Needing info on having a boat moved by road...

[Journeyman36]

1 minute ago, roland elsdon said:

Good luck I would give you a hand but while the boat is near we are trying to buy a new home 13000 miles away.

Thank you - I will post here when I know the result, it'll not be for a week or so yet as I can't get to the boat.
Good luck with the new home and thanks for your offer.

[magnetman]

As the CRT are aware of the Boat have you asked any of the blokes on the ground if they know whether doing it backwards has been attempted already? 

 

 

 

[Journeyman36]

2 minutes ago, magnetman said:

As the CRT are aware of the Boat have you asked any of the blokes on the ground if they know whether doing it backwards has been attempted already? 

 

 

 

It's not a question I've asked. I've had lengthy conversations with them (the guys on the ground) on several occasions, it's never been mentioned. I'll be having a chat with Steve Powell before I try it and see what he thinks.

[Journeyman36]

4 hours ago, roland elsdon said:

Lock 10 is a known issue. Every time we go up crt staff ask us if we are overbeam. We have to explain we are the correct beam for our boat build.

We have no issues. It is our nearest narrow locks.

 

However we are only 55 ft nowadays and this makes a huge difference.

 

Lock 10 is a banana shape. Has been for years and it gets worse the lower you go in it.

Combination of slight overbeam and full length is critical.

You clearly have tried before and failed hence frustrationI can see.

 

You might get down backwards

you might get down with a very full pound below

you might get through on a dark winter day with a winch

you might get down by holding right on the sill and then gate flushing.

if when the bottom was replaced the width became greater than 7’ odd you are as you say stuffed. Old boats flex at the gunnels and this allows movement, so a quick nip flex flush grease and out ( a technique I employ on the welsh cut) just wont work for you as your open top box section at the stick point allows zero flex.

 

However there are many mights and its not like it was 30 years ago when I spent  over 24 hours stuck on that flight,  before a combination of the above ( and greasing the lockside and hull side got our butty out.

i In those days bw left you alone and your misfortunes were not displayed on the net.

May I humbly suggest persevere with crane unless you can get evidence the boat went up those locks.

Other strategies will just cause you pain.

 Our old butty is on the oxford summit we rebuilt her to 7 foot two from seven four.

Has not moved since she went up the 12 years ago. Times and dimensions change.

 

Thanks for your comments. The fact that lock 10 is banana shaped and that inspection at Tooleys indicated the boat is too, I'm feeling hopeful it might go backwards through the lock, 2 banana's laid side by side fit better that top to toe!
The widest measurement taken at the baseplate is 2.155m, the narrowest part of the lock came in at 2.115m
Standing on the roof and looking along the boat there's a clear and fairly even gap on both sides at gunwhale height.
I have no evidence the boat went up those locks. I know it was surveyed at a yard north of the locks 6 years ago and the previous owners brought it on to the Oxford south. It's possible they went south on the GU and across the Thames but I've found no evidence that that happened, while's there's plenty to show it spent time on the Nene, Leicester Arm of the GU and other areas north of Napton.

[Journeyman36]

Latest update:

 

This weekend, with the help of a few friends I took the boat from Banbury to Napton to try reversing down the flight. It was dark when we arrived at lock 10, the lock where it got stuck.
With the engine off and a bit of jiggling, a light flush from the top paddles, the boat passed through! So now I've made it through Napton!

Hat tip to @magnetman, thanks for the tip sir...

To everyone else that came with advice and  positive words, thank you for your time and thoughts.

 

Happy New Year to you all.

[Tracy D'arth]

29 minutes ago, Journeyman36 said:

Latest update:

 

This weekend, with the help of a few friends I took the boat from Banbury to Napton to try reversing down the flight. It was dark when we arrived at lock 10, the lock where it got stuck.
With the engine off and a bit of jiggling, a light flush from the top paddles, the boat passed through! So now I've made it through Napton!

Hat tip to @magnetman, thanks for the tip sir...

To everyone else that came with advice and  positive words, thank you for your time and thoughts.

 

Happy New Year to you all.

Well done, augurs well for 2024, all the best.

[Journeyman36]

3 minutes ago, Tracy D'arth said:

Well done, augurs well for 2024, all the best.

It certainly does. Couldn't have had a better start to 2024... thank you.

 

[magnetman]

That is Great. 

On 23/12/2023 at 10:12, David Mack said:

In both directions?

This was the first post which suggested going backwards. 

[Journeyman36]

10 hours ago, magnetman said:

That is Great. 

This was the first post which suggested going backwards. 

Thanks  @magnetman, I remembered that comment but thought that was yours too!
Apologies and a big thanks to @David Mack for that tip... it worked!

[jake_crew]

Excellent result. Did you go down the whole flight in the dark ?

[LEO]

Good news, I had my boat moved by Tuckeys about 15 years ago, they took some while and a lot of chasing to provide a quote, which was very reasonable and they did a good job. The boat was only a modest 48ft long and it got stuck at that lock as well. Good luck for the future and Happy New Year!.

[Willonaboat]

For future reference for anyone else, the person to speak to at Tuckey's is Lisa. She's the most helpful, but you may still have to chase if they are busy, so don't take it personally if you don't get a response straight away.

[Journeyman36]

10 hours ago, jake_crew said:

Excellent result. Did you go down the whole flight in the dark ?

Yep - the whole flight in reverse and total darkness! There were people moored in the long pound having New Year festivities and fireworks!

[Tracy D'arth]

11 minutes ago, Journeyman36 said:

Yep - the whole flight in reverse and total darkness! There were people moored in the long pound having New Year festivities and fireworks!

A masterly bit of boating Sir!

[system 4-50]

You are now a member of the NotpanInTheDark Club, your medal is in the post.

[Nightwatch]

Good result.

[Bee]

Phew! Excellent!

[Journeyman36]

On 01/01/2024 at 09:57, LEO said:

Good news, I had my boat moved by Tuckeys about 15 years ago, they took some while and a lot of chasing to provide a quote, which was very reasonable and they did a good job. The boat was only a modest 48ft long and it got stuck at that lock as well. Good luck for the future and Happy New Year!.

Thank you and a Happy New Year to you also

20 hours ago, Tracy D'arth said:

A masterly bit of boating Sir!

I thank you! It was a baptism of fire - my other boat is a 36 footer so a 70 footer in the dark and reversing, plus the odd controls of a vintage boat meant I had a lot to learn and fast.

 

On 01/01/2024 at 10:20, Willonaboat said:

For future reference for anyone else, the person to speak to at Tuckey's is Lisa. She's the most helpful, but you may still have to chase if they are busy, so don't take it personally if you don't get a response straight away.

Thanks for that, hopefully it's not something I'll have to do in future but who knows!

8 hours ago, system 4-50 said:

You are now a member of the NotpanInTheDark Club, your medal is in the post.

I'll add that to my profile then!

1 hour ago, Bee said:

Phew! Excellent!

Exactly what I said!

[Rob-M]

1 hour ago, Journeyman36 said:

hopefully it's not something I'll have to do in future but who knows

Depends where you travel, there are other locks where full length boats have to pass through in reverse.

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

2 hours ago, Rob-M said:

Depends where you travel, there are other locks where full length boats have to pass through in reverse.

Hurleston?

They still doing it there?

[TheBiscuits]

1 minute ago, beerbeerbeerbeerbeer said:

Hurleston?

They still doing it there?

 

Hopefully not after they fully rebuilt it!

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

Just now, TheBiscuits said:

 

Hopefully not after they fully rebuilt it!

I can imagine folk still doing it that way for nostalgia 

[TheBiscuits]

1 minute ago, beerbeerbeerbeerbeer said:

I can imagine folk still doing it that way for nostalgia 

 

Ah, that's alright then.  I was worried it still needed to be done that way after the multimillion pound rebuild!

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

Just now, TheBiscuits said:

 

Ah, that's alright then.  I was worried it still needed to be done that way after the multimillion pound rebuild!

How about the lock on the Middlewitch Arm?

Working boats still getting stuck in that for laff because they can?

[Rob-M]

There is one on the Avon, can't remember which, that I've heard of working boats going through in reverse and I've seen a working boat reverse down the crow.