Time to sort pontoon

[penfold]

Sounds like a digger arm on a pontoon is about the only surefire way then, not an easy DIY proposition. Would the river authority have a conniption fit if you put in a short groyne on the upstream side? It might help scour the entrance to the creek.

 

[Refueler]

Sounds like a digger arm on a pontoon is about the only surefire way then, not an easy DIY proposition. Would the river authority have a conniption fit if you put in a short groyne on the upstream side? It might help scour the entrance to the creek.

Latvia still has the old soviet rule of shoreline and back 10m is public access ... bit off when you consider its my garden !! Luckily no-one actually uses their right ..

But this means that nothing can be built or use foundation / fixed without project submitted to local council for approval. Even the floating pontoon - technically I have to 'inform' council of its placement. Because just along the river from me is the Town Boat sports complex with Kayak / Canoe activities - they have been Latvian Champions for year after year ! - they would object to any structure that may interfere with their activities anyway.

There is a little known possibility here where you g'tee to uphold environment / pursue clean water action / stop illegal netting / support fish stocks etc. - application to 'close off' that 10m rule - but its very rare for it to be accepted. When I mentioned it to my contact in the council - the look of confusion said it all !!

Digger arm on a pontoon actually is one way I was already looking at. I can get a mini tractor with excavator arm on the back ... but when looking at design ... it needed the pontoon to have a U shape to it ... basically 3 narrow pontoon sections with centre one shorter. This to allow digger arm to operate between the two outer sections ... that way the pontoon will stay reasonably stable. If its a square and digger arm is at end - then pontoon will dip at digger end. Think of it like the inflatable dinghys with the two tail parts ..

 

[Refueler]

Ok sorting Pontoon ....

My pal got his guys to make riser fittings for my pontoon ... basically I drive poles into the river bed .. pontoon lays up to the poles and I fix metal hoops round to moor pontoon - but allow it to rise / fall with river level.

OOP's - slight misunderstanding in dimensions ....

My poles are 80mm diameter, 4m long .... to have at least 2m driven into river bed, leaving about 1m above water surface.

The hoops I have just picked up are 220mm diameter !!

Looks like I shall be putting 2 poles in each position to at least take up some of the slack !

Or maybe 3 poles in each !!

Seems shame to waste them - had 4 made ... 10 euros each. Intention to have two along the inland side and maybe one at each end ...

Actually thinking about it - that may be a better solution - single pole through each one .... >

could make it more secure with rise and fall unhindered

 

[Graham376]

I would use the single poles. You need the clearance for when pontoon is rocking/moving.

 

[rotrax]

What about taking up some space with hard rubber blocks bolted into the inside of the hoops.

Acts as a bearing, takes up some slack.

Obviously with a counterbore recess for dropping the boltheads below the rubber surface.

My two penny worth anyway

 

[johnalison]

I take it that you far enough north not to be affected by the toredo worm that the Germans have suffered. There's always global warming though.

 

[Refueler]

As Graham says - the single pole leaves plenty clearance ...

The original order had 80mm diameter pole ... 120mm across the riser hoop - to give at least 20mm gap around for rise and fall.

If I only do as planned ... two poles on landward side - these riser hoops I think are too wide and pontoon is going to surge more than reasonable. But if I do as the sketch above, two landward side and then one each end - then the end poles will limit the surge.

 

[Stemar]

My bilge keels have been known to create furrows up to 20cms deep or more through mud. Newport Quay (IoW) and Hayling Yacht Co mooring - I have photos at low water of the ruts left by my keels as that 4107 pushes her along.

I've done the same by the Hardway pontoon. Rumour has it that access to Quay Lane Boatyard, just up the harbour is silting up rapidly, and is only kept open by fishing boats who drag a loop of chain behind them as they go in and out.

 

[Refueler]

I've done the same by the Hardway pontoon. Rumour has it that access to Quay Lane Boatyard, just up the harbour is silting up rapidly, and is only kept open by fishing boats who drag a loop of chain behind them as they go in and out.

I have a 2ft square of metal grating - with two ropes ... that I can drag behind my mobo. But its not that good because the reeds bunch up on it and stop the grating cutting the mud / grass etc.
Reminds me - time to use it again ... Lilly's are appearing.

 

[Habebty]

Dynamite.

 

[rotrax]

For those who like a REALLY funny story, told by a master raconteur, look up on You Tube Blaster Bates and the 'Shower of Shit over Cheshire'

One of my mates passed out one night as he could not breath through laughing so much!

All done by dynamite too

 

[Dellquay13]

'Shower of shit over Cheshire'

"it just chuckled"
"he raised his arms and had gossamer wings"

 

[Refueler]

The ice wall I suffered that deposited tons of crap in my channel was caused by Authorities dynamiting the ice way up-river ...
As the ice then moved - it built up and also pushed a wall of water in front of it ...

The wall of water was estimated at 5m high .. the ice at 10m.

My house in on a rise from the river level - about 10m .... the water overflowed into the garden halfway up to house ... Ice left a 14m high wall at channel end.

If the Authorities had done job properly- it would have been much reduced. Problem was - once you dynamite at head of river - you have to keep doing it at stages on various bends where it collects and builds - but they chose to do it once and then leave to own devices.

Pal of mine lost his summer house near the river bank .... I had my lower channel decking destroyed, boats lifted and shoved up the bank ... left dry ...

View from top of ice wall :

 

[rotrax]

"it just chuckled"
"he raised his arms and had gossamer wings"

You missed the second bit :-

" It just chuckled. It thought I was feeding it! "

Plus " You cannot run at 30MPH across a ploughed field with clogs on! "

We are unlikely to see his like again.

 

[Refueler]

You missed the second bit :-

" It just chuckled. It thought I was feeding it! "

Plus " You cannot run at 30MPH across a ploughed field with clogs on! "

We are unlikely to see his like again.

Or the other guy :

"I may not be a gynecologist - but I'll have a bloody good look !"