Worcs / Birmingham - frozen?

[She25]

Any input from anybody between Worcester and Hanbury (canal not river) as to how much ice is around? Could get my boat back this weekend but as it's just been blacked I'd like to keep it in that state so thinking I might leave it until next weekend.

 

Any thoughts?

[Emerald Fox]

Has the blacking dried/cured properly?

 

And, what does ice do to narrowboats? If you drive along a canal and push sheets of ice against other boats, does that cause damage, eg. the blacking to be cut off?

 

If you're on a boat and another comes along driving in ice, and there's a terrible scraping and grinding, is there any cause for complaint? Isn't it comparable to driving a car along a road, someone overtakes you and chucks a load of slush onto your windscreen?

What is the etiquette for driving a narrowboat in icy conditions?

[furnessvale]

Has the blacking dried/cured properly?

 

And, what does ice do to narrowboats? If you drive along a canal and push sheets of ice against other boats, does that cause damage, eg. the blacking to be cut off?

 

If you're on a boat and another comes along driving in ice, and there's a terrible scraping and grinding, is there any cause for complaint? Isn't it comparable to driving a car along a road, someone overtakes you and chucks a load of slush onto your windscreen?

What is the etiquette for driving a narrowboat in icy conditions?

We all have the right to navigate, even through ice. Doing so WILL damage your blacking.

 

Anyone moored should be aware of the possibility of a passing boat and, if concerned, should deploy ice boards.

 

Having steered both Alton and a restaurant boat through ice, I would have been a very unpopular bunny if I'd said, "sorry, no coal today, ice". As for the restaurant boat, five people relied on the boat for their wages, as I told a couple of complainers.

 

George ex nb Alton retired

[b0atman]

A nice 1/2" layer of ice forced into a fibreglass boat that you happen to be passing could do some serious damage .

I once moved my boat to the water point by putting it in forward at tick over and then standing at bow (pointy bit) breaking a passage through to water point I after filling up simply reversed back to mooring.

No damage to any other boats and minimum damage to my blacking.

[Alan de Enfield]

Has the blacking dried/cured properly?

 

 

 

Good point - many companies wil not Black in the winter unless they have a heated dry-dock.

Otherwise too many complaints that the 'blacking has come off'.

[matty40s]

A nice 1/2" layer of ice forced into a fibreglass boat that you happen to be passing could do some serious damage .

 

Phylis will be along in a minute to pooh pooh this.

 

My recent ice breaking from Stowe Hill to Stoke Bruerne didn't affect my 6 month old hull covering at all, however, I used 2 pack Dacrylate. Normal bitumen (especially if only just done) will strip off easily.

 

Unfortunately, next weekend doesn;t look much better.

[She25]

Anybody know "how" frozen the cut is though between Worcs and Hanbury?

[furnessvale]

A nice 1/2" layer of ice forced into a fibreglass boat that you happen to be passing could do some serious damage .

 

Quite possibly, which is why the owner of such a boat must deploy ice boards.

 

George ex nb Alton retired

[bottle]

She25

 

Have a look at the Met Office web site, search for the local town and it will give you the forecast for the next five days.

 

For instance where I am the temperature forecast only goes below freezing on one night after the weekend, for the rest of the time it is in the 3 to 4° C range

[pearley]

We're only promised 0 degrees here in Watford over the next 5 days and may hit a high of 8 on Monday.

[Emerald Fox]

I wasn't complaining, just wondering. We drove through quite thick ice 3 weeks ago and I guess I'll see what we did to our boat when it comes out for blacking Summer 2016 - unless we put holes in it and it's sunk already, heh!

 

She-who-is-25, how abouts giving the Hanbury Wharf marina/boatyard a phonecall to ask? Or the chandlery-shop-thingy. We have been there and they were friendly.

Also will PM you now.

[David Schweizer]

A nice 1/2" layer of ice forced into a fibreglass boat that you happen to be passing could do some serious damage .

I once moved my boat to the water point by putting it in forward at tick over and then standing at bow (pointy bit) breaking a passage through to water point I after filling up simply reversed back to mooring.

No damage to any other boats and minimum damage to my blacking.

 

I believe that most GRP boats built these days are double skinned with an impact resistant filling betwen the skins, but that wasn't always the case. I can remember back in the 1960's a single working motor boat came through above Uxbridge lock,cutting through fairly thick ice, which slid across the unbroken ice like tectonic plates. One of the plates hit the side of a small GRP cruiser slicing it in half. I hace never seen a boat sink so fast,

 

Of course the owner should have done what all the other GRP boat owners had done, and haul it onto the bank over winter, to prevent such an eventuality, especially as there were something like 20 pairs of working bopats passing through twice every week.

Edited January 23, 2015 by David Schweizer

[colmac]

Although we are in Stourport it is much the same geographical area I suppose and the canal here is frozen over. However, it is rapidly thawing out as I speak.

[Puckle]

Getting back to the original question. I am at Hanbury Wharf and yes it is frozen and it has been for a couple of days so a little on the thick side.

[Graham Davis]

Anybody know "how" frozen the cut is though between Worcs and Hanbury?

 

Not the exact area, but higher up; the Main Line visible from the train from Wolverhampton Top Lock to Birmingham yesterday looked to be ice free.

Edited January 23, 2015 by Graham Davis

[madcat]

Where are you starting from ? Maybe you could get detailed local info on various pRts of your route.

 

For what it's worth I would stay put and let it cure a bit before moving if there's a chance of ice ,

[MarkHez]

A nice 1/2" layer of ice forced into a fibreglass boat that you happen to be passing could do some serious damage .

I once moved my boat to the water point by putting it in forward at tick over and then standing at bow (pointy bit) breaking a passage through to water point I after filling up simply reversed back to mooring.

No damage to any other boats and minimum damage to my blacking.

Could do, but I think the chances are rare, Ice boards almost remove the risk entirely. I went out before christmas Ice breaking to get to the water point and empty my elsan, ice was only half an inch thick at the worst places and yet a narrowboater lept onto his deck and starting shouting how much damage I was doing to his boat..... I'm in a 1960s fibreglass cruiser, and there was hardly a scratch on it after doing 2 miles!

[madcat]

It's cold down here in Worcester but slightly above freezing now at 12 52. Postman was feeling the cold today though and he looked cold too. Luckily we are nearly at the end of the round.

[Emerald Fox]

"a narrowboater lept onto his deck and starting shouting how much damage I was doing to his boat."

 

An answer I got, after asking about etiquette in ice-driving, was that "they should take their boats out of the water then!".

 

Has anyone made an insurance claim about this, other boats damaging their blacking due to driving through ice?

Is there a legal view on this? Court cases? Punch-ups?

What should I say if 'm driving through ice and someone jumps up and down moaning I'm causing damage?

[AndyEd]

It's a bit thicker than last weekend when you went down but no unfrozen gaps inbetween as there was Saturday

[Sea Dog]

it's just been blacked I'd like to keep it in that state so thinking I might leave it until next weekend.

 

Any thoughts?

 

In view of this reply......

 

Getting back to the original question. I am at Hanbury Wharf and yes it is frozen and it has been for a couple of days so a little on the thick side.

 

My thoughts are that you're already thinking along the right lines. I'd leave it til next weekend too, and longer if necessary.

[Dave_P]

The Birmingham level of the W&B is mostly frozen. I don't see why it should be any different at the Worcester end.

[She25]

Thanks everyone. Next weekend it is then.

[nicknorman]

I don't see why it should be any different at the Worcester end.

Well firstly there is the 400 feet or so difference in elevation. Secondly, have you tried locking up or down from Worcester to brum or vice versa? It really is very hard work, and bearing in mind conservation of energy, where do you think all that energy you expend ends up? In warming the water of course! And the flow is down the way, so all that warmed water ends up in Worcester.

 

 

 

 

 

Yes it's a slow night!

[Dave_P]

Well firstly there is the 400 feet or so difference in elevation. Secondly, have you tried locking up or down from Worcester to brum or vice versa? It really is very hard work, and bearing in mind conservation of energy, where do you think all that energy you expend ends up? In warming the water of course! And the flow is down the way, so all that warmed water ends up in Worcester.

 

 

 

 

 

Yes it's a slow night!

Surely hot air rises, so it will be warmer at the top of the flight and colder at the bottom?

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katabatic_wind

Edited January 24, 2015 by Dave_P