Shroppie Shelf

[Big Bob W]

I would be interested to know the reasoning behind the infamous "Shroppie Shelf".

For the life of me,I can not think what purpose it serves?

There was obviously a good reason for constructing it, but what was it??

[dor]

This was asked not long ago.

 

As I understand it, the footings for the wash wall were dug out, the material removed put on the canal side of the footings. As you can imagine, when filled with concrete this produced a base with an irregular edge. Shuttering was then put in place and the wash wall itself poured in behind, on the irregular footing.

 

This explains why the depth of the SS is of variable depth and with an irregular width.

[colmac]

I have always found the shelf annoying and have solved the matter with two wheelbarrow wheels as waterline fenders, works a treat

[WJM]

It might help by opening with a description of what it actually is...

[Alan de Enfield]

It might help by opening with a description of what it actually is...

 

Imagine a wall built on foundations about 2 feet wider than the wall.

 

The water level is a foot higher then the foundations, and the foundations are a couple of feet higher than the bottom of the cut.

 

Come alongside the 'wall' and 'crash' you hit/slide along the foundations (step).

 

Tie up against the wall and all night you are grinding the side of the boat along the 'step'

 

You need to get wheel-barrow wheels and lie them in the water 'flat' so they act as a 2 foot wide fender.

[nb Innisfree]

We found car wheels to be slightly too small a diameter (24") to stop our 22" draught nb from occasionaly bumping the shelf.

[bottle]

Fit standard tyres, low profile do not work in this case.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[dor]

Virtually all our boating is done on the Shroppie system.

 

The "shelf" is not, as I originally thought, a continuous bit of wide concrete below water level. It is of variable thickness, variable width and variable depth, the last varying from above the water level to a couple of feet below. It is exactly what you would expect if you were digging out a small trench and tipping the spoil in a line alongside. The towpath was never designed for regular mooring and regrettably those mistaken individuals who insist on running their engine in gear while moored can soon undermine it causing the wash wall to slump inwards. A similar fate occurs opposite winding holes if their is limit width, e.g. south of Nantwich where the offside vegetation makes it difficult to turn without directing your wash directly at the side of the canal.

 

Our experience is that the SS varies in width from nothing to about 18". It is rarely more than a foot wide and 99% of the time our wheelbarrow tyres do the job if rope fenders aren't enough. If the shelf does seem to be particularly wide it is often down to old piling that has been left in the canal when the edge has been repiled or redone with concrete piling. Often on mooring, either towpath or visitor moorings, if you come up against a particularly wide bit, moving the boat ten or twenty feet in one direction or the other will get you away from the widest bit. Karting tyres are not usually very helpful as although they sink, the shelf is often only a few inches thick at the edge and they finish up either above or below it.

[SamKingfisher]

There is a length of the leeds Liverpool between skipton and gargrave with a similar arrangement.

[zenataomm]

It might help by opening with a description of what it actually is...

It might also help with a description of where?

Unless it's all 66 and a half miles of it?

[Dave_P]

It might also help with a description of where?

Unless it's all 66 and a half miles of it?

It's pretty ubiquitous on Telford's section south of Nantwich.

[dor]

It's pretty ubiquitous on Telford's section south of Nantwich.

 

And pretty common on the Chester canal north of Nantwich!

 

You are usually ok up against the steel piling, but otherwise it is down to local knowledge as it is so variable. E.g. I know of one visitor mooring where at one end it is over a foot wide, yet within 30ft it is only a couple of inches.

 

Our draught is about 60cm, but a friend with a 90cm draught often can't get in far enough to touch the shelf, let alone be bothered by it!

[Big Bob W]

And pretty common on the Chester canal north of Nantwich!

 

You are usually ok up against the steel piling, but otherwise it is down to local knowledge as it is so variable. E.g. I know of one visitor mooring where at one end it is over a foot wide, yet within 30ft it is only a couple of inches.

 

Our draught is about 60cm, but a friend with a 90cm draught often can't get in far enough to touch the shelf, let alone be bothered by it!

The visitor moorings just above Adderley Locks by any chance? That's exactly what we found when mooring there Sunday evening. Thanks for the info. For some reason, I thought it had been been constructed for a specific purpose. I guess it's a handy step if you go in!!

[DHutch]

The solid rubber fenders that sink can often also be used.

[Jerra]

The solid rubber fenders that sink can often also be used.

Exactly what we do! Adjust the length of the fender rope to suit. Shine a torch into the water to spot where it touches the boat and move the fenders to suit.