Towing a Converted Lifeboat Forth Clyde Canal

[Jack 1Boom]

Hello boaters!



We're new owners of a renovated lifeboat that sits on the Forth & Clyde canal at Applecross, Glasgow. The engine on the lifeboat is a BUKH DV48 but is currently out of action. We believe the engine needs a service and there is potentially as electrical fault with the ignition.



We need to tow the boat down the canal away from our current mooring. Are there any boaters who might be available to tow for a day rate or know of other better options?



Thanks!

 

[Minerva]

Those are awfy sharp corners on your rear balcony and could cause significant damage to other boats or people on the canal if they made contact!

I can’t imagine a tow boat, who would assume insurance liability (?) when towing you would want to take that risk for a sum you might find non eye watering.

Think you need to fix your engine and make your boat less antisocial.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

Those are awfy sharp corners on your rear balcony and could cause significant damage to other boats or people on the canal if they made contact!

I can’t imagine a tow boat, who would assume insurance liability (?) when towing you would want to take that risk for a sum you might find non eye watering.

Think you need to fix your engine and make your boat less antisocial.

I know it’s subjective, and all in the eye of the beholder, but IMHO it would be a kindness to issue blindfolds as well as taking the sharp corners off.

 

[wallacebob]

I very much doubt Scottish Canals would allow towing. Has the “craft” a waterways licence? Diesels need servicing and running to ensure problem free; pay someone to fix it.

 

[awol]

A horse would be traditional. Does it fit under the bridges?

 

[davidej]

Isn’t it a diesel engine? If so, how come there is a problem with the “ ignition “?

 

[ylop]

Jack - welcome to the forum. As you have discovered people come here for abuse and smart arsed comments not helpful advice!

How far are you trying to move it? Through any locks or bridges?

What's your plan with it - i.e. if its ever going to leave the canal do you realise that the superstructure will have a significant affect on stability and the stove chimney probably on water tight integrity?

 

[pete]

We moved a disabled boat by constructing a temporary outboard motor bracket out of timber on the stern. This was at sea but it should be a lot easier in a canal, and only need a small outboard? The main difficulty was reaching down to the motor to control it.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

We moved a disabled boat by constructing a temporary outboard motor bracket out of timber on the stern. This was at sea but it should be a lot easier in a canal, and only need a small outboard? The main difficulty was reaching down to the motor to control it.

Now there’s a sensible suggestion. If lacking an outboard maybe borrowing one might be possible. At it’s simplest, a bit of 4x2 tied across the deck could be used, but clearly that might be too high. So a spot of carpentry, but it saves an awful lot of hassle.

 

[LittleSister]

How far do you need to move it? If not far you can probably tow it manually. It will be hardest to start it moving - just take getting going very slowly, don't try to force it - but once the boat is moving it will not take much effort to keep up a slow speed (which is why canals were such a success in their day). You will need a LONG rope (or series of ropes tied together), so your effort is mainly in pulling the boat forward, rather than into the side of the canal. You'll need at least somebody towing and someone on board to steer, and be able to communicate between them - have some basic signals agreed in advance, and having a whistle each to hand may come in handy to attract attention (or signal) when there's background noise or attention is focused elsewhere.

As someone above has mentioned, do check whether the height of the, er, structure on the back will pass under any bridges.

Fit some form of fendering to the corners of the platform.

Note that inland navigation authorities take a dim view, and some actually ban, tyres as fenders. This is because if they become detached (it happens, especially when rubbing against another vessel or a dock/lock wall) they sink, reducing navigable draft, or worse still can end up jamming open lock gates or sluices. They are also likely to leave black marks on any other vessels you may contact. You can mitigate those problems by putting inflated inner tubes inside the tyres, so they float, and by making canvas or vinyl covers for them.

Getting the engine running will make life a lot simpler, not just in terms of propulsion, but also being able to generate electricity. You will need/want this eventually, so get it done first if you can. Bukh DV series engines are generally fairly simple and operator handbooks, workshop manuals and parts lists are available free online. There is a useful Bukh Owners Facebook Group. Most parts are readily available, though expensive. A Bukh DV48 seems an unnecessarily powerful motor for the vessel, and if I remember correctly the DV48 has a turbo which I doubt would have been chosen for lifeboat use (basically it's a turbocharged DV36 3 cylinder, and shares most parts with the DV36 and the DV24 2 cylinder, but few with the earlier DV10, DV20, DV8 etc. range).

p.s. Thinking back to your reference to 'an electrical problem with the ignition' (diesel engines are compression ignition, so there is no 'electric ignition' as such), you will need someone familiar with marine diesels, who should soon be able to establish why it's not starting (it is unlikely to be simply a lack of servicing, but could either be something quite simple or something prohibitively expensive to fix). Almost any marine engineer will be familiar enough with Bukh engines.

 

[dunedin]

We moved a disabled boat by constructing a temporary outboard motor bracket out of timber on the stern. This was at sea but it should be a lot easier in a canal, and only need a small outboard? The main difficulty was reaching down to the motor to control it.

Or use a small rubber dinghy / tender with an outboard tied alongside ?

 

[ylop]

Or use a small rubber dinghy / tender with an outboard tied alongside ?

That was my gut feel - the canal is quite wide, there are lots of people with small dinghies and engines who won't be worried about rules, insurance, aesthetic judgements on the boat etc - but probably more easily found asking locally than online. My one reservation is that conventional thinking for an "alongside tow" is that the tug (outboard powered dinghy) should have its rudder (ie. engine in this case) aft of the "casualty" vessels rudder so that you can maintain steerage. That might be awkward with a very small dinghy and this shape of boat? But it might not be quite so essential either if the lifeboat steering is used to steer the arrangement - but that will need both skippers to communicate well and understand the need for water flow over the rudder to get steerage etc. It will need someone who understands how to rig an alongside tow - its not difficult but if the OP has just bought this boat and a friend has never towed before it will pay to read up first.

 

[38mess]

Welcome to the forum.
I went on a similar conversion last summer, the guy did a marvellous job and I think he posts on YouTube.
Can you hand start the Bukh? I believe some have starting handles, failing that a tow with an alongside dinghy would do it.
Good luck

 

[Wansworth]

With the high square wheelhouse it sort of resembles those Scottish puffers

 

[debenriver]

Do what the big engineless schooners do here (Rockland, Maine) – strap a dinghy or inflatable with an outboard directly astern and secure it. Then you can push the vessel. Once you get it moving it requires very little power and the ship's rudder should steer her OK. Go slowly. Choose a calm windless day. Maybe have someone on the bank with a long warp so that she can be pulled to the canal side if necessary.

And as others have said check bridges for height. And get rid of those tires – certainly don't move the boat with them trailing in the water.

Cheers -- George

 

[rogerthebodger]

With that blunt stern a rubber duck pushing the stern and mooring limes from the port and starboard side to the stern cleats would push te boat along Nicely at a slow speed.

Again, check the bridge heights

 

[Beneteau381]

Hello boaters!



We're new owners of a renovated lifeboat that sits on the Forth & Clyde canal at Applecross, Glasgow. The engine on the lifeboat is a BUKH DV48 but is currently out of action. We believe the engine needs a service and there is potentially as electrical fault with the ignition.



We need to tow the boat down the canal away from our current mooring. Are there any boaters who might be available to tow for a day rate or know of other better options?



Thanks!

Fix the engine, end of story! Define “service” the engine. Servicing usually means oil and filter changes. That wont make the engine start!

 

[RunAgroundHard]

I very much doubt Scottish Canals would allow towing. Has the “craft” a waterways licence? Diesels need servicing and running to ensure problem free; pay someone to fix it.

The boat is on the canal and will have, or had a licence to be there, S. C. are quite diligent about this.

Towing is allowed and has happened often, in exactly these circumstances, canal boats that don’t have working engines. Witnessed this year on a Scottish Canal.

 

[RunAgroundHard]

Welcom.

“Sailing Cruising Scotland” is a Facebook group, very active, lots of different styles of boating represented. You would have to join. Place a post there and likely to get a better response than on here, as it is more focussed in your area.

Good on you buying the boat. Hope your plans work out. The side windows are a great use of the space that was once occupied by the door. Gives a great view out with standing headroom.

The orange GRP will clean up and a good wax coating will preserve the colour for a couple of years, but it will fade again.

You could have a great house boat. If going to sea is the plan, the big side windows may not be suitable.

 

[bikedaft]

You heading towards Bowling?

TBH a long rope on a non windy day, unless it's from the right direction!

Or outboard (if you have one) on a scaffolding plank or similar.

Plenty places to stop for a pint along the way. The canal is beautiful.

Enjoy...