"Yobs drill holes in canal boats" !

[Québec]

From the Birmingham Mail:

 

http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/yobs-drill-holes-canal-barges-10679960#ICID=FB-Birm-main

 

 

A barge owner has been forced to flee his mooring by vandals sinking boats on the canal network.

Martin Taylor quit his mooring at Bissett, near Alvechurch , after seeing a boat sink before his eyes.

The 59-year-old said vandals drilled holes into the hulls of boats on the canal network to deliberately sink them.........

[rasputin]

Nice Christmas jumper.

[MtB]

Nice Christmas jumper.

 

 

Lol, I thought that too!

 

Then I thought, oh no it isn't...

 

[furnessvale]

What size drill are they using to "sink before his eyes" and just where in the hull are they drilling?

 

George ex nb Alton retired

[Québec]

What size drill are they using to "sink before his eyes" and just where in the hull are they drilling?

 

George ex nb Alton retired

A number of holes in this story, methinks.

[furnessvale]

A number of holes in this story, methinks.

Even so, they have to get below the waterline.

 

They are drilling through 6mm plate. A rechargeable is not going to do too many holes, even if it doesn't short out in the water and using a mains drill could be fun.....................or are we talking tupperware or wood?

 

George ex nb Alton retired

[Guest]

Sounds a bit strange this.

[David Mack]

I can think of easier ways to sink a boat.

[DHutch]

As said, while if you had a vendetta against someone a 10mm hole just below the waterline with a cordless at 3am would be one option, it doesn't sound like a fast/easy way to sink a boat nor 'good fun' for your average yob?

 

Daniel

[Sea Dog]

Since I'm a regular in terms of mooring somewhere near Alvechurch when ascending or descending Tardebigge, where exactly is Bissett? It rings no bells with me, Google doesn't know and it's not in Nicholson's.

[Peter X]

Would anyone who does know how to drill a hole through steel below the waterline please refrain from posting the details?

I suppose maybe it could be done with the right tools, but please don't go giving vandals detailed ideas on how to sink boats; most of them are probably pretty stupid/ignorant people and may struggle to work it out for themselves.

[Peter X]

To anyone thinking of attempting this, may I offer a couple of pointers?

You need a mains drill to get enough power.

The drilling will generate lots of heat, so to cool the bit you need to be in a fast flowing river, on the side of the boat away from the bank.

What could possibly go wrong?

[___]

Since I'm a regular in terms of mooring somewhere near Alvechurch when ascending or descending Tardebigge, where exactly is Bissett? It rings no bells with me, Google doesn't know and it's not in Nicholson's.

My guess would be it's a mistake and refers to the linear moorings at Bittell Reservoir.

 

JP

[colmac]

Been boating/mooring in the Midlands for 20 years and not experienced too many problems with yoofs. I suspect, as others do, there are more holes in this tale than in his boat.

[mayalld]

From the Birmingham Mail:

 

http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/yobs-drill-holes-canal-barges-10679960#ICID=FB-Birm-main

 

 

A barge owner has been forced to flee his mooring by vandals sinking boats on the canal network.

Martin Taylor quit his mooring at Bissett, near Alvechurch , after seeing a boat sink before his eyes.

The 59-year-old said vandals drilled holes into the hulls of boats on the canal network to deliberately sink them.........

 

I call Victor Meldrew!

[Hawkmoth]

Not wishing to add veracity to the story but I've drilled many holes in the hull while fitting our boat using a battery drill. It was a 24V model and copped very well.

Bob

[John Holden]

Not wishing to add veracity to the story but I've drilled many holes in the hull while fitting our boat using a battery drill. It was a 24V model and copped very well.

Bob

 

Under water?

[Alan de Enfield]

Drill down at a slight angle - drill bit below the water line with drill above the water line.

Or

Get a right angled drill accessory.

 

water will dribble in, as the boat fills up the hull will get lower and the hull fill faster

[gazza]

Drill down at a slight angle - drill bit below the water line with drill above the water line.

Or

Get a right angled drill accessory.

 

water will dribble in, as the boat fills up the hull will get lower and the hull fill faster

Or stand in the bow and drill from the inside out.......

 

job done, no wrecked drill, no cold wet hands, not even likely to get soggy feet!

[Jess--]

 

Under water?

who said it had to be from outside going in, would be far easier to lift a cover and attack from inside (assuming cruiser or semi-trad)

 

as others have said a decent (not B&D) cordless would have no problems knocking holes through steel plate (I know the bosch one I use would probably manage about 30 10mm holes in a baseplate before the battery gave out)

[pophops]

The good old Birmingham Mail rarely reports anything correctly. First of all the location is Bittel (long term moorings) ​not Bissett. This is not a recent incident. I heard it as a rumour at the beginning of December. I was told that a fibreglass cruiser was broken into and a hole drilled below the waterline as a deliberate act of sabotage.This is on residential offside moorings with no public access. Another boat was set alight and sunk at the same location last year. It was re-floated and sank again. . There was some talk of a vendetta being waged at the time although I obviously can't confirm this. What I can say is that vandalism to boats in this area is rare in my experience.

[ditchcrawler]

I worked with a chap who got done for drilling holes in the bottom of someone's boat, but he had the sense to do it while it was out of the water and used a swing brace on a wooden hull. It was the end of a long festering feud.

[S and K]

The report states he is moving after a number of boats have been sunk!

 

Surely this would have made the news earlier?

[MtB]

Drill down at a slight angle - drill bit below the water line with drill above the water line.

Or

Get a right angled drill accessory.

 

water will dribble in, as the boat fills up the hull will get lower and the hull fill faster

 

 

Surely the bilge pump will chuck it out just as fast as it dribbles in...

[DHutch]

Would anyone who does know how to drill a hole through steel below the waterline please refrain from posting the details?

I suppose maybe it could be done with the right tools, but please don't go giving vandals detailed ideas on how to sink boats; most of them are probably pretty stupid/ignorant people and may struggle to work it out for themselves.

Its all ready on. A good cordless.

 

Most have the electronic speed controller potted in epoxy. Motor and battery won't mind too much.

 

Else as said, well deck, drill from the inside.

 

I will take a while and be boring as sin, but not impossible or hours.

 

 

Daniel