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12:34 pm
Saturday,2 March, 2013
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Hi Folks,
As a glider pilot, we have a series of pre-flight checks to go through.
I’m sure there are similar lists on a narrowboat, so as a wannabe CC liveaboard, I would be grateful if I could pick your collective brains.
Cheers,
Blakie 
Poole, Dorset … not a canal in sight, but I’m not going to be here for long … Anupadin
1:19 pm
Friday,19 February, 2010
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Obviously, pre “flight” check lists aren’t as important on a narrowboat chugging along a mud filled ditch as they are when you’re without power thousands of feet up in the air, but here goes…
If you usually moor with your shorline tethering you to the mains, check to make sure that your batteries are holding a charge. You won’t notice it with your shore line plugged in, but you’ll notice very quickly once your’e out on the cut.
Check your oil and water before you start your engine and once your engine is running keep an eye on its temperature. We’ve seen quite a few “cooked” engines at the marina that were started with no water in them or left running when a hose failed.
Carry a decent tool kit for running repairs on your engine if you know what you’re doing or, if you’re like me, carry the telephone number of River Canal Rescue with you (and make sure that you are a member).
Check your route before you go to make sure that there aren’t any stoppages, especially in the winter. And if you’re travelling in the winter, check the weather to make sure that you’re not going to get iced in a million miles from civilization. To that end, make sure that you have enough food and water on board for a few days, and enough fuel for your heating too.
If you’re going to do any river work, make sure that you have an anchor with you. If you’re going on a cruise of any length at all, make sure that you have tools on you for removing debris from the propeller; bolt croppers, a sharp serrated knife and gloves.
make sure you have a good torch, a better set of waterproofs, a map of the area you intend to cruise, sunglasses, mooring stakes or chains, at least two windlasses, a plank, a long shaft, a boat hook for when you drop something in the water.
Oh, and make sure that you have a good supply of red wine and a sense of humour. Your a boater. Enjoy it!
I’ve probably missed loads out but I’m on my lunch break from work and I need to stop typing now and eat.
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2:17 pm
Saturday,2 March, 2013
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Hi Paul,
Thanks for that. There really was no need to postpone your lunch, I don’t even have a boat yet, but I thank you for your diligence.
The only ones I can think of are:
- checking for prop fouling via the weed hatch
- checking the weed hatch seal is in good order
- checking that the weed hatch bolts are tight
- periodic greasing of the stern gland
I’m particularly looking forward to the latter 
Having never owned my own boat, I have been spoiled by relying on the fine maintenance performed by the boats’ home marina mechanics. Once I am the captain of my own ship, I want to do things the right way from day one.
If you good folks can think of others, I am creating a spreadsheet (it’s what we IT bods do) and will gladly share it with others if it would be of use.
Cheers,
Blakie
Poole, Dorset … not a canal in sight, but I’m not going to be here for long … Anupadin
8:53 am
Tuesday,18 September, 2012
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Put a kettle on the stove
As a single hander – make sure you have all the mooring equipment to hand on the stern – stake, hammer, piling hook. (caught out on that one last evening).
Put the bow rope on roof for grabbing in locks when going uphill.
Edit to add – check water and diesel
Retired; Somerset/Dorset border when not out and about on Lucy Lowther
Days without name and hours without number
http://thelovelylisanarrowboat.blogspot.co.uk
9:28 am
Friday,19 February, 2010
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Alan said
Put a kettle on the stoveAs a single hander – make sure you have all the mooring equipment to hand on the stern – stake, hammer, piling hook. (caught out on that one last evening).
Put the bow rope on roof for grabbing in locks when going uphill.
Edit to add – check water and diesel
The problem with using a bow line, or a stern line for that matter, is that the other end of the boat can swing away from the bank. If you’re single handing, by far the best option is to have and to use a centre line. With a centre line you always have total control of the boat when you step off. Just make sure that the centre line is within easy reach of where you stand at the helm.
Click here to get a FREE copy of “Living On A Narrowboat:101 Essential Narrowboat Articles”
10:49 am
Tuesday,18 September, 2012
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For the deep locks I encountered yesterday I used a centre line and bow line. Needed the bow line because of the amount of water coming in. Agree centre line is sufficient on more shallow locks (or if sharing). But even then there seems hardly ever to be a bollard in a suitable place to stop the boat going either forwards or backwards when I go to open the sluices.
Retired; Somerset/Dorset border when not out and about on Lucy Lowther
Days without name and hours without number
http://thelovelylisanarrowboat.blogspot.co.uk
11:47 am
Saturday,2 March, 2013
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Don’t hijack my post
@Paul, maybe we could start a new ‘single handling tips’ thread?
Cheers,
Blakie
Poole, Dorset … not a canal in sight, but I’m not going to be here for long … Anupadin
1:06 pm
Thursday,12 January, 2012
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Alan said
For the deep locks I encountered yesterday I used a centre line and bow line. Needed the bow line because of the amount of water coming in. Agree centre line is sufficient on more shallow locks (or if sharing). But even then there seems hardly ever to be a bollard in a suitable place to stop the boat going either forwards or backwards when I go to open the sluices.
It does vary greatly from lock to lock. Those deep ones on the Trent & Mersey up to Burton are a real pain but the ones on the Grand Union from Calcutt to Knowle are fairly painless if you follow the rule of opening the ground paddle first on the side you are moored to.
We have just come up the Droitwich Barge Canal and all the locks were heavy, hard work but the boat stayed where it should with just a centre rope.
Regards
Pete
Living retirement in the slow lane.
20 years hiring, 6 years of shared ownership and a Continuous Cruiser since 2007 but still learning!
6:25 pm
Thursday,22 July, 2010
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I’m still very new to all of this, but I’m amazed at how long even simple things can take when you’re doing it single-handed. Some things that come to mind:
Have drinks/flasks filled and stored at the stern for whilst you’re cruising along.
Remove and stow all shoreline connections before un-tieing (for most that may just be an electrical connection, but don’t forget the telephone line if you have one!).
Make sure you have mooring stakes AND the bleedin’ hammer to hand. My inaugural “voyage” was a bit interesting when I came to moor up and realised I didn’t know even if I had a hammer!
Move anything that is likely to fall over/be damaged by a fall when you’re under way – Ecofan’s for example can be damaged if they fall off the stove and are expensive to repair.
Make sure the center-line is attached and in good condition.
Ensure bow and stern lines are attached, in good condition and are coiled neatly for easy deployment later (don’t forget, you could be cold and tired at this point and a tangled mess of a line isn’t funny at this point).
Don’t be afraid to say to willing helpers “thanks, but no thanks”. I had someone whizz a paddle up at such speed that Dili surged forward and smacked a lock gate at some force – fortunately no damage done (and I’d thought to remove the Ecofan beforehand fortunately!).
Check the weed hatch, then check it again a few minutes later once you’ve been moving forward and astern. A surprising volume of water can come through a badly fitted weed hatch!
Don’t trust anyone’s word that something has been done! It’s your home, and double checking should never be an issue. Your friendly marine engineer may have serviced your engine, but doing your own oil/water/clearance checks before firing her up could save you an unpleasant conversation (everyone is human and will forget things).
Keep on top of your battery maintenance – they can use a surprising volume of water.
Keep everything clear of flamable areas – stoves/hobs/exhausts etc.
You will run out of water quicker than you think – trust me, running out half way through your morning shower isn’t fun (not that I’ve done that…)
Your Diesel will last longer than you think, so you will become complacent, but check it often otherwise you’ll run out! The last few inches (if you use a stick to “dip” the tank) will be below the fuel pick-up, so don’t think that just become some diesel is in there that you’ve got enough!
Engine spares – even if you don’t know how to fit them, having the right spare could save a lot of time if your employed engineer doesn’t happen to have that part with them – fan belts, filters, bit of fuel line.
Spare lines, spare mooring pins.
Sorry, not in any real list, just jotted them down as I thought of them 
(And this is the BEST lifestyle choice I have ever made by the way – ultimately, give yourself chance to enjoy it).
8:06 pm
Friday,19 February, 2010
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Ah, the pleasures of boating… Some good stuff there. Much of it will become second nature and will take you no time at all. Keep your diesel topped up all the time as well as your water. You don’t want to run out of diesel, but you also don’t want condensation forming in a half empty tank.
Click here to get a FREE copy of “Living On A Narrowboat:101 Essential Narrowboat Articles”
8:18 pm
Saturday,2 March, 2013
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Andy said
Sorry, not in any real list, just jotted them down as I thought of them
Awesome Andy, thanks for that.
Blakie
Poole, Dorset … not a canal in sight, but I’m not going to be here for long … Anupadin
8:08 am
Tuesday,18 September, 2012
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Alan said
For the deep locks I encountered yesterday I used a centre line and bow line. Needed the bow line because of the amount of water coming in. Agree centre line is sufficient on more shallow locks (or if sharing). But even then there seems hardly ever to be a bollard in a suitable place to stop the boat going either forwards or backwards when I go to open the sluices.
It does vary greatly from lock to lock. Those deep ones on the Trent & Mersey up to Burton are a real pain but the ones on the Grand Union from Calcutt to Knowle are fairly painless if you follow the rule of opening the ground paddle first on the side you are moored to.
We have just come up the Droitwich Barge Canal and all the locks were heavy, hard work but the boat stayed where it should with just a centre rope.
Regards
Pete
I have replied on the Single Handed thread to keep Blakie happy
Retired; Somerset/Dorset border when not out and about on Lucy Lowther
Days without name and hours without number
http://thelovelylisanarrowboat.blogspot.co.uk
5:08 pm
Friday,11 March, 2011
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Remember to attach the tiller arm BEFORE casting off – apparently some people have actually forgotten to do this
7:02 pm
Friday,19 February, 2010
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Fruity said
Remember to attach the tiller arm BEFORE casting off – apparently some people have actually forgotten to do this
Me included. In fact I’ve taken a few for trips around the marina without finding the tiller arm at all. It’s very good exercise!
Click here to get a FREE copy of “Living On A Narrowboat:101 Essential Narrowboat Articles”
1:04 am
Saturday,2 March, 2013
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Fruity said
Remember to attach the tiller arm BEFORE casting off – apparently some people have actually forgotten to do this
I’ve seen a couple of boats where the tiller arm is fixed / integral.
I guess that the removable ones are part security feature and part space saver? They also present a commercial opportunity for tiller pin sellers.
Cheers,
Blakie
Poole, Dorset … not a canal in sight, but I’m not going to be here for long … Anupadin
11:15 am
Thursday,12 January, 2012
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Paul Smith said
Fruity said
Remember to attach the tiller arm BEFORE casting off – apparently some people have actually forgotten to do thisMe included. In fact I’ve taken a few for trips around the marina without finding the tiller arm at all. It’s very good exercise!
I think it might be an age thing. I still manage to forget the tiller at least once a month. Not too much of a problem on a canal but it is on a river!
Regards
Pete
Living retirement in the slow lane.
20 years hiring, 6 years of shared ownership and a Continuous Cruiser since 2007 but still learning!
12:47 pm
Tuesday,18 September, 2012
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Fruity said
Remember to attach the tiller arm BEFORE casting off – apparently some people have actually forgotten to do this
Guilty as charged
Retired; Somerset/Dorset border when not out and about on Lucy Lowther
Days without name and hours without number
http://thelovelylisanarrowboat.blogspot.co.uk
1:49 pm
Wednesday,5 December, 2012
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Clarence’s Pre-Cruise Check lists
This list is written taking account that I have a mobility disability
1. Unlock all doors, front, stern and side hatches
2. Check diesel is sufficient for trip
3. Check Engine oil
4. Check Engine water if applicable
5. Check Gearbox oil
6. Check water tanks have sufficient, if not fill up at the first tap
7. Check lifebuoys are where they should be
8. Check poles, boathook etc are ready for use
9. Check engine is not in gear
10. Start engine, if it has not run for a month or so let it turn over for a couple of minutes to pump some oil around before going for a full start. Let engine warm up while completing list
11. Check engine operated both in forward and reverse
12. Rig tiller bar
13. Make sure tea/coffee etc are at stern if single-handed
14. Check we/hott weather gear, maps etc is to hand
15. Disconnect and stow electrical etc shorelines, if rigged
16. Check all knots on mooring lines are loose
17. Bring centre line back to stern
18. Check wind and decide how it will affect the decamp
19. Cast off bow and coil rope and put it where it can be reached from either side
20. Give the bow a firm nudge off the bank
21. Tighten stern line and give a sharp short burst of astern. This helps to release the boat from any bank suction
22. Cast off stern line and tidy the line away and winds etc willing away you go.
Don’t forget it can often be easier to reverse off a bank mooring. Use your pole to push the stern off clear of any boats astern, engage astern gently, and continue until the stern is almost to the other bank. Keep an eye on the bow, you want it to follow you out and not to go back onto the bank. On Clarence at low speed she will steer astern so I use the rudder instead of the pole. Once off the bank engage ahead and put the rudder hard over, give a burst of engine as if you were winding. That should start the bow coming round and once you are almost straight away you go. It like most things takes a bit of practice, depends on wind strength and how the boat responds when going astern. With Clarence, using my pole as well I have got her off the bank in 30mph winds blowing directly onto the bank.
I will probably think of more when I have posted this
3:50 pm
Saturday,2 March, 2013
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Hi GM,
Superb checklist and notes … thank you very much.
Cheers,
Blakie
Poole, Dorset … not a canal in sight, but I’m not going to be here for long … Anupadin
4:24 pm
Friday,19 February, 2010
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It’s a comprehensive checklist Graham and some good advice. All I would add to that, although it won’t apply unless the engine is raw water cooled, is to check to make sure that the water inlet tap is open and to check the weed trap. I only add the bit about the weed trap because the RCR engineer who serviced my engine this week told me off for not checking it regularly enough.
Click here to get a FREE copy of “Living On A Narrowboat:101 Essential Narrowboat Articles”
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