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Anyone been through Froghall Tunnel... looks tight!?


larrysanders

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We're planning on going up the Caldon to Froghall Wharf this summer.   So I had a look round the wharf today and it was empty - no boaters in sight!    I see the tunnel is 5ft by 5ft max so it's going to be tight - therefore has anyone been through with their boat and had any issues?

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5 minutes ago, matty40s said:

Its tight, there is a template hanging down on the other side that you can measure your roof profile with, don't risk it, it gets lower to the basin end.

can you remember if there is a winding spot near the tunnel if you decide against?  

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1 minute ago, larrysanders said:

can you remember if there is a winding spot near the tunnel if you decide against?  

Yes there is a winding hole between the last lock and the tunnel, not sure it is full length though. We are 57ft but I can't remember if it was tight winding.

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It's all about the profile.  The more tumblehome you have the better your chances of getting through.

 

Gauge at the last lock: 4" drag across the junk on the roof.

 

20180628_111218.jpg.7c168e96a1de480c6e9354244c251aac.jpg

 

Gauge at the tunnel entrance:  Dragged on the solar panel, but I went in very slowly and still bashed the panel!

 

20180628_121514.jpg.c2a8737a79a2c2163cf82fdf1b9f6c74.jpg

 

The tunnel itself : round 2 after removing the solar panel ...

 

20180628_161605.jpg.438fc04174224d914d00c9bb8307b8c0.jpg

 

Note that we have a small cabin with lots of tumblehome.  You can just make out my head in the tunnel pic, but usually the cabin roof is about waist high on me!

 

It is very low, but easier than Standedge as it is only very short.  I recommend trying it carefully if you are anywhere near fitting, as so few boats go through it.  There is a lovely mooring and a service block in the basin at the top of the Uttoxeter canal, but if you can't fit it is only a short walk round the hill on a good path to the cafe and basin.

 

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22 minutes ago, Rob-M said:

Yes there is a winding hole between the last lock and the tunnel, not sure it is full length though. We are 57ft but I can't remember if it was tight winding.

that's fine ours is only 42.  i think the main issue will be the solar panels.  thanks for the reply   

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12 minutes ago, StephenA said:

My brother took Mintball through the tunnel - we don't actually have a huge tumblehome but got through with a few inches to spare.

 

99_e5q.jpg

wow that looks tight :)

24 minutes ago, TheBiscuits said:

It's all about the profile.  The more tumblehome you have the better your chances of getting through.

 

Gauge at the last lock: 4" drag across the junk on the roof.

 

20180628_111218.jpg.7c168e96a1de480c6e9354244c251aac.jpg

 

Gauge at the tunnel entrance:  Dragged on the solar panel, but I went in very slowly and still bashed the panel!

 

20180628_121514.jpg.c2a8737a79a2c2163cf82fdf1b9f6c74.jpg

 

The tunnel itself : round 2 after removing the solar panel ...

 

20180628_161605.jpg.438fc04174224d914d00c9bb8307b8c0.jpg

 

Note that we have a small cabin with lots of tumblehome.  You can just make out my head in the tunnel pic, but usually the cabin roof is about waist high on me!

 

It is very low, but easier than Standedge as it is only very short.  I recommend trying it carefully if you are anywhere near fitting, as so few boats go through it.  There is a lovely mooring and a service block in the basin at the top of the Uttoxeter canal, but if you can't fit it is only a short walk round the hill on a good path to the cafe and basin.

 

thanks for the pics - great to see.  i thought it was strange when i got to froghall wharf and it was empty - in such a lovely place.  

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10 minutes ago, larrysanders said:

wow that looks tight :)

thanks for the pics - great to see.  i thought it was strange when i got to froghall wharf and it was empty - in such a lovely place.  

 

We didn't lose the radio aerial or the Optimus flue which sticks up a few inches at the back - so I suspect its not quite as tight as it looks, and the cabin corners kept their paint.

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The winding hole just before the tunnel wouldn't take a full length 70' boat. My boat at 57' was fine. There was a notice at the previous lock, the one with the gauge, which also has a full 70 foot winding hole just above and there is/was a notice there saying what the maximum length to wind is just before the tunnel. If a longer boat can get through the tunnel then winding beyond is not a problem. The CaRT boaters guide doesn't mention this at all, so things may have changed since I last went there and perhaps the winding hole has been extended. My boat wouldn't fit under the gauge. It will only meet the Standedge tunnel requirement with a full water tank as it is tall and wide at roof level.

 

Jen

froghallnogo.JPG

Edited by Jen-in-Wellies
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12 minutes ago, StephenA said:

 

We didn't lose the radio aerial or the Optimus flue which sticks up a few inches at the back - so I suspect its not quite as tight as it looks, and the cabin corners kept their paint.

I touched a corner coming back,  lining up into the tunnel from the bend. https://nbharnser.blogspot.com/2017/08/denton-monday-21-august-2017.html

 

Edit for a better link, also here is another time we did it https://nbharnser.blogspot.com/2014/12/thursday-25-december-2014-froghall-basin.html

 

Edited by ditchcrawler
Wrong link
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We go through regularly with a replica BCN tug style boat. With a fullish water tank we're about five foot to top of handrails and five foot across the top - I think this is what the crt sign says the limit is, but we slip through really easily with no problems. 

 

Tend to find that it's historic boats, replicas and 70s / 80s boats in the basin.

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Oh and I always drop it out of gear then slow to a stop on leaving the tunnel towards Froghall. Its very shallow and even with our 54' boat, I can never make the tight corner on first attempt. Battered piling there suggests I'm not the only one who's had this problem ??

  • Haha 1
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We went through in 2011, in the leisure boat we then had.

Chalice had a wide roof, and was not particularly low at the front, and failed the test gauge at the lock by several inches, but we decided to ignore that and still try.

 

We did do some superficial damage to grab rails, largely because we didn't get a straight line going in, (you enter it on a curve).  We literally cleared by a couple of centimetres.

The gauge at the lock is definitely pessimistic, (or was  in 2011!)

Blog post here gives details.....

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2 hours ago, matty40s said:

Its tight, there is a template hanging down on the other side that you can measure your roof profile with, don't risk it, it gets lower to the basin end.

 

That wasn't our experience.


Lowest bit was at the start, and I reckon if you can do that then you are fine.

We didn't have the wit to fully fill our front water tank before we tried it.  We did fill it in the basin, and it improved things considerably for coming back the other way.

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Yes we found the gauge to be at least a couple of inches pessimistic. The first time we went through, in 1996 before there was a gauge, it was very tight indeed but we got through as shown here, so when we went back in 2007 after the water level had been lowered by a couple of inches we knew we could easily ignore the gauge and go straight through. The first time we discovered that it's not totally symmetrical so we went through without touching but our chimney collar, which sticks up an inch or so above the left-side handrail, scraped all the way back.

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Went through last week, touch and go at the gauge but just made it. I think it may be a few millimetres larger now but was worth it. There were 4 boats in the basin when we arrived. Shaved another few millimetres off on the way back. I should add that I had to drop the Ariel before entering

 ?

Edited by jam
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7 minutes ago, jam said:

Went through last week, touch and go at the gauge but just made it. I think it may be a few millimetres larger now but was worth it. There were 4 boats in the basin when we arrived. Shaved another few millimetres off on the way back. I should add that I had to drop the Ariel before entering

 ?

Hasn't Ariel suffered enough in the last year?

 

@Liam has had to borrow Bellatrix to keep trading!

 

Your TV aerial on the other hand ...

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It was years ago. But we got 'stuck' just yards into the tunnel. Handrails scrapped the roof. Took the hint. Backed out, moored up and walked.

Having said that, it might have been the Leek tunnel I remember...

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4 minutes ago, Horace42 said:

It was years ago. But we got 'stuck' just yards into the tunnel. Handrails scrapped the roof. Took the hint. Backed out, moored up and walked.

Having said that, it might have been the Leek tunnel I remember...

If they didn't scrape both sides ...

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2 hours ago, Keeping Up said:

Yes we found the gauge to be at least a couple of inches pessimistic. The first time we went through, in 1996 before there was a gauge, it was very tight indeed but we got through as shown here, so when we went back in 2007 after the water level had been lowered by a couple of inches we knew we could easily ignore the gauge and go straight through. The first time we discovered that it's not totally symmetrical so we went through without touching but our chimney collar, which sticks up an inch or so above the left-side handrail, scraped all the way back.

A similar statement to this regarding gauges is made whenever there’s a thread about clearances in tunnels. In reality it’s an issue of the simplicity of using a fixed 2D gauge to represent an almost infinite set of combined 3D shapes rather than the gauge being deliberately set pessimistically. Bear in mind the worst case will involve the longest length boat permitted on the navigation.

 

JP

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