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March of the Widebeams


cuthound

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3 hours ago, Up-Side-Down said:

A couple have escaped up here to the Scottish Central Belt and are, somewhat incongruously, lurking on the F&C.

Aren't you lucky!  Horrible things.  The steerer can only see straight in front of him/her.  No idea what the stern is doing.  Keep well clear.

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Back to the bridge below Warwickshire Fly ...

I seem to recall a few years ago, steel bracing bars and heavy duty mechano were fitted to the towpath side of that bridge.

I assume that would also indicate some degree of movement/settling.

I believe the bridge only serves Warwickshire Flyboat yard and moorings, so whether maintenance is C&RT's responsibility (which is what I would expect) or Warwickshire Fly, I could not say.

I follow the story with great interest, and do hope repairs can be completed. It would be a shame if this issue were to put a block on the visits of Tranquil Rose and similar boats into Warwick.

Rog

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1 hour ago, dogless said:

Back to the bridge below Warwickshire Fly ...

I seem to recall a few years ago, steel bracing bars and heavy duty mechano were fitted to the towpath side of that bridge.

I assume that would also indicate some degree of movement/settling.

I believe the bridge only serves Warwickshire Flyboat yard and moorings, so whether maintenance is C&RT's responsibility (which is what I would expect) or Warwickshire Fly, I could not say.

I follow the story with great interest, and do hope repairs can be completed. It would be a shame if this issue were to put a block on the visits of Tranquil Rose and similar boats into Warwick.

Rog

Tranquil Rose seems to be up for sale on Apollo Duck https://barges.apolloduck.co.uk/boat/businesses/610115 so maybe the owners have had enough.

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FWIW

 

We passed a widebeam boat heading south between Hatton Top Lock and Shrewley Tunnel today.

 

The steerer was having trouble navigating through a bridge hole. I suggested that he might find things easier with a narrower boat but I think the point was lost on him.

 

Ho hum.

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9 hours ago, Chris Williams said:

Widebeam.  We used to call them Carribeans.

trendsetter[1].jpg

 

9 hours ago, Up-Side-Down said:

We still call them Carribeans! A couple have escaped up here to the Scottish Central Belt and are, somewhat incongruously, lurking on the F&C.

 

5 hours ago, Chris Williams said:

Aren't you lucky!  Horrible things.  The steerer can only see straight in front of him/her.  No idea what the stern is doing.  Keep well clear.

I have one brilliant design a bit ugly, and long after your steel boat has rotted through and sunk it will still be swimming, Also in comparison to a Narrowboat it has real usable space, it has a proper shaped hull so it goes well, faults? no weedhatch, and lack of insulation Pros it can have a sliding roof so you can see all over the place, have the sun on your head and if it rains close the roof and stay dry! All in all its probably way better than a narrowboat, Trouble is some of you boaters really do have blinkers on and because you seem to live your life on narrow canals you have developed narrow minds as well. All you are doing is endlessly complaining about widebeams on canals that have been altered to fit widebeams but you dont like it! I am glad I am Northern canals that are the right size for proper boats and not toy ones! Rant over

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18 hours ago, Chris Williams said:

Widebeam.  We used to call them Carribeans.

trendsetter[1].jpg

FB Wildes Carribean. 

 

http://fbwilds.horning.org.uk/

 

There are of course many other makers of the single level Broads boats. They are a great example of a boat designed for their purpose of navigating the low bridges of the Broads but without width restrictions. Excellent design of the day.

 

The more modern examples were made by Alpha and more recently Broom have made single level cruisers.

 

We much prefer the centre cockpit design as you are sat higher up to steer and can see over the reeds. This year we are hiring an Alphacraft 35 highliner which is based on the 35ft single level hull but with a flybridge superstructure. Not good for the low bridges of course.

 

https://www.richardsonsboatingholidays.co.uk/boats/swan-ranger/

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18 hours ago, Up-Side-Down said:

We still call them Carribeans! A couple have escaped up here to the Scottish Central Belt and are, somewhat incongruously, lurking on the F&C.

A friend of mine, now deceased, bought one on the Mar Menor, on the east coast of Spain. It had been brought down through the French canal system and then around the coast.

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I haven’t checked all 29 pages of this thread to see if it’s been mentioned, but there is now an extremely fat boat (looks like 14’) moored outside the sea life centre in central Birmingham. “Port Loop”  - presumably to take prospective customers on a jaunt to the new housing development at Icknield Port loop. Encountered the ridiculous fat thing whilst we were trying to moor on the main line. Just managed to squeeze by with the woman driver furiously twirling the steering wheel this way and that, weaving down the cut and colliding with a couple of moored boats further along.

 

Who thought that was a good idea on a narrow canal? And so much for CRT’s Ts and Cs about boats being fit for the navigation. I suppose if you have enough money to wine and dine CRT officials, you can do anything.

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26 minutes ago, nicknorman said:

Who thought that was a good idea on a narrow canal? And so much for CRT’s Ts and Cs about boats being fit for the navigation. I suppose if you have enough money to wine and dine CRT officials, you can do anything.

 

One wonders if there is a mechanism for a member of the public to force a public body like CRT to apply the bylaws, rather than selectively relax them in cases like this. This 14ft wide Port Loop show boat seems a particularly good example of CRT agreeing to a bylaw being flouted for commercial gain. 

 

One also wonders if this boat has a home mooring, and if it ever gets used. 

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54 minutes ago, nicknorman said:

I haven’t checked all 29 pages of this thread to see if it’s been mentioned, but there is now an extremely fat boat (looks like 14’) moored outside the sea life centre in central Birmingham. “Port Loop”  - presumably to take prospective customers on a jaunt to the new housing development at Icknield Port loop. Encountered the ridiculous fat thing whilst we were trying to moor on the main line. Just managed to squeeze by with the woman driver furiously twirling the steering wheel this way and that, weaving down the cut and colliding with a couple of moored boats further along.

 

Who thought that was a good idea on a narrow canal? And so much for CRT’s Ts and Cs about boats being fit for the navigation. I suppose if you have enough money to wine and dine CRT officials, you can do anything.

 

33 minutes ago, RLWP said:

Perhaps you should, it has

 

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16 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

One wonders if there is a mechanism for a member of the public to force a public body like CRT to apply the bylaws, rather than selectively relax them in cases like this. This 14ft wide Port Loop show boat seems a particularly good example of CRT agreeing to a bylaw being flouted for commercial gain. 

 

One also wonders if this boat has a home mooring, and if it ever gets used. 

Not what I would call a home mooring but it gets left on the Icknield Port loop where it actually takes up less room than the semi submerged work boats that used to be dumped there. It gets moved round by the sea life centre as an advertising suite.

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1 hour ago, Tumshie said:

A Carribean, Is this the big boat you converted to full electric? :)

I have done a 32 foot broads cruiser using a Lynch electric motor, and my 57 x 12 widebeam as well, I have used a forklift truck dc series motor for that, so two converted at the moment and I have had inquiries about more

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2 minutes ago, peterboat said:

I have done a 32 foot broads cruiser using a Lynch electric motor, and my 57 x 12 widebeam as well, I have used a forklift truck dc series motor for that, so two converted at the moment and I have had inquiries about more

Forklift motor's.. Clever, they would be very robust too.

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22 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

One wonders if there is a mechanism for a member of the public to force a public body like CRT to apply the bylaws, rather than selectively relax them in cases like this. This 14ft wide Port Loop show boat seems a particularly good example of CRT agreeing to a bylaw being flouted for commercial gain. 

 

One also wonders if this boat has a home mooring, and if it ever gets used. 

Is it a bylaw or just their Ts and Cs?

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1 minute ago, 70liveaboard said:

Forklift motor's.. Clever, they would be very robust too.

I have a 11 inch one rated at 5.5kw at 48 Volts, I run it direct drive at a nominal 60 volts and its pushing out 23KW 30.6666 hp which is more than enough for the big boat, on the cruise it runs at 3kw 600rpm direct drive which is about 3 mph or maybe just over. I have 2.5 kw of solar switched for drive/domestic/immersion heater and  1.2kw of solar that can be switched between domestic/drive/immersion heater the system works well for me

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15 minutes ago, peterboat said:

I have a 11 inch one rated at 5.5kw at 48 Volts, I run it direct drive at a nominal 60 volts and its pushing out 23KW 30.6666 hp which is more than enough for the big boat, on the cruise it runs at 3kw 600rpm direct drive which is about 3 mph or maybe just over. I have 2.5 kw of solar switched for drive/domestic/immersion heater and  1.2kw of solar that can be switched between domestic/drive/immersion heater the system works well for me

Are they used motors or new ?

It's the future 'electric' on rivers and canals, so people best start waking up.. Plus they're great cruising wise.

Just got to get a hook up system going around the system, only drawback really.

Edited by 70liveaboard
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8 minutes ago, 70liveaboard said:

Are they used motors or new ?

It's the future 'electric' on rivers and canals, so people best start waking up.. Plus they're great crusing wise.

Just got to get a hook up system going around the system, only drawback really.

Mine was £300 nearly new, then the controller and speed controller another £200 reversing switch £99, I reckon I spent about1K on the bits batteries however were about £300 each x 14 secondhand 10 x drive 4 x domestic they are low cycle valence LifePo4s

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6 minutes ago, peterboat said:

Mine was £300 nearly new, then the controller and speed controller another £200 reversing switch £99, I reckon I spent about1K on the bits batteries however were about £300 each x 14 secondhand 10 x drive 4 x domestic they are low cycle valence LifePo4s

Yeah, I think the battery tech nowadays is much better. I was approached in the mid 90's from a manu based over in Norfolk. They were making  electric motors and thought about putting it into the 25ft nb (steel, but not real heavy). But the battery tech back then wasn't clear enough for me, so didn't bother.

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51 minutes ago, nicknorman said:

Is it a bylaw or just their Ts and Cs?

By-Law No3

 

As to Vessels to be used on Canals
Fitness of Vessels
3. No person shall bring use or leave in any canal any vessel which
is not in every respect fit for navigation on the canal or part
thereof where it is intended to be used.

 

I think forcing C&RT to implement the by-laws may have unthought of consequences.

(Stone and glass houses come to mind)

 

I wonder how many boats & boaters actually comply with the requirements ?

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