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Weed hatch accessories


Sidders

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Hi we are new to narrowboating having just bought a boat just before going back into lockdown am sat at home thinking about all things to do with boating. Which brings me to ask what can you recommend as essential for clearing the weed hatch, is there anything that is a must have and is there things not worth wasting time and money on.

Many thanks

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Don't bother with:

Bargee Bill's Prop Cleaner.

Do have:

A decent shortish  hook shaft so that you can have an initial rake out in a bridge hole before weed hatch diving.  Shunters poles are ideal, but scarce these days.

Decent short boltcroppers.  Length determined by the access to your weed hatch

Side cutters

A hacksaw blade with a handle, not a frame.

Long  rubber gauntlets

A decent kitchen/carving knife

A flexible commando saw if you can find one.

Plenty of anti-everything soap.

A modicum of malt, for those freezing days when you have to go weed hatch diving and for the really bad ones when you get  a tyre/mattress/shopping trolley/sun lounger etc. Other spirits are available.

 

N

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Mini Bolt Croppers

Hacksaw 

Possibly a chain mail glove for cold weather as it is possible to cut a hand in cold water and not know it

Sharp knife

Strong stomach

Patio weeder sharpened on the upper side

Be aware of Wiel's disease and its symptoms.

In winter you can pour hot water into the weed hatch, easier for a while.

 

Edited by Ray T
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Just now, Alan de Enfield said:

Also gives you the opportunity to view the decaying corpse rather than trying to cut it up with your hacksaw.

Exactly, which is why I am always pleased to see a side fender.  The least worse option.

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Excellent suggestions guys I particularly like the idea of the warming drink , might even delegate the cleaning of the weed hatch to my better half when needed and skip straight to the malt .....

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Thanks for all these ideas. This has got me thinking apart from a boat and a canal was is a must have accessory/equipment that we might need to make cruising life easier ? Something that possibly isn't obvious until you need it and you only learnt about it through experience.

 

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22 minutes ago, Sidders said:

Thanks for all these ideas. This has got me thinking apart from a boat and a canal was is a must have accessory/equipment that we might need to make cruising life easier ? Something that possibly isn't obvious until you need it and you only learnt about it through experience.

 

a crew of 5 helps?!  :)

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1 hour ago, TheBiscuits said:

 

You tend to get professional assistance with those ...  some time after you've found out the hard way.

Fixed that for you. :)

 

1 hour ago, Sidders said:

Thanks for all these ideas. This has got me thinking apart from a boat and a canal was is a must have accessory/equipment that we might need to make cruising life easier ? Something that possibly isn't obvious until you need it and you only learnt about it through experience.

 

Cork screw! 

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I've only had to use the bolt croppers once, or maybe twice, in ten years, and bolt croppers are not easy to use down a weedhatch. The big knife is also rarely used Most stuff can be pulled off by hand but often you need to have a good feel to work out how its stuck on and rotate the prop a bit before pulling some more.

Most other stuff can be reduced/pruned away with a good strong pair of scissors. Keep a dedicated pair ready and waiting with a length of thin strong cord tied on to them in case you drop them in.

 

....................Dave

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2 hours ago, Sidders said:

Excellent suggestions guys I particularly like the idea of the warming drink , might even delegate the cleaning of the weed hatch to my better half when needed and skip straight to the malt .....

Whoever is doing the job should have the keys to the boat in their pocket. Unlikely as it may seem, you never know, and it's better to be safe than sorry.

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42 minutes ago, Mike Todd said:

I have found a patio cleaner about the most useful - at around a fiver it doesn't matter if it needs replacing - I'd not like to lose a pair of bolt cutters.

I have one as well, but I need a set of short bolt croppers, mine are too big

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Neither Fulbourne nor Belfast has a weed hatch. In over 25 years boating on these two boats there have been only 3 or 4 occasions when it wasn't possible to clear the prop using a short shaft from the bank. This sort of thing, on the end of an 8-10 foot pole.

IMG_20190620_131035-1.jpg

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