The characaters and the downright insane. Where have they all gone?

[Sabcat]

I've been living on a boat for 17 years this year and I don't know if it's just my little part of the world or if it's the whole system but there seems to be a distinct shortage of odd people compared to years ago. Where have all the crazy people doing crazy things on crazy looking boats gone?

[Guest]

I thought they had all landed on here...

[Wanted]

I've been living on a boat for 17 years this year and I don't know if it's just my little part of the world or if it's the whole system but there seems to be a distinct shortage of odd people compared to years ago. Where have all the crazy people doing crazy things on crazy looking boats gone?

Greenford

[GoodGurl]

I thought all boater's were odd? who in their right mind would live off grid?

[David Mack]

I don't know about the characters, but the motley collections of converted ships lifeboats, ex army pontoon conversions, home-built plywood cruisers, half wooden butties with converted car engines and 3 speed gearboxes which were about when I started boating all seem to have succumbed to the ravages of time and decay, the Boat Safety Scheme and the survey requirements of the insuance companies.

 

Safer - probably, but certainly less colourful.

[Sabcat]

I don't know about the characters, but the motley collections of converted ships lifeboats, ex army pontoon conversions, home-built plywood cruisers, half wooden butties with converted car engines and 3 speed gearboxes which were about when I started boating all seem to have succumbed to the ravages of time and decay, the Boat Safety Scheme and the survey requirements of the insuance companies.

 

Safer - probably, but certainly less colourful.

 

I think the guys name was Norman but that might just be because we called him storming Norman. Oldish chap who's boat was kid of trad (might have been cruiser) at the back with a pitched roof greenhouse type arrangement at the front. He had a young lad with him who had a raft with an outboard they towed along. His boat was nuts and he used to have proper jumping up and down stamping his feet tantrums. I liked him though. No idea where he went.

 

Another guy - Secret Squirrel (not sure of his real name) - was moored here for a bit who was colourful. He made some "parkit" flooring out of un-planed roofing lath and claimed to be a secret agent, an artist with work displayed in "the luvre" and that the water on his mooring was 14ft deep. His boat was pretty normal apart from the flooring.

 

A young lad who was moored next to me until a few years ago was properly insane. He used to have stand up screaming matches with himself in his boat and I found him on his mooring one day butt naked standing next to his clothes in a pile that he'd set on fire. He was harmless enough though. I'm pretty sure he moved to China or maybe Thailand.

[Guest]

I don't know about the characters, but the motley collections of converted ships lifeboats, ex army pontoon conversions, home-built plywood cruisers, half wooden butties with converted car engines and 3 speed gearboxes which were about when I started boating all seem to have succumbed to the ravages of time and decay, the Boat Safety Scheme and the survey requirements of the insuance companies.

 

Safer - probably, but certainly less colourful.

That takes me back

 

I think the guys name was Norman but that might just be because we called him storming Norman. Oldish chap who's boat was kid of trad (might have been cruiser) at the back with a pitched roof greenhouse type arrangement at the front. He had a young lad with him who had a raft with an outboard they towed along. His boat was nuts and he used to have proper jumping up and down stamping his feet tantrums. I liked him though. No idea where he went.

 

Another guy - Secret Squirrel (not sure of his real name) - was moored here for a bit who was colourful. He made some "parkit" flooring out of un-planed roofing lath and claimed to be a secret agent, an artist with work displayed in "the luvre" and that the water on his mooring was 14ft deep. His boat was pretty normal apart from the flooring.

 

A young lad who was moored next to me until a few years ago was properly insane. He used to have stand up screaming matches with himself in his boat and I found him on his mooring one day butt naked standing next to his clothes in a pile that he'd set on fire. He was harmless enough though. I'm pretty sure he moved to China or maybe Thailand.

sounds like an average day on our Marina

[John V]

That takes me back

sounds like an average day on our Marina

 

Hey.....I didn't recognise you as one of my neighbours

[TheBiscuits]

I've been living on a boat for 17 years this year and I don't know if it's just my little part of the world or if it's the whole system but there seems to be a distinct shortage of odd people compared to years ago. Where have all the crazy people doing crazy things on crazy looking boats gone?

I assume you haven't been across the L&L recently. They (we!) are all in darkest Lancashire ...

[cloggy]

I think the guys name was Norman but that might just be because we called him storming Norman. Oldish chap who's boat was kid of trad (might have been cruiser) at the back with a pitched roof greenhouse type arrangement at the front. He had a young lad with him who had a raft with an outboard they towed along. His boat was nuts and he used to have proper jumping up and down stamping his feet tantrums. I liked him though. No idea where he went.

Think this boat was at Tyxell wide about 3 weeks ago

[Loafer]

I assume you haven't been across the L&L recently. They (we!) are all in darkest Lancashire ...

 

Is it quiet up there? Considering giving it a whirl. We're quite weird.

[TheBiscuits]

Is it quiet up there? Considering giving it a whirl. We're quite weird.

Too quiet. Although all the locks being shut until the 11th doesn't help anyone move boats ...

 

Joking aside, the only thing wrong with the L&L is that people are scared of Wigan flight, incorrectly so. Everyone who bothers to come up north enjoys it, despite the weather.

 

If your boats are less than 62 ft long and 14 ft wide, come join us for the bicentenary this year.

 

We have festivals, we have beer, we have food, and we are lovely people :-)

[Laurie Booth]

I've been living on a boat for 17 years this year and I don't know if it's just my little part of the world or if it's the whole system but there seems to be a distinct shortage of odd people compared to years ago. Where have all the crazy people doing crazy things on crazy looking boats gone?

Gone with the 1960's

[Loafer]

Too quiet. Although all the locks being shut until the 11th doesn't help anyone move boats ...

 

Joking aside, the only thing wrong with the L&L is that people are scared of Wigan flight, incorrectly so. Everyone who bothers to come up north enjoys it, despite the weather.

 

If your boats are less than 62 ft long and 14 ft wide, come join us for the bicentenary this year.

 

We have festivals, we have beer, we have food, and we are lovely people :-)

 

 

Hmm that's the trouble. Our boats is a 62' Hudson. Am I likely to make it?

[TheBiscuits]

Hmm that's the trouble. Our boats is a 62' Hudson. Am I likely to make it?

The limit for the L&L is nominally 62 ft from Wigan to Leeds but 72 ft from Wigan to Liverpool, but the locks are 14 ft 4 wide and the cills tend to be curved.

 

I know of several 64 and 65 ft boats that regularly do Wigan flight on the diagonal, but the steerers do have good waterproof trousers! I think the shortest lock on the L&L is on the Rufford bit - 62.01 feet according to CRT.

 

Why not come anyway, and try one short lock - Wigan bottom lock, immediately after the junction with the Leigh Branch. If you don't like it, reverse out and wind at the junction then head west towards Liverpool instead.

[manxmike]

I have fond memories of the garden sheds we used to see floating(?) on the canal. There are still a couple around, there's one chap with the oddest multi coloured boat, it has arched windows and shutters, he tows a small plastic boat - possibly as sleeping accommodation.

Last time I was chatting to him he said he was intending to sell and buy something that needs work.

Lovely bloke and very knowledgeable about Lister engines.

For a while there were a number of peace loving alternate life-style groups on boats, they got replaced by "Travelers" who were about as welcome as their land based cousins - leave it in view and you've given it to them!

I agree that licensing and safety inspections have removed a lot of the characters and their "vessels"

[nicknorman]

I think the guys name was Norman but that might just be because we called him storming Norman. Oldish chap who's boat was kid of trad (might have been cruiser) at the back with a pitched roof greenhouse type arrangement at the front. He had a young lad with him who had a raft with an outboard they towed along. His boat was nuts and he used to have proper jumping up and down stamping his feet tantrums. I liked him though. No idea where he went.

 

Another guy - Secret Squirrel (not sure of his real name) - was moored here for a bit who was colourful. He made some "parkit" flooring out of un-planed roofing lath and claimed to be a secret agent, an artist with work displayed in "the luvre" and that the water on his mooring was 14ft deep. His boat was pretty normal apart from the flooring.

 

A young lad who was moored next to me until a few years ago was properly insane. He used to have stand up screaming matches with himself in his boat and I found him on his mooring one day butt naked standing next to his clothes in a pile that he'd set on fire. He was harmless enough though. I'm pretty sure he moved to China or maybe Thailand.

Hmmm with my politically correct hat on this does sound a bit like you regarded these mentally ill folk as a source of your amusement, bit like going to watch the monkeys at the zoo.

 

Anyway the demise of such folk is probably due to the Tory government's priority spending on mental health care.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oops, did I forget to say <sarcasm alert>

[Guest]

Loafer, on 04 Mar 2016 - 12:41 AM, said:

 

 

Hmm that's the trouble. Our boats is a 62' Hudson. Am I likely to make it?

 

If you are going to tackle the L&L in a boat with a 62ft trad stern boat be aware that your inability to move forward on the counter will mean you will get wet going down in lots of the locks and you will need to be exceptionally careful of the cill. Good waterproofs are essential (trousers at least) as it is not always possible to position the boat to get away from the sometimes gushing water that pours through the gate edges/gate centres and leaky gate paddles.

 

You will also need to keep the hatch and the rear doors shut in most locks going down for the same reason, unless you want a cabin full of water. You will need to lift fenders almost certainly in the Five and Three rises and a couple of other smaller flights too to get the bow past the gates. A bow thruster if you have one would be helpful here.

 

However all that said it is a 'must do' if your boat is capable of it, some of the scenery is quite stunning. It gets 'gritty' approaching Saltire but the bonus there is the canal is steeped in history.

[captain birdseye]

Too quiet. Although all the locks being shut until the 11th doesn't help anyone move boats ...

 

Joking aside, the only thing wrong with the L&L is that people are scared of Wigan flight, incorrectly so. Everyone who bothers to come up north enjoys it, despite the weather.

 

If your boats are less than 62 ft long and 14 ft wide, come join us for the bicentenary this year.

 

We have festivals, we have beer, we have food, and we are lovely people :-)

You've persuaded me, see you in the summer

[Loafer]

The limit for the L&L is nominally 62 ft from Wigan to Leeds but 72 ft from Wigan to Liverpool, but the locks are 14 ft 4 wide and the cills tend to be curved.

 

I know of several 64 and 65 ft boats that regularly do Wigan flight on the diagonal, but the steerers do have good waterproof trousers! I think the shortest lock on the L&L is on the Rufford bit - 62.01 feet according to CRT.

 

Why not come anyway, and try one short lock - Wigan bottom lock, immediately after the junction with the Leigh Branch. If you don't like it, reverse out and wind at the junction then head west towards Liverpool instead.

 

 

 

If you are going to tackle the L&L in a boat with a 62ft trad stern boat be aware that your inability to move forward on the counter will mean you will get wet going down in lots of the locks and you will need to be exceptionally careful of the cill. Good waterproofs are essential (trousers at least) as it is not always possible to position the boat to get away from the sometimes gushing water that pours through the gate edges/gate centres and leaky gate paddles.

 

You will also need to keep the hatch and the rear doors shut in most locks going down for the same reason, unless you want a cabin full of water. You will need to lift fenders almost certainly in the Five and Three rises and a couple of other smaller flights too to get the bow past the gates. A bow thruster if you have one would be helpful here.

 

However all that said it is a 'must do' if your boat is capable of it, some of the scenery is quite stunning. It gets 'gritty' approaching Saltire but the bonus there is the canal is steeped in history.

 

 

If you are going to tackle the L&L in a boat with a 62ft trad stern boat be aware that your inability to move forward on the counter will mean you will get wet going down in lots of the locks and you will need to be exceptionally careful of the cill. Good waterproofs are essential (trousers at least) as it is not always possible to position the boat to get away from the sometimes gushing water that pours through the gate edges/gate centres and leaky gate paddles.

 

You will also need to keep the hatch and the rear doors shut in most locks going down for the same reason, unless you want a cabin full of water. You will need to lift fenders almost certainly in the Five and Three rises and a couple of other smaller flights too to get the bow past the gates. A bow thruster if you have one would be helpful here.

 

However all that said it is a 'must do' if your boat is capable of it, some of the scenery is quite stunning. It gets 'gritty' approaching Saltire but the bonus there is the canal is steeped in history.

 

 

Much obliged, gents.