Boats

[philmayfield 6,220]

A chap I knew, who used to work for British Waterways, bought a large, traditional wooden motorboat, The White Swan, and, with his wife sailed it all around the Med. I think it might have had sails. They sailed it back to England and moored up by the Star and Garter at Hazleford where they used to do river trips. I remember going up to Hoveringham with the kids years ago. He sold it and bought a house. His wife was known as ‘Brenda the boat’!

[LizzieM 9,524]

Ours was a Jeanneau Sun Kiss 47 ft.  6 berth. We had some good times and sometimes scary episodes too but most importantly our teenage sons enjoyed going on holiday with us during those few years.  Eventually got rid as it was like throwing money into a big black hole!  

[philmayfield 6,220]

The largest boat we had, which never left the Trent during our time, was ‘Sybaris’, a 35’ motor cruiser built locally at Langar by Bourne Plastics. At one time they were at Netherfield and built grp body shells for Lotus cars. It had two Ford Mermaid Diesels and the generator was the engine from a Sherpa van. She had fore and aft double cabins and the main deck could be converted into a sleeping area. I bought it from Roger Pearce, who had the motor caravan dealership, Brownhills, at Newark. I sold it to the owner of Newark Marina who did take it across the Chanel. It was moored down at the Isle of White at one time. We’ve had a couple of other cruisers on the river, a 24’ Freeman and a 30’ Princess DS. My favourite boating was in a Finnmaster 640MC which was towable at 2.5 tonnes with a 4x4. I’ve taken it up to the wild waters of the Hebrides and down to Falmouth bay. Currently I’ve had, for years, a 15’ Boston Whaler open sport’s boat with a 90hp Yamaha outboard, which I bought second hand from Dorset, which I’ve never used and I really ought to clean up and sell as I’m never likely to use it. I’ll see if I can find a picture.

[philmayfield 6,220]

That’s the Finnmaster.

[philmayfield 6,220]

The Whaler!

[Beekay 5,212]

Doubt if you'd catch many whales in that Phil. And anyroad, where could you render the blubber?

 Biggest boat I had were 66ft narrowboat. Didn't own it though. Took it over Pontcysyllte aqueduct loads of times.

[philmayfield 6,220]

We did a long weekend on narrowboat once. Thoroughly enjoyed it but never got round to doing it again. I think the canals are a bit overpopulated now. 

[plantfit 7,661]

I operated this 52 foot dumb barge and tug with 90 ton of sand and gravel on board as well as a dozen or so school kids who visited the site from Attenborough to Long Eaton dig and back

 

 

Rog

[philmayfield 6,220]

Never knew you were a seafaring man Rog! 

[Beekay 5,212]

Well tiver my shimbers ! Would love to see you take that through Langley Mill lock Rog.

[plantfit 7,661]

Brown water navy Phil, No after doing a service or repair on these tugs/barges I used to take them out on test, so might as well go all the way to Long Eaton dig and load up with upto 90 tons of raw material then go back to the processing plant at Attenborough loaded, a quick check on the jobs I'd done before handing it over to the operator, good fun but wouldn't want to do it all day

 

Rog

[plantfit 7,661]

Just now, Beekay said:

Well tiver my shimbers ! Would love to see you take that through Langley Mill lock Rog.

They were big mate and the front of the barge seemed a long way off, set the engine speed to 2100rpm and away you go, I fitted hydraulic steering to the tugs the originals having chains, quadrants and pulleys

 

Rog

[philmayfield 6,220]

It makes my adventures in the rough Hebridean waters look pretty tame Rog.

[MRS B 546]

My brother lived on a narrow boat, moored at Etruria Stoke for the last part of his life. As a mechanic he was always tinkering with the engine. 

[plantfit 7,661]

The trips through Attenborough nature reserve on these things could be quite tricky especially on dark or foggy mornings, loads of small islands and other obstructions to navigate past' empty dumb barges sit very high (about 6-7 feet) in the water so it's difficult to see over them but when loaded there is only about a foot of barge showing above the waterline

 

Rog

[Willow wilson 897]

Done many holidays on broads boats and narrow boats on canals, from 2 berth to 8 berth, normally very relaxing away from the daily grind. One year (1970s something) a group of us  hired an 8 berth boat on the broads and day one we came alongside to Moor up for the night and discovered that owing to a mechanical fault we couldn't select reverse to stop, neither would the engine-stop pedal work. Out of control the boat slowly nudged into the boat moored in front of us and its  mooring rope got tighter until it was like a rod when its mooring bollard broke off the deck, shot across our bows and hit one of our crew on the thigh. Bruised but otherwise OK. We lifted the floorboards under the steering position and stopped it manually. Next day we reassembled the stop pedal mechanism, which had fallen to pieces, found an old bit of rope, tied it to the throttle handle and underfloor reverse lever on the gearbox and cruised off, sans engine cover, to find a boatyard with a mechanic on duty. They don't make boats like that any more.......

 

[philmayfield 6,220]

I’ve always liked boats. I’ve been drooling over one at the local marina but my wife is discouraging me. I think back to the days of lying on my back painting on the anti fouling and all of the cleaning and engine maintenance and think she’s probably right

[Oztalgian 3,349]

We have often hired houseboats on the magnificent Murray River in South Australia with two other couples.

We book a boat where each bedroom has its own en-suite. The boats have all the mod-cons. There is usually a bar area and a spa on the upper deck

We went on one like this. We also cruised the Whitsunday Islands on luxury catamarans

 

[plantfit 7,661]

Talking to a friend yesterday about his time on board a narrow boat touring parts of France, he told me they empty their dirty/ toilet waste straight into the canal and it's perfectly legal, whereas here in the UK we rely on the water companies to do it for us, just a comment I thought I would pass on

 

Rog

[philmayfield 6,220]

I remember the French toilets of old where you leant against a rope. Pretty disgusting nation the French in my experience! 

[Oztalgian 3,349]

1 hour ago, plantfit said:

Talking to a friend yesterday about his time on board a narrow boat touring parts of France, he told me they empty their dirty/ toilet waste straight into the canal and it's perfectly legal, whereas here in the UK we rely on the water companies to do it for us, just a comment I thought I would pass on

If you are on the river all the black and grey water has to be held in tanks and pumped out on to land tanks.

I think you can still discharge black water in the Whitsunday's but it has to be well offshore and into deep water.

[philmayfield 6,220]

I think you have to have a holding tank and pump out at suitable receptacles on the canals but on the Trent you can discharge into the water. It always surprised me to see kids swimming in the semi enclosed waters of the local marinas on hot summer days. Certainly none of my river boats had a holding tank.

[benjamin1945 16,246]

The only Boats ive had owt to do with were rowing boats down the 'Embankment''....about 2 bob for an hour...back in 61/62....

               Oh yes not forgetting the   odd thursday half day closing...over at 'Highfields'' '.......couldnt swim back then....but never told the lucky Lass...i was rowing for........after nearly 'Drowning'' a couple of times decided to learn to swim when i was 30....

                         As was the great 'Rod' when he sang this........now nearly 80 he still looks and sings good...........

[Beekay 5,212]

The majority of boatyards on the canàls have pumpout stations, but it can be quite expensive nowadays. I seem to remember that dishwater emptied straight into the 'cut. You pulled the plug and away the water went.  Bilge pumps emptied into the canal too. Fortunately, on the Llangollen canal there is a flow from the river Dee at Horseshoe falls, so any dishwater would travel down to Hurlestone reservoir, for the Cheshire folk to drink.

[philmayfield 6,220]

Myself and friend used to hire a row boat on the Trent when we were at primary school. Nobody seemed to bother in those days. When I was at Mellish I was a cox for the rowing crew. We were based at Brit. and trained on a Saturday morning. We competed in regattas all around the Midlands. That’s what stimulated my interest in boats.  I still have a cup for coxing the winning crew in the Butcher Cup on the Trent. I taught myself to sail in on a nearby pond in Mirror dinghy which I built myself and later sailed an Enterprise dinghy at Notts County Sailing Club Hoveringham.