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Bare minimum equipment.


truckcab79

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Need to sort out preparations for new (to us) boat arriving. 
 

I’m assuming it’s coming with nothing except the mooring ropes and fenders I’ve seen on it.  
 

What’s the essential minimum equipment?

 

Windlasses

 

Mooring pins

 

Those C shaped ‘pins’ for mooring if no soft ground for pegs. (Kept mine from when we hired a boat without any about 15 years ago. Knew they’d come in handy 😂)

 

Boat hook (if so what’s the ‘best’ length).  
 

Anything else?  CRT key?  Key for ‘keyed’ locks which I assume may not be the same as the CRT keys I’ve seen for toilets etc.  

Many thanks.  

 

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Bare minimum? Fenders (front and back) are a legal requirement, obviously you have the mooring ropes.

 

Bare minimum would be 1 centre line and 1 windlass (assuming you're going somewhere locks are). And I'd say a BW key too. And depending where you are, a handcuff key. And whatever key/tool is needed to open the water tank and the pump out outlet if you have one.

 

But there's a bunch of stuff just above the bare minimum, which would make life easier: 2x mooring pins, hammer, 2x nappy pins and/or 2x goat chains, 2nd centre line, further windlasses (if more than 1 crew), etc. Boat pole, boat hook, mop? etc etc

 

If the boat is secondhand, many/all of those items might already be present - you would know this though, having looked at it before buying?

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Enough beer. 

  • Greenie 1
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Not sure how usefull a boathook is, I have 5ft one that came with boat, its used to hook goat chains on armco, I have a long ash pole that once was a boat hook, its at least seven feet long and is used to confirm that water is only 23 inches deep where I have stopped.

I would say two goat chains are essential. 

For general security I tend to moor near other boats, but not extremely scruffy boats.

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25 minutes ago, Paul C said:

Bare minimum? Fenders (front and back) are a legal requirement, obviously you have the mooring ropes.

 

Bare minimum would be 1 centre line and 1 windlass (assuming you're going somewhere locks are). And I'd say a BW key too. And depending where you are, a handcuff key. And whatever key/tool is needed to open the water tank and the pump out outlet if you have one.

 

But there's a bunch of stuff just above the bare minimum, which would make life easier: 2x mooring pins, hammer, 2x nappy pins and/or 2x goat chains, 2nd centre line, further windlasses (if more than 1 crew), etc. Boat pole, boat hook, mop? etc etc

 

If the boat is secondhand, many/all of those items might already be present - you would know this though, having looked at it before buying?


Cheers. It’s more or less empty so there’s not really any equipment on it as such.   It does have front and rear fenders though. Fairly new ones by the look of them. Ropes are there.  Some slim fenders for the sides also.   That’s about it.  
 

Water tank and fuel tank aren’t lockable.  No pump-out.  
 

Is the BW key the same as the CRT key I’ve seen? Seems like everyone sells the CRT ones for a couple of quid.  

13 minutes ago, LadyG said:

Not sure how usefull a boathook is, I have 5ft one that came with boat, its used to hook goat chains on armco, I have a long ash pole that once was a boat hook, its at least seven feet long and is used to confirm that water is only 23 inches deep where I have stopped.

I would say two goat chains are essential. 

For general security I tend to moor near other boats, but not extremely scruffy boats.

Thanks. What’s the primary use of the goat chains?  I assume they’re the short chains with loops. Advantage being you can padlock them I assume?   

14 minutes ago, magnetman said:

Enough beer. 

I don’t drink. 😂


 

 

 

 

I know what a handcuff key is for handcuffs, but where do you use it on a boat?  

Edited by truckcab79
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16 minutes ago, truckcab79 said:

Is the BW key the same as the CRT key I’ve seen? Seems like everyone sells the CRT ones for a couple of quid.  

Yes. CRT was BW ten or so years ago. Some people just haven't caught up yet. 😀

 

Depending on where you are cruising, you might need a handcuff key to be able to use certain locks. Usually seen in cities, but not always. As with several other items, if you've got one, you'd best get another for when the first gets lost, or dropped in the cut!

For the Calder and Hebble Canal, you'll need a hand spike, but they aren't used (almost) anywhere else, so if you aren't going there, then ignore. Can be home made, if handy at that sort of thing.

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4 minutes ago, Paul C said:

Have you hired a boat before?

 

As the OP says thats where he got the C shaped pins from 15 years ago. 

 

I think a longer Ash pole  maybe 10 foot   is so handy for pushing off if stuck/ reversing not very well.  7 foot is too short for that. Dont use as a lever, just push making sure you are holding onto the boat or in an almost impossible to fall into the water situation. 

 

CRT =BW key. 

 

I would have several windlasses, a long one for stubbon paddles and a short one that fits on lower gate paddles that then crack your knuckles if too long.  three as a minimum really, two for crew/ helper and one thats temporarily mislaid.

 

And a strong magnet on a rope  to get out ferrous metal/ windlasses you have dropped in 

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Goat chains are dropped in to the gap in Armco ( the metal motorway barrier style on many canals. Or other things which might fray your ropes.

You then tie with your mooring lines.

They can be used to secure your boat at night, looping through door handles. When I leave my boat for more than a few hours I secure the front door and exit the sliding hatch with a heavy duty padlock. 

 

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I never understood why people would put a flag up saying nobody was on the boat. 

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On my boat there was one massive windlass, I have used it on one lock,  but I needed it.

I have one standard windlass and one double ie longer windlass.

I do not have one of the Chinese double kind that cut the lock spindles, and I am hoping to sell the one with a roller handle.

You need two BW / CRT keys, the genuine ones, each on corks.

Edited by LadyG
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25 minutes ago, truckcab79 said:

Water tank and fuel tank aren’t lockable.  

Nevertheless most require either a hexagon or two prong key to open them.

14 minutes ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

Depending on where you are cruising, you might need a handcuff key to be able to use certain locks.

Used on quite a lot of locks on and around the BCN, and on northern waterways where they originated.

13 minutes ago, Rob-M said:

Handcuff key can also be referred to as an anti vandal key.  Used to unlock paddles on some locks.

AG-400.jpg.b424863569992669cc66dede42aff4d9.jpg

And buy a decent one from a chandlers, with a proper square hole in the bottom. Ebay cheapies usually have a larger round hole with four grooves, and they won't open handcuff locks with worn square spindles. Ideally have one for each crew member and at least one spare.

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2 hours ago, Goliath said:


you’re going to have to explain that one to me please

My inside door handles are chained together at night. Because anyone can open front doors with a small crowbar, then they would find the doors won't open any further. Delay to entry and noise will alert you. My hatch has to be left unlocked at night , fire escape,  but I have a bolt and the noise when someone slides the hatch is about 65 decibels!

Edited by LadyG
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12 minutes ago, Stroudwater1 said:

CRT =BW key. 

The official name is a 'Watermate key".

Again ebay cheapies can vary in quality, and may get stuck in a lock. Then you either have to wait for CRT to come out and sort it, or you leave it behind, meaning the paddle or swing or lift bridge is not locked, and you have no key for the next one.

  • Greenie 1
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26 minutes ago, Paul C said:

Have you hired a boat before?

Yep.  Four weeks over two holidays a good few years back now though. 

15 minutes ago, LadyG said:

Goat chains are dropped in to the gap in Armco ( the metal motorway barrier style on many canals. Or other things which might fray your ropes.

You then tie with your mooring lines.

They can be used to secure your boat at night, looping through door handles. When I leave my boat for more than a few hours I secure the front door and exit the sliding hatch with a heavy duty padlock. 

 


 

Ah ok.  I have mooring pins and padlocks for that.  

8 minutes ago, David Mack said:

Nevertheless most require either a hexagon or two prong key to open them.

Used on quite a lot of locks on and around the BCN, and on northern waterways where they originated.

And buy a decent one from a chandlers, with a proper square hole in the bottom. Ebay cheapies usually have a larger round hole with four grooves, and they won't open handcuff locks with worn square spindles. Ideally have one for each crew member and at least one spare.


 

Ah. You’re clearly used to bigger handcuffs than I am.  

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No worries. I guess unless the hire boat had nappy pins or goat chains (often they don't) then you'd not know. Similar with the handcuff key - its used as a crude security device on only some locks on the canal network. Nicer places don't have them.

 

The question has been adequately covered by other, so best of luck with the new boat!

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I would not trust those nappy pins (hooks), to secure the boat to the armco permanently. I just feel chains are better, they don't need to be tight, so the boat can move a little up and  down with water level, and side to side as boats pass. I think nappy pins are best tight to mooring ropes.

I never padlock chains, they are attached  to mooring ropes not direct to boat. 

I bought some really heavy mooring pins very good on soft, but I cross pin through loops with other pins once low in ground.

I have a lump hammer £16, i keep a mooring pin at both ends, and a big hammer at both ends.

 

Edited by LadyG
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28 minutes ago, Paul C said:

No worries. I guess unless the hire boat had nappy pins or goat chains (often they don't) then you'd not know. Similar with the handcuff key - its used as a crude security device on only some locks on the canal network. Nicer places don't have them.

 

The question has been adequately covered by other, so best of luck with the new boat!


First one had nappy pins. Second didn’t for some reason so we bought them and I was too tight to leave them behind.  😂

11 minutes ago, cuthound said:

I would consider taking a few basic tools (spanners, multimeter, hammer etc), gaffer tape and a folding pruning saw (to remove things from around the propellor).


Tools are the one thing I’m not short of.  👍

Edited by truckcab79
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1 hour ago, Paul C said:

 Fenders (front and back) are a legal requirement,

 

 

What law is that please ?

18 minutes ago, cuthound said:

I would consider taking a few basic tools (spanners, multimeter, hammer etc), gaffer tape and a folding pruning saw (to remove things from around the propellor).

I can't say I have ever owned or used gaffer tape in my life 

What do you use it for on a boat ?

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