The canals

[SPEEDTRIPLE]

I`ve just had an attack of memory, can anybody else remember when Hoseasons were agents for a small fleet of narrow beam cruisers on the Lancaster canal?. I think it was supposed to be 26 miles long, with no locks, the only locks being on the Glasson link.I know this canal used to go all the way to Kendall, but the M6 soon put an end to that, making the limit of navigation just outside Carnforth (or Catforth?) with a lot of the canal after the motorway having dried up or become derelict.

 

Regards to all .................... Neil.

[BroadScot]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lancaster_Canal 

 

This any help? I did see boats near Cockerham I think?

 

 Iain.  

[BroadScot]

OOPs I did see boats on that canal near Cockerham I think? Thought messeage was in same window?

 

Iain.

[Soundings]

Well we've gone and done it and had an offer accepted on a 45ft narrowboat that is moored on the Great Ouse. The survey is Thursday morning. I shall miss the Broads in a lot of ways but it will be good to have more space and freedom, especially in the peak season. Mind you, must not count chickens before the survey eh!

[ranworthbreeze]

Hi Colin,

 

Well done, if the survey is good and the boat is yours we all expect that you post loads of pictures of the boat and information such as the year and maker etc.

 

Regards

Alan

[ranworthbreeze]

We watched the last of the programmes we recorded from Monday night.

Pity it was the last one, it was on one of the French Canals (all the boats are cruiser style and were a change for Prunella & Tim).

 

Wider than most of the canals in the UK and all the locks were manned.

 

For those of you that missed this last of four episodes it is repeated on More4 on Saturday.

 

Regards

Alan 

[Soundings]

Will do Alan, she is a Peter Nicholls hull of the late 70s early 80s. More to follow tomorrow after the survey.

 

Fingers crossed

[ranworthbreeze]

Hi Dave,

 

I totally agree. A great couple and still on the water at their age.

Tim seemed to be banging the boats about somewhat throughout the series, in a tunnel it can't always be helped due to the low water levels in the tunnels which does not make for responsive handling.

 

Regards

Alan

[Soundings]

Survey completed today and hull sound. Small problem with rudder bottom bearing so reduced our offer to compensate. Offer accepted and we will close the deal later this week/early next. Yippee.....back to the canals 

[ranworthbreeze]

Well done Colin.

Please keep us posted.

The Peter Nicholls hulls were the Rolls Royce of the Narrow Boat World back in the day.

Have they done an ultrasound inspection on hull? back in that era the plate thickness would have been 6mm (1/4 inch in old money)are the sacrifical ellectrodes ok?

Regards

Alan

[littlesprite]

I feel a little guilty as I started this thread, I hope we don't see a mass exodus of the broads, having said that the long tunnel and aqueduct have got me wondering about a trip or two on the canals.

[Soundings]

HI Alan. full hull structural survey undertaken and absolutely no integrity problems. Anodes are fine, plenty of life left. The ultrasound shows she has a 5/16 " (8mm) base plate. Plating spec = 8, 6. 4.

 

Littlesprite, I had decided to go back to the canals a while ago really. Some opportunities that turned out not to be so slowed things down but now all I have to do is hand over the dosh. The boat is currently on the Little Ouse (Brandon Creek). We will stay there to change the red and green livery (boring imo) and then will probably move back to Crick or maybe the new marina at the top of the Nene and at the bottom of the GU Northampton Arm.

[ranworthbreeze]

Hi Colin,

 

That was a very good specification for a boat of that age, so as you say plenty of life left in it especially if the anodes are good, I was surprised at seeing the size of some of these on narrow boats.

 

The great advantage of being able to get to the prop through the weed hatch.

We hired a narrow boat a few years ago and the nylock nut kept  coming loose, we had the engineers out twice in the end he left the spanners with us. That boat looked ok but the boat needed to be lifted I suspected the drift key  was missing or worn.

 

There are a lot of very good new marinas on the canals these days, Sawley on the Trent is very large, infact there is now three good marinas on the Trent & Mersey. Also there is a fairly new marina on the start of Llangollen Canal above the locks from Hurlston Junction (Shropshire Union Canal). We went from that marina when we did the Cheshire Ring a few years ago.

 

I think your idea of a marina on the Grand Union will give you several options for trips that are over a week or two.

 

Regards

Alan

[Soundings]

The GU base is the ultimate plan, Alan. We'll cruise the Ouse/Middle level and Nene this year. We have never done the Great Ouse and there are about 150 miles to do there with some nice towns/cities - Cambridge, Ely, Huntingdon and Bedford to name but a few. There is also a growing number of EA sponsored wild moorings and plenty of extended stay formal moorings also.

Yes the boat is sound but I am not sure what the life of a narrowboat really is. If the plate gets thin they just over plate and in any event with modern 2 pack blacking systems corrosion and pitting are almost a thing of the past - if you can afford to have it done.

[SPEEDTRIPLE]

When we were on the Fens 4 years ago, we hired one of the Sunquests (Elysian 34) for a week. We really enjoyed the peace and quiet, and were surprised at how few boats were around, though there were plenty of marinas with lots of boats, very few were ever out on the rivers.

 

As far as moorings go, GOBA (Great Ouse boatowner association) have quite a few, with some of these being just the riverbank, with no piling. I think you have to be a member, or any club you belong to must be affiliated, (or somethinbg like that?) to use them.

 

The fishing was also excellent too.

 

 

Regards to all ........................ Neil.

[Soundings]

Yes, GOBA is certainly worth joining and only £20 pa i believe.

[ranworthbreeze]

The repeat of the last program in this series is on in about 5 minutes time 18.50 on More 4 (channel 14 on Freeview)

 

Regards

Alan 

[BroadScot]

Bump!

 

New Series soon....  http://www.radiotimes.com/programme/cthd94/great-canal-journeys

 

 

Iain.

[GeoffandWendy]

Will watch Series 2. The last series was very good. I like Timothy West & Prunella. True boaters!

[SPEEDTRIPLE]

Yep, me too. I found their last series very enjoyable, and to see Prunella Scales climbing up and down lock ladders at the age of 82 shows that age should not be a limiting factor in life, providing you live a healthy lifestyle that is?.

[ranworthbreeze]

I tried the above link which did't work the first time I tried it.

So just to recap, series 2 episode 1 is being screened on Sunday 15th March 2015 at 8.00pm on Channel 4.
Timothy West and Prunella Scales embark on a waterway adventure, starting in the romantic city of Oxford.

Tan & I will be watching this with great interest being as this is the last canal journey we made last year.

Regards
Alan

 

Edited for Muppetry

Alan

[GeoffandWendy]

I think the Oxford Canal, is where Timothy & Prunella, have their own home mooring, but I may be wrong. The Oxford is one of the nicest Midland canals. It was shortened in quite a few places, during the late nineteenth/early twentieth century to shorten the journey time, by additional locks. Parts of the old original route (still visible in places) followed the lay of the land contours and doubled back on itself for quite a few miles in several places.

 

Whilst on the subject of canals, The Hatton Flight on the Grand Union Canal in Warwickshire was on the ITV Midlands news a few days ago, as they are replacing quite a few of the lock gates. 

[Hylander]

Alan isnt  Wednesday 15th March 2015  a Sunday, tis on my calendar I am looking at. It is also Mother's Day no less.

 

Do Pru and Tim cover the Lancaster Canal by any means.

[ranworthbreeze]

Thanks Monica.

 

Regards

Alan

[SPEEDTRIPLE]

Alan isnt  Wednesday 15th March 2015  a Sunday, tis on my calendar I am looking at. It is also Mother's Day no less.

 

Do Pru and Tim cover the Lancaster Canal by any means.

 

I don`t know whether they`re doing the Lancaster canal, but it`s one of the waterways i`ve always wanted to do. I looked into it early last year, but could`nt find any boatyard operating a hire fleet, anybody know any different?.

 

I`ve looked on google satelite view, and it looks pretty good, with a branch down to Glasson dock. Has anybody had any experience of it, and was on one of the old hireboats through Hoseasons?. I think it was a company calle "Nu way" cruisers from Carnforth, who had a small range of modern GRP narrow beam cruisers, including a Norman 32?.

 

I also saw on the satelite view, a "Calypso 28" moored in Lancaster (i think) so it must be pretty wide?.