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March of the Widebeams


cuthound

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13 minutes ago, dmr said:

1748409584_widebeamonwatertap.JPG.b8a5f7f839f1360cf53a4ea1cdeea1eb.JPG

 

So here is one moored/dumped on the water point at Kintbury K&A. Note the long front mooring rope making is also difficult to get on to the adjacent pump-out mooring. Luckily I have a very long hose. Its interesting that there is a post marking the end of the 48 hour moorings but nothing indicating not to moor on the water point. This boat is just clear of the 48 hours so is 100% on the unsigned water tap mooring so I reckon he believes he has found himself a clever 14 day mooring and the tap is just an ornament.

 

There are boaters

There are those who go boating

and there are those who live on widebeams. :)

 

...........Dave

And its probably something that BW/CRT never considered would happen so no penalty for doing it or even any action they could take.

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25 minutes ago, dmr said:

So here is one moored/dumped on the water point at Kintbury K&A. Note the long front mooring rope making is also difficult to get on to the adjacent pump-out mooring. Luckily I have a very long hose. Its interesting that there is a post marking the end of the 48 hour moorings but nothing indicating not to moor on the water point. This boat is just clear of the 48 hours so is 100% on the unsigned water tap mooring so I reckon he believes he has found himself a clever 14 day mooring and the tap is just an ornament.

 

There are boaters

There are those who go boating

and there are those who live on widebeams. :)

 

...........Dave

 

 

Sure what we need here is MORE SIGNS!!!

 

"Max 1 Hour on Services Mooring"

 

 

 

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9 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

 

Sure what we need here is MORE SIGNS!!!

 

"Max 1 Hour on Services Mooring"

 

 

 

With our big water tank 1 hour is rather inadequate, but maybe "For water point and elsan only, services do not include shopping, boat washing or boat refits" :)

 

Though at Hungerford you can do two trips to Tesco in the time it takes to fill the tank.

 

............Dave

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2 hours ago, dmr said:

 

There are boaters

There are those who go boating

and there are those who live on widebeams. :)

 

...........Dave

 

And then there are those who live on widebeams who do go boating, and those who live on narrowboats who don't. ?

Edited by blackrose
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3 hours ago, dmr said:

1748409584_widebeamonwatertap.JPG.b8a5f7f839f1360cf53a4ea1cdeea1eb.JPG

 

So here is one moored/dumped on the water point at Kintbury K&A. Note the long front mooring rope making is also difficult to get on to the adjacent pump-out mooring. Luckily I have a very long hose. Its interesting that there is a post marking the end of the 48 hour moorings but nothing indicating not to moor on the water point. This boat is just clear of the 48 hours so is 100% on the unsigned water tap mooring so I reckon he believes he has found himself a clever 14 day mooring and the tap is just an ornament.

 

There are boaters

There are those who go boating

and there are those who live on widebeams. :)

 

...........Dave

In fairness, I have to say that in my thirty years I have come across many, many narrowboats abandoned in similar locations.

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29 minutes ago, mrsmelly said:

In fairness, I have to say that in my thirty years I have come across many, many narrowboats abandoned in similar locations.

 

Yes but widebeams only comprise 1% of the boating population yet manage to cause 50% of the obstructions.

 

And that boat is still there now, with its hose on the tap but turned OFF. 

 

 

 

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26 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

Yes but widebeams only comprise 1% of the boating population yet manage to cause 50% of the obstructions.

 

And that boat is still there now, with its hose on the tap but turned OFF. 

 

 

 

I must dispute those numbers old chap. I reckon there are more boats of a sensible beam in the UK than narrowboats and vastly more worldwide. The narrowboat is the daft misnomer innitt.

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Just now, mrsmelly said:

I must dispute those numbers old chap. I reckon there are more boats of a sensible beam in the UK than narrowboats and vastly more worldwide. The narrowboat is the daft misnomer innitt.

 

Wot, in the UK canals?

 

I saw a widebeam in the Oxford a few years back at Enslow. Put in on the slipway at Kingsground. God nose why.

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1 minute ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

Wot, in the UK canals?

 

I saw a widebeam in the Oxford a few years back at Enslow. Put in on the slipway at Kingsground. God nose why.

I reckon there are plenty of bigger stuff if you go on the bigger waterways, add in the coastal stuff and the nb is outnumbered. I am in total agreement that too many wazzocks put them in entirely the wrong locations though. The north Oxford being a prime example.

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2 hours ago, Scholar Gypsy said:

Yes I read that   

 

And the best bit bit of advice was edited 

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4 minutes ago, Athy said:

His own personal experience?

 

I was poking fun at the propensity some here have for demanding hard evidence to back up casual, personal impressions. 

 

'Tis my impression as a boater that widebeams cause as many, or more, obstructions than narrow boats, and now BR wants me to produce stats to prove it!

 

FFS

 

 

 

Edited by Mike the Boilerman
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On 11/09/2019 at 23:06, johnmck said:

Since we last saw this behemoth ten days or so ago

, just onto the South Oxford,  it has reversed and is now heading towards Braunston. The canal is wider, but  it still illustrates just how unsuitable these craft are for most British canals, even those deigned to be wide.

 

 

 

Progress update for the one at Bridge 104 and pointing towards Braunston 10 days ago.

 

At 12.45 pm today, 21/9/19, we came around the bend just before bridge 102 heading from Braunston to Napton.

 

The boat we were following had just pulled over to the side, which I then also did, as did the two boats behind me (it's been busy here this morning!). The reason was a widebeam was just about to come through the bridge going in the Braunston direction. My first thought was concern that it might get stuck as,  from a distance, it looked tight. I then thought I'm going to be waiting a while for it, and the boats queuing behind it, to come through and past the narrow boat moored about, I guess, 100 foot from the bridge, Braunston side.

 

But no!

 

Immediately after getting through the bridge, bow-hauled, it then pulled over and moored at the very start of the Armco despite the fact that there was probably another 50 to 60 foot of Armco to the moored narrow boat. 

 

I heard, 2nd hand, that it has "lost its rudder". Even if that is true (I have no reason to doubt it) it doesn't excuse mooring it up immediately after the bridge and not another 50 or 60 foot along. 

 

It's very busy along here today, being a warm sunny Saturday, and there will no doubt be quite a few hire boats (Napton, Black Prince, Calcutt, Union Canal Carriers) going through that bridge this afternoon. Narrow stretch of canal either side of the bridge for some distance plus quite a breeze (making hovering a challenge) plus said widebeam right by the bridge should make for some fun there this afternoon, assuming it wasn't just a very brief stop. 

 

Here's a photo, although it probably doesn't really do it justice. My excuse is that I was a bit busy steering at the time!

 

Oh yes, there were another 3 boats approaching the bridge from the Napton direction when I came through plus numerous others heading that way during our next half mile or so.

 

 

 

IMG_20190921_124542613.jpg

Edited by Lily Rose
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7 hours ago, Athy said:

His own personal experience?

 

Yes, we can all do that if we're just plucking figures out of the air.

 

7 hours ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

I was poking fun at the propensity some here have for demanding hard evidence to back up casual, personal impressions. 

 

'Tis my impression as a boater that widebeams cause as many, or more, obstructions than narrow boats, and now BR wants me to produce stats to prove it!

 

FFS

 

 

 

 

And I was poking fun at the propensity some here have for making casual assertions quoting statistics, which are in fact based on nothing more than vague feelings or perceptions. Also I didn't actually ask you to produce any stats or hard evidence, I just asked where where you were getting your figures from. Perhaps you need to go to Specsavers.

 

Anyway now MtB is asking me to quote a source to disprove his nonsense! ?

 

FFS

Edited by blackrose
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31 minutes ago, Lily Rose said:

 

Progress update for the one at Bridge 104 and pointing towards Braunston 10 days ago.

 

At 12.45 pm today, 21/9/19, we came around the bend just before bridge 102 heading from Braunston to Napton.

 

The boat we were following had just pulled over to the side, which I then also did, as did the two boats behind me (it's been busy here this morning!). The reason was a widebeam was just about to come through the bridge going in the Braunston direction. My first thought was concern that it might get stuck as,  from a distance, it looked tight. I then thought I'm going to be waiting a while for it, and the boats queuing behind it, to come through and past the narrow boat moored about, I guess, 100 foot from the bridge, Braunston side.

 

But no!

 

Immediately after getting through the bridge, bow-hauled, it then pulled over and moored at the very start of the Armco despite the fact that there was probably another 50 to 60 foot of Armco to the moored narrow boat. 

 

I heard, 2nd hand, that it has "lost its rudder". Even if that is true (I have no reason to doubt it) it doesn't excuse mooring it up immediately after the bridge and not another 50 or 60 foot along. 

 

It's very busy along here today, being a warm sunny Saturday, and there will no doubt be quite a few hire boats (Napton, Black Prince, Calcutt, Union Canal Carriers) going through that bridge this afternoon. Narrow stretch of canal either side of the bridge for some distance plus quite a breeze (making hovering a challenge) plus said widebeam right by the bridge should make for some fun there this afternoon, assuming it wasn't just a very brief stop. 

 

Here's a photo, although it probably doesn't really do it justice. My excuse is that I was a bit busy steering at the time!

 

Oh yes, there were another 3 boats approaching the bridge from the Napton direction when I came through plus numerous others heading that way during our next half mile or so.

 

 

 

IMG_20190921_124542613.jpg

Uh-oh - family heading that way today on Lysander. Have passed on the warning.

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19 hours ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

Yes but widebeams only comprise 1% of the boating population yet manage to cause 50% of the obstructions.

 

And that boat is still there now, with its hose on the tap but turned OFF.

 

7 hours ago, blackrose said:

Really? I very much doubt it. Not sure where you're getting any of your figures from?

 

5 hours ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

I'm estimating them from personal experience.

 

Can you quote the source you are using to suggest I am wrong?


You are not even in the right ball park Mike (Boilerman Mike, not the othr one!)

 

From an answer to an FOI request.....

 

 

Quote

Further to your request of 4^th January and subsequent clarification of
both 6^th and 8^th January, please see the information you have requested
below.

 

o 18,888 Boats Listed as craft type “Narrowboat” currently licensed
o 1315 Boats listed as Widebeam
o 8054 Boats with a beam equal to or over 2.10m (not necessarily listed  as widebeam but could be)


I don't know why the total of all those numbers are so low, but whatever the anomalies, it is obvious that probably at least 10% of boats on CRT waters class as wide beams, and probably a lot more than that.

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