Glass Bottom Installation

[Withywindle]

I’m considering a modification to my narrowboat which many of you will be familiar with from your holidays in the med.

 

Glass bottomed boats are commonplace there and it strikes me that the same unique feature might work on a narrowboat. It would be great to sit quietly on a summer evening with a beer and watch the shoals of Bream, Perch and Gudgeon feeding beneath my boat. I would of course need to add underwater lighting but I can’t see that this should be too much of a problem. 
 

Before I get too carried away can anyone see any major engineering challenges I’d face installing the glass panel and do people think I’d need to inform CRT?

[IanM]

*checks date* 

[Mike Hurley]

When you hit a rock and sink then inform CRT.

[Quattrodave]

Why do want to stare at the mud & trolleys?

I'd have thought a camera and a screen would have been much cheaper and safer...

Edited April 1 by Quattrodave

[Francis Herne]

You should add an upstand round it to prevent flooding if the glass breaks.

 

This will also allow the glass to be removable, creating a 'moon pool' inside the boat through which you can go swimming or diving, or deploy small submersible ROVs.

 

These in turn could be used either for engineering work like recovering trolleys, or to sabotage nearby boats whose owners have offended you.

[BoatinglifeupNorth]

51 minutes ago, IanM said:

*checks date* 

Quite a good one 👍😂

Edited April 1 by BoatinglifeupNorth

[matty40s]

I used to hanker after this, then realised I already had 2 Houdini hatches so just turn the boat upside down when needing my murky bottom view fix.

[Jon57]

1 hour ago, Withywindle said:

I’m considering a modification to my narrowboat which many of you will be familiar with from your holidays in the med.

 

Glass bottomed boats are commonplace there and it strikes me that the same unique feature might work on a narrowboat. It would be great to sit quietly on a summer evening with a beer and watch the shoals of Bream, Perch and Gudgeon feeding beneath my boat. I would of course need to add underwater lighting but I can’t see that this should be too much of a problem. 
 

Before I get too carried away can anyone see any major engineering challenges I’d face installing the glass panel and do people think I’d need to inform CRT?

Why not just do all the boat in glass😁 supposed the design of a canal boat is perfect as it is. As they say if it's not broken why fix it. 🤣🤣

[ditchcrawler]

3 hours ago, Francis Herne said:

You should add an upstand round it to prevent flooding if the glass breaks.

 

This will also allow the glass to be removable, creating a 'moon pool' inside the boat through which you can go swimming or diving, or deploy small submersible ROVs.

 

These in turn could be used either for engineering work like recovering trolleys, or to sabotage nearby boats whose owners have offended you.

This sounds rather a sensible idea to me, never mind the date. Think recovering trollies down Walsall way.

[Withywindle]

On balance this is perhaps a ‘foolish’ idea of mine. 😉

 

Think I’ll stick to my usual pastimes of lock snorkelling and body surfing in bywashes - less risky. 😊

[David Mack]

3 hours ago, Jon57 said:

Why not just do all the boat in glass😁 supposed the design of a canal boat is perfect as it is. As they say if it's not broken why fix it. 🤣🤣

There's lots of glass boats out there.

 

They just have the glass in fibre form, encased in resin.

Edited April 1 by David Mack

[Francis Herne]

I did wonder if one could build a canal submarine, and what CRT would make of it.

 

Obviously it could only submerge in locks and exceptionally deep sections of canal or river.

[Tracy D'arth]

2 hours ago, Francis Herne said:

I did wonder if one could build a canal submarine, and what CRT would make of it.

 

Obviously it could only submerge in locks and exceptionally deep sections of canal or river.

I have seen a few try it in locks, not very successfully.

[blackrose]

8 hours ago, Quattrodave said:

Why do want to stare at the mud & trolleys?

 

 

Another typically canal orientated view. It's a canal forum but lots of us are moored on rivers where it's not just mud & trolleys.

[matty40s]

2 hours ago, blackrose said:

 

Another typically canal orientated view. It's a canal forum but lots of us are moored on rivers where it's not just mud & trolleys.

Mud, trolleys, wet wipes, panty pads and sewage...

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

18 minutes ago, matty40s said:

Mud, trolleys, wet wipes, panty pads and sewage...

sounds like you been on board my boat?

 

only joking, I draw a line at mud, always wipe me feet I do 😃

[MtB]

12 hours ago, Withywindle said:

Glass bottomed boats are commonplace there and it strikes me that the same unique feature might work on a narrowboat. It would be great to sit quietly on a summer evening with a beer and watch the shoals of Bream, Perch and Gudgeon feeding beneath my boat.

 

I fear you have an unrealistic idea about how deep the canals are!

 

Also about how clear the water isn't. 

 

As an aside, cruising up the southern Oxford to Heyford the other day I was struck by how clear the water was. There's been hardly any traffic for weeks and it was almost like cruising on a river! 

 

 

 

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

Tipton has some of the cleanest water.

Moor at the Museum and you can clearly see and inspect the hull. 

[Withywindle]

31 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

I fear you have an unrealistic idea about how deep the canals are!

 

Also about how clear the water isn't. 

 

As an aside, cruising up the southern Oxford to Heyford the other day I was struck by how clear the water was. There's been hardly any traffic for weeks and it was almost like cruising on a river! 

 

 

 

But I had a clear view of today’s date at 9 o’clock this morning. 😊😉

[Jon57]

4 minutes ago, Withywindle said:

But I had a clear view of today’s date at 9 o’clock this morning. 😊😉

Yes it was 1st of April. Good fun about a glass bottom boat. 😁

[MtB]

7 minutes ago, Withywindle said:

But I had a clear view of today’s date at 9 o’clock this morning. 😊😉

 

 

Seriously, at the moment you can see up to about 2ft deep on the southern Oxford. 

 

But you had me a treat with the date, lol! 

 

 

 

Edited April 1 by MtB

[Machpoint005]

8 hours ago, Withywindle said:

On balance this is perhaps a ‘foolish’ idea of mine. 😉

 

Think I’ll stick to my usual pastimes of lock snorkelling and body surfing in bywashes - less risky. 😊

 

You should try underwater pole-vaulting.

 

 

[TheBiscuits]

14 hours ago, Machpoint005 said:

 

You should try underwater pole-vaulting.

 

Wouldn't touch it with a bargepole!

 

 

😁

[Withywindle]

22 hours ago, beerbeerbeerbeerbeer said:

Tipton has some of the cleanest water.

Moor at the Museum and you can clearly see and inspect the hull. 

A lot of fish too as I recall. Just shows how canals in heavily industrialised places can recover. 

[ditchcrawler]

1 hour ago, Withywindle said:

A lot of fish too as I recall. Just shows how canals in heavily industrialised places can recover. 

Strange, last  time in Tipton I didn't see any