Jump to content

Bike on a cruiser deck?


vanboosh

Featured Posts

It is a more complicated solution, and the engine hoist would cost a bit more to buy and fit than making a deck cutaway, but physically it would be easier to use for someone who was less fit. I imagine you would also need to get some kind of fabric cradle or harness to go under/around the bike when lifting it?

 

You would want to keep the bridge clearance low, so ideally the hoist would not project above the boats roofline by much, if at all. 

 

This sort of thing is starting to have more appeal for me than keeping a car parked somewhere within a bike ride of the boat. 

I will need a car anyway but I can leave that with relatives. 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

46 minutes ago, Tony1 said:

It is a more complicated solution, and the engine hoist would cost a bit more to buy and fit than making a deck cutaway, but physically it would be easier to use for someone who was less fit. I imagine you would also need to get some kind of fabric cradle or harness to go under/around the bike when lifting it?

 

Also life styles change and you might end up with gear you no longer need because you’ve sold the bike. I’d be banging my head on the hoist and tripping over any hydraulic stuff on the floor when the bike weren’t there. 

At least with a tidy clear space in the well of the deck you can use the space for something else too. 

 

 

Most places you can moor with easy access to a bike kept in a lane or a carpark. The hassle of retrieving the bike after moving the boat is, for me, much preferred to the expense and great lengths I’d have to go to to get the bike on board. 

 

You could easily spend more on rigging something up than the cost of the bike. I think I’d only do it if I had a collectors bike of great value. 

Edited by Goliath
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Goliath, I guess there are more options for leaving a bike parked up somewhere for a few days whilst you cruise than there are with a car, because the bike has a smaller footprint.

But whether bike or car, I would be worried about theft or vandalism, depending on where I'd parked it. 

Plenty of people manage cars and bikes that way, so it can't be that big a hassle, and there is an argument that a nice bike on the boat could attract thieves. 

I think it's the particular way my mind works, but I do really like the idea of my motor transport being stored on/with the boat, if the compromises involved are not too great. 

The deck cutaway solution could be done for a couple of hundred quid, and if the bike fits into the foredeck space easily, that- for me personally- looks like the preferred transport solution. 

Blackrose has shown that such a bike itself can be manhandled around the towpath. 

I won't need a tug either, just a decent sized front deck, so no huge compromises are needed in terms of reducing the available boat options. 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Glenn, I certainly will do that, but I must be honest, it's going to be a while yet. I'm into my final two years of full time work, and so that I can keep hold of my house, I'm going to use part of a retirement lump sum to buy the boat itself, which means I won't be afloat until early 2021, by which time the canal network will have deteriorated into a drug crazed wasteland filled with alcohol-fuelled madmen

With any luck. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 hours ago, blackrose said:

Same way? I think being in control of a motorcycle with the engine running while drunk on the pavement it's completely different. You've brought alcohol and intoxication into it and that's not the same at all.

My point was not that being drunk was relevant, or anything at all to do with a pavement, but rather that "being in charge of a motor vehicle" under illegal circumstances is the crux, whether driving, riding or pushing it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

45 minutes ago, Tony1 said:

Thanks Glenn, I certainly will do that, but I must be honest, it's going to be a while yet. I'm into my final two years of full time work, and so that I can keep hold of my house, I'm going to use part of a retirement lump sum to buy the boat itself, which means I won't be afloat until early 2021, by which time the canal network will have deteriorated into a drug crazed wasteland filled with alcohol-fuelled madmen

With any luck. 

Er,some parts are already,and rough sleepers. 

I do like the idea of keeping a motorbike on the boat.Not possible on the one I have at the moment,But a tug deck looks the most practical

Edited by Mad Harold
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Some of the 125's are short enough (6'4" or so) so keep on a purpose made rack off the back of the boat. It helps if the boat is a cruiser deck with a squarish back, rather than a trad. A few bits might need removing from the bike before going through locks, rear light unit, any rack that's present etc. Most definitely doable.    

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'd dearly love to add a bike to my NB's weapons array, but I've yet to see anything I'd be happy to adopt.  I'm thinking a Honda Monkey Bike would be the best fit, and they're now making them again, but even then it's gonna be awkward on a narrowboat. One things for sure, my current R1200GS is definitely out!  If/when I do the Dutch Barge thing however, the landscape will change in more ways than one!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Honda monkey bike is a great shout for a trip of say 10 or 20 miles, but what's needed in my case and the OPs is something that will do 60-100 miles up the motorway- so it needs to cruise at 60 or 70 with bursts of 70 plus to get past big lorries etc. 

The lightest 70mph bike I'm aware of at the moment is the Honda CRF250 at 110kg, but if you can handle 150kg there is the KTM and similar steeds, that will do a motorway trip and have you arrive sound in both body and mind. 

At 125cc the monkey bike could technically go on motorways and could keep up with most of the lorries that use the inside lane, but your mental state at journey's end might be somewhat questionable. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I met a couple on the cut last year,can't remember their names,but the boat was called"Buffalo".They had a car and a Ducati,and one would drive to the next mooring,while the other took the boat,and then drive back to the previous mooring to pick up the bike.

I first met them at Whaley Bridge and they were heading for Sheffield.He needed transport for his work,and although this seemed to me to be a rather laborious way of doing things,it seemed to work for them.

Where's there a will there's a relative. way.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just a thought, but how to folks who use bikes carry things like coal? 

I would imagine the great advantage of having an onboard bike is the ability to quickly and easily reach supermarkets to get good prices and more choice on staple foods etc, and probably on fuels as well? 

But how would the intrepid motorcyclist carry his spoils back to the boat? Do people with bikes use trailers for that kind of load? I can't see how a 15kg bag of coal or a gas bottle goes on a bike? 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, Graham Davis said:

For a hoist like the red one shown above have a look at an car engine hoist, and consider how the mounting of it could be modified to do the job.

Engine hoist wouldn't be too hard, and they're pretty cheap. Chop the legs off (and maybe extend it), then create a sort of tube for it to slide into and weld it into the deck. That would let it spin to bring the bike around, and make it removable for tunnels and such. You can also get folding hoists but I think that would be a little iffy. 

Edited by vanboosh
Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 minutes ago, Tony1 said:

Just a thought, but how to folks who use bikes carry things like coal? 

I would imagine the great advantage of having an onboard bike is the ability to quickly and easily reach supermarkets to get good prices and more choice on staple foods etc, and probably on fuels as well? 

But how would the intrepid motorcyclist carry his spoils back to the boat? Do people with bikes use trailers for that kind of load? I can't see how a 15kg bag of coal or a gas bottle goes on a bike? 

 

A good set of panniers can carry a fair bit of weight. You could easily get a few bags of coal back if you got the right ones, You'd probably also want removable ones if you do decide to try and get the bike on board. Thats my plan, anyway! Not sure I'd want to travel with a gas bottle though, but there are plenty of places to pick them up on the cut, no?

Edited by vanboosh
Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 minutes ago, vanboosh said:

A good set of panniers can carry a fair bit of weight. You could easily get a few bags of coal back if you got the right ones, You'd probably also want removable ones if you do decide to try and get the bike on board. Thats my plan, anyway! Not sure I'd want to travel with a gas bottle though, but there are plenty of places to pick them up on the cut, no?

Use fuel boats for coal and gas, or marinas/chandlers.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Carrying stuff on a motorbike I use throw over panniers. 

I have strapped a bag of coal over the rear of the seat when desperate. 

Local coal merchants will deliver, for free, to a boat if it’s easy access and you give them a few days notice. Usually a minimum order of 6 bags. Some deliver gas aswell. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you have no transport at all to carry bags of coal in and only want one or two  bags, here's a simple method of conveying it home without straining and getting a hernia by carrying the heavy bagsfull.  Each individual nut of coal can be relayed, nut by nut home without much effort.  Drag the bagload out of the coal merchants then open it up outside, then simply take aim and keep chucking all your nuts, nut by nut ahead in the direction of home until the bags empty, then dash after them all and continue the process of throwing them ahead of you all the time until you reach home where the whole bagfull should end up, to keep you nice and warm. A number of nuts can of course be transported in your pockets as well. The coal dust left in the bag would be easy to carry in your pocket too or on your head if its raining. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

To allow that boat to cruise tidal rivers etc, could you fit a steel plate into that gap? It could be hinged at the bottom and edged with an overlapping rubber trim. It wouldn't be watertight of course, but it would keep out the splashes, and would maybe slow down water ingress onto the deck. 

In fact, if you made the steel plate oversized, perhaps three feet long, could it act as your ramp for the bike? 

Even so, when you consider the extra cost and complexity of fabricating and fitting a hinged and splash proof ramp with some sort of locking mechanism, the idea of fitting an engine hoist starts to look a bit more attractive. 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

51 minutes ago, Tony1 said:

To allow that boat to cruise tidal rivers etc,

Not just Tidal rivers - non-tidal as well.

 

The River Trent can get quite big waves on the 'straights' just from the wind, add in another boat (particularly the big 'cruise ships') going in the opposite direction and the 'waves' can reach reasonable proportions.

 

Nottingham Princess :

 

8642886224_7635327b75.jpg

Edited by Alan de Enfield
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, blackrose said:

Perhaps the side they cut out can be fitted back on with sliding bolts on the inside? If not I'd say they'd ruined that boat.

If you look at the opposite side, it looks like that can be removed as well. There’s also a lip around the edge of the removed section which would indicate you could place something on it. 

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.