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Thick Ice / Moving a Narrowboat ?

GreyLady

By GreyLady
in General Boating

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Tiggs Community Regular

Tiggs

Posted
Posted

I believe (and would be interested to hear from the experts on this) that the repeated impacts of backing off and then running at an ice sheet do the gearbox bearings and engine mounts no good at all as the drive train is abruptly decelerated.

 

It's not more harmful than normal forwards and backing really, just more of it, provided you don't get frustrated and slamming the gearbox into reverse, forward and back again without allowing the engine to decelerate to idle.

 

It's possible to make reasonable progress up to about 1/2 inch of ice, at 1 inch it starts getting tricky to steer around corners, especially with a full length boat since you only make about 7'6" of hole to drive through. It becomes very slow going and only recommended in order to get to a mooring close to the pub (and sources of water, etc to lay up until its gone)

 

More than 2 inches is really not practical and almost impossible to get into locks.

 

It wears the blacking very quickly, but only at the waterline. I see comments about sacrificial but this is not the point is it, it's normally lasting 2-3 years but you can wear it off in 2-3 hours. You can re-black this using the tipping method if you have to though.

 

I've never noticed any glass boats sinking after we have passed then in ice; then I don't tend to look back very often.

 

In all seriousness, it's best avoided if at all possible.

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Paul C Veteran II

Paul C

Posted
Posted

I believe (and would be interested to hear from the experts on this) that the repeated impacts of backing off and then running at an ice sheet do the gearbox bearings and engine mounts no good at all as the drive train is abruptly decelerated.

 

I'd have thought not, given that the prop slips in the water and doesn't grip like a vehicle tyre on a road surface. Also, one rarely needs to repeatedly reverse and go forwards to break through ice. Its not a uniform thickness etc, normally a slightly slower but constant engine speed will allow the boat to get through, helped by its momentum in the thicker patches.

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Phil Ambrose Veteran II

Phil Ambrose

Posted
Posted

Unless you really have to move a boat it is not worth the bother and yes, it does damage/sink plywood/fibreglass and wooden boats.

Bit of s sweeping statement, we DID go ice breaking in our GRP cruiser. Hull form meant the bows rodry up slightly and the weight of our 40' x 12' boat just broke it under the boat.

I also used to go weekly for fuel in a 12' x 6' dinghy which also broke ice in a similar manner and that boat was ply.

Phil

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alan_fincher Veteran II

alan_fincher

Posted
Posted

Can't resist an excuse to re-post these videos of our boat "Sickle" recreating its former role.

 



 

Here is one of "Sickle's" more modern replacements on the maintenance fleet attempting similar, but with much thinner ice, I think.

 

  • Greenie 1
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nb Innisfree Veteran II

nb InnisfreeDonate to Canal World

Posted
Posted (edited)

Several years ago we smashed Innisfree through thick ice for about an hour, sounded and felt horrible. Three months later we dry docked and found lots of blacking missing from the bows, it was down to bare metal but no rust at all. I do wonder if the absence of rust was down to anodes close by.

Edited by nb Innisfree
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Naughty Cal Veteran II

Naughty Cal

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Bit of s sweeping statement, we DID go ice breaking in our GRP cruiser. Hull form meant the bows rodry up slightly and the weight of our 40' x 12' boat just broke it under the boat.

I also used to go weekly for fuel in a 12' x 6' dinghy which also broke ice in a similar manner and that boat was ply.

Phil

Agreed.

 

We have been out in our GRP cruiser and our old GRP dinghy in the ice. Neither of which sustained any damage.

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Athy Veteran II

AthyDonate to Canal World

Posted
Posted

I thought their main purpose was to prevent galvanic corrosion but I may be wrong. If I am, why do aluminium boats have them then?

You could well be right. I wouldn't recognise galvanic corrosion if it bit me on the bum, I am not a particularly techie type but it was explained to me years ago that anodes protected the steelwork, so I assumed that this protection would be from rust (because I'd not heard of G.C.)

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jonathanA Experienced

jonathanA

Posted
Posted

Anodes do nothing to prevent rust. They should be called sacrificial anodes actually as they are sacrificed to protect the other metal fittings on the boat. Rust is a chemical reaction between air,water and iron. Galvanic corrosion is an electrical reaction between dissimilar metals.

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Phil Ambrose Veteran II

Phil Ambrose

Posted
Posted

Anodes do nothing to prevent rust. They should be called sacrificial anodes actually as they are sacrificed to protect the other metal fittings on the boat. Rust is a chemical reaction between air,water and iron. Galvanic corrosion is an electrical reaction between dissimilar metals.

Spot on response have a virtual greenie.

Phil

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