WHEN to slow down ? ? ?

[BlueStringPudding]

the woman lifting pan of water from cooker with child at her feet needs to wake up , why carry a pan of boiling liquid with a child round your feet , that surely is more of a hazard than a boat causing a ripple as it passes.

same with a pan of soup being moved , look if a boat is aqauplaning towards your boat before you lift the soup .

as many others on here will testify it is easy enough to know a boat is approaching even 10 or more minutes before it reaches your location so if you are paying attention you will know in advance not to pick up a cauldron of hot stuff.

the faster you say the boat is going the more warning you have had of its arrival.

 

If as it is near us, like ruddy highway on the canals, your soup would evapourate before there were no boats approaching.

 

I like the assumption that the moored boater, the person doing normal day-to-day LIVING stuff in their boat, (which a narrowboat is indeed designed for - not just for travelling), has to make massive allowances for the lack of consideration/utter selfishness of the boater who thinks he has something to lose by slowing down to a speed that could prevent harm to someone else. Perhaps you don't have a cooker on your boat? Perhaps you don't ever need to do work down in the engine when boats are speeding by? Perhaps you've never held a hot drink?

[gaggle]

i do slow down , but no matter how slow you go there is always one along a line of moored boats who will pop out and MOAN MOAN MOAN.

a man in blackburn near the locks i swear waits for days in his garden for a boat to approach and then jump aboard his boat to swear he was making tea and call out that whoever is passing is a lunatic .

worsely on the bridgeewater ,come out of the bridge hole which requires you to go slow as possible due to it being almost a u-turn and a man on a boat i have never seen move comes out and complains about speed you are at , always other boats there but he is the only one who moans.

he moaned at my son who was tying up to mooring opposite his boat and when i asked how slow he wanted , the boy has stopped the boat he answered he was not moaning about that day but when we had passed several days before going in the opposite direction. moaning had become his reason to be .

the caravan club welcomes new members who enjoy a firm footing.

[StoneHenge]

That's one person with a serious serial complaining issue, doesn't mean we are all like it, just means most of us are considerate and most of us don't say anything because it usually makes sod all difference to the mentality of selfish people who see fit to whoop it passed a boat when they could cause a potential accident.

[alan_fincher]

I'm reluctant to contributing again, as it seems that admitting on this thread that you have ever been moaned at implies you are some kind of anti-social speed freak and potential disfigurer of babies.

 

We have had the current boat 3 years.

 

So far as I recall, we have been complained to....

 

1) By a boat at the end of Cow Roast permanent moorings on the GU, at least 3 times. (But everybody else on the moorings, including the mooring warden, gives a friendly nod or wave).

 

2) By a boat moored on linear moorings, near Ivinghoe, GU, at least 3 times. (But again everybody else there is friendly).

 

3) By a lifeboat moored near Grove Lock, GU, twice ,(once in each direction), but he insisted on mooring in a pound a good foot down, with lines so slack they were draped in the water. we were at tick-over, and struggling with heavy cross winds.

 

4) Twice by the same boat once on our recent trip out, when they were moored in Paddington basin, and again by a pub at Uxbridge.

 

In none of these cases were we going in any way too fast, and in all but the third case the boats are well secured and in adequate water.

 

Sometimes I know I have got it wrong, but have surprisingly never got a complaint on those occasions. Not even when I virtually bounced off an occupied boat on the Stort, where i was caught by a violent and unexpected flow in from a weir.

 

As Gaggle says, some people are what we call "serial complainers", and will habitually moan at 50% or more of passing boats. These people probably should sell up the boat, and buy a caravan. I don't think they'll ever chill out on the canals, unless nobody else moves.

Edited July 4, 2008 by alan_fincher

[fender]

i do slow down , but no matter how slow you go there is always one along a line of moored boats who will pop out and MOAN MOAN MOAN.

a man in blackburn near the locks i swear waits for days in his garden for a boat to approach and then jump aboard his boat to swear he was making tea and call out that whoever is passing is a lunatic

 

 

Like most people, the Blackburn man is an acomplished reificationist.

 

Where there's a need to find a moan to shout 'slow down' at boaters, one will be found.

 

Where there's a need to go fast past moored boats, an excuse will be found.

 

Same as where there's no war - a need for a war will be found and implemented. Take the 45 minutes for example!

 

And so on......

 

Einstein said the most common thing in the universe is human stupidty.

[GUMPY]

I would slow down at the point when I would expect boats passing us to slow down.

 

I have grown not to expect boats to slow down and am surprised when they do........

 

Julian

[cazz]

Following on from the simelar topic on this page, just when should you throttle down when approaching and passing moored boats ? 1 boat length, 2 boat lenghts, 5, 10, half-a-mile ? I'd Just like to know what other forum members think..

 

Pete.

Hi pete

If your goin full throttle it would be when you see the white of their eyes

[Timleech]

 

Completely off topic but.....

 

Since I came back to the canals, everybody seems to talk about "pins" - well they do on here, anyway.

 

I never heard the term 30 years ago. It was always "stakes". (Two old hire cruiser brochures from the period clearly show "mooring stakes").

 

Am I imagining that "pins" has crept into the canal vocabulary in the last 30 years, and if so when, (and I could even ask why ?)

 

 

They were also known, at least in these benighted parts, as 'Bars'.

 

Tim

[NB Alnwick]

They were also known, at least in these benighted parts, as 'Bars'.

 

It is interesting how regional variations in terminology persist despite the 'globalisation' enabled by this medium. I recently had occasion to seek help from BW when I grounded in the middle of the channel approaching one of the locks at the Birmingham end of the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal. The cheerful BW chap who came to help asked if he could borrow my 'Spanner' to let some water down because he had left his own in his van. He was referring to my 'windlass' and when I queried this with him he said they had always been called 'spanners' or 'lock spanners' in the Birmingham area . . .

[onthecut]

It is interesting how regional variations in terminology persist despite the 'globalisation' enabled by this medium. I recently had occasion to seek help from BW when I grounded in the middle of the channel approaching one of the locks at the Birmingham end of the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal. The cheerful BW chap who came to help asked if he could borrow my 'Spanner' to let some water down because he had left his own in his van. He was referring to my 'windlass' and when I queried this with him he said they had always been called 'spanners' or 'lock spanners' in the Birmingham area . . .

 

Live in Brum; regularly boat through Brum; customers on boats in Brum and I've never, ever heard the windlass referred to as a spanner. The only regular alternative usage I hear is 'key'.

 

Not to be confused with the 'handcuff key', or should that be the 'water conservation key' and I think there's at least one other description of that item further North.

 

None of which to be confused with The BW Yale keys !

 

Mike.

[alan_fincher]

None of which to be confused with The BW Yale keys !

Or sanitary station key, or "Watermate", (I refuse to call them that!), key........

 

Just to comfuse, where locks are locked down here, it's always with the Yale version, never with a "handcuff" key.

[mykaskin]

When to slow down depends on many things, but as an average, I ensure I smoothly reach tick-over about 50ft before the moored boat - the speed drops off by the time I reach the moored boat. I speed up (smoothly) soon after the back has passed the end of the moored boat.

 

On longer boat moorings on deep canals I will often bump up the revs from tickover once the boat has slowed down to a suitable speed assuming the canal is deep enough.

 

These rules change a little depending on how the boat/boats are moored. If I see a particularly poorly moored boat I will slow down more/earlier. It is possible on wider canals to pass boats with less effect by moving to the other side of the canal as far as possible. This can make a large difference depending on the profile of the canal.

 

Some boats also have better designed hulls, and traditional working boats (empty) do seem to be able to pass at a fair lick without problems. Several boats from the Cavalcade had passed without incident before a man in a modern trad boat replica came flying past. He caused more wash than an unloaded trad pair passing later at higher speed - I complained, and he came back with the reply to tie up better. Unfortunately it's not my boat mooring that is the problem (I move less than 1 inch even when a large widebeam barge came by at 4mph (or more)) but my neighbour who just doesn't seem to understand mooring, and whos boat moves over a foot even when boats pass slowly!

 

Cheers,

 

Mike

[Teakbank12]

When to slow down depends on many things, but as an average, I ensure I smoothly reach tick-over about 50ft before the moored boat - the speed drops off by the time I reach the moored boat. I speed up (smoothly) soon after the back has passed the end of the moored boat.

 

On longer boat moorings on deep canals I will often bump up the revs from tickover once the boat has slowed down to a suitable speed assuming the canal is deep enough.

 

These rules change a little depending on how the boat/boats are moored. If I see a particularly poorly moored boat I will slow down more/earlier. It is possible on wider canals to pass boats with less effect by moving to the other side of the canal as far as possible. This can make a large difference depending on the profile of the canal.

 

Some boats also have better designed hulls, and traditional working boats (empty) do seem to be able to pass at a fair lick without problems. Several boats from the Cavalcade had passed without incident before a man in a modern trad boat replica came flying past. He caused more wash than an unloaded trad pair passing later at higher speed - I complained, and he came back with the reply to tie up better. Unfortunately it's not my boat mooring that is the problem (I move less than 1 inch even when a large widebeam barge came by at 4mph (or more)) but my neighbour who just doesn't seem to understand mooring, and whos boat moves over a foot even when boats pass slowly!

 

Cheers,

 

Mike

 

Ive always believed in treating others how i wish to be treated & going past on tick over.

 

Saying that now im back on land i throttle back in the car a long way before a junction so as to not have to brake & waste fuel..funny how i get people impatiently overtaking when i'm only doing 40mph off the bypass

[ditch paddler]

Well the blades of a propeller convert rotational motion into thrust by generating a differential in the pressures between its forward and rear surfaces and accelerating a mass of water rearward. The prop does exactly what you suggest - it uses the water it is in. However, the lower pressure created on the rear surfaces of the blades must then draw more water over the blades otherwise it would create an underwater vacuum!

The trouble with our prop's are the faster we turn them the more water they suck in and push out, as they pull more water they also pull the stern of the boat down wards which in turn raises the bow and creates a body of water the boat is pushing along and outwards creating more wash. If we could re design the prop so it did not suck water towards and therefore not suck the stern of the boat down we would both reduce bow wash and water movement at the stern of the boat and therefore would all round be happier with one and other. Am i making any sense ?

[magnetman]

The trouble with our prop's are the faster we turn them the more water they suck in and push out, as they pull more water they also pull the stern of the boat down wards which in turn raises the bow and creates a body of water the boat is pushing along and outwards creating more wash. If we could re design the prop so it did not suck water towards and therefore not suck the stern of the boat down we would both reduce bow wash and water movement at the stern of the boat and therefore would all round be happier with one and other. Am i making any sense ?

 

twin screw narrow boat?

[ditch paddler]

twin screw narrow boat?

No just time for a reithink i believe there has to be improvements we can make to the marine screw design

[saltysplash]

The trouble with our prop's are the faster we turn them the more water they suck in and push out, as they pull more water they also pull the stern of the boat down wards which in turn raises the bow and creates a body of water the boat is pushing along and outwards creating more wash. If we could re design the prop so it did not suck water towards and therefore not suck the stern of the boat down we would both reduce bow wash and water movement at the stern of the boat and therefore would all round be happier with one and other. Am i making any sense ?

 

 

The only answer is some form of 'Caterpiller drive' as seen on 'The Hunt For Red October'

 

 

other alternative is Paddle Wheel...ala mississippi style.....no screw to dig the stern deep into the canal nor drag the water from the front of the boat past its hull through the rear

Edited July 8, 2008 by saltysplash

[ditch paddler]

The only answer is some form of 'Caterpiller drive' as seen on 'The Hunt For Red October'

 

 

other alternative is Paddle Wheel...ala mississippi style.....no screw to dig the stern deep into the canal nor drag the water from the front of the boat past its hull through the rear

A bit extreme

[mayalld]

Live in Brum; regularly boat through Brum; customers on boats in Brum and I've never, ever heard the windlass referred to as a spanner. The only regular alternative usage I hear is 'key'.

 

Never heard them called just "keys", but "lock key", and "lock handle" have been heard of

 

Not to be confused with the 'handcuff key', or should that be the 'water conservation key' and I think there's at least one other description of that item further North.

 

"L&L key", or "Leeds and Liverpool Key". So called, because the original "handcuff" locks that used the key were on the Leeds and Liverpool. Also "Anti-vandal key"

 

None of which to be confused with The BW Yale keys !

 

Mike.

"Watermate key", "BW key", "Sani station key"

[Radiomariner]

They were also known, at least in these benighted parts, as 'Bars'.

 

Tim

 

I'm glad they dont call them that any more, I'd never get anywhere. SWMBO says I am incapable of going past a Bar!

 

The trouble with our prop's are the faster we turn them the more water they suck in and push out, as they pull more water they also pull the stern of the boat down wards which in turn raises the bow and creates a body of water the boat is pushing along and outwards creating more wash. If we could re design the prop so it did not suck water towards and therefore not suck the stern of the boat down we would both reduce bow wash and water movement at the stern of the boat and therefore would all round be happier with one and other. Am i making any sense ?

 

What about bulbous bows?

[saltysplash]

A bit extreme

 

 

 

Not as extreme for some

 

[BlueStringPudding]

Not as extreme for some

 

 

And I complain that our tiller's a little high for me!

 

Can you pedal that thing?

[kitman]

Can you pedal that thing?

 

It has no engine, it is propelled by a giant hampster

[BlueStringPudding]

It has no engine, it is propelled by a giant hampster

 

 

[Pete of Ebor]

A bit extreme

 

There was an article about the Caterpillar Drive in 'New Scientist 5/7/08 issue. Apparently, the Japanese built a working MHD Drive [Magneto Hydro Dynamic Drive] Launched in 1992, The 'Yamamoto 1' cost US$52 million and had a top speed of just 7 knots with an engine efficiency of between 1 & 2 % .. The engine draws some 24,000 amps when running, which has to be generated by diesel generators.. so at the moment, we're just a little bit out of the realm of narrowboat propulsion... apart from which, it probably won't work as well in fresh [as opposed to sea] water anyway.. I wonder if anyone has ever described canal water as fresh water before?

 

Pete.