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boat yards closest to Oxford?


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3 hours ago, Wittenham said:

I do mean Sheepwash and the Thames. Dukes is much closer, but not sure dragging (or towing) a boat by its stern is very do-able. Unless the experts here tell me otherwise, I am planning to take the boat to Sheepwash/Thames, turn it around and then get it to Dukes Cut. 

Given this, and assuming you don't have a boat to tow you and that the rotten rudder you've salvaged can be put on the stern of the butty to give you some steering, I'd suggest you haul it backwards to Duke's Cut to reduce the distance you have to cover. However, when you're through the lock into Duke's Cut you run out of towpath; can the boatyard's tug reverse up to to that point in order to collect you? It's quite a narrow channel for the first few hundred yards, then gradually widens out as it nears the main river.

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I'm sure Tony Brooks' suggestion for controlling the steering when pulling the butty backwards up to Duke's Cut is good too. If you can rig up a rudder/ellum too and have someone aboard operating that it will help. I've steered a butty when being towed backwards, and found I got a certain amount of control of my direction by pointing the ellum at where I wanted to go. If being towed backwards by another boat, use a fairly short line and make sure they do a slow steady speed so you don't run into their stern; also put a "TOWING" sign on their bow, which entitles you to expect that other boats give way.

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9 hours ago, Wittenham said:

And then then I realise the boat is pointing the wrong way. So... down the Oxford Canal to where it meets the Thames above Osney Lock. Anyone know if there is room to pivot a 72 foot boat at that space?  Seems plenty big when I paddle a canoe through it....

Once you're through the little lock at the bottom of the canal and at Thames level there's plenty of room to turn. Also room at the end of the Sheepwash channel but beware shallow water by the allotments.

 

Martin/

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1 hour ago, Onewheeler said:

Once you're through the little lock at the bottom of the canal and at Thames level there's plenty of room to turn. Also room at the end of the Sheepwash channel but beware shallow water by the allotments.

 

Martin/

Why cant the tug pick you up just below the lock at Sheepwash

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Can I check the view:  can the butty be dragged by hand stern first to Duke's Cut?  There are many narrowboats along the towpath, at least for the first few hundred metres, it is much more clear after that.  There is no reasonable way to drag it from the other side of the canal [not without lots of chain saw work first]. 

 

The rudder has been jury rigged, per below [but would be at the 'wrong' end].

 

We could be picked up at Sheepwash/Thames, but Dukes Cut is a shorter distance for the tug [and therefore cheaper].

rudder.jpg

Edited by Wittenham
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15 minutes ago, Wittenham said:

Can I check the view:  can the butty be dragged by hand stern first to Duke's Cut?  There are many narrowboats along the towpath, at least for the first few hundred metres, it is much more clear after that.  There is no reasonable way to drag it from the other side of the canal [not without lots of chain saw work first]. 

 

The rudder has been jury rigged, per below [but would be at the 'wrong' end].

 

We could be picked up at Sheepwash/Thames, but Dukes Cut is a shorter distance for the tug [and therefore cheaper].

rudder.jpg

 

Don't any of your neighbours have engines and could spare you a few hours ?

They could 'strap' you alongside and get you virtually where you want to be - you will be being towed/alongside backwards and go thru the lock backwards and the tug to then tow you backwards but - does it matter ?

#

No.

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32 minutes ago, Wittenham said:

can the butty be dragged by hand stern first to Duke's Cut?  There are many narrowboats along the towpath, at least for the first few hundred metres

 

Yes it can but pulling it using lines over moored boats is an utter ball-ache. Another way is to pole it along. A little slower and a probably easier. 

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I don't really know the neighbours yet, but could have a chat.  Most of the boats there look like they have been in situ for a very long time.  I am happy to ask a passing nb to tow me, but I assume I need to some ability to keep the boat pointing where I want it to go... would it not be at risk of a sideways swing with no ability to steer it?

 

There are two very narrow swingbridges in the ~kilometre or so between where the boat is moored and where it needs to get to, so side by side would not work without a lot of tying/untying [and perhaps a problem if we met someone coming the other way].

 

How about:  grab a lift from a passing nb, drag it backwards past the moored boats [assuming I do not need to fear the boat swinging].  Once it is clear of the moored boats, I can drag it by hand with lines at the stern and the bow.  That would still leave one of the narrow gaps to get through.

2 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

Yes it can but pulling it using lines over moored boats is an utter ball-ache. Another way is to pole it along. A little slower and a probably easier. 

I like that idea.  Another one of my dumb questions : would a couple canoes [with canoeists in them...] in the water be of any use in controlling the boat?

Edited by Wittenham
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3 minutes ago, Wittenham said:

 

I like that idea.  Another one of my dumb questions : would a couple canoes [with canoeists in them...] in the water be of any use in controlling the boat?

 

An interesting idea would be for the two canoeists to actually tow the boat along. I bet with some energetic paddling quite some towing force could be developed, especially if three could be marshalled to help. 

 

I wonder what the 'bollard pull' of a canoe with a fit person paddling hard actually is?

 

(Bear in mind one horse was fine for a 40 ton loaded working boat back in the dy.)

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5 minutes ago, Wittenham said:

There are two very narrow swingbridges in the ~kilometre or so between where the boat is moored and where it needs to get to, so side by side would not work without a lot of tying/untying [and perhaps a problem if we met someone coming the other way].

Not trying to be difficult - but if you want to get it to where the tug can meet you, you are going to need to put a bit of effort into it.

Why would it be awkward to tie/untie, it will take seconds, simply have loops (eye-splice) hooked over the T-Stud and a rear dolly, lift off when you get to a narrow bit, pull it thru by hand(or tow from the stern), pull alongside, hook back on and away you go.

1 minute tops.

 

I'd rather tie/untie a couple of lines than walk a Km trying to negotiate a boat around a line of moorings.

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1 minute ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Why would it be awkward to tie/untie, it will take seconds, simply have loops (eye-splice) hooked over the T-Stud and a rear dolly, lift off when you get to a narrow bit, pull it thru by hand(or tow from the stern), pull alongside, hook back on and away you go.

1 minute tops.

 

A gross exaggeration if I may say, having done just this in the freezing cold and slashing rain only a few months ago.

 

Separating two breasted up boats, bow hauling one through a bridge hole then re-breasting up takes a good ten minutes per bridge. 

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Just now, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

A gross exaggeration if I may say, having done just this in the freezing cold and slashing rain only a few months ago.

 

Separating two breasted up boats, bow hauling one through a bridge hole then re-breasting up takes a good ten minutes per bridge. 

Maybe I didn't make it clear - I was referring simply to the time taken to lift off and replace the towing 'eye'.

Have done this on the Trent - it takes seconds.

yes you are correct - bow-hauling thru a bridge hole will take a few minutes - but less than bow-hauling all the way from the mooring - AND - thru the bridge holes anyway.

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At that end of The Oxford the can is very shallow and muddy, so quite an effort is needed - you'd need a team of towers to make any progress.

Hire a day boat from College Cruisers? Or ask them if they can help - most canal businesses are staffed by boating friendly folk - if you approach them in the right manner....

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TBH it doesn't sound that hard to tow you on a line, if there is someone on the far end of your boat with a pole, or several of different lengths, to fend off boats and the bank. There aren't a lot of Tupperware boats along there that would be upset by a glancing meeting.

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an update:  that was easier than I expected... boat moved from Agenda 21 mooring to a few hundred metres the other side of Duke's Cut.  The main propulsion was a sit on kayak, with a bit of poling from the back.  For the short stretches where there were not moored boats, we dragged our boat with lines at the stern and bow.  All in all, it took a couple hours to move a kilometre or so, including through the lock.

 

thanks all for the suggestions, I had no idea I could pull something that big behind a canoe.

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5 minutes ago, Wittenham said:

thanks all for the suggestions, I had no idea I could pull something that big behind a canoe.

Think about 'the worlds' strongest man' towing 40 tonne artic lorries - once they are moving it becomes "easy", the hard part is starting them moving and trying to stop them.

 

Glad you are 'sorted'.

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1 hour ago, Wittenham said:

an update:  that was easier than I expected... boat moved from Agenda 21 mooring to a few hundred metres the other side of Duke's Cut.  The main propulsion was a sit on kayak, with a bit of poling from the back.  For the short stretches where there were not moored boats, we dragged our boat with lines at the stern and bow.  All in all, it took a couple hours to move a kilometre or so, including through the lock.

 

thanks all for the suggestions, I had no idea I could pull something that big behind a canoe.

 

Excellent, so my suggestion of pulling it with three canoes was not as dopey as it appeared. I'm surprised one canoe was sufficient though, most illuminating. Thanks for the feedback! 

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8 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

Excellent, so my suggestion of pulling it with three canoes was not as dopey as it appeared. I'm surprised one canoe was sufficient though, most illuminating. Thanks for the feedback! 

Have you seen the size of my biceps....  :D

 

As it was a nice sunny day yesterday, quite a few boats were out and about, and lots of comments.  My favourite 'are you doing this for a charity?'. 

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2 minutes ago, Wittenham said:

Have you seen the size of my biceps....  :D

 

As it was a nice sunny day yesterday, quite a few boats were out and about, and lots of comments.  My favourite 'are you doing this for a charity?'. 

Well now there's a thought.

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Well done Wittenham and thanks for the feedback.

 

I suppose one man paddling a canoe pulls a boat about the same as one man on the towpath with a rope, the difference being that the canoeist has no problem with moored boats. When out with the Narrow Boat Trust doing narrow locks, I've routinely pulled the butty Brighton a short distance into a lock (for charity, the NBT is a charity). When loaded that's about 40 tons, so the acceleration achieved is not a lot, but being on water there is little or no friction so it isn't hard to get started like a lorry would be.

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