hand spike " ecky thump "

[steveiom]

hello folks,

can any give me information ( pictures ) or is there`s any plans on making a hand-spike

thankyou for your help.

[Guest]

hello folks,

can any give me information ( pictures ) or is there`s any plans on making a hand-spike

thankyou for your help.

 

From The (excellent) Pennine waterways web site -

 

http://www.penninewaterways.co.uk/calder/handspike.htm

 

The Calder and Hebble Navigation is almost unique in that it requires a special handspike to operate the paddle gear on some of its locks. (A similar handspike is used on the Driffield Navigation.)

Some of the original paddle gear has been replaced with more standard gear but there are still several locks that cannot be operated without a hand-spike. Hand-spikes can be bought at boatyards in the area or you can make your own from a piece of 4" x 2" or 3" x 2" hardwood about 3' long, tapered to about 2¼" x 1¾".

Hard wood is needed as soft wood will quickly become chewed up.

ed to add important missing bit.

Edited September 11, 2016 by MJG

[harve90]

Like this in a hard wood perhaps.

 

[Mac of Cygnet]

I'm on my 5th or so handspike - 2 makeshift ones got chewed up, one iron bar got bent at Cromwell lock, I made and gave one away to someone heading for the C&H who had no idea he needed one, and my present one is made of oak and rather heavy - I hope not to have to make another.

[Nightwatch]

How much are these hand spikes?.

[Quaysider]

3 x 2 "soft" is only £1.80 for a 6 ft length.... I've loads of off-cuts at work so will take the "disposable" approach

[Chertsey]

I got a lovely hardwood one for ten pounds, albeit ten years ago. I never actually used it (made do with a bit of softwood the one time we did the C&H) but I slept with it by the bed when I lived on board in Huddersfield, so it wasn't entirely wasted. Passed it on with Warrior (our previous boat) as sadly not much use to me now. It was a lovely thing though, would have made an excellent weapon.

[Peter-Bullfinch]

Buy a hickory pick axe handle from your local builders merchants. They cost around £6 usually. Shape the end with a sharp handsaw a bit to achieve about 3.5"X2". The pick axe end is already slightly tapered. Works fine.

[Nightwatch]

Okay. Seems unless I'm going on the Huddersfield and need protection ill made me own.

 

[Guest]

How much are these hand spikes?.

 

Last time I saw one on sale I think they were around a tenner in Stanley Ferry Marina, though that is a couple of years back now of course.

[NickF]

I made my own form a length of hardwood. Just as well because on the two occasions I have been there on hire boats, the one that came with one boat snapped and the other boat provided one that didn't fit!

 

 

This is quite useful

http://nbepiphany.co.uk/our-story/blog/103-nw/501-the-calder-and-hebble-handspike

Edited September 11, 2016 by NickF

[Peter-Bullfinch]

Pick axe handle

[series3]

Just been through them...you don't need one.

If I remember, I used a mooring pin on one...the rest you can work without one.

[Old Son]

What are they actually used for?

[by'eck]

Intrigued by the reference to Ecky Thump since this is my boats name. What's the connection to handspikes?

[Chertsey]

What are they actually used for?

 

Working paddle gear on the Calder and Hebble.

[series3]

Yorkshire thing...

[Mac of Cygnet]

Just been through them...you don't need one.

If I remember, I used a mooring pin on one...the rest you can work without one.

 

I'm afraid you remembered wrong, or you only did a bit of the C&H. There are 5 locks which cannot be worked without a spike.

[alan_fincher]

 

I'm afraid you remembered wrong, or you only did a bit of the C&H. There are 5 locks which cannot be worked without a spike.

 

And presumably that number would increase if you encountered a pair of gates having one spike operated paddle and one windlass operated one, and the latter was out of action. (Quite a few of the locks feature a mix of paddle operating methods at a single end).

 

I can't imagine that using a mooring spike to operate one is a very clever idea at all, and I would have thought that any advice to try and navigate the C&H without either the proper item, or at least a fairly accurate substitute, is unwise.

 

I'm trying to think where on earth our spike must be currently - I have a nasty feeling it may have been on the last boat when we sold it!

[David Mack]

Intrigued by the reference to Ecky Thump since this is my boats name. What's the connection to handspikes?

 

Generic expression of Northerness, although more related to Lancashire than Yorkshire.

 

But do the term's origins go back beyond 1975?

 

http://youtu.be/TJxGi8bizEg

[Old Son]

 

Working paddle gear on the Calder and Hebble.

 

Thanks

[Jerra]

 

Generic expression of Northerness, although more related to Lancashire than Yorkshire.

 

But do the term's origins go back beyond 1975?

 

http://youtu.be/TJxGi8bizEg

Certainly never heard it used by a native of this far north, so must be southern round Lancashire or Yorkshire.

 

South of Shap maps are marked "Here be Dragons"!

[by'eck]

 

Generic expression of Northerness, although more related to Lancashire than Yorkshire.

 

But do the term's origins go back beyond 1975?

 

http://youtu.be/TJxGi8bizEg

 

Thanks David, but well aware of the name origins.

 

Question was, what is the connection (as implied by OP) with handspikes since as you say the name has greater Lancashire origins.

[cuthound]

Certainly never heard it used by a native of this far north, so must be southern round Lancashire or Yorkshire.

 

South of Shap maps are marked "Here be Dragons"!

Are you sure you have the map the right way up? ☺

[Jerra]

Are you sure you have the map the right way up? ☺

LOL!