Icebreakers ahoy

[SamKingfisher]

So, when boats come past me on my mooring when it's icy - are they grinding my blacking off? Because it sounds like it from on the boat! It's quite some noise. We're talking of 1-2cm of ice that's being broken. This morning it was a CRT tug and butty, taking 3 goes to get through - I accept that they have somewhere to be, and work to do, but is it bad manners to run a trip boat or private boat past on a semi-regular basis? Obvs it's bad for your own blacking (I've been daft enough to take mine off somewhat, though not whilst going past past any other boats).

[RLWP]

Sam, it's a canal. A place where boats travel?

 

Sorry about your blacking, perhaps you should put ice boards down if you are worried

 

Richard

[SamKingfisher]

Yes - that's why I was asking not complaining! So how much damage does it do to your boat? Am I wise to have a go myself if I need to get to water / pump out?

[RLWP]

Who knows? Who has surveyed their blacking before it got icy, then afterwards to check for damage?

 

I'm afraid I don't hold with 'Oi, don't use your boat, you are damaging my blacking' - it's a canal. If someone is worried, they should be in a marina

 

Richard

[SamKingfisher]

Just wondered if it was a "thing" - like slowing down for moored boats. And whether I should check and touch up the blacking at the waterline more frequently than if it didn't happen.

[The Pipe]

We had a good look at Roach when Ian Kemp was re-footing her I can say not allot or nothing and yes Raoch has been through a fair ammount of ice but that only works with a good 2 pack epoxy sytsem. Ice breakers also use a 2 pack epoxy but glass filled giving a very impressive performance especially when you consider the thickness of ice they go through. When ice breaking I'm more worried about my propeller than my blacking.

[Speedwheel]

We're talking of 1-2cm of ice that's being broken.

 

That's nothing.

 

When it gets to 4+ inches, give me a call.

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

 

I'm afraid I don't hold with 'Oi, don't use your boat, you are damaging my blacking' - it's a canal. If someone is worried, they should be in a marina

 

Richard

 

That's the exact exchange I had this morning!

I also had advice from a puffing official from CRT that I should not be travelling through ice.

I could not see the problem. I was watching the ice as it broke and hit the moored boats. The ice was just under 1cm in thickness and was causing no damage whatsoever. It must have sounded pretty loud inside their boats though.

 

I pulled over eventually to keep peace with the neighbours.

Got to within 5 minutes walk of pub so alls well

[Lady Muck]

Yes - that's why I was asking not complaining! So how much damage does it do to your boat? Am I wise to have a go myself if I need to get to water / pump out?

 

Depends on the type of boat, when the canal froze in December, it didn't even get that thick but a work tug blasting its way through the ice was enough to put holes in two cabin cruisers, although admittedly if they hadn't been quadruple berthed - out in the middle of the canal, then they wouldn't have been so close to the tug. We have similar old cabin cruisers on our moorings and they were not damaged.

[Grace and Favour]

Just wondered if it was a "thing" - like slowing down for moored boats. And whether I should check and touch up the blacking at the waterline more frequently than if it didn't happen.

 

Sam - put iceboards down - - - - no problems at all then!

[twbm]

I imagine all the coal boat customers will expect their fuel to still be delivered.

 

The fundamental point here and in lots of other threads is that the canal is a linear transport system originally designed to facilitate the movement of boats carrying goods, or more recently the movement of boats who's owners do it as a leisure pursuit and are entitled to cruise all year round. It is the proliferation of static vessels moored along the side of that transport route that is the exception, and the owners of those boats should equip them to cope with the mobile ones. That includes picking a mooring with adequate depth, provision and proper use of adequate mooring ropes and pins, and in this case ice boards.

[cheshire~rose]

For every person who might be concerned about potential damage to their boat by another one moving in ice there will be three who are pleased to see someone else has broken the ice so they can move more easily (to get to services or just somewhere closer to where they would ideally like to be)

 

There will also be a lot of very grateful wildfowl and probably quite a few fishermen pleased to see them moving too

[NB Alnwick]

I went out on 'Alnwick' yesterday - breaking through about half an inch of ice - I generally find that I can pass moored boats a bit faster without disturbing them when they are icebound.

[carlt]

...or more recently the movement of boats who's owners do it as a leisure pursuit and are entitled to cruise all year round. It is the proliferation of static vessels moored along the side of that transport route that is the exception,

So how long before "new practices" (such as leisure boating was until "more recently") stop being the "exception" and become acceptable?

 

I agree that people who moor online should be equipped appropriately to protect their boats from travelling boats but it has been going on since there has been water in the canals and has increased in line with the proliferation of leisure boats, not as an exception to it.

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

Sam - put iceboards down - - - - no problems at all then!

 

Excuse my ignorance, I've not seen anyone with iceboards. I'm guessing they are simply boards hung off the side and you make them yourself?

 

 

 

To satisfy me curiosity, if anyone could post images I'd be grateful. I'm not after any, it seems no one moves here when it's icy. Cheers.

[carlt]

Excuse my ignorance, I've not seen anyone with iceboards. I'm guessing they are simply boards hung off the side and you make them yourself?

 

I used to hang scaffold boards off the side of my boat, when I moored online, but I had a fragile wooden boat.

 

If I'd had a modern steel hull (or a wooden boat in good repair) I wouldn't have bothered.

[SamKingfisher]

Oh I like the sound of iceboards! I can't think of much finer than a midnight trip through the ice on a still night with a full moon - and not to feel so trapped, I'm miles from pump-out.

 

Having had a good look at the blacking, it seems that I've scoured mine off fairly effectively at the bow, from maybe 1/2 hour through fairly thin stuff. I suppose it stands to reason - the difference between running my hand through water (pleasant) and running my hand through ice (blood everywhere eventually).

 

The blacking at the sides looks ok, so far as I can tell.

 

A sheet of water boil ply cut into lengths, hinged - or just tied together - and hung over the bows aye? And now I'd feel OK about passing people, so thanks for clearing it up for me.

[MtB]

Sam,

 

Ice boards hung out are the traditional method for moored boats to mitigate the effect on their hulls of the ice-breaking boats going past. I think you'd have trouble moving your boat with ice boards on!

 

I'm particularly worried by the CRT 'official' saying you shouldn't be moving in ice. This is blatantly wrong but I can imagine this taking root and in ten years, moving any boat in ice being regarded as bad form, just as happened to the old practice of leaving lock gates open.

 

MtB

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

Oh I like the sound of iceboards! I can't think of much finer than a midnight trip through the ice on a still night with a full moon - and not to feel so trapped, I'm miles from pump-out.

 

Having had a good look at the blacking, it seems that I've scoured mine off fairly effectively at the bow, from maybe 1/2 hour through fairly thin stuff. I suppose it stands to reason - the difference between running my hand through water (pleasant) and running my hand through ice (blood everywhere eventually).

 

The blacking at the sides looks ok, so far as I can tell.

 

A sheet of water boil ply cut into lengths, hinged - or just tied together - and hung over the bows aye? And now I'd feel OK about passing people, so thanks for clearing it up for me.

 

the boards are to hung on moored boats rather than a boat break through ice?

 

Sam,

 

Ice boards hung out are the traditional method for moored boats to mitigate the effect on their hulls of the ice-breaking boats going past. I think you'd have trouble moving your boat with ice boards

 

MtB

 

 

That's what I thought , it take sme a while to type on a damn iPhone or iPad that I'm often out of sync with responses.

[SamKingfisher]

I think you'd have trouble moving your boat with ice boards on!

 

Wait and see! I'm only talking about protecting the bow. I've seen people moving their boats with a whole other boat at the front . .

 

edit for typo

Edited January 17, 2013 by SamKingfisher

[trackman]

The last 3 winters for one reason or other we've had to break ice at some time.

 

I don't like doing it, if only for the selfish reason that it does damage my blacking. The damage has always been confined to small areas each side of the bows. These could easily be touched up later given where they are, but equally, being very near the anodes they haven't seemed to need this urgently.

 

As regards damage to other boats, I've seen no real damage to the sides of even my own boat after ice breaking. Neither have I seen evidence of damage to my boat after others have broken ice past us. This includes BW workboats breaking 4" ice past us in November 2010.

 

I reckon the pressure of the ice expanding as it freezes is as likely to damage boats as the effect of a boat breaking through ice at reasonable speed. The chances of either damaging a steel hull in good condition are minimal. The risk to timber or grp hulls may be more worrying, but I don't think it's significant if the ice is thin and the speed of the moving boat is appropriate.

 

Personally we try to avoid moving through ice at all for our own blacking's sake. I'd try hard to avoid breaking more than say 15mm ice under any circumstances.

[lewisericeric]

I remember the first time I heard the ice breaking and scratching the sound of my boat inside....I was scared!!!