premade furniture and fittings

[efanton]

22 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

The 'front' 6 feet on a NB is 'narrow' and comes to a point (as per the above picture showing the hoist) - I know you are going to try for 9 feet but I wouldn't work on being able to easily get 'down the sides' of the bike to the water tank, gas bottles, anchor or whatever.

I have downloaded plans for existing boats that have been built, then drawn over them the basic design I have laid out.  Using a compass I have checked and rechecked that there would be sufficient clearance for a 5 foot track to be able to swing round.  I have done this on 6 different plans and only had an issue with one.

If you think about it this make perfect sense.  the radius scribed by my bike track is only 5 feet (which actually in theory can be reduced to just over 4 feet), the radius of the curve of any bow on any narrow boat that I have seen is far far more than 5 feet.

also as described in my initial posts the bike track will be about 4 inches below the gunwale level with the ramp. plenty of space below that for lockers, tanks etc.  But if you think about this logically why would you even want to have your gas bottles, water tank or other heavy objects  on the same side of the boat as where the bike is stored.  Doing this is only going to make the possibility of the boat listing even greater. 

My intention is to have seating opposite where the bike is stored with a small lift out and removable table in the centre.  there should still be space for a two bottle gas locker in the bow as shown in the drawing I made (admittedly not to scale).  The seating will have lift up seats for yet more storage. Also the top of the seat will be more than 4 inches below the gunwale so there is no possibility whatsoever that the seats opposite the bike track will interfere with it swinging around.

 

 

Edited May 9, 2017 by efanton

[Sea Dog]

8 hours ago, nbfiresprite said:

Another method to lift a bike or any other heavy item is to use a modified engine hoist which is dropped in to a socket either side of the cockpit.     

Is that a real photograph?  There's a lady standing on the gunnel and a motorcycle hanging off a 6 foot lever acting on the same side, yet the boat's trim is unaffected, maybe even listing slightly the other way. Several questions spring to mind:  Are there 3 fat blokes inside acting as movable ballast? Won't the Motorcycle squash the hose reel once it's onboard?  Is she trying to pull the mudguard off?  Isn't there an H&S issue with operating the hoist with one hand and steadying the Motorcycle whilst precariously perched on the edge of the foredeck in a long frock?

 

[Chewbacka]

If a real picture, which it probably is, then I suspect the canal is very shallow close to the bank and is now firmly sat on the bottom on that side.

[cuthound]

If you have concerns regarding the duraability of chipboard or MDF kitchen unitsin a marine environment, this company make solid oak base and wall kitchen units.

http://www.deterra-kitchens.co.uk/cabinets/oak-kitchen-units

Not cheap though 

[ditchcrawler]

15 hours ago, Sea Dog said:

Is that a real photograph?  There's a lady standing on the gunnel and a motorcycle hanging off a 6 foot lever acting on the same side, yet the boat's trim is unaffected, maybe even listing slightly the other way. Several questions spring to mind:  Are there 3 fat blokes inside acting as movable ballast? Won't the Motorcycle squash the hose reel once it's onboard?  Is she trying to pull the mudguard off?  Isn't there an H&S issue with operating the hoist with one hand and steadying the Motorcycle whilst precariously perched on the edge of the foredeck in a long frock?

 

That's Anne and that is the boat that someone parked a digger in the side of. 

 

 

Here is another bike on a boat http://narrowboats-freyja-and-christina.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/my-motorbike-on-our-tugdeck.html

 

 

[Sea Dog]

4 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

That's Anne and that is the boat that someone parked a digger in the side of. 

 

 

Here is another bike on a boat http://narrowboats-freyja-and-christina.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/my-motorbike-on-our-tugdeck.html

 

 

Ah, then if Anne is real, I guess the photo is too! Sorry to hear about the jcb thing - that was a tough break. 

I think I remember matey with the bike on the pair posting on here about it a while back. Personally, I love the idea of a bike on the boat.  I'm not sure my current bike, Triumph Thunderbird 1600, is really the scooter for the job though! 

[Alan de Enfield]

This guy solved the problem with a 'trailer', I was initially built to take a motorcycle & sidecar, but as his health failed it was used as a 'garage' for his mobility scooter.

Hydraulic lift inside that lifted the bike to the bank-height then ramps to the tow-path.

Room inside for a 45 gallon drum of diesel, all the spares and tools he needed - a 'mobile workshop' and only cost £13 per annum to licence and no BSS !!!

 

It was for sale recently as he no longer cruises - maybe still is ?

 

 

 

[alan_fincher]

6 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

This guy solved the problem with a 'trailer', I was initially built to take a motorcycle & sidecar, but as his health failed it was used as a 'garage' for his mobility scooter.

Hydraulic lift inside that lifted the bike to the bank-height then ramps to the tow-path.

Room inside for a 45 gallon drum of diesel, all the spares and tools he needed - a 'mobile workshop' and only cost £13 per annum to licence and no BSS !!!

 

It was for sale recently as he no longer cruises - maybe still is ?

 

 

 

Presumably the £13 per year to license is not on CRT waters?

Normally a "short butty" of under £50 feet is a pretty expensive thing to licence, and I can't see any obvious reason that qualifies this one as being able to be licensed for peanuts.

[Alan de Enfield]

24 minutes ago, alan_fincher said:

Presumably the £13 per year to license is not on CRT waters?

Wrong.

 

It was licenced on C&RT waters, and registered as a 'canoe'

He went thru all of the correct 'motions' when trying to register it but C&RT could not fit it into any of their 'boxes' so they called it a canoe (The piece of paper taped to the side is the licence stating it is a canoe.)

It may now be more than £13 as it was  few years ago when we were cruising with him.

 

He was single-handed and disabled but it didn't stop him travelling much of the system - his boat had bow and stern thrusters in addition to the 'throttle' - all were radio controlled and it was amazing to watch him on the bank-side 'driving his boat' into the locks.

 

Edit to add :

Victoria Plum's Garage Built by Unknown - Length : 3.66 metres ( 12 feet ) - Beam : 2.03 metres ( 6 feet 8 inches ) - Draft : 0.45 metres ( 1 foot 6 inches ). Metal hull N/A . Registered with Canal & River Trust number 507115 as an Unpowered Unpowered Craft.  ( Last updated on Wednesday 22nd May 2013 )

Edited May 11, 2017 by Alan de Enfield

[alan_fincher]

46 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Wrong.

 

It was licenced on C&RT waters, and registered as a 'canoe'

He went thru all of the correct 'motions' when trying to register it but C&RT could not fit it into any of their 'boxes' so they called it a canoe (The piece of paper taped to the side is the licence stating it is a canoe.)

It may now be more than £13 as it was  few years ago when we were cruising with him.

 

He was single-handed and disabled but it didn't stop him travelling much of the system - his boat had bow and stern thrusters in addition to the 'throttle' - all were radio controlled and it was amazing to watch him on the bank-side 'driving his boat' into the locks.

 

Edit to add :

Victoria Plum's Garage Built by Unknown - Length : 3.66 metres ( 12 feet ) - Beam : 2.03 metres ( 6 feet 8 inches ) - Draft : 0.45 metres ( 1 foot 6 inches ). Metal hull N/A . Registered with Canal & River Trust number 507115 as an Unpowered Unpowered Craft.  ( Last updated on Wednesday 22nd May 2013 )

 

Well without looking it up I think that these days an unpowered narrow boat of under 50 feet attracts the same licence fee as if it had an engine.  You can only get the "butty" discount of 50% if it is over 50 feet, and meets certain other conditions.

So if done by the book, all these "floating garage" or "floating shed" arrangements are actually a very expensive way of getting more space.  Simply having one boat that was longer by the amount of the butty it could have pushed or towed is far far cheaper in licensing terms.

That said, I do know that BW registered my brother's full length carrying butty as a rowing boat in the early 1970s.  He could have got it even cheaper had he answered the question to say it would be carried around locks rather than worked through them.  But he thought with 25 tons of coal in it, carrying it around locks might be a challenge.

[Alan de Enfield]

2 minutes ago, alan_fincher said:

Well without looking it up I think that these days an unpowered narrow boat of under 50 feet attracts the same licence fee as if it had an engine.  You can only get the "butty" discount of 50% if it is over 50 feet, and meets certain other conditions.

Maybe that is the difference between 'registered as' & 'licenced as'.

His licence certainly showed as a 'canoe', and the broker selling it, had confirmed with C&RT its status as a canoe.

It makes no-odds to me, I am just offering another 'secure motorcycle storage' option, and reporting the fats as I knew them 3 or 4 years ago.

[cereal tiller]

On 5/10/2017 at 08:00, Sea Dog said:

Is that a real photograph?  There's a lady standing on the gunnel and a motorcycle hanging off a 6 foot lever acting on the same side, yet the boat's trim is unaffected, maybe even listing slightly the other way. Several questions spring to mind:  Are there 3 fat blokes inside acting as movable ballast? Won't the Motorcycle squash the hose reel once it's onboard?  Is she trying to pull the mudguard off?  Isn't there an H&S issue with operating the hoist with one hand and steadying the Motorcycle whilst precariously perched on the edge of the foredeck in a long frock?

 

It is a real Photo,the Scenery is near Beale Park on the Thames,the Royal Enfield(India) is stowed in the aperture in the Starboard side of the Bulkhead.

The Bike fits into the 'Ole once it's Front Wheel has been removed

The Boat is in shallow Water hence the lack of Listing,have seen this Bike being loaded on to the Boat,a fiddly but  ingenious  solution for stowage.

[MtB]

Wandering Snail is (or at least used to be) a member here so a PM could be sent to get in contact.

I've an idea the owners of Wandering Snail subsequently purchased Soverign Wharf boatyard at Banbury too, so could be contacted that way too.

[MtB]

My main concern about the previous photos of bikes on boats is the air draft. Some of the bridges on the midlands canals are very low and I doubt those bikes would fit under. 

[ditchcrawler]

31 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

Wandering Snail is (or at least used to be) a member here so a PM could be sent to get in contact.

I've an idea the owners of Wandering Snail subsequently purchased Soverign Wharf boatyard at Banbury too, so could be contacted that way too.

No but they are back on the UK after a few years in mainland Europe 

[Sea Dog]

1 hour ago, cereal tiller said:

It is a real Photo,the Scenery is near Beale Park on the Thames,the Royal Enfield(India) is stowed in the aperture in the Starboard side of the Bulkhead.

The Bike fits into the 'Ole once it's Front Wheel has been removed

The Boat is in shallow Water hence the lack of Listing,have seen this Bike being loaded on to the Boat,a fiddly but  ingenious  solution for stowage.

I love the idea. Not easy to pull off an elegant solution, but a worthy aim. A Honda monkey bike would seem a good starting point, but they're pretty old now and probably have a bit of a cult following hence command a hefty price? Certainly a subject I watch with interest.

[wandering snail]

Memory lane those photos but yes that was me on the Thames in 2006. The Enfield also got us back to the UK a couple of times when we moored in Belgium with only a few bits falling off it along the way. It was a faff getting it on and off as the boatbuilder forgot we'd asked for a 6ft well deck hence the need to take off the front wheel to get it to fit in.  We are now back in the UK on the Nene after many great years in mainland Europe, minus bike sadly due to health problems. 

[wandering snail]

On 5/9/2017 at 17:33, Alan de Enfield said:

Two immediate issues :

1) The tow path can be anywhere between 1 foot and 6 foot above water level.

2) It is illegal to ride / drive any vehicle on the towpath

 

Improper use of towing paths 31.

(1) No person, unless authorised by the Board or otherwise legally entitled so to do shall:

(a) Ride or drive any animal or vehicle over any towing path

(b) Obstruct any towing path or interfere with the authorised use thereof

There's nothing that says it can't be pushed though. In practice we only got it off the boat at suitable ie near an accessible road, places.

[MtB]

It's a shame that regulation appears to prohibit the use of a horse to pull one's boat nowadays...

[Sea Dog]

8 hours ago, wandering snail said:

Memory lane those photos but yes that was me on the Thames in 2006. The Enfield also got us back to the UK a couple of times when we moored in Belgium with only a few bits falling off it along the way. It was a faff getting it on and off as the boatbuilder forgot we'd asked for a 6ft well deck hence the need to take off the front wheel to get it to fit in.  We are now back in the UK on the Nene after many great years in mainland Europe, minus bike sadly due to health problems. 

Thanks for sharing that - you brought an interesting picture to life! Hope you're still enjoying your boating.

[wandering snail]

15 hours ago, Sea Dog said:

Thanks for sharing that - you brought an interesting picture to life! Hope you're still enjoying your boating.

Yes Sea Dog, we still are, albeit on a very different waterway. It is good to be back to diy locks that don't close when the staff go home!

[Chop!]

It just so happens that I just posted the next chapter in the motorbike on the tugdeck story :- http://narrowboats-freyja-and-christina.blogspot.co.uk/2017/05/my-motorbike-on-tugdeck-update.html?m=1

[WotEver]

On 11/05/2017 at 14:50, wandering snail said:

Memory lane those photos but yes that was me on the Thames in 2006. The Enfield also got us back to the UK a couple of times when we moored in Belgium with only a few bits falling off it along the way. It was a faff getting it on and off as the boatbuilder forgot we'd asked for a 6ft well deck hence the need to take off the front wheel to get it to fit in.  We are now back in the UK on the Nene after many great years in mainland Europe, minus bike sadly due to health problems. 

Good to see you back

Did the legal proceedings with the digger owner ever get anywhere?

tony

[wandering snail]

45 minutes ago, WotEver said:

Good to see you back

Did the legal proceedings with the digger owner ever get anywhere?

tony

Thank you. Nearly 4 years later the solicitors acting for both us and CraftInsure settled for 80% of the claim so we did eventually get some of our losses back. Snail has never been the same since but we still love her!

[wandering snail]

14 hours ago, Chop! said:

It just so happens that I just posted the next chapter in the motorbike on the tugdeck story :- http://narrowboats-freyja-and-christina.blogspot.co.uk/2017/05/my-motorbike-on-tugdeck-update.html?m=1

Great! Have a word with Olly, he may still have our loading strops lurking somewhere in his boat workshop.