XLD Posted December 8, 2020 Report Share Posted December 8, 2020 Anybody use them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBiscuits Posted December 8, 2020 Report Share Posted December 8, 2020 Yes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsmelly Posted December 8, 2020 Report Share Posted December 8, 2020 No. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackrose Posted December 8, 2020 Report Share Posted December 8, 2020 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XLD Posted December 8, 2020 Author Report Share Posted December 8, 2020 12 minutes ago, TheBiscuits said: Yes. Has it been effective? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan de Enfield Posted December 8, 2020 Report Share Posted December 8, 2020 11 minutes ago, XLD said: Has it been effective? Under what conditions ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keeping Up Posted December 8, 2020 Report Share Posted December 8, 2020 Yes, quite often, on rivers in gentle currents. To moor for lunch when the banks are unsuitable or unreachable. Also to hold the downstream end of the boat steady overnight when there's only enough room left on the pontoon to tie just one end of the boat to the pontoon's downstream end. So far, totally effective every time (56lb weight similar to that in Blackrose's post above, with a 67ft narrowboat weighing about 20 tons) but I've not tried it under strong stream conditions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 8, 2020 Report Share Posted December 8, 2020 On the broads, yes. On the canals no. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Harold Posted December 8, 2020 Report Share Posted December 8, 2020 5 minutes ago, The Happy Nomad said: On the broads, yes. On the canals no. On canals,drop it on the offside in case a scrote unties your mooring lines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XLD Posted December 8, 2020 Author Report Share Posted December 8, 2020 2 hours ago, Keeping Up said: Yes, quite often, on rivers in gentle currents. To moor for lunch when the banks are unsuitable or unreachable. Also to hold the downstream end of the boat steady overnight when there's only enough room left on the pontoon to tie just one end of the boat to the pontoon's downstream end. So far, totally effective every time (56lb weight similar to that in Blackrose's post above, with a 67ft narrowboat weighing about 20 tons) but I've not tried it under strong stream conditions. Interesting. I must give it a go. So when you’ve moored up for lunch, has there been any sign of drifting? 1 hour ago, Mad Harold said: On canals,drop it on the offside in case a scrote unties your mooring lines. Good idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bizzard Posted December 8, 2020 Report Share Posted December 8, 2020 9 minutes ago, XLD said: Interesting. I must give it a go. So when you’ve moored up for lunch, has there been any sign of drifting? Good idea. An old trick. Joe did it to the Catchalot on the river Bure in Arthur Ransome's book ''The Big Six''. ===== Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keeping Up Posted December 8, 2020 Report Share Posted December 8, 2020 13 minutes ago, XLD said: Interesting. I must give it a go. So when you’ve moored up for lunch, has there been any sign of drifting? Never when I've done it, but the current has always been fairly gentle. My other use of it, is that when I'm travelling downstream on a relatively narrow river, my anchor is at the bow so I carry the mud weight to the stern and attach it ready for instant deployment in emergency (but I've never had to use it). My thinking is that in stronger currents it may not stop the boat but will slow it and prevent it from broadsiding while I work out my strategy for dealing with the problem. Incidentally if you buy one on eBay, as I did, it's probably best not to ask for it to be posted. Cheaper to drive a long way and collect it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBiscuits Posted December 8, 2020 Report Share Posted December 8, 2020 As well as the uses given above, they are quite handy for adjusting lateral trim! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sailor0500 Posted December 8, 2020 Report Share Posted December 8, 2020 Used to use them on broads yachts. Made from concrete with bent rod for rope attatchment and scrap metal added druring casting to increase wieght. Cheap, effective, cast to size you want, and no rust weeping everywhere. Size probably more important than wieght as creates more drag. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slim Posted December 8, 2020 Report Share Posted December 8, 2020 2 hours ago, TheBiscuits said: As well as the uses given above, they are quite handy for adjusting lateral trim! That's what I use my 28lb weight for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scholar Gypsy Posted December 9, 2020 Report Share Posted December 9, 2020 Occasionally, on isolated bits of the Fens. I made my own using concrete. On the whole I would not recommend this, the end result is rather large and not as dense as pig iron, and I suspect not as good as sinking into the mud (which must be a core part of how a mud weight actually grips) as a proper mud weight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BilgePump Posted December 9, 2020 Report Share Posted December 9, 2020 (edited) 12 hours ago, TheBiscuits said: As well as the uses given above, they are quite handy for adjusting lateral trim! That was what the Avery weights on our boat were primarily used for. One 56lb on back deck and one in the bow well. On a couple of occasions when the bank was overgrown or unreachable just tied a rope on each and used them as mud weights. Only shallow, narrow canals but they were effective enough for a few hours at a time on a 60' boat. Edited December 9, 2020 by BilgePump Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onewheeler Posted December 9, 2020 Report Share Posted December 9, 2020 We had a pleasant night tied to mud weights on the Thames in August. A lovely quiet spot with no chance of tying to the bank. Only problem was all the passing boats coming alongside to ask if we were alright. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XLD Posted December 9, 2020 Author Report Share Posted December 9, 2020 6 hours ago, Onewheeler said: We had a pleasant night tied to mud weights on the Thames in August. A lovely quiet spot with no chance of tying to the bank. Only problem was all the passing boats coming alongside to ask if we were alright. Whereabouts on the Thames? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luggsy Posted December 12, 2020 Report Share Posted December 12, 2020 On 08/12/2020 at 17:55, Keeping Up said: Yes, quite often, on rivers in gentle currents. To moor for lunch when the banks are unsuitable or unreachable. Also to hold the downstream end of the boat steady overnight when there's only enough room left on the pontoon to tie just one end of the boat to the pontoon's downstream end. So far, totally effective every time (56lb weight similar to that in Blackrose's post above, with a 67ft narrowboat weighing about 20 tons) but I've not tried it under strong stream conditions. Same as Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alway Swilby Posted June 16, 2021 Report Share Posted June 16, 2021 Where can I get one from? They sound like a good idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Harold Posted June 16, 2021 Report Share Posted June 16, 2021 1 minute ago, Alway Swilby said: Where can I get one from? They sound like a good idea. There are usually a few 56lb weights for sale on e bay. Usually pick up only due to, er weight. Seen some that quote for courier. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sea Dog Posted June 17, 2021 Report Share Posted June 17, 2021 On 08/12/2020 at 21:07, TheBiscuits said: As well as the uses given above, they are quite handy for adjusting lateral trim! I simply move the dog's bed. (Don't try this with a whippet). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doratheexplorer Posted June 17, 2021 Report Share Posted June 17, 2021 I really don't think I could sleep well if I was overnighting on a river on just mud weights. Say the weight is holding you ok through the evening but starts moving just after you go to bed. Then you may well wake up to the boat in considerable difficulty. Or am I being over cautious? On the Broads, they are usually used at the bow to keep the boat steady when tied stern-on to a pontoon. I've not seen them used mid-stream, even where the currents are far gentler than the Thames. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen-in-Wellies Posted June 17, 2021 Report Share Posted June 17, 2021 1 minute ago, doratheexplorer said: I really don't think I could sleep well if I was overnighting on a river on just mud weights. Say the weight is holding you ok through the evening but starts moving just after you go to bed. Then you may well wake up to the boat in considerable difficulty. Or am I being over cautious? On the Broads, they are usually used at the bow to keep the boat steady when tied stern-on to a pontoon. I've not seen them used mid-stream, even where the currents are far gentler than the Thames. All sorts of solutions suggest themselves. Have an officer on watch. Try and stay awake, you don't get relieved till 3am! Fall asleep and it's no grog for a fortnight. Develop an app to use a phones GPS to alarm if the boat starts to drift. If your boat has a steel roof you'll have to cut a hole to pick up the GPS signals, which leads to: A clever thing with a Raspberry Pi computer, with a GPS module, battery, all in a waterproof box on the roof, bluetooth connection to your phone by the bed to let you know if the boat drifts away. A second small weight on a piece of string. The weight is dropped overboard along with the mudweight(s). The string is left slack and the boat end is connected to a switch. The boat drifts and the string comes tight, operating the switch, which works the boat horn and wakes you up. That last one was actually sensible, which was never my intention with this reply. Would be easy to make. Jen 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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