Narrow Boat Trust Summer Coal Run 2009

[mykaskin]

 

Enjoy,

 

Mike

[Ray T]

Did enjoy it very much, thanks for posting.

[dccruiser]

Excellent to watch, cheers

 

Rick

[alan_fincher]

Yes,

 

Me too - particularly as it is very much on my local patch.

 

I liked the fact it was truly in the right order, with no fancy effects. Gives a very much better impression of the operation than when people try and make it too "glitzy".

 

A lot of the same "cc-ers" on that stretch in 2009 as in 2011, I noted!

[giveitsomeoil]

Another Excellent Mikey productions,

Not sure about all this throwing the line in the motors cabin!! I wouldn't be having that!

[Terence]

Loved it Mike, some fascinating bits.

I have a question, Why such a long length of rope between the two boats when towing?

 

Say hi the next time your passing.

Cheers,

Terence

[giveitsomeoil]

Hi Terence,

 

When Loaded, In order to make decent headway Running the boats 'single' or one behind the other is necessary! If the Line is too short to the butty then, a) Progress is hindered as the motors wash directs straight into the oncoming path of the Butty, thus slowing it down. The butty will not be able to draw its own water when in the turbulent water of the motor boat and finally c) A short line when loaded makes for incredibly energetic steering of the butty boat and if found in the wrong place could end up running the motor onto the bank!

 

Generally the deeper the load then the longer the line! However obviously exceptions to the rule and considerations have to be taken into account such as depth of canal/river number and experience of crew and length of pound travelling !

 

There Is no point in Running single down lock flights if the time you save by doing so between locks is greatly outwayed by the time lost faffing about 'picking up' and 'letting in' the butty. In this case you might just as well run abreast!

 

Captain Kangaroo

(with a very nice new can )

Edited February 16, 2011 by giveitsomeoil

[scrumpylurcher]

Excellent video as usual Mike, thanks very much

[Blossom]

Another Excellent Mikey productions,

Not sure about all this throwing the line in the motors cabin!! I wouldn't be having that!

Neither would I nor 'er in doors! I can just imagine what Dawn would say if I started chucking great coils of soaking wet snubber in her back cabin.

[Terence]

Hi Terence,

 

When Loaded, In order to make decent headway Running the boats 'single' or one behind the other is necessary! If the Line is too short to the butty then, a) Progress is hindered as the motors wash directs straight into the oncoming path of the Butty, thus slowing it down. The butty will not be able to draw its own water when in the turbulent water of the motor boat and finally c) A short line when loaded makes for incredibly energetic steering of the butty boat and if found in the wrong place could end up running the motor onto the bank!

 

Generally the deeper the load then the longer the line! However obviously exceptions to the rule and considerations have to be taken into account such as depth of canal/river number and experience of crew and length of pound travelling !

 

There Is no point in Running single down lock flights if the time you save by doing so between locks is greatly outwayed by the time lost faffing about 'picking up' and 'letting in' the butty. In this case you might just as well run abreast!

 

Captain Kangaroo

(with a very nice new can )

 

Thank you Laurence much appreciated I am a wiser man.

Hope Kangaroo is wearing her Can with pride.

 

Cheers

Terence

[Dan Gereaux]

Re: "Not sure about all this throwing the line in the motors cabin!! I wouldn't be having that!"

Ok Blossom & Lawrence, where would you put it then?

I agree that when wet it will make a mess of the cabin but it's certainly safer.

 

I will add that we switched to the shorter 'snatcher'from the long 'snubber' shortly after the end of the film.

It's good to have some practive with the unweildy snubber 'tho.

 

Thanks for posting the film, Mike - good quality, well edited and some really nice shots.

Edited February 17, 2011 by Dan Gereaux

[Speedwheel]

Ok Blossom & Lawrence, where would you put it then?

I agree that when wet it will make a mess of the cabin but it's certainly safer.

 

Deleted. I remember the last thread.

Edited February 17, 2011 by Speedwheel

[giveitsomeoil]

Ok Blossom & Lawrence, where would you put it then?

I agree that when wet it will make a mess of the cabin but it's certainly safer.

 

 

 

Picking up your long line and putting it on the counter when paying it out has never been a problem for myself or the boatmen who taught me?? However Had I have ever thrown a wet old line in their cabin I would have probably been belted round the ear. Would you do that at home?

A skilled boatman will coil a line before placing it in the correct place on the buttys fore-end ready for collection on leaving the lock! Throwing it in to the cabin will just knot and jumble the line leading to a slower, more dangerous pick up!

[mykaskin]

Lol,

 

If you have the line on the counter is there an easy way of paying it out, or do you have to use a hand to control it? At least sticking it in the cabin you can use your foot to control the length.

 

Mike

[Speedwheel]

I was always taught that dropping the line into the cabin was a no no because it was dangerous for anyone inside. As you let the line out it can catch someones foot or hand(possibly not so relevant these days as there are less likely to be children in the cabin).

 

Laurence, there used to be a nice video on Youtube of picking up a butty. I can't find it on Malcolm's channel. You know where it is?

Edited February 17, 2011 by Speedwheel

[giveitsomeoil]

Paying it out by hand is by far the easiest and you have more control. Depending on the half hitch/turns taken on the dolly / dollies ( not getting into that as everybody does it differently ) you should be able to stand in the hatches (doors closed behind you if wet)and simply by tightening the grip in one hand take the strain of a loaded butty being picked up by a loaded motor running full ahead! Without rope burns!! lol

 

It is after all the turn on the dolly that takes the strain not the final knot!

 

If there are any knots, or jumbles in the line these then are clearly visable on the counter. Obviously the obvective is to let out the line as quiclkly as possible to gain maximum speed along the pound. If you are not letting out all the line then I may suggest you are using the wrong line!

 

Incidently I never use Thick or heavy snatchers with eyelets on both ends. These are more dangerous and prone to breaking! Ordinary Line should be sufficient for towing a loaded butty!

 

Yes Mark,

 

Needs to be reloaded I was looking for it as well. Will try and put it up later.

[mykaskin]

Laurence, there used to be a nice video on Youtube of picking up a butty. I can't find it on Malcolm's channel. You know where it is?

 

This one?

 

[giveitsomeoil]

Erm no not that one, as we were on cross straps then! But none the less a great video Mike.

Was a very nice day IIRC!

[GSer]

I noticed on the Joshing about clip at about 7:20 the steerer just pulled the pawls on the ground paddles and let them drop, is that normal for working boat operators??

 

I thought that practice was understandably frowned upon or is it a case of 'one rule for one..........etc'?

 

Paul

[Derek R.]

Nope. Nice pick-up, but empty boat on cross straps out of Lady Capels.

Don't think you'll find it on the gravel run set either.

[giveitsomeoil]

Joshing about part 2 shows Malcolm on Jaguar picking up on a line and also my self at the very end doing the same with no wet cabins. However I appriciate everyone has there own way of doing things and there is no 'right' way.

 

Was purely an observation that I wouldnt stand for rope thrown in my cabin!

[Doorman]

Brilliant!

[Derek R.]

I noticed on the Joshing about clip at about 7:20 the steerer just pulled the pawls on the ground paddles and let them drop, is that normal for working boat operators??

 

I thought that practice was understandably frowned upon or is it a case of 'one rule for one..........etc'?

 

Paul

 

It was always done that way during the working years, but that was when those who did it were taught the ropes from generation to generation, and all had a healthy respect for the cut, the boats, and the methods of working. Along comes the holiday maker come casual cruiser, and the lack of tuition and intuition began a spate of accidents, and possible accidents with windlasses flying off spindles, and lo and behold - rules and practices changed in favour of gently Bentley. Amongst many today such a practice may be frowned upon, largely due to a certain amount of 'political correctness' which itself has been propounded by BW in an attempt to make things safer, and less likely for litigation claims against their nasty dirty bits of metal taking little Johnny's fingers off.

 

If you want to take that as just one persons opinion, you are quite welcome. It's just me on a 'good' day. There was also a time when blokes walked across scaffold planks when locks were being worked on, with no hard hats and no safety curtain/rails and no Toetectors. I could climb up a tower crane on the outside for the crack, and Motorcyclists wore beret's.

 

Now look what you've started!

[bargeeboy]

I was always taught that dropping the line into the cabin was a no no because it was dangerous for anyone inside. As you let the line out it can catch someones foot or hand(possibly not so relevant these days as there are less likely to be children in the cabin).

 

Laurence, there used to be a nice video on Youtube of picking up a butty. I can't find it on Malcolm's channel. You know where it is?

 

Just re-posted Picking up Butty

 

I use a lighter line as well as it gets heavy after a while.

Edited February 17, 2011 by bargeeboy

[Tam & Di]

 

 

If you want to take that as just one TWO persons' opinion, you are quite welcome. It's just me on a 'good' day. There was also a time when blokes walked across scaffold planks when locks were being worked on, with no hard hats and no safety curtain/rails and no Toetectors. I could climb up a tower crane on the outside for the crack, and Motorcyclists wore beret's.

 

Now look what you've started!

 

..... nor would we throw a wet line down into the cabin. Apart from the mess there are too many things like coal box and stove doors for it to catch on. I too would coil it neatly and put it on the butty's fore end as that came alongside, ready to pick up again from the boat's counter, without walking forward to get it. On the other hand I too have done daft things like close one bottom gate of Denham deep then jumped from that across the 7' gap to the other one instead of walking round. I guess we were all young and foolish at some point.

Edited February 17, 2011 by Tam & Di