Their own worst enemy

byron

byron

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Just when I've just about accepted the plague of Narrowboats as a fact of life and a necessity one comes along and blots their proverbial copybook.
This morning I discovered one had taken up residence here at Ashmount. He had arrived after dark and without Navigation Lights. Naturally I was on his case immediately this morning, he accused me of being without compassion for someone who had broken down. He gave me a cock and bull story about having gone aground and having destroyed his Prop. I challenged this, called him a Liar and told him it would be £25 a day. Again he told me I had no compassion but vacated the mooring within minutes. Maybe the good Fairy had replaced his Prop during the night.
 
Thought the props on those things were tucked away above the bottom of the boat to prevent exactly that sort of thing occurring ?
Do not most have a weed hatch for prop problems as well. :)
 
Thats right-most-if not all-narrowboat props are protected by a heavy bottom support for the rudder.

Things can and indeed do get around narrow boat props but the rarely hit the bottom and get damaged.

When we had our narrowboat it was almost always a plastic fertiliser bag or sack

Found ourselves going backwards on the Cherwell one Easter because of that. Half an hour later the culprit was seen-a flat bed trailer with the bags of gubbins on plus the cut open bags blowing in the wind all down the field and then into the canalised bit of the Cherwell. The tractor driver was cutting them with a stanley knife, filling his hopper and then laying them on the flatbed trailer without a weight to hold them down in the wind.
 
A magnetic mine or two would deter unwanted narrowboats, without risk of damage to the Freeman or Rochester Turbo36 owners club :encouragement:
 
byron said:
Just when I've just about accepted the plague of Narrowboats as a fact of life and a necessity one comes along and blots their proverbial copybook.
This morning I discovered one had taken up residence here at Ashmount. He had arrived after dark and without Navigation Lights. Naturally I was on his case immediately this morning, he accused me of being without compassion for someone who had broken down. He gave me a cock and bull story about having gone aground and having destroyed his Prop. I challenged this, called him a Liar and told him it would be £25 a day. Again he told me I had no compassion but vacated the mooring within minutes. Maybe the good Fairy had replaced his Prop during the night.
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He came past us at dusk last night. Had a tunnel light on but no nav lights. He must have passed a mile of empty moorings before he got to you..
 
Moored at Goring last night. As a couple of boats moved away I mooved up to make a decent sized space which was taken up by a large barge. Wish I had gone back and not forward. As we came back from a very good evening in the Swan as we were signing off for the night at precisely 2202hrs the Visitor N B in front started his engine. I think he had been aboard since our afternoon arrival. I went to have a word and he did stop his engine and told me to p**s off. As you say Byron they can be their own worst enemy
 
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Yes there are a few wrong uns who have a Narrowboat no doubt and they do try it on ,why not name and shame so everyone is aware which are the wrong uns
Plenty of decent peeps in narrow boats to just trying to use the river for fun and boating observing the rules an everything ,we do this most weekends along with lots of other NB users ....just saying face good and bad in all
 
joejo said:
Moored at Goring last night. As a couple of boats moved away I mooved up to make a decent sized space which was taken up by a large barge. Wish I had gone back and not forward. As we came back from a very good evening in the Swan as we were signing off for the night at precisely 2202hrs the Visitor N B in front started his engine. I think he had been aboard since our afternoon arrival. I went to have a word and he did stop his engine and told me to p**s off. As you say Byron they can be their own worst enemy
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It's not just narrow boat owners who want to run their engine or generator at night.
 
I get annoyed when NB owners leave their engines on in locks, I have noticed many need prompting by lock-keepers. But most NBs are friendly people and in the main considerate, I've found. Caught up with one yesterday ( not hard when they do 1 kt!) but the guy moved over and let me pass. It is annoying when they leave engines on, but worse are those wood stoves in the autumn and winter! Code of conduct needed for the Thames I think!
 
Viking23 said:
I get annoyed when NB owners leave their engines on in locks, I have noticed many need prompting by lock-keepers. But most NBs are friendly people and in the main considerate, I've found. Caught up with one yesterday ( not hard when they do 1 kt!) but the guy moved over and let me pass. It is annoying when they leave engines on, but worse are those wood stoves in the autumn and winter! Code of conduct needed for the Thames I think!
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That's because it's the practice on the ditchy bit. Code of conduct - well there is inasmuch as the by laws say 'turn it off'

Folks are averse to being told what to do - so the lockies or more likely the reliefs and volunteers have given up the unequal struggle....
 
But it is not written in stone-the Salters Steamers-and the later diesel ones-kept the donks going in the locks.

As did my mate who had a Leeds and Liverpool Short Boat. It had compressed air starting. If he stopped it he had to start another diesel-an old 3 cylinder Lister-which drove a compressor. So-all in all, no gain.

When he had it on the Thames the lockies were very considerate.
 
Not just NBs, was at Cookham recently and the nice lady who collects the mooring money was quite upset, turned out that a chap on a steel cruiser "Maid Of Steel" refused to pay and was quite rude towards her.
 
AFAIK the regulations state that you have to switch off engine if there are other boats in the lock with you.

I've noticed over the years less lockies asking me to switch my engine off. I didn't think of this as 'agro avoidance' its a bit sad if it is that.

As I manage my 58x12ft barge by myself without any assistance I tend to wait until asked or just leave it running. It doesn't smoke so there is no nuisance. I'm always happy to turn off if asked.

One lock keeper told me it was discretion on the part of the lock keeper but I don't think that's technically correct.

It all goes back to when petrol engines were common and there were real dangers with having all the motors running in a lock full of small launches.
 
capnfishy said:
The Thames Conservancy Act is very clear, masters of vessels must turn off their engines when in a lock chamber unless on their own in the chamber.
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The worst offenders are those who tie up on the layby, wait for the gates to open get inside the chamber with other boats and then ask if they can leave their engine(s) running as the batteries are flat.
 
sturmvogel190a said:
Yes there are a few wrong uns who have a Narrowboat no doubt and they do try it on ,why not name and shame so everyone is aware which are the wrong uns
Plenty of decent peeps in narrow boats to just trying to use the river for fun and boating observing the rules an everything ,we do this most weekends along with lots of other NB users ....just saying face good and bad in all
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Just narrow boats? Have you seen what some of the owners of white plastic boats get up to?
 
rotrax said:
But it is not written in stone-the Salters Steamers-and the later diesel ones-kept the donks going in the locks.

As did my mate who had a Leeds and Liverpool Short Boat. It had compressed air starting. If he stopped it he had to start another diesel-an old 3 cylinder Lister-which drove a compressor. So-all in all, no gain.

When he had it on the Thames the lockies were very considerate.
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I shared Shiplake Lock yesterday with an old narrow boat, and the lock keeper made a point of telling him he could keep his engine running. The owner expressed his thanks saying that if he switched it off he would need a blowlamp to start it again.
 
A hot tube ignition two stroke semi diesel like a Bolinders. They also have a "hit and miss" governor. This gives them their unique exhaust sound-when the governor reaches the set engine RPM the injector does not inject, so no exhaust noise on that stroke-and often many subsequent strokes.

There was one we used to see on the Grand Union which blew perfect smoke rings at idle.

Nostalgia-it aint what it used to be.....................................
 
AuntyRinum said:
I shared Shiplake Lock yesterday with an old narrow boat, and the lock keeper made a point of telling him he could keep his engine running. The owner expressed his thanks saying that if he switched it off he would need a blowlamp to start it again.
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I suspect there would be a blowlamp already on the boat otherwise nobody would have got it going ;).
I know the point being made as I lived and extensively cruised on a narrow boat with a trad engine for 12 years but looking at it another way maybe if the lock keeper insisted on the engine being stopped it would be more interesting for the gazangellers watching if there was blowtorch and flywheel kicking action.

They always like an unusual scene like when my mad dog tried to leap from the roof of my narrow boat to the lockside at Marlow. She fell in I pulled her out by her collar and she did the same again but succeeded despite being soaked. .
Its all about the scenery.

I realise that restarting a semi diesel may result in holdups which is not ideal for those on a schedule.
 
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