Tick-over speed

[Jennifer McM]

Always pass moored boats at tick over. Our engine is Isuzu 35.

 

In the first hour of cruising, in gear tick over is 800 - but as the day progresses the tick over speed rises to a 1000 in drive.

 

We got told off twice today by moored boaters for not passing in tick over! Though we did have a lot of moored boaters that appeared happy with our passing.

 

BTW there was no ice. The canal is very quiet, after 4 hours of cruising think we only saw 4 boats that were cruising.

 

How terrible are we? Hate getting told off!

 

 

[alan_fincher]

Whilst on most boats with an engine similar to yours, I wouldn't have thought passing moored boats at 1,000 RPM would cause that many problems in most places, it does sound rather fast.

 

I think the correct idle speed will be about 850 RPM, normally, and it really shouldn't be rising as the day progresses.

[nicknorman]

Tickover rises later in the day because the batteries are charged up and the load from the alternator(s) decreases to virtually nothing. If you adjust the engine to slow the tickover it may be too slow in the morning which is not good for the engine.

 

It's hard to know whether you are actually going too fast or not, but you can tell by observing what happens to boats as you pass. If ones that are tied up properly surge and bang around, you are going too fast. But if it's only boat not tied up properly, e.g. with a lot of slack in the lines, or tied up by the centre rope, or tied up with lines at 90 degrees then you are not going too fast and the correct repost when you get shouted at is "well learn to tie your boat up properly". I'd reserve hitting reverse, backing up somewhat and then passing at flat out whilst shouting "THIS is what going too fast is like!" only for days when you are feeling grumpy.

Whilst on most boats with an engine similar to yours, I wouldn't have thought passing moored boats at 1,000 RPM would cause that many problems in most places, it does sound rather fast.

 

I think the correct idle speed will be about 850 RPM, normally, and it really shouldn't be rising as the day progresses.

Surely it depends on the boat and the prop more than the engine? Edited December 1, 2016 by nicknorman

[alan_fincher]

Surely it depends on the boat and the prop more than the engine?

 

Well if we are taking all narrow boat types, and all narrow boat engine types into consideration, probably the reduction ratio of the gearbox is about the most major factor.

 

But to pick up your point, something like an RN probably has a top speed of about 1,000 RPM, so passing moored boats at 100RPM with a Russell Newbery is clearly going to cause a lot more problems than when OP does it with an Isuzu 35, so I don't think I agree with you, if we bring in every possibility. The characteristics of the engine can make far more difference than those of the boat, surely?

 

I would still argue that the typical leisure narrow boat with a not massively oversized Japanese engine, (which is what OP describes), isn't going to cause huge problems at 1,000 RPM, as most of them have idle speeds typically in the range of around 800-900 RPM. 1,000 RPM isn't a lot faster than tick-over in such a boat. It would seldom have been a problem in the BMC 1800 engined boat we used to have, where recommended idle speed was lower, (700 RPM, from memory).

[Athy]

I'd reserve hitting reverse, backing up somewhat and then passing at flat out whilst shouting "THIS is what going too fast is like!"

I have dreamed of, but never put into practice, this course of action.

Actually, I reckon you nicked (no pun intended) that idea from me.

[Dave Payne]

 

Well if we are taking all narrow boat types, and all narrow boat engine types into consideration, probably the reduction ratio of the gearbox is about the most major factor.

 

But to pick up your point, something like an RN probably has a top speed of about 1,000 RPM, so passing moored boats at 100RPM with a Russell Newbery is clearly going to cause a lot more problems than when OP does it with an Isuzu 35, so I don't think I agree with you, if we bring in every possibility. The characteristics of the engine can make far more difference than those of the boat, surely?

 

I would still argue that the typical leisure narrow boat with a not massively oversized Japanese engine, (which is what OP describes), isn't going to cause huge problems at 1,000 RPM, as most of them have idle speeds typically in the range of around 800-900 RPM. 1,000 RPM isn't a lot faster than tick-over in such a boat. It would seldom have been a problem in the BMC 1800 engined boat we used to have, where recommended idle speed was lower, (700 RPM, from memory).

This describes my boat well, 850 is as low as I can go, 1000 is a realistic passing speed, although sometimes I do drop down to 900 if close to other boats or passing a moored boat and an oncoming boat at the same time.

[nicknorman]

Well if we are taking all narrow boat types, and all narrow boat engine types into consideration, probably the reduction ratio of the gearbox is about the most major factor.

 

But to pick up your point, something like an RN probably has a top speed of about 1,000 RPM, so passing moored boats at 100RPM with a Russell Newbery is clearly going to cause a lot more problems than when OP does it with an Isuzu 35, so I don't think I agree with you, if we bring in every possibility. The characteristics of the engine can make far more difference than those of the boat, surely?

 

I would still argue that the typical leisure narrow boat with a not massively oversized Japanese engine, (which is what OP describes), isn't going to cause huge problems at 1,000 RPM, as most of them have idle speeds typically in the range of around 800-900 RPM. 1,000 RPM isn't a lot faster than tick-over in such a boat. It would seldom have been a problem in the BMC 1800 engined boat we used to have, where recommended idle speed was lower, (700 RPM, from memory).

Yes but another way of looking at it is not the absolute rpm, but the percentage compared to tickover.

 

Anyway what was behind my point is that sometimes boats pass us seemingly at high revs but nothing happens. It's because they have egg whisk propellers. We have a "bigger than average" prop and if we passed at that sort of rpm it would be mayhem.

[zenataomm]

If you're satisfied you are going as slow as you can and are still able to maintain way, then simply look at your wrist and shout back "half past two".

 

If they shout anything else then reply that you can't hear them for the noise your engine makes at this speed.

[Top cat]

There is nothing magic about passing at tick over, it's polite to pass at a speed that would not cause a well moored boat to bang about. Depending on conditions that may or may not require dropping to tick over often it doesn't.

Most of the people who demand passing boats do so at tick over are sad gits who don't have anything better to do than abuse passers by. If they spent a tiny fraction of the effort tying their boat up properly there wouldn't be an issue.

You can go past my boat at any speed you like it's tied properly with 4 ropes at 45 degrees to the boat.

 

Top Cat

[Bee]

1000rpm does sound a bit quick but I'm not sure how the tickover speed is set, if it should be approx. 850 I would have thought it should be governed at that speed even with a load on it. I have never taken a pump apart (probably quite wise) but back in the days of steam the governer was a big thing with weights that would fly out and act on a valve to restrict steam, if the speed dropped then the weights would come back in and let more steam in. Substitute steam for diesel fuel and you have a governor. Old lorry engines would 'hunt' for a steady speed and an old Commer that I drove once would never tick over.

[rustydiver]

you want to be moored on the G&S canal when the plastic tupperware boats go past, they bounce you around. That will give em something to moan about.

[cuthound]

When you slow to tickover has an large impact on passing speed, as does depth and the profile of the canal bed.

 

If you are cruising at a brisk pace and drop to tickover as your bow reaches the moored boat, you will cause the moored boat to rock about on your wash.

 

Depending on the speed before passing, it may be necessary to drop to tickover maybe 4 boat lengths before reaching the moored boat.

 

There again some people are just grumpy and don't tie up properly, just so that they can shout "SLOW DOWN" at passing boats

[Naughty Cal]

you want to be moored on the G&S canal when the plastic tupperware boats go past, they bounce you around. That will give em something to moan about.

We had an interesting experience with a Mr Grumpy on a narrowboat.

 

Said Mr Grumpy was moored up outside a pub having a glass of his own beer on the back of his boat. We were ambling along and as we approached the moorings slowed to tick over. He thanked us for slowing down. Just in gear at tick over we are doing about 800rpm and a speed of about 3mph.

 

The narrowboat which had been behind us didn't slow down, he probably wasn't even doing 3mph at this point yet Mr Grumpy laid into them about not slowing down for moored boats

[Neil2]

This passing boats at "tickover" is so much nonsense, there's too many variables. I find those stickers some folk have on their boats as irritating as the "Baby on Board" signs in cars.

 

You pass other boats at the speed you judge to be appropriate having regard to the canal depth/width and the displacement of your own boat. but the simple fact is most boats are very badly tied up and often it's the ones that are permanently moored that are the worst.

 

Earlier in the year we were harangued by the owner of a boat moored just by a swing bridge on the Peak Forest canal ("you're going too fast..YOU'RE GOING TOO FAST..!") On this occasion (unusually) I was actually on tickover which because we have a quite high gearbox reduction ratio slows the boat down to about 1.5mph. There really is nothing you can do with these people.

[Top cat]

A lot of people who complain about the speed of passing boats do so on the perceived engine note rather than the boat speed or actual wash. A friend of mine gets an awful lot of abuse as he trickles past on his diesel electric hybrid boat because despite slowing the boat to less than the typical conventional boat on tickover the engine note hasnt changed. He now shuts down the generator and goes past long moorings on electric drive only and gets thanked despite going faster.

If you want to get less abuse fit a really effective hospital silencer or go electric.

 

Top Cat

[by'eck]

By far the greater factors in disturbing a moored boat are depth of water its moored in and width of canal, allied to how well its moored. All this talk of engine idle speeds and passing on tickover needs to be tempered by these more relevant factors. Just observing your wake on the canals bank will give a good indication, and may be much greater with engine at idle than at normal crusing speed on many occasions.

[BWM]

I'm not a fan of people whizzing by, but if honest I find a canoe doing a decent speed gives a similar disturbance to a speeding narrow boat, the wobble lasting longer in many cases!

[chubby]

i simply reply

 

" Piss Off "

 

Not overly clever , but hey ho

 

ETA : i should add that im usually passing at tickover or i have slowed right down , but despite this some folk seem determined to moan . These are the people who receive the above response & deservedly so

Edited December 2, 2016 by chubby

[Naughty Cal]

I'm not a fan of people whizzing by, but if honest I find a canoe doing a decent speed gives a similar disturbance to a speeding narrow boat, the wobble lasting longer in many cases!

On the other hand on the Fossdyke which is relatively deep the passing canoes create far more disturbance then passing narrowboats. In most cases narrowboats need not slow down at all to pass moored boats, although most do.

[mrsmelly]

On the other hand on the Fossdyke which is relatively deep the passing canoes create far more disturbance then passing narrowboats. In most cases narrowboats need not slow down at all to pass moored boats, although most do.

 

Going slowly past moored boats is just good manners, its not hard to slow as much as its safe to do so to pass moored boats. Any numpty can go quickly just look at the motorway system.

[Richard10002]

On The Bridgewater, I find that tickover is slower than I need to be going and the next "notch" above tickover is too fast, so I change between the two as appropriate.

 

If tickover is a bit too fast on some boats, it's not difficult to alternate between tickover and stopped..., or is it?

Edited December 2, 2016 by Richard10002

[mross]

I think I will make a sign to wave at badly moored boats. If they shout that I'm going too fast I'll flash my sign, "Your lines are too loose!" Maybe add a smiley face.

[Jennifer McM]

Thank you very much everyone, lots of things to think about. There's good explanations put forward here - we're grateful

 

Re the last guy to complain at us; he was moored just past a bridge on a 2 days mooring, we had stopped at the other side of the bridge to let a boat go through first, we were hardly moving as we had to manoeuvre through the bridge, so weren't revving at all. Still I guess some people feel they have to complain.

 

That saying, I'd rather not upset anyone, life's too short. The problem about people not mooring up properly is very real.

[nicknorman]

Thank you very much everyone, lots of things to think about. There's good explanations put forward here - we're grateful

 

Re the last guy to complain at us; he was moored just past a bridge on a 2 days mooring, we had stopped at the other side of the bridge to let a boat go through first, we were hardly moving as we had to manoeuvre through the bridge, so weren't revving at all. Still I guess some people feel they have to complain.

 

That saying, I'd rather not upset anyone, life's too short. The problem about people not mooring up properly is very real.

 

That's very unkind of you, some people desperately WANT to be upset. It gives their otherwise dull lives some purpose!

[Jennifer McM]

That's very unkind of you, some people desperately WANT to be upset. It gives their otherwise dull lives some purpose!

 

Didn't think about that! lol

 

Then we'll indulge them