Dunworkin Posted January 19, 2019 Report Share Posted January 19, 2019 Hi, can someone offer some advice on cruising through very thin ice.....will this really damage the blacking, when the ice is really only very thin, and patchy along the canal? Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsmelly Posted January 19, 2019 Report Share Posted January 19, 2019 28 minutes ago, Dunworkin said: Hi, can someone offer some advice on cruising through very thin ice.....will this really damage the blacking, when the ice is really only very thin, and patchy along the canal? Cheers It will depend on your type of blacking and how precious you are about such matters. It may knock some blacking off but thats why we put it on, to be knocked off over a short period of time and replaced approximately two yearly. It will do no damage to you hull whatsoever. We havnt had any serious ice anywhere in the last seven winters but you will know when it is becoming a problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunworkin Posted January 19, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2019 Cheers, it really was only paper thin and. Very very patchy...it’s just that with so many comments about blacking damage ...it makes you begin to wonder! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchcrawler Posted January 19, 2019 Report Share Posted January 19, 2019 3 minutes ago, mrsmelly said: It will depend on your type of blacking and how precious you are about such matters. It may knock some blacking off but thats why we put it on, to be knocked off over a short period of time and replaced approximately two yearly. It will do no damage to you hull whatsoever. We havnt had any serious ice anywhere in the last seven winters but you will know when it is becoming a problem. We were stuck for a couple of days at Wheatcroft Flash on the T&M Feb last year but only a couple of days Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray T Posted January 19, 2019 Report Share Posted January 19, 2019 Take it of leave it but this was thin ice 16/01/2017, took our blacking off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunworkin Posted January 19, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2019 Crikey... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stilllearning Posted January 19, 2019 Report Share Posted January 19, 2019 Blacking comes off all by itself, through normal wear and tear, so relax on that front and worry about other stuff. Like where the next pub is and how muddy is the towpath. As others have said, in another thread, there are ways to touch up the waterline. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsmelly Posted January 19, 2019 Report Share Posted January 19, 2019 (edited) 9 minutes ago, Dunworkin said: Crikey... Its nowt. I bought a boat from a bloke a few years back built with 6 mil sides and bottom. I got it VERY cheap as in his eighteen years of ownership he stated he had never had it out of the water or blacked. I had it out and docked and checked and the worst bit was around 5.7 mil. A bit of paint missing on the waterline is nowt to worry about anyway, just be sensible and whack some back on in the summer or next year. Its all part of the cheap liveaboard lifestyle or hobby lol. Edited January 19, 2019 by mrsmelly 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naughty Cal Posted January 19, 2019 Report Share Posted January 19, 2019 I always find it funny how precious narrowboatists are about their blacking. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsmelly Posted January 19, 2019 Report Share Posted January 19, 2019 3 minutes ago, Naughty Cal said: I always find it funny how precious narrowboatists are about their blacking. So am I. It realy doesnt matter and in fairness if done every two years its going to cost a bloody fortune in several years of ownership. I still do mine though religously about eighteen months two yearly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Harold Posted January 19, 2019 Report Share Posted January 19, 2019 (edited) It might depend on the type of blacking and the preparation done before. Cruised through thin ice last March on the Peak Forest without any noticeable damage to the blacking. It was blacked with Rylard Premium. It was done at Furnessvale Marina,who steam clean the hull before blacking,as opposed to pressure washing. Edited January 19, 2019 by Mad Harold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bizzard Posted January 19, 2019 Report Share Posted January 19, 2019 Thin the first coat, it'll stick better. When blacking scrapes off easily its a sure sign that either prep was not good, hull still damp when applied but mainly and more usually long drying times have not been adhered to, consequently a build up of soft coatings that never really dry out and is easily scraped or knocked off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunworkin Posted January 19, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2019 Thanks for all of the tips...ours was blacked last October with Intertuff 16....so I guess we’ll just have to keep tucked up in the marina until the ice risk passes...?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stilllearning Posted January 19, 2019 Report Share Posted January 19, 2019 In the late 90s I took my 5mm sided narrow boat from Lapworth down to the Cape of Good Hope, while there was about 2” of ice in the cut. It was so cold that for the first and only time, as I threw a wet mooring line ashore it froze solid. Anyway, I boated through the ice, bouncing along till it got just too unpleasant, moored overnight, then down to the Cape next morning. Every bit of blacking came off, but the hull sides were still 5mm about ten years later when I sold the boat. Relax, and enjoy some winter boating, there is pleasure in hearing that fine tinkling sound as thin ice breaks up as you push through it, and in seeing slightly thicker stuff moving around in great big sheets as you open up a trail for others. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunworkin Posted January 19, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2019 How very nicely put....thanks...?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer McM Posted January 19, 2019 Report Share Posted January 19, 2019 The first time we cruised through ice was an experience. We were on the Coventry and had moored at Hopwas, en route to Fradley. We had an appointment with a contractor in a marina, so we were on a 'mission'. The noise of the boat breaking through the ice was horrendous. Imagine the noise of a farmer cutting a hedge with his tractor, then multiply that noise about 50 times. People were running to the canal to see what the noise was. We were hardly moving, so the noise wasn't down to 'speed', but possibly because we were passing through an 'avenue' of trees. Cruising through the ice was 'interesting' as the boat wanted to go straight at bends, at each bend the boat had to be reversed a couple of times. We'd cruised all the way to Streethay before we met another boat coming towards us, which was brilliant, as they'd obviously broken up the ice for us. The ducks loved us as they'd been standing on the ice, looking forlorn. Word of warning though, when passing other moored boats, pass them very very slowly and as far away from them as possible. The noise inside the boats is deafening - it'll save you getting sworn at. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Mack Posted January 22, 2019 Report Share Posted January 22, 2019 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunworkin Posted January 22, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2019 Oh my god....not quite the fine tinkling sound of you ice under the boat as you pass....!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan_fincher Posted January 22, 2019 Report Share Posted January 22, 2019 (edited) 1 hour ago, David Mack said: I wonder if the previous owners of our boat "Sickle" shown here would have been quite as keen to do that if they had known how thin some of the steel on the bows was! Obviously it was only doing what it was designed for, but it turned out that decades of neglect had actually made it a bit less suitable! Having now spent a small fortune on it, I'm pleased to report it would now be well up to the task again. Whatever anybody claims to the contrary though, it does remove blacking! Edited January 22, 2019 by alan_fincher Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunworkin Posted January 22, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2019 In ice that thick I don’t think I’d be tempted to test out the blacking removal issues....! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBiscuits Posted January 23, 2019 Report Share Posted January 23, 2019 We set off cheerfully in ice about a quarter of an inch thick last year. Halfway down the locks it was more like an inch and a half, but we were kind of committed by then! You can sort of wiggle the boat in a slight zig zag to make progress, but it strips the two-pack off along both sides if you do that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dav and Pen Posted January 25, 2019 Report Share Posted January 25, 2019 This is ice breaking the summit to Braunston dock for a survey didn’t need to pressure wash the waterline. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheshire cat Posted January 26, 2019 Report Share Posted January 26, 2019 Great fun if you don't mind losing your blacking. Otherwise best avoided and you can see why boats moored up may not be too pleased Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sea Dog Posted January 26, 2019 Report Share Posted January 26, 2019 Looking at this from the other end of the telescope, does anyone here with an on line mooring have any experience with respect to suffering (or otherwise) blacking damage from passing ice-breaking boats? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beerbeerbeerbeerbeer Posted January 26, 2019 Report Share Posted January 26, 2019 On 19/01/2019 at 11:36, Dunworkin said: Hi, can someone offer some advice on cruising through very thin ice.....will this really damage the blacking, when the ice is really only very thin, and patchy along the canal? Cheers Don’t skate on it. Winding the boat in ice is fun. And moored boaters tend to get upset. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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