Canal Maps

[jddevel]

Whilst using the internet at the moment as a source  I feel it would make sense to accumulate some hard copy maps of the canal system (I`m a leisure user). Can the community suggest what printers in their opinion provide both good canal detail and additional places of interest to help plan leisure cruises mostly south of Birmingham at present. Thank you 

[colinwilks]

I would look at Imray or the Nicholsons guides, although the latter tend to be out of date as far as pubs are concerned.

Have you discovered Canal Plan?

https://canalplan.eu/cgi-bin/canal.cgi

[Detling]

Heron maps for large view,  Pearson for interesting information, Nickelson for detail.

[jddevel]

39 minutes ago, colinwilks said:

Have you discovered Canal Plan

Yes thank you. Our online source. However it`s the opportunity to stop and walk even travel a bit if need be, to visit local "features" that would help.

[NickF]

I am a fan of Pearson, I like his informative, honest and sometime witty comments.

http://www.jmpearson.co.uk/

although when cruising I do like Waterways routes electronic maps which I will often have running on a tablet as i cruise. Really useful for knowing exactly where you are or finding that obscure water point.

https://www.waterwayroutes.co.uk/wr/

[ronnietucker]

1 hour ago, Detling said:

Heron maps for large view,  Pearson for interesting information, Nickelson for detail.

Hadn't heard of Heron Maps before, and it's good to see they have an upcoming map of the Forth & Clyde canal.

[artleknock]

I think that Waterway routes is a better guide to the canal than Nicholsons, though the latter gives writen descriptions.

I prefer a hard copy, so I have printed out the maps I need from Waterway routes and filed them in plastic pockets in a flat bar binder. The Warickshire ring is 48 pages , but a much better scale and lots more info on mooring spots and facilities

[cuthound]

First Mate Guides are very informative, showing shops doctors surgeries vets etc, but sadly no longer updated by the author.

Downloadable from:

http://www.firstmateguides.co.uk

[bill brown]

A little dated perhaps but the Lockmaster maps http://www.lockmastermaps.co.uk give a very useful overview of large areas of the system.

[jddevel]

To all. Thank you for all your help.

[Jim Riley]

There's also opencanalmaps, a layer applied to Google maps, internet I know, but can be a useful alternative.

[ronnietucker]

I recommend shopping around as I was looking for a Nicholson/Pearson for the Forth & Clyde and Amazon only had these clowns:

I found a copy (pretty much brand new) on AbeBooks.co.uk for a fiver.

[Jim Riley]

23 minutes ago, ronnietucker said:

I recommend shopping around as I was looking for a Nicholson/Pearson for the Forth & Clyde and Amazon only had these clowns:

I found a copy (pretty much brand new) on AbeBooks.co.uk for a fiver.

What? at those prices someone is extracting the urine! 

[ronnietucker]

1 minute ago, Jim Riley said:

What? at those prices someone is extracting the urine! 

Indeed. If I'm paying £428 for an 85-page book. I'm not paying £2.80 P&P!  

[Jim Riley]

2 minutes ago, ronnietucker said:

Indeed. If I'm paying £428 for an 85-page book. I'm not paying £2.80 P&P!  

hahaha. My last boat was a dc22, had great fun and exciting journeys. The gunnels were a bit high for swmbo to clamber over now hips getting arthritic, so got a small ish NB. 

[system 4-50]

Heron maps are my favourite, photocopied in overlapping A4 sections and laminated. Nice and easy to read on the move (travelling single-handed).  What I would very much like is a similar map that shows where the banks have armco. And the depth. Until of course I can set up my Apple Mac to show a realtime map one day.

[ronnietucker]

2 minutes ago, Jim Riley said:

hahaha. My last boat was a dc22, had great fun and exciting journeys. The gunnels were a bit high for swmbo to clamber over now hips getting arthritic, so got a small ish NB. 

I only got mine near the end of the summer. After some tinkering, it's ready to go on adventures, but that won't be until about Easter.

[Jim Riley]

It's 6' 10" wide btw. Without your fenders down ;-). We had a small pot belly stove on ours, cozy for the winter trips. 

[ronnietucker]

29 minutes ago, Jim Riley said:

It's 6' 10" wide btw. Without your fenders down ;-). We had a small pot belly stove on ours, cozy for the winter trips. 

See, that sounds grand. I was dubious of drilling holes in the roof for a chimney. Still am.    I could replace my cupboard by the door with a stove but... yeah... hole in the roof.   

I was thinking about something like this: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Miniature-Mini-Coal-Wood-Burner-stove-heater-shed-summerhouse-workshop-garage/371479630493?hash=item567de9529d:g:ApwAAOSwdvpWD7my - not sure about regulations for a flue etc.

Was yours the same layout as mine? Probably not as I'm sure someone has refitted this one.

Edited December 29, 2017 by ronnietucker

[Jim Riley]

4 minutes ago, ronnietucker said:

See, that sounds grand. I was dubious of drilling holes in the roof for a chimney. Still am.    I could replace my cupboard by the door with a stove but... yeah... hole in the roof.   

Was yours the same layout as mine? Probably not as I'm sure someone has refitted this one.

cooker and sink on starboard side, got rid of bench seat, double bed made up into bows, sleeping lengthways. I made a small extension bit to extend by 30cm.  My stove was on the port side where your cupboard is (n't). the extra floor space was great, plenty of seating for 2 with the bow seats. 

there was already a hole for the paloma heater, so I wasn't bothered about another. I used an insulated flue. cut hole with a grp tungsten blade in jigsaw, keep the cut out disk and you can always glue it back in again. There's plenty of strength in that laminated grp roof. 

the cabin would get to 25c with stove going and frozen outside!

I'm not sure there ever was a standard dc layout. I used to hanker after a highbridge crusader 32 until wife's hips began to go, same high gunnels to get over. 

I had an old honda10 pushing it, no trouble, did tidal rivers, ouse to york from selby, Keadby to nottingham etc. the only problem initially was 12v lighting etc, if we didnt travel for a couple of days. But newer outboards put out 12a/h, led lights are your friend, and I would now put a flexi solar panel on the cockpit hardtop. I've just fitted a 135w flexi panel and mppt controller on the narrowboat, it charges a little even in this weather.

[ronnietucker]

10 minutes ago, Jim Riley said:

cooker and sink on starboard side, got rid of bench seat, double bed made up into bows, sleeping lengthways. I made a small extension bit to extend by 30cm.  My stove was on the port side where your cupboard is (n't). the extra floor space was great, plenty of seating for 2 with the bow seats. 

there was already a hole for the paloma heater, so I wasn't bothered about another. I used an insulated flue. cut hole with a grp tungsten blade in jigsaw, keep the cut out disk and you can always glue it back in again. There's plenty of strength in that laminated grp roof. 

the cabin would get to 25c with stove going and frozen outside!

I'm not sure there ever was a standard dc layout. I used to hanker after a highbridge crusader 32 until wife's hips began to go, same high gunnels to get over. 

I had an old honda10 pushing it, no trouble, did tidal rivers, ouse to york from selby, Keadby to nottingham etc. the only problem initially was 12v lighting etc, if we didnt travel for a couple of days. But newer outboards put out 12a/h, led lights are your friend, and I would now put a flexi solar panel on the cockpit hardtop. I've just fitted a 135w flexi panel and mppt controller on the narrowboat, it charges a little even in this weather.

I am still thinking about a stove. Probably the wrong time now to fit one. 

The one I was thinking about (my previous post) has a small flue, and I did consider taking out one of the mushroom vents to use as a flue hole.

I assume your stove sat on fire bricks or something? Surrounded by metal/something to stop the boat melting?  

I'll definitely be installing a 100W solar panel in a month/two. I don't use much electricity. All the lights are LED and are fed by a second battery that I installed.

[StephenA]

4 hours ago, Jim Riley said:

hahaha. My last boat was a dc22, had great fun and exciting journeys. The gunnels were a bit high for swmbo to clamber over now hips getting arthritic, so got a small ish NB. 

Well that was a rather unexpected deviation from the topic in question...

[Jim Riley]

9 hours ago, StephenA said:

Well that was a rather unexpected deviation from the topic in question...

Thanks, I like to keep the elderly on their toes. Helps fight dementia. 

[dccruiser]

15 hours ago, Jim Riley said:

hahaha. My last boat was a dc22, had great fun and exciting journeys. The gunnels were a bit high for swmbo to clamber over now hips getting arthritic, so got a small ish NB. 

 

14 hours ago, ronnietucker said:

I am still thinking about a stove. Probably the wrong time now to fit one. 

The one I was thinking about (my previous post) has a small flue, and I did consider taking out one of the mushroom vents to use as a flue hole.

I assume your stove sat on fire bricks or something? Surrounded by metal/something to stop the boat melting?  

I'll definitely be installing a 100W solar panel in a month/two. I don't use much electricity. All the lights are LED and are fed by a second battery that I installed.

I had a number of dawncrafts over the years and used to be involved with the owners club hence my nic DCcruiser ... The last one i had was a 27 footer fitted with a paloma, shower etc, in that i installed an ancient webasto blown air heater under the rear deck fed by an outboard tank and ducted into the cabin with an outlet into the bathroom and it was brilliant even in the depths of winter. 

Rick

[Jim Riley]

27 minutes ago, dccruiser said:

 

I had a number of dawncrafts over the years and used to be involved with the owners club hence my nic DCcruiser ... The last one i had was a 27 footer fitted with a paloma, shower etc, in that i installed an ancient webasto blown air heater under the rear deck fed by an outboard tank and ducted into the cabin with an outlet into the bathroom and it was brilliant even in the depths of winter. 

Rick

Was that the dawncraftowners.com forum or a "real" club? The DC forum was great while it lasted.