Jump to content

Stupid places to take your boat ...


TheBiscuits

Featured Posts

1 hour ago, ditchcrawler said:

I have measured it, if I come across the information I will post it here. I wouldn't want to get it wrong, if I remember correctly if you do nothing after a pre set time the gate closes by its self, so if you are not sorted by then you could be in trouble. I measured it because a friend with a 66 foot boat wanted to know and he wouldn't fit

That is correct - after a 15 min delay the lock resets, normally with both gates partially open.

 

Though I am sure pressing the up button would stop it moving....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, Scholar Gypsy said:

In what sort of boat?

Harnser 57 foot narrowboat, it was slow coming back down and the bow thruster was dead handy all that way backwards. We came to a tree across the river so had to go back

  • Greenie 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 29/04/2019 at 23:29, matty40s said:

Ive been as far up the Slough Arm as the weed and shopping bags would let me in 2010, I did not reach the basin having spent several hours doing 200 yards just getting past and then trying to reverse to a winding hole.

Ive been up to the very end at Hartford- well past the turning point for 70 footers! and stuck the nose under the bridge at Bishops Stortford, Bumblehole Arm on the BCN(and most of the normal bits). 

I will try and find some photographs on my old computah.

Did the Slough arm 2 months ago the end is more like a open sewer and I had to clear the prop too. looking down at that colour water I thought it might strip the flesh from my bones. There are plans in place to re develop the old Jewson site at the end which would make it a better place to go but as of now not a very nice location. Also some of the owners moored down the arm are real sour puss's.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...
On 31/07/2021 at 10:00, Scholar Gypsy said:

If you can get through the lock, you can wind at the end of all three Lodes.

It's me again, do you know how long Lodes End Lock is? I hope a 65' boat makes it through, otherwise it makes Woodwalton Fen, Monks Lode and Holme all inaccessible for me

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think I can answer my own question, as it looks like the lock is manual and apparently the water is usually on a level here. So even if the lock is a bit short one can probably open both gates at least sometimes and make it through.

 

 

image.png.12c36c9290045c8b1e327d37d4bd5104.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 minutes ago, jetzi said:

I think I can answer my own question, as it looks like the lock is manual and apparently the water is usually on a level here. So even if the lock is a bit short one can probably open both gates at least sometimes and make it through.

 

 

image.png.12c36c9290045c8b1e327d37d4bd5104.png

With the risk that on your return journey the water doesn't make a level!

  • Haha 1
  • Horror 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, jetzi said:

I think I can answer my own question, as it looks like the lock is manual and apparently the water is usually on a level here. So even if the lock is a bit short one can probably open both gates at least sometimes and make it through.

 

 

image.png.12c36c9290045c8b1e327d37d4bd5104.png

The ML leaflet says 68' , so you should be fine, especially with a bit of diagonality.

I have been through this lock three times now (well six really but you know what I mean). The first two the water was level: on the most recent occasion there was a 15cm difference in level.

https://3rwzrk3imltm11ru71g1sxd1-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Navigation-Notes-2021-Web-Version.pdf

Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 minutes ago, Scholar Gypsy said:

The ML leaflet says 68' , so you should be fine, especially with a bit of diagonality.

I have been through this lock three times now (well six really but you know what I mean). The first two the water was level: on the most recent occasion there was a 15cm difference in level.

https://3rwzrk3imltm11ru71g1sxd1-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Navigation-Notes-2021-Web-Version.pdf

Yes, we went through it last year with our 60 footer and I don't remember any real issue with it, if things get tight (Calder and Hebble) we take the bow and stern buttons off but it never really crossed our minds on that one.

 

Anecdotally my only recollection of that lock was the guy mowing the grass from Bill Fen marina calling out, "Oy, that's Phil's boat" which meant nothing to me at the time other than the fact that the boat was formerly owned by Phil Abbot of Braunston. Later turned out when I spoke with Phil that he fitted the boat out in Bill Fen Marina.

 

ETA Google always being your friend agrees withe the ML leaflet that the lock is 68' long.

Edited by Wanderer Vagabond
Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, Wanderer Vagabond said:

Yes, we went through it last year with our 60 footer and I don't remember any real issue with it, if things get tight (Calder and Hebble) we take the bow and stern buttons off but it never really crossed our minds on that one.

 

 

You shouldn't really have a problem as you had 8 foot to spare, if you were full length at 72 it would have been different

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was defeated in my attempt to reach Slough on Friday afternoon. Progress was good as far as Iver boatyard despite a blanket of duckweed. That stuff doesn't foul the prop. However half way along the long line of moored boats at Iver the duckweed stops and that seems to allow the light to get to the bottom (the water is surprisingly clear on the southern GU) and promote the growth of that nasty stuff that gets wrapped around propellors. After a couple of stops to clear it off (by shaft given Vulpes has no weed hatch) I felt the prop snag something in mid-channel. A further attempt at clearance seemed to work initially so I decided to push on past the last winding hole just after Bridge 9. That turned out to be a mistake because little more than 100m later I had no propulsion in any direction. Having failed to clear it while in mid-channel I shafted the boat back to the winding hole, poled it around, and then had to resort to bow hauling to get to a place where I could get to the bank. Further attempts to clear the prop failed and I was about to conclude I was simply stuck amongst the stuff growing in the canal and would have to bow haul it back when I saw a few strands of synthetic material in the strands of weed I pulled off the prop. It turned out I had snagged some sort of cheap synthetic tarpaulin and ultimately had to resort to the special cutting implements that are on board and get my arms wet.

 

This of course means I'll have to try again one day. Next time I'll allow a full day for the attempt, I only tried this time because I was ahead of schedule but ultimately didn't have enough spare time to persevere.

Edited by Captain Pegg
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Captain Pegg said:

However half way along the long line of moored boats at Iver the duckweed stops and that seems to allow the light to get to the bottom (the water is surprisingly clear on the southern GU) and promote the growth of that nasty stuff that gets wrapped around propellors.

 

Long lines of moored boats, especially those with people living on them, seem to generate worse local weed growth. I guess it'sthe nitrates and phosphates in the grey water discharges to blame.

 

MP.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, MoominPapa said:

 

Long lines of moored boats, especially those with people living on them, seem to generate worse local weed growth. I guess it'sthe nitrates and phosphates in the grey water discharges to blame.

 

MP.

 

 

That too, but mostly the urine tipped in the water ...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.