Always happy to admit I'm wrong (not)

[ditchcrawler]

A few photos

 

Just now, ditchcrawler said:

A few photos

 

Yes I had permission to share them

[bizzard]

Would'nt fancy trying to clear the prop of debris with that !!

[David Mack]

Just now, bizzard said:

Would'nt fancy trying to clear the prop of debris with that !!

Is there a hole in the top so you can reach through from the weedhatch to the prop?

 

And also, how far can you push the tiller over? Does it limit the ability for tight turns?

[Mike Todd]

1 hour ago, David Mack said:

Is there a hole in the top so you can reach through from the weedhatch to the prop?

 

And also, how far can you push the tiller over? Does it limit the ability for tight turns?

At first sight not so. Many steerers make the mistake of pushing the tiller further than adds benefit, even to reducing turning.

 

The turning effect is a combination of the direct force of the prop flow hitting the still water behind and hitting the rudder. The latter is most effective around 45o whilst the former closer to 90o.

 

I have no experience with such as this boat shows but I do not know how much force the prop flow exerts on the nozzle - is it as great as on a rudder and how much greater force is exerted by the  flow through the nozzle on the still water? Purely from the turning circle, I's be surprised if the overall difference is great but experience will tell.

[IanD]

It'll be interesting to see how well it works in practice, but also whether getting debris round the prop happens more and it's then much more difficult to remove -- which I think is what many people expect to happen...

 

There are other ways of getting more effective steering from a prop that also work up to high rudder angles (about 75 degrees) and don't risk the fouling problem... 😉

[magnetman]

I don't really understand why people find a normal rudder is a problem. 

 

I've steered several narrow Boats with normal rudders and never found any issues. Its not a complex type of vessel its basically just a rectangular box with pointed ends and the pointed end at the back is just below the water. 

 

No need for complex rudder systems in this scenario. 

 

It seems like customer dictating boat design. Quite a risky thing for a boat builder / fabricator to do if it turns out to be a worthless article. 

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

2 minutes ago, magnetman said:

I don't really understand why people find a normal rudder is a problem. 

 

generally speaking, people don’t do they?

[magnetman]

No. Maybe its only people who don't know how to handle a Boat who think putting a clever looking rudder on is a Good Idea. 

 

 

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, magnetman said:

No. Maybe its only people who don't know how to handle a Boat who think putting a clever looking rudder on is a Good Idea. 

 

 

 

Norty....

[Alan de Enfield]

3 minutes ago, magnetman said:

No. Maybe its only people who don't know how to handle a Boat who think putting a clever looking rudder on is a Good Idea. 

 

 

 

Adding another engine means you don't need a rudder, and it gives far more steering control - you can even do do-nuts with no forward or rearward movement.

[ditchcrawler]

7 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

Adding another engine means you don't need a rudder, and it gives far more steering control - you can even do do-nuts with no forward or rearward movement.

I have only seen one Narrowboat with twin props, one engine and hydraulic drives 

[Guest]

4 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

I have only seen one Narrowboat with twin props, one engine and hydraulic drives 

 

I think Alan meant a bow thruster??

[ditchcrawler]

1 minute ago, M_JG said:

 

I think Alan meant a bow thruster??

I dont. a cat with and engine and prop in each hull.

[Alan de Enfield]

11 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

I dont. a cat with and engine and prop in each hull.

 

It was a bit tongue in cheek as being so narrow there wouldn't be a great deal of diatance between the props anyway

 

Indeed I did mean an engine(s) my cruiser also has twin engines and it still 'spins on the spot'.

 

But yes - a bowthruster and a stern thruster would be almost as good for doing 'the dance'. It could even 'hum' a tune (or squeal) as it rotated.

[IanD]

11 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

It was a bit tongue in cheek as being so narrow there wouldn't be a great deal of diatance between the props anyway

 

Indeed I did mean an engine(s) my cruiser also has twin engines and it still 'spins on the spot'.

 

But yes - a bowthruster and a stern thruster would be almost as good for doing 'the dance'. It could even 'hum' a tune (or squeal) as it rotated.

A bow thruster and a Schilling rudder does just that, the boat turns around its centrepoint... 😉

[Naughty Cal]

34 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

It was a bit tongue in cheek as being so narrow there wouldn't be a great deal of diatance between the props anyway

 

Indeed I did mean an engine(s) my cruiser also has twin engines and it still 'spins on the spot'.

 

But yes - a bowthruster and a stern thruster would be almost as good for doing 'the dance'. It could even 'hum' a tune (or squeal) as it rotated.

We were once accused outside a busy pub beer garden of having girly thrusters on NC when we squeezed into an unlikely tight spot. (" look that's what you can do with girly thrusters")

 

Bloke was mortified when we revealed we didn't have either equally as loudly as he had announced we had 🤣🤣🤣

 

He even trotted down to check the dashboard for the controls 🙄

 

We could make that boat dance unaided 😀

 

Dare say we still could do now after a few years absence 🙃

[ditchcrawler]

Many years ago 3 of us breasted up on the Thames waiting for a lock, we were on our way to the IWA festival so big queues, three narrowboats wide and using the two outside boats the control is fantastic, let alone fun watching others whizzing round, back and forth

[magnetman]

Yes my trawler is twin screw and brilliant for doing manoovering games. Had a lot of fun with that on the River. 

[Naughty Cal]

31 minutes ago, magnetman said:

Yes my trawler is twin screw and brilliant for doing manoovering games. Had a lot of fun with that on the River. 

It's cheating with two engines 😉

[Alan de Enfield]

1 minute ago, Naughty Cal said:

It's cheating with two engines 😉

 

No, its called forward planning !

 

Since having an engine fire at sea I have always tried to have only twin engines boats - the NBs have been the only exception.

[TheBiscuits]

1 hour ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

No, its called forward planning !

 

Since having an engine fire at sea I have always tried to have only twin engines boats - the NBs have been the only exception.

 

I thought your narrow boat was twin engines, it's just that one was/is in the shed!

[Alan de Enfield]

1 hour ago, TheBiscuits said:

 

I thought your narrow boat was twin engines, it's just that one was/is in the shed!

 

You are of course correct - except the 'in the container' engine has a new home (as of sometime in the new year)