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Low water levels and long trip.


Northener

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Hello all. I have just bought my first narrow boat. The boat is up on the Shropshire Union and I need to get it down to the Thames. I had been looking forward to a 2 to 3 week trip down the canals but the lack of water in the canals - the Oxford has already introduced restrictions - has got me worried. Obviously no one knows when we will get much rain but from your experience, what are my chances. I could wait until September or I could miss out on the trip and use road haulage.

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42 minutes ago, Northener said:

use road haulage.

 

That is the only (almost) guaranteed way to get the boat from A to B (and it'll do it in a single day).

 

By Canal - You could get stuck on a 'low water' section and if there is no water to bring down then you could be on the boat for some time.

Alternatively - we had flash floods in September and were unable to move for 2 weeks as all the flood gates were locked.

 

If you do the trip by boat ensure you have full water tanks, empty toilet tank, and a full diesel tank (and plenty of food in the cupboards) then as long as you are not having to be at work, or any place at any specific time you'll be OK.

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It seems costly and rather against the grain to be using road haulage in this situation, at least wait till Sept if you are seriously thinking of that unless you are timed out with other commitments . Alan is probably about the the most risk averse on here!

Apart from the Oxford the rest of the trip Tony suggests would be unlikely to be a problem with water. Even the Oxford appears OK currently just about. I imagine you could go the longer way round the GU all the way to Brentford then up as thats better still with water  - if you are heading for the lower Thames that maybe the best way anyhow. 

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I would chance it by canal using the route Tony indicated above.  We've just been out for nearly 3 weeks and didn't have any issues on the routes we used although there are now time restrictions on some of the lock flights we went through.  Plan ahead and subscribe to the stoppage alerts from CRT.

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38 minutes ago, Rob-M said:

I would chance it by canal using the route Tony indicated above.  We've just been out for nearly 3 weeks and didn't have any issues on the routes we used although there are now time restrictions on some of the lock flights we went through.  Plan ahead and subscribe to the stoppage alerts from CRT.

Unless you are really on a tight schedule, the time restrictions, esp on s Oxford, are unlikely to trouble most boaters anyway as in this heat most will be totally shattered by7 the time the locks close and you will still be asleep (?) when they open!

 

The main impact of the time limits is that they concentrate the boats wanting to make passage into a shorter time and hence queues can build up. Time however to start to engage in conversation with fellow boaters - that is often one of the better times on a canal trip . . . (but not always . . . )

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Queues at locks are a 6 and two 3s sort of thing.

 

Yes, you have to wait but when its your turn there are usually people at the lock to help you through.

If they know what they are doing (if!) they realise that the sooner they get you out of the way the quicker they will get through the lock themselves.

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Thanks for all the replies. It is the little Sea Otter that went up for sale earlier this week, Little Jem.

 

I am retired so have plenty of time and would love to take the canal route rather than road transport. Parts of the journey I will be on my own. I have taken larger narrow boats through narrow canals single handed in the past ( wife still in bed and I’d start at about 5.00 am) but that was 40+ years ago on many holidays on rented boats. I don’t suppose I will find it so easy these days. Since those days I have had sailing boats - even taken yachts through the Crinan canal many times - but sailing was becoming hard work and I’ve had a hankering for a NB for years (especially when sea sick).

 

I’ve bought Little Jem without a survey. She looks in good condition, engine been serviced recently by the marina, and everything seems to work bar the bow thruster, which I’m told has not worked at all during the vendor’s ownership. I am a bit concerned about the lack of any manuals or owners instructions for the many fittings ( engine, warm air heater, electrics etc) but I suppose I will be able to find these on the internet. I’m capable of dealing with some problems on my own but will probably join RCR if, sorry when, I set off, just in case.

 

So I am decided, wait until at least October before resorting to road transport. 
 

Thanks again to all. 

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35 minutes ago, Northener said:

Thanks for all the replies. It is the little Sea Otter that went up for sale earlier this week, Little Jem.

 

I am retired so have plenty of time and would love to take the canal route rather than road transport. Parts of the journey I will be on my own. I have taken larger narrow boats through narrow canals single handed in the past ( wife still in bed and I’d start at about 5.00 am) but that was 40+ years ago on many holidays on rented boats. I don’t suppose I will find it so easy these days. Since those days I have had sailing boats - even taken yachts through the Crinan canal many times - but sailing was becoming hard work and I’ve had a hankering for a NB for years (especially when sea sick).

 

I’ve bought Little Jem without a survey. She looks in good condition, engine been serviced recently by the marina, and everything seems to work bar the bow thruster, which I’m told has not worked at all during the vendor’s ownership. I am a bit concerned about the lack of any manuals or owners instructions for the many fittings ( engine, warm air heater, electrics etc) but I suppose I will be able to find these on the internet. I’m capable of dealing with some problems on my own but will probably join RCR if, sorry when, I set off, just in case.

 

So I am decided, wait until at least October before resorting to road transport. 
 

Thanks again to all. 

 

Is the previous owner in the picture at all? They can often be really helpful and overall be better than an instruction manual 

 

I would suggest that you consider setting off sooner than October if you can, as you will find more boaters around and able to help, offer (usually some ) helpful advise. The canals can be fairly busy in  Sept but seem to drop off fast by October which may not be ideal, for example the route suggested involves a number of hefty double locks on the GU including The Hatton flight-  generally easier to tackle when accompanied by another boat, but shouldnt be a problem anyway with your experience. It depends if you want to be alone and quieter in October or not.  

 

Some insurance firms offer RCR membership (With a call out fee of £50-60 ) in their package, GJW for instance. 

 

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I’ve not had the opportunity to speak to the previous owner yet. He has left it all to the broker. Can’t say I blame him, having recently sold my sailing boat I’d expect the broker to deal with all the hassle if I were paying his brokerage fees.

I hope to have a chat with him once all the paperwork is completed. 

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1 hour ago, Northener said:

I’ve not had the opportunity to speak to the previous owner yet. He has left it all to the broker. Can’t say I blame him, having recently sold my sailing boat I’d expect the broker to deal with all the hassle if I were paying his brokerage fees.

I hope to have a chat with him once all the paperwork is completed. 

 

When I bought my boat I insisted that the broker arrange a handover between the previous owner and myself, to show me how all of the systems on board operated.

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6 hours ago, Northener said:

I’ve bought Little Jem without a survey. She looks in good condition, engine been serviced recently by the marina, and everything seems to work bar the bow thruster, which I’m told has not worked at all during the vendor’s ownership. I am a bit concerned about the lack of any manuals or owners instructions for the many fittings ( engine, warm air heater, electrics etc) but I suppose I will be able to find these on the internet. 

 

It's worth joining the sea otters owners club here: https://www.seaotterowners.org.uk/ It's £10 for life which gives you access to manuals and a members only forum where you can ask any questions you might have.  

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