March of the Widebeams

[Cheshire cat]

I guess it won't stop some people from trying to get through and ending up wedged.

 

Does this mean that there are plenty of fat boats on the wrong side of the restriction?

[Ewan123]

7 hours ago, Grassman said:

Why don’t CRT just make one of the bridge-holes narrower by means of a removable and lockable steel frame. Then when a fat boat wants to travel on that section they have to pre-book a CRT person to unlock and remove the frame. A charge of about £100 a time should cover it 🙂.

Seems nice, but it would surely get damaged/vandalised often enough that the expense of maintaining it (in addition to the original install) could become prohibitive.

[IanD]

2 minutes ago, Ewan123 said:

Seems nice, but it would surely get damaged/vandalised often enough that the expense of maintaining it (in addition to the original install) could become prohibitive.

If it gets damaged/vandalised by fat boats (who else would do it?), make them pay for the repair -- or put the fee up... 😉

[magnetman]

Torpedoes aimed at the stern area could work. 

Signage to indicate which side to pass to avoid the incoming. 

[Ewan123]

11 minutes ago, IanD said:

If it gets damaged/vandalised by fat boats (who else would do it?), make them pay for the repair -- or put the fee up... 😉

I just don't see that working in the real world.

[Tam & Di]

Prigozhin's fat thing was having problems recently too - I doubt that he'll pay for any damage though:

 

[blackrose]

1 hour ago, IanD said:

If it gets damaged/vandalised by fat boats (who else would do it?), make them pay for the repair -- or put the fee up... 😉

 

As long as narrowboats are made to pay for the damage they do to lock gates - or put the fee up that's seems fair. My widebeam isn't long enough to be anywhere near any gates, but you can often see damage which gauged by the distance from the lock wall is obviously caused by narrowboats smashing into the gates.

[adam1uk]

On 25/06/2023 at 13:26, zenataomm said:

The problem is that it was originally decreed that Fatties needed to book passage in advance and adhere to their proposed timings.

This was because being a narrow beam waterway with narrow bridge holes etc. and an under water profile not designed for easy passage without bottlenecks.  Heated tempers and bloody mindedness is on the cards without planning.  Especially in the narrows between Midland Chandlers and north of the road bridge.  

They’re not narrow though, as demonstrated by the fact that wide boats can fit through them.

 

1 hour ago, IanD said:

If it gets damaged/vandalised by fat boats (who else would do it?), make them pay for the repair -- or put the fee up... 😉

Judging by now bashed some bridges are, even on narrow canals — and how bashed most marina entrances are, I’d suggest than many boaters are quite capable of damaging things, even if their boats are theoretically able to fit through easily.

7 minutes ago, blackrose said:

 

As long as narrowboats are made to pay for the damage they do to lock gates - or put the fee up that's seems fair. My widebeam isn't long enough to be anywhere near any gates, but you can often see damage which gauged by the distance from the lock wall is obviously caused by narrowboats smashing into the gates.

Just because a boat is short doesn’t mean it won’t end up near the gates.  In fact there’s an argument that a shorter boat being propelled at a gate by water from a good way back is likely to do more damage than a long boat which was pretty much on the gate to start with.

[John Brightley]

2 hours ago, Cheshire cat said:

Does this mean that there are plenty of fat boats on the wrong side of the restriction?

My guess, as I walk parts of this section fairly regularly, is that there are about 6 wide boats in this area. But whether any of them are over 12' beam I don't know. Most of them don't move much anyway.

[magnetman]

Banning all types of boat might be the way forward to avoid arguments.

 

 

[matty40s]

6 minutes ago, John Brightley said:

My guess, as I walk parts of this section fairly regularly, is that there are about 6 wide boats in this area. But whether any of them are over 12' beam I don't know. Most of them don't move much anyway.

I reckon there are 7 or 8 in Dunchurch Pools, and a few in Barby Pools.(although sat view does not show any!!)

Edited June 27, 2023 by matty40s

[magnetman]

15 minutes ago, matty40s said:

I reckon there are 7 or 8 in Dunchurch Pools, and a few in Barby Pools.(although sat view does not show any!!)

Which marina is this? 

 

 

I've not been that way for about 20 yars it seems things have changed a little! 

 

Definitely some wide beans in there. 

[matty40s]

2 minutes ago, magnetman said:

Which marina is this? 

 

 

I've not been that way for about 20 yars it seems things have changed a little! 

 

Definitely some wide beans in there. 

Dunchurch pools, as designed by the people from the Eden Project, that's why there are so many trees(!?!) and your head gets blown off as you rise above the embankment on a windy day.

[Hudds Lad]

Just now, matty40s said:

Dunchurch pools, as designed by the people from the Eden Project, that's why there are so many trees(!?!) and your head gets blown off as you rise above the embankment on a windy day.

It’s always a windy day at Dunchurch  

 

Didn’t think there were that many there now, but i’ve not walked round the full marina for a bit, deffo a couple in the first pool & a fat broads cruiser, and one near the office, and one on the hard being blacked/worked on for the past few weeks if that counts  

[Tam & Di]

1 hour ago, magnetman said:

Banning all types of boat might be the way forward to avoid arguments.

Certainly the problem to my mind is people with boats of whatever beam who are not really competent. The nearer your boat is to the limits of the waterways you're on then the more careful (and considerate) you need to be. Unfortunately boating ability is a skill that seems to be regarded as too much bother by all too many people  nowadays, whatever the size of boat.

[zenataomm]

2 hours ago, adam1uk said:

They’re not narrow though, as demonstrated by the fact that wide boats can fit through them.

Not without incident 

[MtB]

9 minutes ago, Tam & Di said:

Certainly the problem to my mind is people with boats of whatever beam who are not really competent. The nearer your boat is to the limits of the waterways you're on then the more careful (and considerate) you need to be. Unfortunately boating ability is a skill that seems to be regarded as too much bother by all too many people  nowadays, whatever the size of boat.

 

My own observation is the bigger and closer to the limits of the waterway a widebeam boat is, the more thick-skinned, unaware and generally pushy the owner is. 

 

With some notable exceptions posting here. 

 

 

[John Brightley]

2 hours ago, matty40s said:

I reckon there are 7 or 8 in Dunchurch Pools, and a few in Barby Pools.(although sat view does not show any!!)

Hi Matty. I was referring to the area west of Long Itchington.

[adam1uk]

1 hour ago, matty40s said:

Dunchurch pools, as designed by the people from the Eden Project, that's why there are so many trees(!?!) and your head gets blown off as you rise above the embankment on a windy day.

Surprised they didn’t put a dome over it.

[Ianws]

2 hours ago, magnetman said:

Which marina is this? 

 

 

I've not been that way for about 20 yars it seems things have changed a little! 

 

Definitely some wide beans in there. 

I wouldn't want to moor there for love nor money. 

[matty40s]

22 minutes ago, Ianws said:

I wouldn't want to moor there for love nor money. 

Have you got long hair then?

[Ianws]

15 hours ago, matty40s said:

Have you got long hair then?

Not any more.

[IanD]

1 minute ago, Ianws said:

Not any more.

*Any* hair? 😉

[Ianws]

3 hours ago, IanD said:

*Any* hair? 😉

Some, but not enough to grow it without looking (more) stupid.

[Mike Todd]

I see that they are allowing the special transits during proper day times as well. Is this something we should be worried about?