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Narrowboat front roof scraping guards ?


GreyLady

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I too get disorientated in the Harecastle. I think it's a factor of it's length and the wall sides which I find aren't as uniform as you'd expect. If I'm not careful I can be lulled into a false sense of security by the light reflecting off the walls in a uniform manner and then there are, for want of a word, butresses at the waterline that can catch you unawares.

The biggest problem I have found is matching your speed to other boaters. You need to stay well back of the boat in front, but if the steerer of that boat changes speed and slows down or, as happened to me once, stopped so that they could take "selfies" then you need to change your speed which can mean you lose much of your ability to steer.

As long as you concentrate you should be all right--it's when you think you've mastered it that things tend to go wrong

 

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If you are short like me then being up a bit higher can really help when lining up for bridges and tunnels. My boat is wide so lining up with bridges, locks & tunnels correctly is crucial. I stand on a couple of plastic pallets and the extra height really improves the perspective. If you do it just make sure you're always in front of the tiller.

 

KampA%20Newbury6_zpsjadoliwl.jpg

Edited by blackrose
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In Harecastle tunnel I have had to do the opposite - when the water level is up I have had to drive thru, kneeling down with my eyes just above the roof line, we were warned to remove everything from the roof - and, the pole rack (empty) did not have much clearance.

 

High water levels also make the tunnel much narrower as you are up in the top of the arch. Width reduces to a fair bit less than 10 foot, maybe giving less than 12" clearance per side - that's when its easy to play bumper-cars with the walls.

 

Edit to add missing lettrs

Edited by Alan de Enfield
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Getting the dreaded zigzags is always a hazard in tunnels, but reduced by the advice about lights already given. The most important one for me, especially in Harecastle, is the forward facing one on the slide, illuminating the roof as it travels towards you at 2.5 or 3 mph. It gives a sense of how the boat is lined up in the bore and shows the changes in height until they are above you.

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Twenty-five years ago when we started hiring, a lot of the bigger hire boats had bridge bars. I do hope you're not suggesting going back to using those - they were (.. and still would be..) a total pain in the proverbial !

 

For some reason, you don't see that many boats nowadays with them on.

Edited by Pete of Ebor
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Pete of Ebor, on 19 Mar 2016 - 1:46 PM, said:

Twenty-five years ago when we started hiring, a lot of the bigger hire boats had bridge bars. I do hope you're not suggesting going back to using those - they were (.. and still would be..) a total pain in the proverbial !

 

For some reason, you don't see that many boats nowadays with them on.

I don't think anybody has actually suggested this have they? Unless I've missed a post that does.

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I find that In Harecastle a powerful torch on the hatch lighting up the front conners of the cabin really useful. Cabin lights on too. It takes some concentration to get though, so no distractions of the steerer is also good.

Edited by Tiggs
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Twenty-five years ago when we started hiring, a lot of the bigger hire boats had bridge bars. I do hope you're not suggesting going back to using those - they were (.. and still would be..) a total pain in the proverbial !

 

For some reason, you don't see that many boats nowadays with them on.

 

Hirers kept banging their heads while getting on and off the bow, and sued the hire firms?

 

Seriously, if its Harecastle don't bother. If you want to, and can drive, you can do it without touching the sides at all (hull or cabin).

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A few years ago, we arrived at the North portal to find just one boat waiting for passage. This was a hire boat from Stoke, with a young family.

 

The gent was dreading going through. They had hired for a long weekend and when preparing to head north through the tunnel, he had been told by other boaters to go through as fast as possible. The result of this was they had a horrendous journey, the hand rails striking the walls on numerous occasions, creating sparks!

 

When the time came, he insisted we go first. We told him to go at his pace, not too fast, so that he felt in control.

 

He exited whilst we were watering up, greeting us with, "Brilliant and no sparks!"

 

Hope the family repeat the canal holiday, with a little more confidence and less stress.

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Grey Lady, I'm sure if you ask Mr Bizzard nicely he will be able to fit your boat out like this:

 

 

 

You will then be able to nip below for a cup of tea, a quick one if you get "caught short" or what ever else you may need to do. No worries about hitting the sides either. captain.gif

Edited by Ray T
  • Greenie 1
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Ray T, on 19 Mar 2016 - 6:21 PM, said:

Grey Lady, I'm sure if you ask Mr Bizzard nicely he will be able to fit your bout out like this:

 

attachicon.gifTunnel Tug.jpeg

 

You will then be able to nip bely for a cup of tea, a quick one or what ever else you man need to do. No worries about hitting the sides either. captain.gif

 

That is not dissimilar to the arrangement NB Innisfree talked about earlier that he had on his boat.

 

He once put a picture up on here. The wheels on his were up on the front cabin corners.

 

Correction - it was on Snaygill Boats web site

 

docks.jpg

 

Edited by MJG
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Normally the hull of the boat is what gets scratched, and the chimney, but I can't remember the walls of a tunnel being able to touch the cabin of a boat........

 

What you are more likely do, is have a tree branch draw a scratch line all along the cabin side from bow to stern...........I've seen that on so many boats...one returning from a new paint job....

I did that on my way back from it being painted....bothered the guy who'd fitted my boat out more than me...for me there was a sort of relief moment..no more be sooooooo careful don't scratch paintwork scenarios. As for tunnel wear and tear..Braunston has some of my paintwork and Ive torn cratch and stern covers..if I had wanted her to stay shiny new would have kept her tucked up in marina and never taken control of tiller..you will be fine..

TBH watch out for tree branches they are worse cos their scratches are long.

I have touch up paint and use it.

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When they used to tow boats through Standedge Tunnel they used to provide heavy rubber mats to "minimise" paintwork damage as your boat bounced off the tunnel sides.

 

If your worried about the front corners of the cabin being damaged, perhaps you could improvise with some rubber car mats?

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When they used to tow boats through Standedge Tunnel they used to provide heavy rubber mats to "minimise" paintwork damage as your boat bounced off the tunnel sides.

 

If your worried about the front corners of the cabin being damaged, perhaps you could improvise with some rubber car mats?

I believe hey stopped using rubber mats because the grit they picked up from the path was scratching paintwork.
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I did that on my way back from it being painted....bothered the guy who'd fitted my boat out more than me...for me there was a sort of relief moment..no more be sooooooo careful don't scratch paintwork scenarios. As for tunnel wear and tear..Braunston has some of my paintwork and Ive torn cratch and stern covers..if I had wanted her to stay shiny new would have kept her tucked up in marina and never taken control of tiller..you will be fine..

TBH watch out for tree branches they are worse cos their scratches are long.

I have touch up paint and use it.

Thankyou Patty.

 

I will probably end up using touch up paint too.

 

I guess my worrying about the tunnel is a bigger issue than actually steering the boat through. Hehe

When they used to tow boats through Standedge Tunnel they used to provide heavy rubber mats to "minimise" paintwork damage as your boat bounced off the tunnel sides.

 

If your worried about the front corners of the cabin being damaged, perhaps you could improvise with some rubber car mats?

That sounds a good idea cuthound.

 

You got me thinking now. (Even more) lol

We tie a gocart tyre to the front cabin roof corners, our cabin is taller than most so it's nearer the low tunnel arch in the Harecastle.

Just a precaution !

Awesome idea. Thankyou.

Grey Lady, I'm sure if you ask Mr Bizzard nicely he will be able to fit your boat out like this:

 

attachicon.gifTunnel Tug.jpeg

 

You will then be able to nip below for a cup of tea, a quick one if you get "caught short" or what ever else you may need to do. No worries about hitting the sides either. :captain:

Hehe

 

Sorry for the late reply, Mr Bizzard Hmmm looks up his phone number.

For anybody who hasn't seen this (or done Harecastle) previously. (it takes considerably longer in real time!)This boat is travelling South.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypnoGdsp8cA

That the best video I've seen, most are short and not very clear.

 

Cheers, it looks wider than I thought.

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Don't go through with centre doors open. Having gone through a tunnel spending the journey thinking what's that scraping noise I found out on exiting that each time I got close to the wall I shaved a bit off the wooden panelling on the open centre doors.

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Don't go through with centre doors open. Having gone through a tunnel spending the journey thinking what's that scraping noise I found out on exiting that each time I got close to the wall I shaved a bit off the wooden panelling on the open centre doors.

OMG nightmare

 

Thanks for telling me.

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That the best video I've seen, most are short and not very clear.

Cheers, it looks wider than I thought.

When you are going the other way to that boat you do get to see the light at the end of the tunnel (in a literal sense) sooner and for longer than travelling towards the doors at the South portal. The North portal doesn't have doors on it that the tunnel keepers close when boats are in there.

 

I once heard a tale of a boat that almost ran into the doors going South because the keepers hadn't opened them as the boat approached, how true it is I don't know.

 

Travelling North (and in most tunnels that are straight) once you get the light to aim for you at least know the end is in sight.

 

In shorter (but still longish) tunnels like Foulridge on the Leeds and Liverpool you can see the pin prick of light at the other end virtually as soon as you enter.

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When you are going the other way to that boat you do get to see the light at the end of the tunnel (in a literal sense) sooner and for longer than travelling towards the doors at the South portal. The North portal doesn't have doors on it that the tunnel keepers close when boats are in there.

 

I once heard a tale of a boat that almost ran into the doors going South because the keepers hadn't opened them as the boat approached, how true it is I don't know.

 

Travelling North (and in most tunnels that are straight) once you get the light to aim for you at least know the end is in sight.

 

In shorter (but still longish) tunnels like Foulridge on the Leeds and Liverpool you can see the pin prick of light at the other end virtually as soon as you enter.

Cheers Martin, yep we will be heading south into the tunnel, I said to dad once we've done it we can say we've done it and it might give us a bit of a confidence boost maybe.

 

That door closing does sound scary but at least we know what to expect now.

 

Reckon we might be looking quite hard for the light at the end of the tunnel.

 

By the end if April I hope you be onboard. :-)

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