Longer Boats Up Norf

[IanD]

1 hour ago, dmr said:

 

A 60 foot boat passed us a while ago and said it was very tight and "never again". There is a 60 footer waiting to go over the summit. If things don't improve soon they might turn round and give the C&H a go.

 

I certainly wouldn't like to do it in a boat where getting loads of water onto the deck -- at either end -- was a problem, but then that's not much different to a 57' boat...

 

It's all a tradeoff, whether you think being very tight in a couple of locks that you might go through once a year -- depending where you moor and travel, obviously -- is justified by the extra few feet inside the boat. I decided it was, others may think not. YMMV... 😉

Edited July 17, 2022 by IanD

[dmr]

Doing Evesham lock in a boat a bit over 70 foot is probably more challenging than the C&H in a 60 😀

[Midnight]

1 hour ago, IanD said:

 

I certainly wouldn't like to do it in a boat where getting loads of water onto the deck -- at either end -- was a problem, but then that's not much different to a 57' boat..

No choice on the C&H we had water flowing over the gas locker at several locks going up. You will have to zip the catch cover up if you are still intending to come this way.

[Midnight]

1 hour ago, dmr said:

Doing Evesham lock in a boat a bit over 70 foot is probably more challenging than the C&H in a 60 😀

Mr Smelly is the world champion at getting long boats through short locks. IIRC he once mentioned he took a 70ft boat through Thorne Lock.

[IanD]

2 hours ago, Midnight said:

No choice on the C&H we had water flowing over the gas locker at several locks going up. You will have to zip the catch cover up if you are still intending to come this way.

No cratch cover, or cratch, or well deck... 😉

[MtB]

Nice to see all portholes!!

 

Not so nice to see those pipe fender hanging inserts....

[TheBiscuits]

8 hours ago, Midnight said:

You will have to zip the catch cover up if you are still intending to come this way.

That's me in trouble then.  I don't have a cratch cover to zip ...

[IanD]

9 hours ago, MtB said:

Nice to see all portholes!!

 

Not so nice to see those pipe fender hanging inserts....

... which will have fenders attached with removable clips, so they certainly won't be left down in locks... 🙂

[haggis]

1 minute ago, IanD said:

... which will have fenders attached with removable clips, so they certainly won't be left down in locks... 🙂

but all that bending to put your fenders on and off! Especially when the Armco is quite high 

[MtB]

19 minutes ago, IanD said:

... which will have fenders attached with removable clips, so they certainly won't be left down in locks... 🙂

 

 

I have an irrational hate for pipe fenders, ever since getting a stray one spontaneously tie its line to the root of one of my prop blades. 

 

At normal speeds this presented no problem but at higher engine speeds centrifugal force made it batter the underside of the counter and make the most horrendous noise. When stopping and diving down the weed hatch, the pipe fender hung down on its rope right out of the way nowhere to be seen (or felt), so the prop seemed to be free of any debris. This was only discovered when I eventually had the boat docked for further investigation! 

 

 

 

Edited July 18, 2022 by MtB
Add a bit.

[Jen-in-Wellies]

9 minutes ago, IanD said:

... which will have fenders attached with removable clips, so they certainly won't be left down in locks... 🙂

I learnt this the hard way. When I first got my boat, I tried this. Used old climbing carabiners. Unfortunately, the motion of the fenders, when doing their fending job can at certain angles unclip a carabiner. Lost several fenders in the cut (sorry @MtB), before I realised this. A different design of fender eye to the ones in the pic, but the same problem.

[IanD]

49 minutes ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

I learnt this the hard way. When I first got my boat, I tried this. Used old climbing carabiners. Unfortunately, the motion of the fenders, when doing their fending job can at certain angles unclip a carabiner. Lost several fenders in the cut (sorry @MtB), before I realised this. A different design of fender eye to the ones in the pic, but the same problem.

Dog lead clips won't be attached to the eye, they'll be passed through it and clipped back round the rope.

 

And if that doesn't work I'll hang them from the roof rails... 😉

Edited July 18, 2022 by IanD

[PD1964]

1 hour ago, IanD said:

... which will have fenders attached with removable clips, so they certainly won't be left down in locks... 🙂

Nice little trip hazard welded on the gunwale, above the fender eye,  I take it your going to put a large shackle through it?

[IanD]

2 minutes ago, PD1964 said:

Nice little trip hazard welded on the gunwale, above the fender eye,  I take it your going to put a large shackle through it?

 

Those are spring line points, which may have shackles depending on whether the rope goes through easily or not. Yes a possible trip hazard, but the tradeoff is better mooring. Like everything else in boat design, a compromise... 😉

Edited July 18, 2022 by IanD

[haggis]

8 minutes ago, IanD said:

Dog lead clips won't be attached to the eye, they'll be passed through it and clipped back round the rope.

 

And if that doesn't work I'll hang them from the roof rails... 😉

Hanging from the roof rails would seem to be a lot simpler and quicker to employ 🙂 

[IanD]

Just now, haggis said:

Hanging from the roof rails would seem to be a lot simpler and quicker to employ 🙂 

Quite possibly. The fender points were fitted as standard, this gives me the option to either use them or not. Choice is good... 😉

[haggis]

2 minutes ago, IanD said:

 

Those are spring line points, which will have shackles. Yes a possible trip hazard, but the tradeoff is better mooring. Like everything else in boat design, a compromise... 😉

Difficult to see on a photo but the holes on  both the spring line points and the ring on the bows don't look big enough for a mooring rope to go through 

[IanD]

6 minutes ago, haggis said:

Difficult to see on a photo but the holes on  both the spring line points and the ring on the bows don't look big enough for a mooring rope to go through 

See edit...;-)

 

(rings on bows are for fender attach)

Edited July 18, 2022 by IanD

[haggis]

2 minutes ago, IanD said:

See edit...;-)

 

(rings on bows are for fender attach)

ah, that makes sense! 

[PD1964]

2 minutes ago, IanD said:

Quite possibly. The fender points were fitted as standard, this gives me the option to either use them or not. Choice is good... 😉

  A few JW’s boats had this design fender hangers, IMO better then the new welded round recess and you can also get a shackle though for spring lines and extra mooring ties. Better to use strong para-cord loops then shackles and just leave on.

 

[Alan de Enfield]

1 minute ago, PD1964 said:

Better to use strong para-cord loops then shackles and just leave on.

 

But doesn't paracord only have a 550lb breaking strain ? (Hence its name Paracord 550) 
Anyone buying Paracord needs to be vigilant (particularly on ebay where the descriptions can be 'wanting') because there are various grades and Type 1 is as low as 43kgs

[cuthound]

1 hour ago, haggis said:

Hanging from the roof rails would seem to be a lot simpler and quicker to employ 🙂 

 

And you can adjust the position of the fenders to suit the mooring. Important when the mooring is not perfectly straight.

[PD1964]

1 hour ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

But doesn't paracord only have a 550lb breaking strain ? (Hence its name Paracord 550) 
Anyone buying Paracord needs to be vigilant (particularly on ebay where the descriptions can be 'wanting') because there are various grades and Type 1 is as low as 43kgs

You can get higher Paramax, you only use them as additional points along with your fixed mooring points.

 

[Alan de Enfield]

4 minutes ago, PD1964 said:

You can get higher Paramax, you only use them as additional points along with your fixed mooring points.

 

 

OK, maybe consider amending your post - after reading 'paracord' someone may be tempted to go and buy Paracord.

The 1/4" Paramax has a 1000lb breaking strain.

[PD1964]

2 hours ago, IanD said:

Quite possibly. The fender points were fitted as standard, this gives me the option to either use them or not. Choice is good... 😉

Quite easy to forget about when moving  along the gunwale to the front in a lock though, if anything should happen. I would of had a couple of ornate rings on the side if I was that bothered about spring mooring my boat and remove a potential hazard, like the TW below.