Is anyone maintaining the canals?

[Machpoint005]

2 hours ago, matty40s said:

It is wide enough for a 70 footer.

Width isn't often the issue for a boat 70ft long.

[Stroudwater1]

Pardon intrusion in the Tracy and Jim show but dare I ask what the IWAs role in this is? They used to be a pressure  organisation in large part to ensure canals were preserved in usable condition were they not? As it appears CRT  are failing in that custodianship shouldn’t the IWA  or someone start creating more noise?
 

 The seasons been pretty dire in many areas for boaters who actually care to use their boats. Though thanks in large part to the IWA for many canals  existence, isn’t it time someone ie the IWA stepped up to say things aren’t working currently, and that the canals are fast becoming a mess.  Ive not been too involved for a long time so  perhaps I’m just being naive 🤣

 

apologies if so!  

[matty40s]

There are 2 IWA atvthe present time, local ones who do very good work with limited funds and volunteer support on their patches, the Northampton Arm is a good example. Unfortunately, CRT dont necessarily back this up with lock repairs, leak stopping and gate maintenance.

The other IWA is the national lot, who cosy up to CRT and back increase in widebeam licence fees, hate liveaboards with CC licences however far they move, and when out cruising, expect to moor on rings outside their favourite watering hole.

The National lot have gone so far from their origins, they are a completely separate organisation.

[Arthur Marshall]

3 minutes ago, Stroudwater1 said:

Pardon intrusion in the Tracy and Jim show but dare I ask what the IWAs role in this is? They used to be a pressure  organisation in large part to ensure canals were preserved in usable condition were they not? As it appears CRT  are failing in that custodianship shouldn’t the IWA  or someone start creating more noise?
 

 The seasons been pretty dire in many areas for boaters who actually care to use their boats. Though thanks in large part to the IWA for many canals  existence, isn’t it time someone ie the IWA stepped up to say things aren’t working currently, and that the canals are fast becoming a mess.  Ive not been too involved for a long time so  perhaps I’m just being naive 🤣

 

apologies if so!  

The canals are becoming a mess because like all old things, including me, they don't work as well as they used to. They were built for a purpose,  which didn't last long, and it wasn't for thousands of leisure boats. And everything is now more expensive, especially labour, and these days we worry more about killing the workers.

And the people using the system (I pay for my licence! This is an expensive boat! This week's hire cost a fortune!) have a sense of entitlement so they don't worry about causing damage, as that'll be someone else's problem, umlike folk who depended on it for their livelihood. You can see this in the complaints by boaters about no-one clearing up magnet fisher's junk - they aint going to do it, are they? Loose nut on a lock mechanism? Leave it till it falls off, not their job to get a spanner out. Someone on FB was going to call RCR out because the stern tube greaser had run out of grease.

It's falling to bits, the people who run it don't care much as long as they get their big salaries and bonuses and a comfy office to work in. Just enjoy what there is while it's here.

[MtB]

2 minutes ago, Arthur Marshall said:

Loose nut on a lock mechanism?

 

That's usually the boater using it. 

 

 

[Tracy D'arth]

37 minutes ago, Stroudwater1 said:

Pardon intrusion in the Tracy and Jim show but dare I ask what the IWAs role in this is? They used to be a pressure  organisation in large part to ensure canals were preserved in usable condition were they not? As it appears CRT  are failing in that custodianship shouldn’t the IWA  or someone start creating more noise?
 

 The seasons been pretty dire in many areas for boaters who actually care to use their boats. Though thanks in large part to the IWA for many canals  existence, isn’t it time someone ie the IWA stepped up to say things aren’t working currently, and that the canals are fast becoming a mess.  Ive not been too involved for a long time so  perhaps I’m just being naive 🤣

 

apologies if so!  

Sorry.   

 

Tracy & Jim show is off air now.

On yer bike Jim!

[Tim Lewis]

On 14/08/2021 at 21:11, MtB said:

 

Like this:

 

 

Still using bin liners on the Stratford!

 

 

[TheBiscuits]

On 14/08/2021 at 21:11, MtB said:

 

Like this:

 

 

In the Yorkshire region they've had to cut holes in those to poke the cowhorn levers out of the bags!

[PNB116]

This is my worst example, the Huddersfield Narrow Canal

 

The sand on the left hand side breached the retaining wall, covered the footpath and entered the canal. Note that the  footpath has been cleared

 

 

There is a 'navigable channel' - if you are psychic - over by the far bank

 

 

 

and a gang plank is needed at the next lock landing:

 

 

[billS]

 We had an unusual experience last week on the Oxford canal. We saw no less than four 3 person teams performing maintenance within about a 10 mile stretch.

 

Allen's lock - filling a hole in the bank below the lock.

Aynho Weir Lock - performing PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE on the bottom gate - replacing the post holding the paddle gear which had split but had not actually failed.

Kings Sutton lock - piling below the lock

Grants lock - not sure what they were up to.

 

I also saw Athy out on Trojan on the same stretch - so CRT may have been making a special effort to ease his passage...

 

[dmr]

Its very variable, where there is a good motivated local team then stuff gets done, and the more autonomy they have the more gets done??

Its the bigger jobs hat have to be organised centrally and probablty given to contractors that look to get neglected. The even bigger jobs that stop navigation most;y get done quickly, its the single paddle failures, bank collapses and general decay that are the big problem.

The recent significant stoppages on the K&A and Rochdale have been sorted at good speed, I think both have good local teams. The Soar appears to do less well.

[Athy]

2 hours ago, billS said:

 We had an unusual experience last week on the Oxford canal. We saw no less than four 3 person teams performing maintenance within about a 10 mile stretch.

 

Allen's lock - filling a hole in the bank below the lock.

Aynho Weir Lock - performing PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE on the bottom gate - replacing the post holding the paddle gear which had split but had not actually failed.

Kings Sutton lock - piling below the lock

Grants lock - not sure what they were up to.

 

I also saw Athy out on Trojan on the same stretch - so CRT may have been making a special effort to ease his passage...

 

I'd never thought of them as a laxative, but....

   Yes, we too noted this activity, which made some of the remarks earlier in this thread quite surprising. Our trip was from Cropredy to the Pig Place (just above Aynho) and back, and everything seemed in good order. A few paddle mechanisms were on the stiff side, and one lock paddle was out of order. That's one out of 28, so at a rough calculation about 96% of them were working.

[Athy]

On 14/08/2021 at 21:38, dmr said:

 

In fact...the winding hole a little up from Clattercote wharf is next to a bridge on a sharp bend. We had a trial wind there today in case we need it later in the week and did indeed confuse a hire boat by half winding then unwinding. Its very silted but just doable in a 70 footer.

Did you realise that heading up from Cropredy its here or nowhere? Next chance is Fenny Marina (where I think it says no winding), then its right over the summit and down Napton locks to the engine arm.

We often use that winding hole (which I don't think is an official one, but it works) immediately after what we call Anorexics' Bridge; as already noted, there's an official winding hole at Fenny. We met the chap who keeps his boat in it: he told us that some sort of family land rights allow him tom park the boat there.

   Before that, you have two chances to wind at Cropredy Marina, as it has two entrances. Some years ago some enterprising soul dug a winding hole to serve the long-term offside moorings above Claydon locks. It worked fine for a while, we used it, but now someone has stuck two boats in it, which rather negates the point of digging it out in the first place.

   The pond immediately above Marston Doles top lock looks windable-innable, though we have never actually tried to turn there.

[dmr]

1 hour ago, Athy said:

We often use that winding hole (which I don't think is an official one, but it works) immediately after what we call Anorexics' Bridge; as already noted, there's an official winding hole at Fenny. We met the chap who keeps his boat in it: he told us that some sort of family land rights allow him tom park the boat there.

   Before that, you have two chances to wind at Cropredy Marina, as it has two entrances. Some years ago some enterprising soul dug a winding hole to serve the long-term offside moorings above Claydon locks. It worked fine for a while, we used it, but now someone has stuck two boats in it, which rather negates the point of digging it out in the first place.

   The pond immediately above Marston Doles top lock looks windable-innable, though we have never actually tried to turn there.

 

Maybe they always planned a mooring but thought that initially making it a window hole would give less trouble from CRT 😀.

I think the Marston Doles top pond is shown as a winding hole in Nicholsons (or somewhere) but is limited to about 50 feet. Maybe its made just for you 😀.

 

Anyway winded at the Cropredy services so now facing uphill so will have to wind again next week. fairly optimistic that the anorexic hole will be just about adequate.

[ditchcrawler]

4 hours ago, dmr said:

 

 

I think the Marston Doles top pond is shown as a winding hole in Nicholsons (or somewhere) but is limited to about 50 feet. Maybe its made just for you 😀.

 

That's right, the one at Twyford is only 60 foot and well silted, I had to rope it round with slow reverse on.. Also watch out for the outside of the bend south of Boundary Lift Bridge north of Claydon. I pulled an elderly boat off there this morning 

Edited August 20, 2021 by ditchcrawler

[dmr]

1 hour ago, ditchcrawler said:

That's right, the one at Twyford is only 60 foot and well silted, I had to rope it round with slow reverse on.. Also watch out for the outside of the bend south of Boundary Lift Bridge north of Claydon. I pulled an elderly boat off there this morning 

 

That bend has been a grounding nightmare for years, and getting worse. We were dreading it last week as the summit was about 5 inch down.

I reckon some dredging and bank rebuilding has been done. We kept well to the inside and ran aground, maybe going a little towards the outside is now the way 😀