Dave_P Posted December 4, 2017 Report Share Posted December 4, 2017 My mooring is about 4.5 miles from my workplace (which is very close to the canal). I'm often asked why I don't commute by boat and have to explain that it would take around 1.5 hours each way, so not really sensible. So I got to thinking. 1.5 hours wouldn't be so bad if I could be getting ready for work at the same time - showering, eating breakfast etc. Now google et.al. are bringing us driverless cars, so why not driverless boats? With a bit of ingenuity it could even cast me off automatically (electro-magnet?) Then I could get out of bed about half an hour before I arrive, get ready for work, eat a hot buttered pikelet and emerge from my boat just in time to moor up. Am I a genius or what? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rusty69 Posted December 4, 2017 Report Share Posted December 4, 2017 Your plan is flawless............ Until you get to the first lock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Machpoint005 Posted December 4, 2017 Report Share Posted December 4, 2017 A self-driving boat has about as much point as a self-drinking pint. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave_P Posted December 4, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 4, 2017 (edited) 22 minutes ago, rusty69 said: Your plan is flawless............ Until you get to the first lock Good point, but there are no locks on my commute. So it looks like my plan is flawless! Edited December 4, 2017 by Dave_P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan de Enfield Posted December 4, 2017 Report Share Posted December 4, 2017 26 minutes ago, Dave_P said: Am I a genius or what? The latter. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave_P Posted December 4, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 4, 2017 19 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said: The latter. You won't be saying that when my self-driving boat business has made me a multi-millionaire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rickent Posted December 4, 2017 Report Share Posted December 4, 2017 A better plan would be to commute to your workplace monday morning, moor up then back to your home mooring on friday. Simples.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyG Posted December 4, 2017 Report Share Posted December 4, 2017 (edited) What you need is a slave, she gets up at 4.00am to iron your shirt and press your suit, then womanhauls you to workplace, Simples. Edited December 4, 2017 by LadyG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave_P Posted December 4, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 4, 2017 5 minutes ago, Rickent said: A better plan would be to commute to your workplace monday morning, moor up then back to your home mooring on friday. Simples.... This idea would have merit, until you see the area where I work! Also, my home mooring has electric, water, elsan, bins, parking, laundry room, post room etc. 3 minutes ago, LadyG said: What you nwwd is a slave, she gets up at 4.00am o iron your shirt and press yoursuit, then womanhauls you to workplace, Simples. I had considered that. Are you volunteering? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyG Posted December 4, 2017 Report Share Posted December 4, 2017 married once, never again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave_P Posted December 4, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 4, 2017 1 minute ago, LadyG said: married once, never again Snap! I'm not looking for a wife, I'm looking for a boat-slave. Bed & board in return for making me breakfast and taking me to work and back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyG Posted December 4, 2017 Report Share Posted December 4, 2017 6 minutes ago, Dave_P said: Snap! I'm not looking for a wife, I'm looking for a boat-slave. Bed & board in return for making me breakfast and taking me to work and back. I'm not that desperate, ty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bee Posted December 4, 2017 Report Share Posted December 4, 2017 Easy enough. There was a programme on the telly the other night, something about robot 'girlfriends' If robots can do that surely they must be able to steer a boat? After all what takes more skill? sex or steering a boat? Hmm, yeah, its steering a boat innit. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave_P Posted December 4, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 4, 2017 7 minutes ago, Bee said: Easy enough. There was a programme on the telly the other night, something about robot 'girlfriends' If robots can do that surely they must be able to steer a boat? After all what takes more skill? sex or steering a boat? Hmm, yeah, its steering a boat innit. Depends how you do it. 9 minutes ago, LadyG said: I'm not that desperate, ty Dammit! I was hoping for a daily serving of Scottish square sausage and white pudding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyG Posted December 4, 2017 Report Share Posted December 4, 2017 10 minutes ago, Dave_P said: 11 minutes ago, Dave_P said: Dammit! I was hoping for a daily serving of Scottish square sausage and white pudding. In yer dreams! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
X Alan W Posted December 4, 2017 Report Share Posted December 4, 2017 One of the Fasham Clan used to have a RC controlled narrow boat I met him one day bringing it up through the Tipton 3 he was working the bottom Lock & the boat was bringing its self along some 2/300 yards from the lock didn't see it again so have no idea if it was success/failure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter X Posted December 4, 2017 Report Share Posted December 4, 2017 Technically I would imagine that self driving inland boats are no more of a challenge than self driving cars, perhaps a bit easier because of the lower speeds and more restricted choice of route. However the reason self driving cars are becoming a reality is that the market is so huge that the investment is worthwhile; there are a lot less inland boats than cars in the world, and once a boat goes out to sea a lot of big nasty extra variables come into the picture. This doesn't mean that the world of boating is immune to automation; no doubt the commercial shipping world uses all sorts of technology to reduce the size of crew needed to operate those monster container ships, but I think they'll still have human officers in control for many years yet. When (not if, I'm sure it's coming) self-driving cars become the norm and the technology from that develops further and becomes better understood, I think it's plausible that it could become economic to adapt it for inland boating. Probably not in my lifetime. To me a big part of the fun of boating is manual lock operation, but the self-driving narrow boat will not find much of a market if it's limited to one pound, so I think it would be preceded by automated locks, for which the technology is easier. I would go so far as to say that in the long term, decades from now, if a robot crew could operate a working pair long hours with little or no need for a paid human to intervene, it might make canal carrying competitive again. Now there's a thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Mack Posted December 4, 2017 Report Share Posted December 4, 2017 Have you thought about swimming to work? http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20170724-the-man-who-swims-to-work 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevMc Posted December 4, 2017 Report Share Posted December 4, 2017 I seem to recall a piece on one of those canal magazine program (waterways world or Locks & Quays, or something like that) about a chap who had a remote controlled boat to save climbing up and down lock ladders ..... but I read later that either his insurance company or CRT themselves banned use of it for some reason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post zenataomm Posted December 4, 2017 Popular Post Report Share Posted December 4, 2017 About thirty years ago I met a family who were pioneers in this subject of self driving boats. I was walking along the towpath somewhere South of Knowle towards Hatton, when I heard a boat coming up behind me. The engine was set at a fair chatter and it soon caught up with me. I turned to see it was a hire boat from Birmingham, it was bowling along quite merrily, especially considering there was nobody at the back minding the waving about stick. I remember regretting that mobile phones with cameras hadn't been invented yet, surely there was a subject flailing around in the water somewhere, where could he be? I soon saw him, he wasn't drowning, he wasn't even wet. I could see him through the window as he slid past me sideways at over 4 mph happily munching his lunch. He certainly appeared to have mastered his knife and fork even if he needed more tuition in the bleedin' obvious when it came to navigation. Let's be clear though, no way was he endangering his life, he also had his wife and three young children sitting around him at the table. There were two generations here bound for the Pearly Gates. They hadn't gone far past me when fate stepped aboard and deposited the next lesson in canal boat management. "Unattended Boats Become Bored and Will Go Berry Picking". Almost on cue "Brummagem Ballistic" gently kissed the off side, and then brutally tried to climb a tree. Contra to this the back end displayed a fondness for the lumpy stone coping and demonstrating Tony Blair's First Law of Activity "If you're decided on action make sure it's spectacular in its effect on everybody". The back end jumped out of the water as the propeller's ears chewed on lumps of mineral towpath side. A loud bang from the under the water thrashing bit was followed by a deafening silence from t'engine. However an equally impressive display of female expression emanated from the cabin. It sounded as if Maria Callas herself had just deposited a saucepan of boiling gravy over her lap. By the time I caught up with them the Mister had surfaced from below and quite understandably wore an expression of total puzzlement as he slid down the thirty degree angled deck. Seeing me he shrugged his shoulders and asked me if I saw that? I held my hands out palm up, shrugged my shoulders and tutted. I commented that maybe his arms were too short for steering while eating his lunch inside. He thought about it, but defended his decision with "It was for only 5 minutes while I ate lunch, after all where could it go?" "Up a tree?" I observed. While food stained and crying children were being hauled onto the towpath by their Mother who was sporting a very fashionable ensemble of jumper, jeans, spaghetti and orange juice, it became obvious she had no desire to acknowledge me or even less the persistent whining of her husband. He was begging everyone in earshot to agree with him that the last few minutes were anything other than unexplainable. I continued my walk, and about half an hour later when I returned, they were no longer diagonally across the cut, the freshly scrubbed kiddies were hanging up to dry, she was ferociously reading a book and he was staring down at the running engine that was producing plenty of graunching from its drive train and oodles of nothing from under the counter. I whistled jauntily as I didn't stop. 3 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horace42 Posted December 5, 2017 Report Share Posted December 5, 2017 How about a driverless car when they come out. Fit it out like a campervan.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bizzard Posted December 5, 2017 Report Share Posted December 5, 2017 My boat becomes self driving when I come out of the Three Horse Shoes pub. It does it far better on its own than me. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rusty69 Posted December 5, 2017 Report Share Posted December 5, 2017 (edited) 27 minutes ago, bizzard said: My boat becomes self driving when I come out of the Three Horse Shoes pub. It does it far better on its own than me. My shoes become self driving when I come out of the Two boats pub Edited December 5, 2017 by rusty69 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bizzard Posted December 5, 2017 Report Share Posted December 5, 2017 7 minutes ago, rusty69 said: My shoes becomes self driving when I come out of the Two boats pub Go cross eyed and you'll only see one boat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rusty69 Posted December 5, 2017 Report Share Posted December 5, 2017 (edited) 8 minutes ago, bizzard said: Go cross eyed and you'll only see one boat. I've already lost one boat, can't,I afford to lose another Edited December 5, 2017 by rusty69 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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