Jump to content

March of the Widebeams


cuthound

Featured Posts

Just now, furnessvale said:

No wonder it brought Halsey to tears of laughter.  We all know the "policy" but is it being carried out?

 

George

C&RT have claimed it is - they published examples of a marina opening (one I think was Pillings Lock) and listed all of the on-line moorings 'closed'.

The 'closed moorings' are not necessarily particularly close to the marina, again, from memory, some of them were around Beeston.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Alan de Enfield said:

C&RT have claimed it is - they published examples of a marina opening (one I think was Pillings Lock) and listed all of the on-line moorings 'closed'.

The 'closed moorings' are not necessarily particularly close to the marina, again, from memory, some of them were around Beeston.

Like you, I believe all of CRT's claims.

 

George

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, furnessvale said:

Like you, I believe all of CRT's claims.

 

George

Along with the tooth fairy, the Easter Bunny and Father Christmas.

 

I am not a supporter of C&RT as I think my posting record would show - however when they post lists of moorings they have 'removed' and some forumites make comments about them being no longer available I do try to believe it.

 

It was some years ago so I maybe have a 'fuzzy' recall.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

31 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Along with the tooth fairy, the Easter Bunny and Father Christmas.

 

I am not a supporter of C&RT as I think my posting record would show - however when they post lists of moorings they have 'removed' and some forumites make comments about them being no longer available I do try to believe it.

 

It was some years ago so I maybe have a 'fuzzy' recall.

It's a good job I have banned my great grandchildren from access to this forum or I would have some serious explaining to do!?

 

George

  • Greenie 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 months later...

We are at Crick.

 

Widebeams dominate the show, which appears quieter than of latter years.

 

Fair warning for those on the North Oxford, twixt Braunston and Dunchurch pools after show week. Apparently, a humongous Dutch barge is being craned in at Braunston, then travelling to Dunchurch. This really is a big beast. I will try to get a photo later...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 hours ago, johnmck said:

We are at Crick.

 

Widebeams dominate the show, which appears quieter than of latter years.

 

Fair warning for those on the North Oxford, twixt Braunston and Dunchurch pools after show week. Apparently, a humongous Dutch barge is being craned in at Braunston, then travelling to Dunchurch. This really is a big beast. I will try to get a photo later...

I'm heading that way before too long.  If I meet him coming the other way, he'd better be prepared to go through the trees because I won't be doing!

 

George

  • Greenie 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'd pay good money to watch that.

Just the bit from Midland Chandlers (calling them swindlers is getting old hat now) to after the A 45 bridge would do me.

There are enough boats moored either side and overhanging vegetation to endanger tempers and necessitate a repaint.

 

If we don't know exactly when this joyful occurrence will be enacted I guess we'll probably be able to catch up with it on Google Earth.  That part of The Grand Oxford is probably caught in one Passover.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 minutes ago, zenataomm said:

I'd pay good money to watch that.

Just the bit from Midland Chandlers (calling them swindlers is getting old hat now) to after the A 45 bridge would do me.

There are enough boats moored either side and overhanging vegetation to endanger tempers and necessitate a repaint.

 

If we don't know exactly when this joyful occurrence will be enacted I guess we'll probably be able to catch up with it on Google Earth.  That part of The Grand Oxford is probably caught in one Passover.

I've never actually met a widebeam on the move on any narrow canal but I know they must do because of where they moor.

 

If I ever do, my plan is simply to tie up on the towpath for tiffin until he has passed.

 

George

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, furnessvale said:

I'm heading that way before too long.  If I meet him coming the other way, he'd better be prepared to go through the trees because I won't be doing!

 

George

 

Why so aggressive?

 

 

Edited by blackrose
Link to comment
Share on other sites

31 minutes ago, blackrose said:

 

Why so aggressive?

 

 

Because widebeams are appearing on totally unsuitable waterways like the northern oxford. It’s high time CRT stopped pussyfooting around and banned the marinas in such locations from accepting widebeams. 

  • Greenie 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 minutes ago, frangar said:

It’s high time CRT stopped pussyfooting around and banned the marinas in such locations from accepting widebeams. 

I don't see how C&RT can do that.

Those are 'private' waters / businesses and C&RT have no control over who they rent moorings to.

 

I suppose a comparison would be the DVLA telling my local garage not to sell fuel to 4WD owners.

 

C&RT COULD refuse to licence boats who declare their home mooring to be on 'unsuitable' canals, but then they would have to amend the T&C's of the access agreement that demands the marina only accepts licensed boats.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

49 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

I don't see how C&RT can do that.

Those are 'private' waters / businesses and C&RT have no control over who they rent moorings to.

 

I suppose a comparison would be the DVLA telling my local garage not to sell fuel to 4WD owners.

 

C&RT COULD refuse to licence boats who declare their home mooring to be on 'unsuitable' canals, but then they would have to amend the T&C's of the access agreement that demands the marina only accepts licensed boats.

The answer is much simpler than that.  Simply stank off the marina entrances to 8ft wide and stank of the first road bridge from Braunston down the Oxford similarly.

 

George

  • Greenie 3
  • Happy 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

34 minutes ago, furnessvale said:

Simply stank off the marina entrances to 8ft wide

Not quite that simple - That would make it impossible for many long narrowminded boats to exit the marina - few canals are wide enough to let them 'out' and then turn, it generally needs a funnel shaped (or wide) entrance / exit to allow them to be able to start turning before they hit the opposite bank.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, blackrose said:

 

Why so aggressive?

 

 

People with wide boats are taking them up the North Oxford to Dunchurch Pools Marina. 

The North Oxford is a "narrow" canal, never designed for wide boats, or two breasted up narrow boats for that matter.

 

(If one is being pedantic the Oxford canal was designed for horse drawn boats.)

 

Because these boats are out of gauge some of the infrastructure has been damaged in the past.

I am not a wide beam hater, correct boats for the size of canal.

Edited by Ray T
Link to comment
Share on other sites

28 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Not quite that simple - That would make it impossible for many long narrowminded boats to exit the marina - few canals are wide enough to let them 'out' and then turn, it generally needs a funnel shaped (or wide) entrance / exit to allow them to be able to start turning before they hit the opposite bank.

Every (new) marina I have seen has a "V" shaped entrance with stop planks at the narrows.  I am suggesting those narrows should be 8ft, not the 12-14ft they seem to have.  Plenty of room for a narrowboat to turn using the "V".

 

George

  • Greenie 3
  • Happy 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

How many of these widebeams actually go anywhere, once that are in their chosen 'Bungalow Park' ?

2 hours ago, furnessvale said:

Simply stank off the marina entrances to 8ft wide and stank of the first road bridge from Braunston down the Oxford similarly.

Agree with the bridges being narrowed, but why 8 Foot?  Narrowboats are 7 foot.  As I said to someone - "You've got seven foot, what more do you want?"

  • Greenie 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, zenataomm said:

I'd pay good money to watch that.

Just the bit from Midland Chandlers (calling them swindlers is getting old hat now) to after the A 45 bridge would do me.

There are enough boats moored either side and overhanging vegetation to endanger tempers and necessitate a repaint.

 

If we don't know exactly when this joyful occurrence will be enacted I guess we'll probably be able to catch up with it on Google Earth.  That part of The Grand Oxford is probably caught in one Passover.

Its being cranned in on 5th June

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, frangar said:

Narrowboats on wider waters tend not to remove lumps from bridges or make life tricky for others navigating because they are blocking the channel. 

They can wear the mitre of broad lock gates going in with only one open, leading to more water loss, if they are not accurate with their steering. They can do this to narrow locks too of course, forcing the boat in to open mitre gates.

 

Jen with a NB on a WB canal.

  • Greenie 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

47 minutes ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

They can wear the mitre of broad lock gates going in with only one open, leading to more water loss, if they are not accurate with their steering. They can do this to narrow locks too of course, forcing the boat in to open mitre gates.

 

Jen with a NB on a WB canal.

Agreed re broad locks.  However, on a narrow lock the bows of a narrowboat will catch the steel protector plates on the gates and push them open before any contact is made with the mitre faces.

 

George

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.