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Electric wide boat


David Mack

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Just received the message below. Does anyone know anything about the electric wide boat?

 

Notice Alert

Grand Union Canal
Location: Blisworth Tunnel
Starts At: Blisworth Tunnel
Ends At: Blisworth Tunnel

Wednesday 16 September 2020 08:00 until Wednesday 16 September 2020 09:30

Type: Advice
Reason: Information


 

Original message:

 

An electric wide beam has booked a passage through Blisworth tunnel starting a 08:00AM on Wednesday 16/09/2020. The boat will take approximately 1 hr 30 minutes to pass through the tunnel.

During this time volunteers will be positioned at both tunnel entrances and will be preventing traffic from entering the tunnel to allow safe passage for the boat.

Please follow the instructions of our volunteers on site. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

You can view this notice and its map online here:
https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/notice/18352/blisworth-tunnel

You can find all notices at the url below:
https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/notices

 

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I bet it ends up just being a 25ft X 9ft GRP cruiser with a Minn Kota trolling motor on the back...

 

Years ago I was held up at Blisworth tunnel "something wide coming through" it ended up being a 25ft seamaster which of course is quite a lot more than 7ft wide so not passable in the tunnel..

 

These days "`wide beam" makes people think luxury floating apartment with a working diesel central heating system but there are countless wide beamed vessels which have nothing in common other than floating. 

Edited by magnetman
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8 minutes ago, Mike Todd said:

If it really expects to take 90 minutes to pass through then I am really put off the idea of an electric boat forever. Like watching paint dry . . .

 

Oh, some of them are a tad quicker than that ...

 

https://www.thedrive.com/tech/21587/jaguar-breaks-world-electric-boat-speed-record

 

The Jaguar Vector V20E electric racing boat achieved an average speed of 88.61 miles per hour over two passes

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45 minutes ago, Mike Todd said:

If it really expects to take 90 minutes to pass through then I am really put off the idea of an electric boat forever. Like watching paint dry . . .

If you've been through, say, Chirk tunnel in a narrowboat, or a narrow aquaduct (not Ponty-wotsit - Telford was too clever) you'll have an idea why this widebeam will be so slow through Blisworth.  Dragging that length of water from the front to stuff it out of the back with the prop in a confined space whilst the hull is trying to push it all forwards is no easy feat.  

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6 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

If you've been through, say, Chirk tunnel in a narrowboat, or a narrow aquaduct (not Ponty-wotsit - Telford was too clever) you'll have an idea why this widebeam will be so slow through Blisworth.  Dragging that length of water from the front to stuff it out of the back with the prop in a confined space whilst the hull is trying to push it all forwards is no easy feat.  

Thus proving that there is a reason widebeams aren’t the best choice on the GU! 

  • Greenie 1
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13 hours ago, Sea Dog said:

If you've been through, say, Chirk tunnel in a narrowboat, or a narrow aquaduct (not Ponty-wotsit - Telford was too clever) you'll have an idea why this widebeam will be so slow through Blisworth.  Dragging that length of water from the front to stuff it out of the back with the prop in a confined space whilst the hull is trying to push it all forwards is no easy feat.  

Draft has a big effect in the Llangollen tunnels. I went there with another boat and theirs were slowed much more by these features than mine. My boat draws 2', theirs 2'6". The water being pushed ahead can get out the way by going underneath the boat as well as round the sides. The less room there is between the baseplate and the bottom, the harder this gets. If this wide beam is also deep drafted, then this will slow it more. I doubt CaRT have taken this in to account in the 90 minute estimate. Probably just given an absolute worst case they could think of, so when it is quicker people waiting to use the tunnel will be happier.

Jen

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If they close the tunnel at 8am  they would have to wait until any boats in the tunnel were clear before they set off. It is possible that a boat could enter at 0755 heading in the opposite direction.

A question I have asked before, when they use to leg boats through how did the pass a boat coming the other way?

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I don't understand the relevance in the original notification mentioning that it's electric.

The only pertinent fact surely is that it's fat.

If this is to be the new method for reporting Notice Alerts, then the next time I go through Blisworth in my narrow boat, I shall insist on the following being published.

 

A diesel narrow boat is planning a passage through Blisworth tunnel at some point.  The steerer is a very talented and handsome man of merely fifty sixteen Summers.

Be aware that during the passage there will be a red enamelled kettle in the sink and although all gas pilot lights will be extinguished, chocolate will be in evidence in many of the drawers.

 

  • Haha 1
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5 hours ago, ditchcrawler said:

If they close the tunnel at 8am  they would have to wait until any boats in the tunnel were clear before they set off. It is possible that a boat could enter at 0755 heading in the opposite direction.

A question I have asked before, when they use to leg boats through how did the pass a boat coming the other way?

If the leggers are lying on a long plank across the boat to reach the walls, then presumably they would just move the plank out the way and allow the momentum of the two boats to carry them past each other. Some piccies  in a video here.

Jen

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2 minutes ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

If the leggers are lying on a long plank across the boat to reach the walls, then presumably they would just move the plank out the way and allow the momentum of the two boats to carry them past each other. Some piccies  in a video here.

Jen

Do you think that would be possible in the dark and confines of a tunnel

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7 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

Do you think that would be possible in the dark and confines of a tunnel

This is long before 'elth'n'safety was invented, so if a few leggers fall in and drown, the canal company would only be concerned about the time lost in recovering the corpses. Imagine it would be similar to getting on to the legging board in the first place, just reversed. Each legger sliding back to the centre of the boat simultaneously and off the plank, then swing the plank out of the way. Got to coordinate with each other, but perfectly possible to do by feel in the dark I'd have thought. I've only legged a few yards in the Dudley tunnel trip boat, so minimal experience. I do cave a lot though and in confined spaces you do most movement by feel, rather than by seeing.

Jen

3 minutes ago, magnetman said:

Maybe the legging boats through tunnels story is made up and what they really did was use very long ropes. 

Or an electric motor? ?

Edited by Jen-in-Wellies
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