Walkie talkies

[Wanderer Vagabond]

Just now, MtB said:

 

Which neatly encapsulates why boats with engines in engine rooms ten feet forward of the helm are SO much nicer to own and steer than horrid modern cruiser sterns, or even 'trads' with the engine still under yer feet.

 

 

Would that be the boats that pump out those nice exhaust fumes directly into your face (particularly in tunnels) Deaf? or choked? bit of a choice really, can I phone a friend (on me walkie talkie)

[Midnight]

10 hours ago, Slim said:

I like it🤣but have you considered using thin elastic rather than string

I tried that but my underpants kept falling down

[doratheexplorer]

10 hours ago, MtB said:

 

Which neatly encapsulates why boats with engines in engine rooms ten feet forward of the helm are SO much nicer to own and steer than horrid modern cruiser sterns, or even 'trads' with the engine still under yer feet.

 

 

Some of those engines in engine rooms are so loud that the steerer is still more deafened than I am steering my cruiser stern.

10 hours ago, MtB said:

 

Which neatly encapsulates why boats with engines in engine rooms ten feet forward of the helm are SO much nicer to own and steer than horrid modern cruiser sterns, or even 'trads' with the engine still under yer feet.

 

 

Some of those engines in engine rooms are so loud that the steerer is still more deafened than I am steering my cruiser stern.

[MtB]

3 minutes ago, doratheexplorer said:

Some of those engines in engine rooms are so loud that the steerer is still more deafened than I am steering my cruiser stern.

Some of those engines in engine rooms are so loud that the steerer is still more deafened than I am steering my cruiser stern.

 

Not really, in my personal experience. I've steered many boats and the kindest ones on the ear have all been those with traditional engine rooms. The engine is ten feet away from the steerer and behind a closed door or a solid bulkhead. 

[doratheexplorer]

10 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

Not really, in my personal experience. I've steered many boats and the kindest ones on the ear have all been those with traditional engine rooms. The engine is ten feet away from the steerer and behind a closed door or a solid bulkhead. 

Experiences vary.  What is beyond doubt is the fumes you're breathing straight from the exhaust are doing nothing but harm.

[nicknorman]

There are some astonishingly noisy modern-engined boats but it doesn’t have to be like that. Our modern trad stern boat (engine more or less under your feet) is very quiet due to hospital silencer and decent non-metal boarding. Certainly massively quieter for people not on the boat, and no visible smoke at all.

[Neil2]

Yes, an Aquadrive/Python Drive will also help with the noise.

 

The issue of exhaust fumes interests me though.  On two occasions I have experienced really bad headaches and sickness which were coincidental with cruising through enclosed stretches with a slight backwind.  I'm sure this was caused by breathing in exhaust fumes. So it seems to me a good thing if your exhaust is pointing at the sky.  Though I notice most seem to have those cutter things attached which are supposed to direct the fumes sideways but I'd rather have them going over my head.  I dunno, I've never steered a "proper" trad but having the exhaust ten feet away rather than under your feet does seem like a good thing to me.   

 

 

[doratheexplorer]

9 minutes ago, Neil2 said:

Yes, an Aquadrive/Python Drive will also help with the noise.

 

The issue of exhaust fumes interests me though.  On two occasions I have experienced really bad headaches and sickness which were coincidental with cruising through enclosed stretches with a slight backwind.  I'm sure this was caused by breathing in exhaust fumes. So it seems to me a good thing if your exhaust is pointing at the sky.  Though I notice most seem to have those cutter things attached which are supposed to direct the fumes sideways but I'd rather have them going over my head.  I dunno, I've never steered a "proper" trad but having the exhaust ten feet away rather than under your feet does seem like a good thing to me.   

 

 

Every time I've steered a proper trad it's given me headaches.  I imagine the owners have become conditioned to it.

[MtB]

1 hour ago, Neil2 said:

Yes, an Aquadrive/Python Drive will also help with the noise.

 

The issue of exhaust fumes interests me though.  On two occasions I have experienced really bad headaches and sickness which were coincidental with cruising through enclosed stretches with a slight backwind.  I'm sure this was caused by breathing in exhaust fumes. So it seems to me a good thing if your exhaust is pointing at the sky.  Though I notice most seem to have those cutter things attached which are supposed to direct the fumes sideways but I'd rather have them going over my head.  I dunno, I've never steered a "proper" trad but having the exhaust ten feet away rather than under your feet does seem like a good thing to me.   

 

 

 

The cutter thing i for use in tunnels, so the exhaust doesn't dislodge grit and general crap from the brickwork above which then falls on the boat and the steerer. 

 

The tall pipe on the roof exit exhaust is to keep the atmosphere sweet in locks. When a modern boat is in a deep lock, the lock fills up with exhaust fumes around you. This doesn't happen with a roof exhaust.

 

Also with an engine room one generally gets a slow revving type of engine which makes a much nicer sound to live with than the monotonous drone of a modern high revving diesel. 

[Wanderer Vagabond]

2 hours ago, nicknorman said:

There are some astonishingly noisy modern-engined boats but it doesn’t have to be like that. Our modern trad stern boat (engine more or less under your feet) is very quiet due to hospital silencer and decent non-metal boarding. Certainly massively quieter for people not on the boat, and no visible smoke at all.

That is pretty much the case with mine, I've even had someone ask me if it was an electric boat (it isn't) because they didn't hear the engine. I've also had fishermen complain that they didn't hear me coming to which I normally reply,"Yeah, I know, I'm in stealth mode"

1 hour ago, MtB said:

 

The cutter thing i for use in tunnels, so the exhaust doesn't dislodge grit and general crap from the brickwork above which then falls on the boat and the steerer. 

 

The tall pipe on the roof exit exhaust is to keep the atmosphere sweet in locks. When a modern boat is in a deep lock, the lock fills up with exhaust fumes around you. This doesn't happen with a roof exhaust.

 

Also with an engine room one generally gets a slow revving type of engine which makes a much nicer sound to live with than the monotonous drone of a modern high revving diesel. 

That rather pre-supposes that I'm in the bottom of the lock with the boat whereas generally I'm not. I'm on the lockside working the paddles and gates with the boat held on ropes. Even if I were I'm not sure 10 minutes in a lock compares with 35 minutes inhaling the exhaust whilst going through Netherton Tunnel

[dmr]

17 minutes ago, Wanderer Vagabond said:

That is pretty much the case with mine, I've even had someone ask me if it was an electric boat (it isn't) because they didn't hear the engine. I've also had fishermen complain that they didn't hear me coming to which I normally reply,"Yeah, I know, I'm in stealth mode"

That rather pre-supposes that I'm in the bottom of the lock with the boat whereas generally I'm not. I'm on the lockside working the paddles and gates with the boat held on ropes. Even if I were I'm not sure 10 minutes in a lock compares with 35 minutes inhaling the exhaust whilst going through Netherton Tunnel

 

A good few pints in a nice lunch time session at Ma Pardoes and you can get through Netherton tunnel much faster than that 😀

[Wanderer Vagabond]

14 minutes ago, dmr said:

 

A good few pints in a nice lunch time session at Ma Pardoes and you can get through Netherton tunnel much faster than that 😀

Whilst accepting the humour, I'm a regular through Netherton and it takes 35 minutes (if you need to know there are 7 ventilation shafts to count as well🥱). With the tunnel being 1.72 miles long, 35 minutes is travelling at a decent speed for my boat.

Edited August 24, 2021 by Wanderer Vagabond

[TheBiscuits]

17 hours ago, jonathanA said:

 

 

 

17 hours ago, jonathanA said:

So yep pretty irrational and silly frankly to think 2 way radios are not useful. 

 

I've got a one way radio.

 

We used to have a pair of them which were very useful when we were on separate boats, but I dropped one in the cut one day, and that was the end of that!

Edited August 24, 2021 by TheBiscuits
Stupid mobile phone