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Mud weights


XLD

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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.

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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.

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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''.

=====

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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!

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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.

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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. 

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12 hours ago, TheBiscuits said:

 

As well as the uses given above, they are quite handy for adjusting lateral trim! :D

 

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 by BilgePump
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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? 

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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 

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  • 6 months later...
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.

 

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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.

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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.

  1. 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.
  2. 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:
  3. 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.
  4. 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

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