Clearing the prop with a cabin shaft

[Chertsey]

I've put this in H&H as I don't imagine many other sort of boat owners have to worry about it.

 

Now, it may be a miracle, or it may be something to do with Chertsey's prop, or it may be that we have not yet extensively cruised the BCN, but so far I don't appear to have picked up anything significant.

 

Sometimes though I think I might have (and surely by now there must be an accumulation of little bits on there) so I try and have a root about with the cabin shaft, but I have never succeeded in catching anything. I wonr if I am doing it wrong. I've seen other people give a quick thrust and a twist and emerge with satisfying amounts of plastic and string.

 

Can anyone possibly explain/draw the proper, most effective technique, angle of approach and anything else that would help?

 

I also have a shunters hook (like a pig's tail) as recommended by Blossom which might be easier to wield as it has a shorter shaft. Does anyone else use one, and is the technique the same?

 

Many thanks.

[carlt]

I also have a shunters hook (like a pig's tail)...

Nice. I want one!

 

I have a Bronze double hook (hooks pointing backwards) that I found more useful than the traditional "pike" type hook (and less prone to poking holes in things such as soggy wooden hulls) which I used to use by lying on the towpath and leaning over, keeping the shaft floating on the water and the bronze hook seemed to sink to just the right depth for trying to clear the prop.

 

After what seemed like several hours (but was probably 10 minutes) of fruitlessly getting my top half soaking wet I then got in waist deep with a bread knife to finish off the soaking.

[Tam & Di]

I've put this in H&H as I don't imagine many other sort of boat owners have to worry about it.

 

Now, it may be a miracle, or it may be something to do with Chertsey's prop, or it may be that we have not yet extensively cruised the BCN, but so far I don't appear to have picked up anything significant.

 

 

You're making that sound like a complaint

 

You've possibly got a longer cabin shaft than I used, but I mostly found I had to use the long shaft (especially when loaded of course). The methodology would be the same though - most generally I'd attack it from the bottom, with the hook bit of the shaft pointing upwards. I'd push it in so the shaft head could rest on the skeg, forward of the prop. Then lift it up to feel the underside of the propshaft, and pull back till the hook engaged the propshaft and/or rubble. Really stubbord nasties might require me to get the shaft head tangled in it by twisting, and then put the engine in gear (probably reverse, as the crud went on in head gear) with it decompressed so someone could wind it over by hand while I tried to encourage the crud to let go.

 

My use of past tense is because the canals over here are so generally clean and deep that I'm out of practice in that particular gentle art.

[Derek R.]

Just in case someone did get the wrong impression - Tam's advice is with the engine stopped!! In gear and cranked by hand, never done that myself if only due to much single handed boating.

 

If you have the shaft in the water and forget which way the hook is facing (easy done), a groove can be cut in the handle up where you are holding it, the same side as the hook, so by touch you can know where the hook is down below.

 

Had a shunters pole once, blessed if I know where that went. Always thought of putting a 'tit' on the end to help closing/opening gates. Probably a daft idea. I do get them.

[koukouvagia]

Get a weed hatch.

There are times when no amount of technique will be enough. After struggling for hours trying to remove a tightly wound length of rope in freezing cold weather I bit the bullet and put one in. It's perfectly possible to have a hidden weed hatch on an historic boat, because there's plenty of room for access between the uxter plate and the back deck.

 

It is surprising how much slow revving engines will tolerate round the blade and still keep going. I picked up this length of rope complete with grappling hooks recently and only realised something was amiss at a routine inspection through the weed hatch at the end of the day.

 

 

[RLWP]

Is it easier to clear the prop with a cabin shaft, or clear the cabin with a prop shaft?

 

Richard

[Chris Pink]

..

Edited August 10, 2012 by Chris Pink

[twbm]

Surely you've had the regular prop full of leaves and weed that alters the wash and feel of the tiller? That you can shift with a belt of reverse, however a similar change to the wash would be the clue for anything else you might pick up, so if the wash is tucking under cleanly without excessive bubbles, and the tiller isn't rattling around, it's near as dammit clear. Enjoy it whilst it lasts.

 

Meanwhile picking up on the Buckby topic, here's some real men:

 

[Chris Pink]

 

 

Makes a change to find something useful.

Edited August 10, 2012 by Chris Pink

[Pluto]

Get a weed hatch.

 

Better still, get a wooden L&LC short boat, where the propellor sticks out the back. None of those stupid counter things for boats with real shape underwater!

[twbm]

Is it easier to clear the prop with a cabin shaft, or clear the cabin with a prop shaft?

 

Richard

 

If we don't get our prop shaft bearing sorted this winter I might be able to update you.

[johnthebridge]

I've put this in H&H as I don't imagine many other sort of boat owners have to worry about it.

 

 

Can anyone possibly explain/draw the proper, most effective technique, angle of approach and anything else that would help?

 

I also have a shunters hook (like a pig's tail) as recommended by Blossom which might be easier to wield as it has a shorter shaft. Does anyone else use one, and is the technique the same?

 

Many thanks.

 

Hello Sarah,

I've still got my shunter's hook, obtained from Woodham's yard some 40 years ago! I've always found it easier to use than a boathook, I think because of the curvature of the hook and the sharper point. I can't say I've a specific technique, but after a time you get a feel for picking stuff off. As you've probably found, the biggest problem is actually knowing which way up the hook is when it's in the water, but I've found that so long as you keep it up the right way (make a mark on the shaft at the top end, aligned with the point of the hook), and just feel around very gently with the point, most crap comes off. Practice makes perfect.

Incidentally, on the Stour cut you recently met an old mate of mine, in a Kiddie bridgehole I believe? Paul, on Uranus. He told me yesterday that an empty Large Woolwich fore-end coming the other way is still a great sight!

John.

Edited August 10, 2012 by johnthebridge

[billh]

 

 

I also have a shunters hook (like a pig's tail) as recommended by Blossom which might be easier to wield as it has a shorter shaft. Does anyone else use one, and is the technique the same?

 

Many thanks.

Used one for forty years, not for shunting, for clearing the prop .

Technique: Bring the boat close to the bank , preferably where the bank is low. The best place is usually in a bridgehole ( where you probably picked up the rubbish on the prop anyway!) Get the boat about a foot away from the bank and crouch down at the side opposite the prop. Poke the pole until you find the shaft just in front of the prop and turn the pole clockwise gently , the pig tail engages the plastic, wire, rope or whatever, keep turning the pole for about 3 turns , then pull like hell . You might need someone to hold the boat out.If it's really stubborn you can often get a loose loop of whatever it is , coming out attached to the pole , cut the loop, and go through the process again. 99/100 this works. Never used a boat shaft for this. You can still get new shunter's poles from the Railway Supply Co.

Bill

[Grace and Favour]

I've put this in H&H as I don't imagine many other sort of boat owners have to worry about it.

 

Now, it may be a miracle, or it may be something to do with Chertsey's prop, or it may be that we have not yet extensively cruised the BCN, but so far I don't appear to have picked up anything significant.

 

Sometimes though I think I might have (and surely by now there must be an accumulation of little bits on there) so I try and have a root about with the cabin shaft, but I have never succeeded in catching anything. I wonr if I am doing it wrong. I've seen other people give a quick thrust and a twist and emerge with satisfying amounts of plastic and string.

 

Can anyone possibly explain/draw the proper, most effective technique, angle of approach and anything else that would help?

 

I also have a shunters hook (like a pig's tail) as recommended by Blossom which might be easier to wield as it has a shorter shaft. Does anyone else use one, and is the technique the same?

 

Many thanks.

 

I use a shunter's pole - - natty little thing - so far have only used it to remove assorted plastic, but the 'pig's tail' (I hadn't thought of describing it as that!!) is great for that, - >in the plastic - twist it to the left, pull the rubbish off (normally rips the plastic of course - so a couple of proddles normally required)

 

Edited to add, I bought our pole from the manufacturers in Huddersfield - Excellent service from them

Carters

Edited August 10, 2012 by Grace & Favour

[MoominPapa]

Surely you've had the regular prop full of leaves and weed that alters the wash and feel of the tiller?

You must have forgotten or never knew that Chertsey used to reside out in the Fens - otherwise you'd know the answer to that question without asking it

 

MP.

[Laurence Hogg]

You really need to do this mod to the boat, this has saved us so much effort and time when on the lesser good parts of the system. If you are doing urban waterways like the BCN its almost essential. And lets face it if the boats had evolved further it would be standard now.

 

As fitted to "Barnet":

 

and from inside:

[alan_fincher]

Get a weed hatch.

 

Wussies!.

 

 

Mind you, I'm not shore I'm yet prepared to say why I was down the weed hatch of our "modern" boat for the first time of the trip, this morning.

 

It's all too embarrassing!

[Chertsey]

Hello Sarah,

I've still got my shunter's hook, obtained from Woodham's yard some 40 years ago! I've always found it easier to use than a boathook, I think because of the curvature of the hook and the sharper point. I can't say I've a specific technique, but after a time you get a feel for picking stuff off. As you've probably found, the biggest problem is actually knowing which way up the hook is when it's in the water, but I've found that so long as you keep it up the right way (make a mark on the shaft at the top end, aligned with the point of the hook), and just feel around very gently with the point, most crap comes off. Practice makes perfect.

Incidentally, on the Stour cut you recently met an old mate of mine, in a Kiddie bridgehole I believe? Paul, on Uranus. He told me yesterday that an empty Large Woolwich fore-end coming the other way is still a great sight!

John.

Oh yes, nice bit of passing that was

 

You must have forgotten or never knew that Chertsey used to reside out in the Fens - otherwise you'd know the answer to that question without asking it

 

MP.

Ooh no Moomin, we've never taken Chertsey round Whittlesey Dyke. That was Warrior.

 

 

 

Edited to add, I bought our pole from the manufacturers in Huddersfield - Excellent service from them

Carters

That's where I got mine. Very good service as you say and a fabulous catalogue full of things you never knew you wanted.

 

Thank you for all the advice - lots there I wouldn't have worked out on my own.

Can't wait to get next to the bank and have another go now.

 

PS. After seventybfive years I don'tbthink I could bear to cut a weedhatch. Got no door from cabin to engine room either.

 

Wussies!.

 

 

Mind you, I'm not shore I'm yet prepared to say why I was down the weed hatch of our "modern" boat for the first time of the trip, this morning.

 

It's all too embarrassing!

Go on, you know you want to.

[MoominPapa]

Ooh no Moomin, we've never taken Chertsey round Whittlesey Dyke. That was Warrior.

Mindful of the "real names" thread, I was refering to Chertsey the person, not Chertsey the boat. I'm sure it would go 'round the Briggatte bend though, if you wanted to visit....

 

 

MP.

[Chertsey]

Mindful of the "real names" thread, I was refering to Chertsey the person, not Chertsey the boat. I'm sure it would go 'round the Briggatte bend though, if you wanted to visit....

 

 

MP.

Aha. Yes, if I ever feel an overwhelming need to go back there I'm sure it could be managed. If.

[XAlan W]

I found using an angle grinder to make a series of waves sharpened [ ar la bread knife]on the inside of the hook & using a sawing motion often helped to cut the assorted plastic rope etc.from the prop& shaft, also cut a groove length ways for the last foot or so of the shaft lining up with the hook so as you know which way it`s pointing, also shortening the spike end is sometimes an advantage

[MoominPapa]

Ok, I've just realised that I'm suffering from terminology confusion: I always assumed that the "cabin shaft" was what a lay-person would call a barge-pole, ie the large diameter pole used for pushing. Clearly from this thread, the cabin shaft is what I've always called the "boat hook". In that case, what's the correct term for a pushing-shaft?

 

MP.

[Chertsey]

A long shaft.

The cabin shaft lives on the cabin top for quick deployment.

The long shaft is too long to live there.

Edited August 10, 2012 by Chertsey

[RLWP]

A long shaft.

 

Or a short shaft

 

Richard

[billh]

You really need to do this mod to the boat, this has saved us so much effort and time when on the lesser good parts of the system. If you are doing urban waterways like the BCN its almost essential. And lets face it if the boats had evolved further it would be standard now.

 

As fitted to "Barnet":

 

and from inside:

Yes, well how can this be adapted to a wooden boat? How much did it cost? It looks like it might be a long way to reach from lying on the deck to work the wire cutters on stuff wrapped round the shaft and manipulating any sort of boat hook down that hatch looks difficult too. Is it really that much better? Lesser used urban waterways is what we've always done,( and I include most parts of the BCN), no weed hatch.

Bill