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Ballast on a Liverppol Boats Narrowboat


Robyn

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32 minutes ago, Steve Manc said:

Thanks Michelle and everyone else who have replied.

 

 

Have just read through this thread and I agree that it will be a real pain to use the method of cutting access hatches to addf or remove ballast. One suggestion may be a tank under a bed. We have this system and the water in the tank is used to flush the main toilet. It has a filler pipe on the gunnel and it has the separate benefit of not using your primary water tank for toilet flushing and provides compensation for the gradual list that arises as the toilet holding tank fills. This system was fitted to a number of Ownerships share boats a few years ago with positive effects.

 

In one of the posts it is mentioned that he has a couple of paving slabs on the roof to compensate for the list. This isn't a good idea because of the reduction of the boats's stability, caused by stowing weight high up on the boat. Better to try to get any extra weight as low as possible.

 

Howard

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49 minutes ago, howardang said:

Have just read through this thread and I agree that it will be a real pain to use the method of cutting access hatches to addf or remove ballast. One suggestion may be a tank under a bed. We have this system and the water in the tank is used to flush the main toilet. It has a filler pipe on the gunnel and it has the separate benefit of not using your primary water tank for toilet flushing and provides compensation for the gradual list that arises as the toilet holding tank fills. This system was fitted to a number of Ownerships share boats a few years ago with positive effects.

 

In one of the posts it is mentioned that he has a couple of paving slabs on the roof to compensate for the list. This isn't a good idea because of the reduction of the boats's stability, caused by stowing weight high up on the boat. Better to try to get any extra weight as low as possible.

 

Howard

I think that was only a temporary measure to see how much ballast would be needed.

 

Neil

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1 hour ago, Neil Smith said:

I think that was only a temporary measure to see how much ballast would be needed.

 

Neil

You may be right, but I didn't read the Op's comments like that. I read it to mean that that was the only way he could resolve the issue because he couldn't reorganise the ballast in the bilges because of access difficulties. If ballast remains on the roof for any significant time (and that includes large quantities of coal!) it is still not good from a stability point of view. ?

 

Howard

 

 

 

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We had a similar problem (on a Liverpool boat) However, at the front there is a step/storage box which we found is easily removed (it just pulls out). This revealed access between the bulkhead and the water tank in which a degree of broken paving slabs were ‘scattered ‘ - just rearranged them to be on one side and we are level again....

 

hope that makes some kind of sense!

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On 19/07/2018 at 10:09, Steve Manc said:

Hi Robyn

 

Thank you for the update.

 

We have decided to follow your lead in August. Wish us luck ?

 

Steve

If and when you do do this then it might be worth thinking about where to cut the hatches or access holes as one day you might have to drain water out if the bilge. Happened to me when water pump decided to empty contents of water tank into the bilge under the floorboards. Carefully placed cutouts mean I can now sponge out any water if I need to and also move ballast, in my case blue bricks, around. 

You do have the advantage of thinking about it in advance. 

 

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On 02/08/2009 at 10:43, Robyn said:

Does anyone know where on the 2007 Liverpool Boats 58ft narrowboat they would opf put an access hatch.

 

 

 

In a bargain basement boat like this there will be no access hatches. Although to be fair, there will be none in a lot of far more expensive boats either. 

 

As others have said, just add some balancing ballast on the opposite side of your new equipment. Cheapest kg/£ ballast out there is block paving bricks from Wickes. Small and easily handled too unlike paving slabs.

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9 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

 

In a bargain basement boat like this there will be no access hatches. Although to be fair, there will be none in a lot of far more expensive boats either. 

 

As others have said, just add some balancing ballast on the opposite side of your new equipment. Cheapest kg/£ ballast out there is block paving bricks from Wickes. Small and easily handled too unlike paving slabs.

  That 'new' equipment is now 9 years old....

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19 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

 

In a bargain basement boat like this there will be no access hatches. Although to be fair, there will be none in a lot of far more expensive boats either. 

 

As others have said, just add some balancing ballast on the opposite side of your new equipment. Cheapest kg/£ ballast out there is block paving bricks from Wickes. Small and easily handled too unlike paving slabs.

Nah, steel ballast kilo per kilo is cheaper, scrap prices obviously.

 

Neil

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 19/07/2018 at 10:09, Steve Manc said:

Hi Robyn

 

Thank you for the update.

 

We have decided to follow your lead in August. Wish us luck ?

 

Steve

Boat now level

 

Lifted the boards and removed concrete bricks

 

We are now level with toilet tank half full, 

 

Unable to attach photo to assist any other boater.

 

 

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1 hour ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Permanently ?

With water and fuel tanks full

With a spirit level on the kitchen worktop across left to right we are level with toilet holding tank at 50 % ish

 

With the toilet tank full I have to lift the level up the level by 4mm on the left to get the spirit level level.

 

With the toilet tank empty I have to lift up the level by 4mm on the right.

 

For information

I have a  manual pump to empty the holding tank. It takes 1 minute 20 seconds to fill a 20 lts container. 

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3 minutes ago, Steve Manc said:

I have a  manual pump to empty the holding tank. It takes 1 minute 20 seconds to fill a 20 lts container. 

I have never quite understood the philosophy of pump-outs where you self pump out into 20 litre containers and then carry them (according to pump out aficionardos miles along the towpath to get,- although moist normal people would take the boat) to a sanny station.

 

You have to pump it out - potential for blow-backs and spillage and still empty them as you would a cassette, but without the benefits of a 'air pressure relief' valve, thus getting 'glugs'.

 

I am interested in what benefits you see over a cassette system.

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14 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

I have never quite understood the philosophy of pump-outs where you self pump out into 20 litre containers and then carry them (according to pump out aficionardos miles along the towpath to get,- although moist normal people would take the boat) to a sanny station.

 

You have to pump it out - potential for blow-backs and spillage and still empty them as you would a cassette, but without the benefits of a 'air pressure relief' valve, thus getting 'glugs'.

 

I am interested in what benefits you see over a cassette system.

Time Tank 27 man days 2 drums 14 man days so 2 to 6 weeksish before urgent need of sanitary station in reality i tend to decant on a fortnightly basis

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18 minutes ago, b0atman said:

Time Tank 27 man days 2 drums 14 man days so 2 to 6 weeksish before urgent need of sanitary station in reality i tend to decant on a fortnightly basis

With our cassette - 2 of us using it 90%+ of the time one cassette lasts 3-4 days, having 3 cassettes allows emptying every 10-12 days.

I still don't see the benefits of 'double handling'.

 

Either have a holding tank, or a cassette system.

Pumping out every couple of weeks into containers seems to be the worst of both worlds.

 

On the cruiser we have 3 methods :

Sea-toilet

Sea-Toilet diverted to holding tank

Cassette toilet

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On 19/07/2018 at 10:09, Steve Manc said:

Hi Robyn

 

Thank you for the update.

 

We have decided to follow your lead in August. Wish us luck ?

 

Steve

Boat now level

 

Lifted the boards and removed concrete bricks

 

We are now level with toilet tank half full, 

 

Unable to attach photo to assist any other boater.

 

 

12 Aug

Thanks for all replies. We normally pump but have a manual pump out just in case. In May we were on Caldon Canal and CRT pump out wasn't working. Therefore decided to buy one. CRT repaired it the following day. Had the boat pumped out last Friday before starting the work on boat. I carried out a manual pump having not used the toilet after pump out and I took out 24 lts. Not a good result of my fee of £18 to leave 5% in the tank !

 

 

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