Ice Breaking

[matty40s]

Just out of curiosity where did you cruise from Matty? Is that Long Eaton power station in your video link? I can't place where the photos are.

 

Hi Ange,

I cruised from the Hope and Anchor Syston, met AndyWatson at Barrow Deep Lock, and we continued down the Soar,turning left up the Trent, alomng Sawley Cut, up to Derwent Mouth Lock, then reversed back to the Trent, and back to Sawley Cut. I think the Power Station is more commonly known as Ratcliffe on Soar Power Station.

.

[Ange]

Hi Ange,

I cruised from the Hope and Anchor Syston, met AndyWatson at Barrow Deep Lock, and we continued down the Soar,turning left up the Trent, alomng Sawley Cut, up to Derwent Mouth Lock, then reversed back to the Trent, and back to Sawley Cut. I think the Power Station is more commonly known as Ratcliffe on Soar Power Station.

.

 

Thanks Matty. Dave did correct me on the name of the power station after I'd posted One of the reasons I asked was because of the ice you mentioned. I'm wondering if it's likely to be an issue for us when we make our way to the Loughborough banter. We're moored on the Trent at Beeston Marina at the mo - I'm guessing Cranfleet Cut is going to be our biggest worry, but are there any parts of the Soar between here and Loughborough that might ice over?

 

Edited cos I confused Beeston & Cranfleet Cuts!

Edited December 11, 2011 by Ange

[AJLintern]

I suppose you could drop in a V-shaped piece of steel that fits around the bows at the waterline, roped in place. That would take the brunt of any ice punishment to protect the paint.

[matty40s]

Thanks Matty. Dave did correct me on the name of the power station after I'd posted One of the reasons I asked was because of the ice you mentioned. I'm wondering if it's likely to be an issue for us when we make our way to the Loughborough banter. We're moored on the Trent at Beeston Marina at the mo - I'm guessing Cranfleet Cut is going to be our biggest worry, but are there any parts of the Soar between here and Loughborough that might ice over?

 

Edited cos I confused Beeston & Cranfleet Cuts!

 

there are a couple of sections "The old cut" above Kegworth Deep, Zouch Lock Cut (still a bit of ice at lunchtime yesterday), and the section from Bishops meadow bridge (to the north side of Loughborough) to the basin. All of these sections are canalised, and most at risk of freezing, the rest is flowing river which shouldn't.

all these sections have a small flow, so don't usually freeze as much as a normal canal.

[Tim]

Breaking ice while passing GRP cruisers can be fun too!

[Rebotco]

I suppose you could drop in a V-shaped piece of steel that fits around the bows at the waterline, roped in place. That would take the brunt of any ice punishment to protect the paint.

 

 

Or you could travel backwards and use your prop as a kind of drill!

 

Always glad to help

Brian

[Ange]

there are a couple of sections "The old cut" above Kegworth Deep, Zouch Lock Cut (still a bit of ice at lunchtime yesterday), and the section from Bishops meadow bridge (to the north side of Loughborough) to the basin. All of these sections are canalised, and most at risk of freezing, the rest is flowing river which shouldn't.

all these sections have a small flow, so don't usually freeze as much as a normal canal.

 

Thanks Matty I'm sure we'll be fine but I worry because last time we tried a bit of ice breaking we broke our drive plate!

[matty40s]

Thanks Matty I'm sure we'll be fine but I worry because last time we tried a bit of ice breaking we broke our drive plate!

 

ah, but you were on the Lancy then, and it WAS THICK!!!

[Ange]

ah, but you were on the Lancy then, and it WAS THICK!!!

 

Ha very true! I can't really compare the shallow Lancy to the River Soar, even the canalised sections!

[The Pipe]

The 2 pack epoxy glass is this type of stuff not saying this is what was used on ice breakers, usual disclaimer.

 

http://www.leighspaintsonline.co.uk/epigrip-m922-two-pack-epoxy-glass-flake-38-p.asp

 

70 to a 120 squid for less than a gallon, shot blasting, 2 coats probably not see much change out of 1500 squid.

Sounds reasonable to me.

[ditchcrawler]

Breaking ice while passing GRP cruisers can be fun too!

Only if they are watching

[blackrose]

Or you could travel backwards and use your prop as a kind of drill!

 

Or you could just stay put until the ice thaws.

 

Personally I wouldn't move in ice unless strictly necessary.

[alan_fincher]

I am always intrigued by those who say they have done serious ice-breaking, and claim that subsequent inspection has shown no damage whatsover to blacking, (or even to GRP gel-coat, in the case of at least one well known forum member....).

 

It is almost certainly true that a 2 part epoxy blacking will withstand a lot more than a straight bitumen blacking, but I really do question whether you can break proper ice for miles on end, even with "epoxy", and do no damage to your blacking at all.

 

FWIW our "Sickle", (in the above videos), was explicitly converted from a carrying narrow boat to an ice breaker by the Ministry of War Transport in 1942. Perhaps the MOWT went for overkill, but part of their solution was to add a massive 5 foot long steel ram to the bow, and to completely modify the original bow to have double thickness of steel plating throughout, (she still has all of this). Perhaps had they been available the MOWT could simply have got away with application of a good 2-part epoxy blacking, but I remain unconvinced it would have been fully fit for purpose!

 

Ice-breaking is great fun, but, except in emergency, I'd say is best done when you are expecting to black the boat within the next few months anyway!

[Darren72]

Well I could get No 2 son to give a report back on how it's coping. He's due to rejoin the Shackleton next month in the Falklands, heading back south into the ice.

Port Stanley is not that cold this time of year!

[ditchcrawler]

Or you could travel backwards and use your prop as a kind of drill!

 

Always glad to help

Brian

Actually it can work quite well, back up to the ice and then full ahead, the water flow from the prop can lift the ice so it cracks. Only works up to about an inch.

[NB Alnwick]

I am always intrigued by those who say they have done serious ice-breaking, and claim that subsequent inspection has shown no damage whatsover to blacking, (or even to GRP gel-coat, in the case of at least one well known forum member....).

 

It is almost certainly true that a 2 part epoxy blacking will withstand a lot more than a straight bitumen blacking, but I really do question whether you can break proper ice for miles on end, even with "epoxy", and do no damage to your blacking at all.

 

 

Alan we did it - and our blacking was undamaged. In fact we break ice every Winter, if necessary, and the epoxy blacking (several coats of it) remains sound.

 

Perhaps you are suggesting that the ice that we encountered between Cropredy and Banbury (see post #9) was something other than "proper ice"? I think it was proper enough! We were using pretty near full power to push our way through it. And we were the first boat to reach Banbury in more than a fortnight.

 

Incidentally, it isn't necessarily true that breaking ice requires a lot of reversing - in fact reversing is, in my mind, more hazardous than going forward. On the trip to Banbury that I have already described, we only needed to reverse once in order to negotiate a particularly sharp bend where full power would have been inappropriate due to the proximity of moored boats.

 

I don't mind people being intrigued by what we do but please do not call into question my account of the facts.

Edited December 11, 2011 by NB Alnwick

[Mac of Cygnet]

Port Stanley is not that cold this time of year!

 

No, but they'll be heading into this!

 

 

Edited to say that looking at the picture, the paintwork at the bow does seem to have suffered a bit!

Edited December 12, 2011 by Mac of Cygnet

[Naughty Cal]

I am always intrigued by those who say they have done serious ice-breaking, and claim that subsequent inspection has shown no damage whatsover to blacking, (or even to GRP gel-coat, in the case of at least one well known forum member....).

 

It is almost certainly true that a 2 part epoxy blacking will withstand a lot more than a straight bitumen blacking, but I really do question whether you can break proper ice for miles on end, even with "epoxy", and do no damage to your blacking at all.

 

FWIW our "Sickle", (in the above videos), was explicitly converted from a carrying narrow boat to an ice breaker by the Ministry of War Transport in 1942. Perhaps the MOWT went for overkill, but part of their solution was to add a massive 5 foot long steel ram to the bow, and to completely modify the original bow to have double thickness of steel plating throughout, (she still has all of this). Perhaps had they been available the MOWT could simply have got away with application of a good 2-part epoxy blacking, but I remain unconvinced it would have been fully fit for purpose!

 

Ice-breaking is great fun, but, except in emergency, I'd say is best done when you are expecting to black the boat within the next few months anyway!

 

We did quite a bit of ice breaking last winter and certainly got some very odd looks on Saturday when were the only boat moving on the Fossdyke and broke the ice all the way from the marina to Lincoln to do the shopping. There were no signs of damage caused to the gel coat by ice on our last lift out in March/April and following a closer inspection on Saturday afternoon there doesnt appear ti be any damage causwed by our latest bout of ice breaking.

 

If people are concerned about their boats they will protect them as they see fit. We got no complaints at the weekend depsite passing a fait old mix of steel, wood and GRP hulled boats. It was a great run and watching the ice breaking was intersting.

[cotswoldsman]

I am always intrigued by those who say they have done serious ice-breaking, and claim that subsequent inspection has shown no damage whatsover to blacking, (or even to GRP gel-coat, in the case of at least one well known forum member....).

 

It is almost certainly true that a 2 part epoxy blacking will withstand a lot more than a straight bitumen blacking, but I really do question whether you can break proper ice for miles on end, even with "epoxy", and do no damage to your blacking at all.

 

FWIW our "Sickle", (in the above videos), was explicitly converted from a carrying narrow boat to an ice breaker by the Ministry of War Transport in 1942. Perhaps the MOWT went for overkill, but part of their solution was to add a massive 5 foot long steel ram to the bow, and to completely modify the original bow to have double thickness of steel plating throughout, (she still has all of this). Perhaps had they been available the MOWT could simply have got away with application of a good 2-part epoxy blacking, but I remain unconvinced it would have been fully fit for purpose!

 

Ice-breaking is great fun, but, except in emergency, I'd say is best done when you are expecting to black the boat within the next few months anyway!

 

Alan can not agree have had to break ice for 2 winters since my last blacking and have found it to be fine. When in Hemel this year found myself in a pound that had emptied overnight and had a chance to inspect.

I also do not happen to think that ice-breaking is not a great deal of fun but for us CCers is something that has to be done on a regular basis.

 

 

 

[alan_fincher]

Alan can not agree have had to break ice for 2 winters since my last blacking and have found it to be fine. When in Hemel this year found myself in a pound that had emptied overnight and had a chance to inspect.

Out of interest John, are we talking an epoxy blacking, or just a normal bitumen ?

 

I was told that the ice-breaking done by Sickle in the videos above most certainly had taken a lot of "conventional" blacking off, and frankly I'd be amazed if it hadn't.

[cotswoldsman]

Out of interest John, are we talking an epoxy blacking, or just a normal bitumen ?

 

I was told that the ice-breaking done by Sickle in the videos above most certainly had taken a lot of "conventional" blacking off, and frankly I'd be amazed if it hadn't.

 

Ummmm it is black, does that answer your question. (in other words I do not have a clue)

Could you explain to me why it would take the blacking off except some on the pointy end.

[The Pipe]

Now these are serious ice breakers.

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=russian+icebreakers&hl=en&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=Di3mTqzDJ4jm-ga1v7nEBQ&sqi=2&ved=0CGIQsAQ&biw=1272&bih=573

[furnessvale]

Ummmm it is black, does that answer your question. (in other words I do not have a clue)

Could you explain to me why it would take the blacking off except some on the pointy end.

 

I can't give you the technical why other than to agree that it does. Try it with a wooden boat and it will take the wood never mind the blacking, hence the presence of ice plates on working wooden motors.

 

George ex nb Alton retired

[cotswoldsman]

I can't give you the technical why other than to agree that it does. Try it with a wooden boat and it will take the wood never mind the blacking, hence the presence of ice plates on working wooden motors.

 

George ex nb Alton retired

 

George I can only go by my own experience and the video I have shown. Is it maybe something to do with design or speed? Like most things concerning boats on canals I can only give my experience and in my experience my blacking has not been effected.

[Arge]

George I can only go by my own experience and the video I have shown. Is it maybe something to do with design or speed? Like most things concerning boats on canals I can only give my experience and in my experience my blacking has not been effected.

 

Hello all

Having watched the videos of ice breaking, never mind the blacking what about youre poor prop having to smash up all those big lumps of

ice being drawn under, cant be good for the gear box neither,i would find the banging and clunking too much for me to bear.

Arge.