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Do Owners of ex-working boats have special priveleges?


George Kennedy

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1 hour ago, bizzard said:

Surely pushing open partially open gates with the bows helps to damage the mitres which starts them leaking more. Mostly wide beam boats often do this on the Stort and some are leaking quite badly because of it. You can see the scrape-gouge marks on the mitres.

Gouging the mitre is caused by a narrowboat attempting to pass through one gate without opening the other, where the steerer has not got the skill to pass through without touching the still closed gate.

Pushing on the centre of a pair of closed gates will result in both gates opening.  The mitre faces are turned away from the boat out of reach.

When you look at damaged mitre faces on double gates it is always restricted to a length of about 12".  My solution to the problem would be to replace this small length with a piece of steel.  Not as good a seal as a perfect wooden mitre, but a lot better than the damaged seal most present gates possess.

George

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2 minutes ago, furnessvale said:

Gouging the mitre is caused by a narrowboat attempting to pass through one gate without opening the other, where the steerer has not got the skill to pass through without touching the still closed gate.

Pushing on the centre of a pair of closed gates will result in both gates opening.  The mitre faces are turned away from the boat out of reach.

When you look at damaged mitre faces on double gates it is always restricted to a length of about 12".  My solution to the problem would be to replace this small length with a piece of steel.  Not as good a seal as a perfect wooden mitre, but a lot better than the damaged seal most present gates possess.

George

Regretably I have to agree. Well no regret really, I don't mind agreeing with someone when they are right!

Anyway, I think the appropriate solution would be to scarf in replacement timber to the gate sealing face once in a while. If only CRT weren't too busy enscribing poems on lock gates and putting up platitudinous signage.

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3 minutes ago, furnessvale said:

Gouging the mitre is caused by a narrowboat attempting to pass through one gate without opening the other, where the steerer has not got the skill to pass through without touching the still closed gate.

Usually going up too. The boat entering the lock causes the gate to swing back against the bottom cill, making the gap for the boat smaller. The boat then catches a rubbing strake against the gate.

The equivalent groove on a top gate would be above the water

Richard

 

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. . . And in reply to the original question. . .

Of course they do.

They enjoy the privilege of spending lots of time and/or money looking after them, and doing specialist repairs.

They enjoy the privilege of ploughing through the bottom of ill-maintained canals, and the privilege of getting on and off the boat on a plank because the canal isn't deep enough to get in to the side.

. . . and the joy of being raced to bridge 'oles by silly people who don't know that they can't just stop.

. . . and occasionally (but rarely, we hope), the privilege of being resented by sad people who wish they had a historic boat, but haven't.

Above all, and making it all worthwhile, they enjoy the privilege of being custodians of pieces of living history, and bringing joy to people who know what they're looking at; and a little education and interest to those who don't.

  • Greenie 3
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56 minutes ago, furnessvale said:

Gouging the mitre is caused by a narrowboat attempting to pass through one gate without opening the other, where the steerer has not got the skill to pass through without touching the still closed gate.

Pushing on the centre of a pair of closed gates will result in both gates opening.  The mitre faces are turned away from the boat out of reach.

When you look at damaged mitre faces on double gates it is always restricted to a length of about 12".  My solution to the problem would be to replace this small length with a piece of steel.  Not as good a seal as a perfect wooden mitre, but a lot better than the damaged seal most present gates possess.

George

 Shoving on the centre of a pair of bottom gates starts the damage at the edge of the mitre which gradually eats further into the mitre and starts the splintering and rot further into them. Mostly the same boats around here that do it, going up to pump out toilets so the scraping and gouging is roughly in the same places on them, and where most of the water pours through.

Edited by bizzard
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3 minutes ago, bizzard said:

 Shoving on the centre of a pair of bottom gates starts the damage at the edge of the mitre which gradually eats further into the mitre and starts the splintering and rot further into them. Mostly the same boats around here that do it, going up to pump out toilets so the scraping and gouging is roughly in the same places on them..

Shouldn't do, if steel wear plates are fitted.

George

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Cyclists and extra wide people are partly to blame for this at many locks on the Stort as the lower gate beams when open often obstruct the little pathway bridges, so cyclists and big wide folk rather than climb over or lift their bikes over the beam shove em closed only enough to wheel their bike past or the big wide folk from jiggling sideways through holding their corporation in which makes them cough, splutter and gasp. A boat then comes along, see's the gap between the gates and forces its way through.

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27 minutes ago, nicknorman said:

Ah so you get a green thing because you know one of the divine. I need to change my strategy...

Nick, you are  just being silly. The green  thing was to  show my support to the comment made by Bearwood Boster about the boatmens capabilities. 

To reiterate my signature comment "There are boatmen and thems that go boating." I know who I'd classify as "boatmen." ;)

Edited by Ray T
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6 minutes ago, Ray T said:

Nick, you are  just being silly. The green  thing was to  show my support to the comment made by Bearwood Boster about the boatmens capabilities. 

To reiterate my signature comment "There are boatmen and thems that go boating." I know who I'd classify as "boatmen." ;)

Yes. And therein lies the issue. As soon as the divine boatmen and their boats are mentioned, we are all expected to assume an air of somber devotion. Silliness or humour are definitely not allowed. I wonder if there is a forum where lorries and their drivers are treated similarly?

 

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5 minutes ago, nicknorman said:

Yes. And therein lies the issue. As soon as the divine boatmen and their boats are mentioned, we are all expected to assume an air of somber devotion. Silliness or humour are definitely not allowed. I wonder if there is a forum where lorries and their drivers are treated similarly?

 

Better go to the other place, I believe there is an ex lorry driver there, he may be able to help. :)

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2 minutes ago, nicknorman said:

Yes. And therein lies the issue. As soon as the divine boatmen and their boats are mentioned, we are all expected to assume an air of somber devotion. Silliness or humour are definitely not allowed. I wonder if there is a forum where lorries and their drivers are treated similarly?

 

You could check out the eddie stobart fan club.

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No, no they do not.

Ownership of such craft and the related ongoing, expensive and onerous maintenance demands thereof is a value judgement matter in the final analysis and should not attract any more or less consideration than that offered as a matter of course to the owner of a knackered Springer or a first-time hirer or anyone else, nor should it be expected.

 

 

Edited by tomsk
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