Where have all the GoBoats gone?

[5239]

Some folks might be pleased to know the GoBoats have left Brum. 
 

I’d got used to them last year so I’ll miss ‘em. I liked watching a bit of chaos and it never bothered me if they bumped me boat. It’s all rather dull now. 
 

I was told they gone Manchester. I wish them luck with the locks! 😃👍

Edited April 1, 2024 by beerbeerbeerbeerbeer

[ditchcrawler]

2 minutes ago, beerbeerbeerbeerbeer said:

Some folks might be pleased to know the GoBoats have left Brum. 
 

I’d got used to them last year so I’ll miss ‘em. I liked watching a bit of chaos and it never bothered me if they bumped me boat. It’s all rather dull now. 
 

I was told they gone Manchester. I wish them luck with the locks! 😃👍

I never found them a problem but never saw them all out

[Rob-M]

They are still bookable in Birmingham from the go boat web site so I presumed they were returning.

 

Having just tried to find an available date there weren't any so hopefully they have been moved.

Edited April 1, 2024 by Rob-M

[5239]

41 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

I never found them a problem but never saw them all out

they looked good fun and it was nice to see folk enjoying themselves,

bottle of wine and a picnic,

they used to get down towards Edgebaston too. 
sometimes they’d pull alongside and buy an ice cream. 
 

they never knew which side of the canal they should be on and would ping from one side to the other, 

but they always looked jolly and happy which I enjoyed seeing, 

 

 

3 minutes ago, Rob-M said:

They are still bookable in Birmingham from the go boat web site so I presumed they were returning.

 

Having just tried to find an available date there weren't any so hopefully they have been moved.

Yes , I looked too and saw they needed to update the site. 
Looks like they got them all round London too. 
Didn’t see any mention of Manchester though. 
 

 

[Rob-M]

22 minutes ago, beerbeerbeerbeerbeer said:

they never knew which side of the canal they should be on and would ping from one side to the other, 

but they always looked jolly and happy which I enjoyed seeing, 

They didn't look very jolly when I was heading towards them towing a butty, if they had known which side to be on it would have helped.

[5239]

Just now, Rob-M said:

They didn't look very jolly when I was heading towards them towing a butty, if they had known which side to be on it would have helped.

ace

[cheesegas]

They're fine on the canals in my opinion but in Kingston on the Thames they can be a bit of a hazard - where the river narrows by the water works, there's a lot going on...moored boats in marinas, big trip boats going in both directions and all the leisure craft.

 

I hit one a couple of years ago at Kingston, it was on the wrong side of the river but plenty of space still...then for some reason they started moving, ended up right in my path and stopped. Went hard left to avoid them and they moved again, perfectly into my path again! Full reverse wasn't enough, caught them broadside on but luckily no one on board was hurt, although their picnic was a mess.

[Lady M]

Quite dangerous in Maida Hill tunnel.

[5239]

1 hour ago, Lady M said:

Quite dangerous in Maida Hill tunnel.

I think that’s the ‘tunnel’ where I didn’t put me light on because I thought it were a long bridge hole,

and didn’t think it worth it,

I got shouted at by an on coming boat “haven’t you got a light?”

Just googled it, 249 metres

Hardly a fart’s length,

 

 

 

 

Edited April 1, 2024 by beerbeerbeerbeerbeer
Apostrophe on farts

[cheesegas]

7 hours ago, beerbeerbeerbeerbeer said:

I think that’s the ‘tunnel’ where I didn’t put me light on because I thought it were a long bridge hole,

and didn’t think it worth it,

I got shouted at by an on coming boat “haven’t you got a light?”

Just googled it, 249 metres

Hardly a fart’s length,

Well that’s a very very silly thing to do for something which takes all of 5 seconds to reach down and flick a switch. There’s a lot of crap towards the sides in there, getting stuck with a prop full of plastic because some daft person meant you had to pass two abreast isn’t much fun. 

 

(and yes, I know there’s longer tunnels on the system…)

[blackrose]

12 hours ago, beerbeerbeerbeerbeer said:

Some folks might be pleased to know the GoBoats have left Brum. 
 

 

What's a GoBoat?

[Rob-M]

1 hour ago, blackrose said:

 

What's a GoBoat?

It is an electric drive and seems to like going round in circles.

[Lady M]

The ones based in the Paddington Arm have a small light on top of a tall stick like mast.  It's still very difficult to see them in a tunnel if they get too close to you because they are so low on the water.  

[cheesegas]

19 minutes ago, Lady M said:

The ones based in the Paddington Arm have a small light on top of a tall stick like mast.  It's still very difficult to see them in a tunnel if they get too close to you because they are so low on the water.  

In peak times in summer they have staff at either end of the tunnel with 2 way radios, stopping and letting through GoBoats as needed, to avoid them coming head to head with anything else. They give priority to other traffic which is good.

[Lady M]

Thanks cheesegas, this is an significant improvement since we last went that way.  

[Tim Lewis]

11 hours ago, beerbeerbeerbeerbeer said:

I think that’s the ‘tunnel’ where I didn’t put me light on because I thought it were a long bridge hole,

and didn’t think it worth it,

I got shouted at by an on coming boat “haven’t you got a light?”

Just googled it, 249 metres

Hardly a fart’s length,

 

 

 

 

tou are probably confusing it with Eyres ‘tunnel’ just east of Maida hill tunnel. At 48 yards long if is much of a tunnel, I always think of it as a long bridge hole

[5239]

7 minutes ago, Tim Lewis said:

tou are probably confusing it with Eyres ‘tunnel’ just east of Maida hill tunnel. At 48 yards long if is much of a tunnel, I always think of it as a long bridge hole

That’ll be it then 👍

 

4 hours ago, cheesegas said:

of 5 seconds to reach down and flick a switch

no, my switch is down the front end of the boat behind the lamp,

[5239]

 

this is where the GoBoats moored when charging up in the evenings. 
 

now, I guess the GoBoat company with CRT’s permission would have paid to have the blue electric bollards installed. 
I wonder if CRT will make use of them now the boats have vacated.
I might email them and ask.

Would it be much of a job to convert them to receive the prepaid cards?

 

opposite there’s also this electric supply with a monster plug socket,  

 

I’ve assumed the electricity to all bollards are switched off but I might try them out another time

[ditchcrawler]

7 hours ago, beerbeerbeerbeerbeer said:

That’ll be it then 👍

 

no, my switch is down the front end of the boat behind the lamp,

Mine is not even mounted on the boat unless I intend to go through a tunnel 

[5239]

3 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

Mine is not even mounted on the boat unless I intend to go through a tunnel 

I guess you have a nice one then that you don’t want nicked.
 

I’ve just replaced bulb in mine this afternoon after it blew going through Gosty tunnel last week. 
Made return trip through Gosty and Netherton Tunnels with torch on iPhone. 

 

[ditchcrawler]

29 minutes ago, beerbeerbeerbeerbeer said:

I guess you have a nice one then that you don’t want nicked.
 

 

Not really

[5239]

2 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

Not really

how come you don’t leave it permanently mounted?

 

or have you a torch 😃

[ditchcrawler]

Just now, beerbeerbeerbeerbeer said:

how come you don’t leave it permanently mounted?

 

or have you a torch 😃

It plugs in and hooks on, so I just don't leave it out all the time to just use it now and then.

[5239]

I’ve a bicycle oil lamp,

I might give that a try for a bit of fun, 

I don’t think it’d illuminate much but they’d see me coming

[dmr]

10 hours ago, beerbeerbeerbeerbeer said:

That’ll be it then 👍

 

no, my switch is down the front end of the boat behind the lamp,

A switch! I thought you had to find the right two wires and twist them together 😀