sweet-spot. It's not a GRP specific problem either. I've spoken to nb owners who have real problems with the wind, although I think thats more a case of them being affected worse than GRP when the wind does catch, but it takes a bit more wind to catch them, if that makes sense.

Took friday off with the intention of getting a couple of days boating at least when it may be a bit quieter on the water, but the rain put the plan in disarray so we stayed home instead. Horrible, miserable day. Tomorrow, weather permitting, we will just do a jaunt from Sawley to central Nottingham with the intention of popping to the cinema. I quite fancy the idea of taking the boat a bit further on Sunday, back onto the Trent and mooring at the embankment near the Forest ground (I have tickets for the Forest vs West Ham game), but may just leave the boat in the centre and walk to the ground as we will have to get back up to Sawley on Sunday afternoon/evening before it gets dark after the game. Did fancy the T&M this weekend but don't fancy spending two days dodging narrowboats on what may be a busy weekend.

Give David Mawby Boat Sales a call. He is based in central Nottingham at Castle Marina and is extremely knowledgable about cruisers and usually has a wide range of them in stock (and can source them if he hasn't). I think the peace of mind in having an expert check-out the boat out of the water along with the after-sales service is invaluable. He also polishes the boats up nicely, gets new boat safety certificates on them, has an outboard engine warranty for a month and - a quite key factor in this case - will deliver free anywhere within 150 miles of Nottingham. Whilst boats may be cheaper on-line or in brokerages, David also sometimes lets boats go at lower prices if they need a bit of cosmetic work inside the cabin, so it is worth asking. We have bought both our boats from him - a 21' Mayland for around £5k and more recently a Viking for £12k. Another family member recently bought a boat from him for £3k. If it requires cosmetic work in the cabin, you can budget a lot less for fixing it up than you have stated. Several hundred should be sufficient to get the interior into shape and the difference would be better ploughed into the boat purchase itself IMO

Another plastic owner here! On our second cruiser now. We had a 21' Mayland Safari and have recently upgraded to a wonderful Viking 23 which, for our cruising grounds (Sawley - so the Trent, Soar, T&M and Erewash) is just about perfect for us. Love the handling of the cruiser, the low-maintenance, the deck area you can relax on. Only thing I really dislike is that they become less useable in freezing conditions, especially overnight (unless you have heating installed, which we don't). Having said that, the Viking 23 has a full galley, hot water, shower etc, so pretty much everything we need for a few days away. See a narrowboat as something to consider further down the line, however I've always been drawn to GRP and can also see ourselves getting dazzled by the various 'express cruisers' out there. I needed a cold shower after visiting the Rinker stand at the London Boat Show the other year!

Have often wondered why, on completely blind-bridges, there isn't the same system you see on roads sometimes where a large mirror is mounted in a place where you could see 'around the corner'