Pontoon problem

[Refueler]

Yous guys are off on a trip..

Isn't it refreshing to have a thread that's not full of vitriol and spite ? To be able to voice ideas and suggestions without being told you're an idiot ??

I start threads like this because I have the situation to be able to .. its not your usual "how do I connect up in a marina" ... "what rope etc ?" ... "what boat should I buy when you can tell the questioner usually is just showing off his able to buy" ...

Life is a little bit more than just a credit card and an online link ...

Please contribute if you have any ideas ...

 

[Boathook]

What about hiring a big powerful water pump ? Take water from the river and put the water back in at the head of your inlet. Water flow will then take away the sediment with a little help back into the river.

If it was in the UK the EA would have kittens over the fact that you are returning 'mud' to where it came from !

 

[Bouba]

What about hiring a big powerful water pump ? Take water from the river and put the water back in at the head of your inlet. Water flow will then take away the sediment with a little help back into the river.

If it was in the UK the EA would have kittens over the fact that you are returning 'mud' to where it came from !

In my river where I park my boat...they have a cage with a propeller in it....it’s lowered into the river near the banks...plugged in...it churns up the water and nature takes it into the sea

 

[Refueler]

I have a Peristaltic pump left over from the Fuel Blending / Additives work. I have the pipes etc for sucking up mud etc.

Problem with that - its very slow .... but viable.

I have used my SR25 with its large prop to churn away at the 'sill' but it soon builds again .. I'm on the outside bank of a bend in the river ...

 

[DownWest]

Isn't it refreshing to have a thread that's not full of vitriol and spite ? To be able to voice ideas and suggestions without being told you're an idiot ??

I start threads like this because I have the situation to be able to .. its not your usual "how do I connect up in a marina" ... "what rope etc ?" ... "what boat should I buy when you can tell the questioner usually is just showing off his able to buy" ...

Life is a little bit more than just a credit card and an online link ...

Please contribute if you have any ideas ...

Actually it IS interesting and my comment was positive...
In the past, I have designed and had built quite large water features, so will continue reading this.

 

[rogerthebodger]

Actually it IS interesting and my comment was positive...
In the past, I have designed and had built quite large water features, so will continue reading this.

I agree with you comment and will still read and contribute as I can

 

[dunedin]

I have no trouble using the Hiab .. it has reasonable reach if pontoon is against the bank.

The question is myself and another guy who will be working with me - is having to stand on the metal frame to install the beams etc. while still on the water.

Ideally the pontoons should be on land for this work - but with the weather we've had - ground is now too soft for the larger truck to access alongside channel ... even my mini truck was losing grip at times ..

Wimp - think how the guys used to build the Empire State Building, Forth Bridge etc - walking nonchalantly on narrow beams way up in the air.
(Said from safety of an armchair )

 

[Refueler]

Actually it IS interesting and my comment was positive...
In the past, I have designed and had built quite large water features, so will continue reading this.

I apologise - too often some on these forums make remarks that are better off in a school playground ... makes one a touch sensitive !!

I'm glad people find interesting ... it certainly keeps my 68yr old brain going !!

 

[Refueler]

Wimp - think how the guys used to build the Empire State Building, Forth Bridge etc - walking nonchalantly on narrow beams way up in the air.
(Said from safety of an armchair )

I think I have the answer - sheet and planks across the lower framework ... just have to sure to move it all before top boards go on !

Its funny .... when I joined the MN ... I was fine going up mast to change nav light bulb or whatever ... but as I got older - I got to hate going up there ... I am even bad at going up tall ladders now.

 

[rogerthebodger]

Wimp - think how the guys used to build the Empire State Building, Forth Bridge etc - walking nonchalantly on narrow beams way up in the air.
(Said from safety of an armchair )

And don't forget all the young lads who was killed when building the fourth rail bridge. The rivet throwers and rivet catchers had great skill

 

[Bouba]

Why aren’t you moving them with your long arm excavator?

 

[Refueler]

My excavator ? Its arm only extends about 2m ahead of frame ....

My Hiab cannot lift these pontoons as they are metal frame and far too heavy ... plus the Hiab has a 3m max.

Once the motor boat water pump repair is completed - I will be moving the pontoons along the far bank which is steeper and closer to allow my Hiab to at least assist. That's for wood replacement.

The dredging is another matter.

 

[dunedin]

And don't forget all the young lads who was killed when building the fourth rail bridge. The rivet throwers and rivet catchers had great skill

Forth Bridge - The Briggers - The story of the men who built the Forth Bridge

 

[AntarcticPilot]

Concerning dredging, have you thought of an air lift? Large diameter pipe that extends to the bottom, top end in a disposal area. Introduce compressed air near the bottom of the pipe and the air rising in the pipe will generate enormous suction. Snag is that of course the effluent at the top is mainly water, so ideally it needs to exit into a settling pond or maybe the river downstream of your inlet. If you have a compressor it should be cheap and easy to set up.

 

[rogerthebodger]

An interesting way to move silt from the seabed is as the treasure hunters do is fo duct the an outboard propeller downwards to the seabed moving the silt outof the way

It looks like a big elbow taking the thrust from the outboard and directing it downwards to blast any silt out of the way

It can also be pivoted up and down to free the outboard to be used normally

 

[rogerthebodger]

Forth Bridge - The Briggers - The story of the men who built the Forth Bridge

Very brave men.

My Farther grew up in Clydebank and worked at the shipyards close to where his parents lived in a street called mill street (not there now) So I did get some stories of the working conditions around that time

 

[Refueler]

Blowing is ok - when you have large area surrounding it can blow to - but here I need to make sure the silt gets ejected well away out of channel ... that's why better to suck and pipe it ... or excavator.

 

[rogerthebodger]

Blowing is ok - when you have large area surrounding it can blow to - but here I need to make sure the silt gets ejected well away out of channel ... that's why better to suck and pipe it ... or excavator.

I was mainly thinking about the silt at the entrance to you channel and blowing it out into the river.

 

[Refueler]

I was mainly thinking about the silt at the entrance to you channel and blowing it out into the river.

Understood ... but strange as it may seem - the area to clear is split into two :

Here is the general layout of my channel in relation to the bend in the river ... flow of river is from bottom to top ...



Now zoomed in you can see that the shallow bit (red square) is actually on the UPriver side - not on the downriver side as you'd expect.



Blowing would likely cause transfer to the other side of channel - possibly just widening the problem. It needs to be piped to the downriver side and out into the river to ensure it does not collect.

You can also see the long red rectangle - that is also shallow and needs removal ... the grass / reed cutter could only surface clear the growth .. we still have the growth under the water - ready to appear again.

 

[Bouba]

View attachment 183611

It’s quite obvious that what you need are hydrofoils for your boat....it will get you past the shallows...just watch the bend when you hit the main channel