Our Boat

Narrowboat NUGGLER

Pat & Mike's narrowboating site

Welcome to our boat. Here you will find details  for those interested in technical matters, and also a little background material on what boating is all about on the English Inland Waterway System - for us at Least.      Elsewhere (see link on right), an index  to the blog of our cruises.

 

Cruising up river on the Thames

The 2014 Washout

 We had planned to pickup family at Devizes in April, but as the time drew near to depart it was obvious that as the Thames was on yellow going red boards we wouldn’t be able to get to the Kennet via Teddington, so we set off to go the other way from Oxford - a much longer route. As we journeyed it also became apparent that the Kennet itself was going to be impassable, so hurried changes to the plan evolved with family given a week on the Thames from Oxford then back to Banbury. We then continued north aiming for the Braidbar boatyard at Higher Poynton for some maintenance work. This completed we set off for Chester and Ellesmere Port via Ashton Canal. Whilst descending the locks we had a accident whereby the rudder hit an underwater obstruction causing it later, to fall off. We limped into Manchester where RCR came to the rescue and a new rudder was eventually fitted to enable us to continue our journey. We really enjoyed the Chester end of section of the Shroppie and will return I am sure. Thence via Wolverhampton 21 to our new moorings at Brinklow.

All this you will find written up in detail in the daily blog “Journey Reports”. (See "Other Areas of this site" on the right panel.)

 

 

 

Boat History

Nuggler was a custom build in 2002 by Braidbar Boats and is based on a Tim Tyler shell. We chose Braidbar because at the 2001 Crick show, they were exhibiting the boat which came closest to our pre-conceived idea of what we were looking for and because we very quickly established a good rapport with the owners of this family run boatyard. We were persuaded against some ideas of ours which were frankly ignorant - we had only hired for two seasons previously - and are pleased we were encouraged to go for the more expensive hydraulic bow thruster option. From the craftsmanship we had seen in the exhibited boat and on visiting the yard to see boats under construction we knew that the year long wait we would have for our boat would be worthwhile.

We have been and continue to be very happy with our boat, but inevitably there have been a few problems and we have added a few things.

Problems

After the first half year, it became evident that having struggled with battery capacity all summer, one battery was duff. Braidbar reimbursed me for this without any fuss, but I decided to replace the whole set with 4 Elecsol 125AH batteries and to install a Sterling alternator controller together with a Cruz Pro battery monitor (AH/Volts/Amps). This has proved highly effective and together with the roof mounted walk-on solar panel keeps the batteries in good condition. An additional solar panel installed last year almost provides enough power to keep the fridge freezer going on sunny days. The Elecsols lasted nearly 5 years.  (A later set did not last more than two seasons before needing replacement)

The rack & pinion front door bolt failed and it has been replaced with a more reliable mechanism. 

Improvements apart from above, a boat alarm has been fitted., and a water tank gauge. We now also have smoke, gas and carbon monoxide alarms added. The latter has woken us in the night due to inadequately set up solid fuel stove, so was very worthwhile. It subsequently transpired that there was a leak at the rear of the stove from a badly secured blanked off flue exit.
A maintenance log has been kept recently and gives a good idea of what goes on in much more detail.

The Fit-out

Construction: Steel, insulated with polystyrene foam and lined with solid ash. 
Oak furniture, Douglas Pine floor. Semi-traditional* layout at rear. Gas locker in bows. Sealed bulkheads for bow thruster tube

Dimensions: 60 feet overall length. 6‘ 10“ width. 2 feet draught (flat bottom)

Engine: Beta 1903 diesel with hospital silencer and hydraulic power take off for bow thruster. PRM hydraulic gearbox.

Electrics: Separate domestic and engine systems with 440 Amp Hour 12v domestic storage batteries fed from a separate 90 amp alternator. 1500 Watt Trace inverter supplying 240 power. Alternator controller and amp-hour monitoring. A trio of supplementary solar panel maintains battery condition when boat is not used. External mobile phone aerial (used for the GSM boat alarm).

Water: 500 litre stainless steel tank in bows. Remote reading water tank gauge. Electric pump-out toilet system with 500 litre holding tank.

Heating: Eberspacher diesel boiler with radiator central heating system. Water calorifier from engine cooling as well as Eberspacher. Solid fuel stove.

Galley: Gas hob and oven. 240V Fridge/Freezer. Welsh dresser opposite stainless steel sink & drainer.

Accommodation: Rear fixed double bed with storage underneath. Bathroom with shower, macerator toilet and vanity unit. Airing cupboard. Dinette, converts to double bed. Wardrobe and gunwale cupboards. Front saloon with “Squirrel” solid fuel cast-iron stove, settee (converts to double bed). Radio and wall mounted flat screen TV.

Front well deck: Seating area with cratch and vinyl cover.

What's it about

Many years ago, in a previous life, I had the opportunity of a week-end on a narrowboat at the invitation of a colleague. It was on the Oxford Canal. I don’t know where, but the boat was in present day terms “basic”. It would have been in the late ‘60s and my memory is of a narrow canal with troublesome midges in the evening.  My colleague told me of his experiences going to Llangollen and the possibility of doing a thing called "the ring” from Oxford, down the Thames through London and back up the Grand Union Canal.   I was familiar with the Grand Union.

Years before that, as a child in the late ‘40s, I had spent many hours watching the coal carrying working boats pass through Lady Capel’s Lock on the Grand Union Canal close by the Grove Estate where my father had an allotment. He was a railway audit clerk and during the war the office had been relocated there, where it remained after until his retirement. Incidentally, the Grove Estate has now been converted into an exclusive golf course and hotel. Of course, I was much too shy to talk to the boatmen, who after all were regarded as “rough people”, and I have no doubt that they would not have noticed the small boy observing. The narrow bridges and tight turns on this section meant that the butties were towed on long lines. I took for granted the skill and practices with which the locks were worked. The lock wheeler who sometimes preceded and the way the butties coasted in to join the motor in the locks and stopped by strapping. Paddles were dropped, not wound down, and paddles were just all opened right up, no messing! Lady Capel’s lock has both ground and gate paddles, so the rush of water was I suppose the most thrilling part of this for me. Gates were opened by the boats when going up and were of course left open with paddles still up. So you can imagine that for me now to pass that lock in our own boat has a certain nostalgia.

So with that history and the need to plan a holiday in 2000 for the family including two Labradors, the idea of a canal holiday came to mind. The name Hoseasons sprang into my head so an Internet search found the web site and we booked the longest (in the naive belief that longer must be better) boat we could (72 feet) from Reading Marine at Aldermaston with the intention of reaching Bristol and back in two weeks (well, they said it was possible). After the customary practical boat introduction and handling course, which included the lifting bridge and passage through Aldermaston Lock, we were on our own. I had brought my bike and trailer which were laid on the roof, because I had remembered lock wheeling, however, I misjudged the sharp turn on the river just after Frouds Bridge, ending up in the shrubbery and an overhanging tree branch took the bike and dumped it in the river. I never managed to locate it. The fast flow and deep murky water combined with the difficulty of manoeuvring the boat just made it impossible. After the first few days the crew were ready to mutiny and swore they would never come on a boating holiday again. None of us knew what we were doing really, and looking back it was amazing that we got as far as Bath where we sensibly decided to stop to enjoy the city. By the time we returned at the end of the holiday we were a much smoother team and it was agreed by all that we had had such a good time that we had to do it again. The idea of getting our own boat started to form in the back of my mind.

Hearing of my interest, a neighbour gave me some old canal magazines and I read these avidly starting to get a picture of what is involved in owning a boat. It all seemed wonderful, but what was the down side. What for instance would it be like out of season when the weather was cold and wet. To find out, we hired a boat from Worcester in April for a week and did the Stourport ring. Here we became aware that our first boat was not very luxurious, and that 60 feet was long enough. We kept warm with gas central heating in spite of snow and frost and still had a good time. Hiring again in the summer we learned about diesel central heating and inverters and so with experience of many boat layouts and equipment, plans for our own boat gained momentum.

So that was it! We went to a few boat shows, culminating I suppose with Crick where the deal was done. With retirement beckoning we were all set

Boat Modifications and improvements

Whilst we have always been very pleased with our boat, over the years there have been some additions to the general fit out. Very few of these with hindsight would have better been included in the basic build specification of the boat and this is almost always to do with electrical wiring. This is not to say that the boat was originally in any way lacking. We have been, and continue to be, impressed with the small details which we have found so practical in the general design, but our horizons have, shall we say, expanded.

Important Changes

VHF Radio and Navigation Lights

We could not have anticipated changes to the regulations of the Port of London requiring us to have Marine Band VHF when transiting the tidal Thames. I suppose you could say that a handheld radio would do, but I preferred to make a more substantial arrangement. The navigation lights which Braidbar fitted were incomplete (I subsequently discovered), there being no stern light and no steaming light and as we now use the river quite frequently, these and an anchor light are required. Wiring for a de mountable mast with lights and VHF connection had to be retrofitted. More detail from this link

Other additions

Electrical
1. Alternator controller and battery monitor. These mods are probably no longer necessary with a new engine from Beta Marine as I understand that their spec is different. Access for wiring was all through existing trunking.
2. Additional solar panel. We asked Braidbar to fit the first and the way it was done has allowed an additional panel to be accommodated easily from the wiring point of view. A third panel has now been fitted. They are expensive, but cheap if measured against the high cost of electrical hook-ups which we have never needed. Harefield charges £15 per month standing charge. 3. The boat alarm (Text Alert) was originally hard wired, but is now wireless. Access for this via the sub gunwale wiring loom was easy enough. 
4. Cupboard lighting. Our centre cupboard included lighting. However, the use to which we have put this cupboard, part clothes hanging, part larder, meant that the bottom was dark. I have fitted low level LCD lighting. Wiring is unobtrusive within the cupboard.
5. Boat horn. The original Braidbar fitting failed due to a faulty horn. I moved the replacement to the front of the cratch rather than leaving it on the front window as it was less likely to startle a guest sitting next to it. This was the worst bit of wiring I have done and looks awful. (Now removed) A birthday present of a nice chromium trumpet horn presented a dilemma for fitting and was ultimately fitted on the roof above the central cupboard using the power from the cupboard light controlled by a relay. This allowed installation and use of a very thin wire through the gunwale loom back to the switch and wiring panel.
6. A water tank gauge was fitted.   Details can be found here.
7. TV. We are now on our third generation of TV - now with integral DVD player.  This is an Avtec Brand designed for mobile use at 12 volts.  It comes with an active aerial as an extra, powered through the aerial wire itself.  Well worth the money.  So far we have not been without a single night's TV since fitting it, even in the most unlikely places such as cuttings.   Of course, now I have said that, there will be first time, but nevertheless it's a pretty impressive record.

8. The Wind Generator.  An interesting story in itself, and not yet done if the truth were told.  A full description can be found here.     Subsequent modifications to the fin to reduce risk of bridge strikes have been made.