A winter delivery on the rivers

[rgano]

We have been tasked to retrieve our dock builder's new toy from the Tennessee River where it resides in its covered slip at Wheeler State Park, 20 miles or so west of Huntsville. This will be a new experience for use in a number of ways. Firstly, it's a (shudder) houseboat, and secondly, it comes with two 7.4 liter gas (shudder) Crusaders. Thirdly, it's darned near the dead of winter, not a necessarily good time to be boating about up there. Luckily, we are familiar enough with the run down the Tom Bigbee Waterway - this will be our fifth. I will not be putting a lot of trip info here, but because we have family and friends who want to keep track of us, just not here, we blog along about our various adventures at www.cruisinthrough.blogspot.com. Our U-Haul is packed for daylight departure tomorrow with 30 December as a target date for underway.

 

[O C Diver]

Hope everything is really squared away on that boat. Not a lot of support on big parts of the Tennessee Tombigbee. Actually that's not a big deal as cell service is likely to be as much of a problem.

Safe Travels!

If you hear banjo music, go faster!!!

Ted

 

[rgano]

Indeed. Columbus Marina was a godsend a few years back when the generator in the trawler we were delivering decided to blow its exhaust stack off. Demopolis was great for an emergency haul a few years before that. Between those places, you'd better be able to at least limp.

 

[rslifkin]

Hopefully all goes well. Fortunately, as long as the ignition systems and carbs are in good shape, those engines should be quite solid. If they've got points ignition, carry spares just in case. Provided they're the old 350hp version, 3400 rpm is max continuous. Hopefully the hull can make good use of the power and it carries enough fuel to make some speed and not have to do long days in the cold.

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Mr. rg. WOW. December in Alabama. You're a better man than I am, Gunga Din! (Kipling 1943) Stay warm. Stay safe. I'm expecting regular updates as I'm sure many other members are. Perhaps a condensed version of what you put on your blog.
For example: "Third frozen toe fell off today." Just leave it at that.

 

[rgano]

Greetings,
Mr. rg. WOW. December in Alabama. You're a better man than I am, Gunga Din! (Kipling 1943) Stay warm. Stay safe. I'm expecting regular updates as I'm sure many other members are. Perhaps a condensed version of what you put on your blog.
For example: "Third frozen toe fell off today." Just leave it at that.

I bet I can do that, not the toe thing. This boat got a thorough survey in and out of the water and made 4400 RPM WOT running 22 knots. I think it's ready to roll. We actually have to go to the park's lodge front desk (close to marina) to get a ranger to go to the closed-for-winter fuel dock to dewinterize the place in order to get fuel and a pump out. Hmmm. It's gonna be a fast two days to get loaded with equipment, food, fuel, and water. I think the PO is meeting us upon arrival tomorrow evening for the one-hours special turnover. Luckily I have the engine manuals and the survey to help me along.

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Mr. rg. The "toe thing" was purely an example. I say again: Stay warm and stay safe.

 

[rgano]

Greetings,
Mr. rg. The "toe thing" was purely an example. I say again: Stay warm and stay safe.

LOL, yeah, probably something more along the lines of, "if these damned tows (not the ones I balance with) would ever get out of our way....!" and "just another boring day in the ditch."

 

[Wayfarer]

Alexa! Subscribe to this thread!

Smooth sailing, skipper.

 

[RT Firefly]

 

[rgano]

Alexa! Subscribe to this thread!

Smooth sailing, skipper.

See, Dave? When folks tell you that you are naturally humorous and want to read your mad rantings in book form, you should listen, dammit!

 

[Olebird]

Safe trip, if you get in a bind and need any help I'm close by.


Little brother has a pretty well equipped machine shop outside of B'ham.




Banjo's?? That's further up river!!

 

[rgano]

Safe trip, if you get in a bind and need any help I'm close by.


Little btother has a pretty well equipped machine shop outside of B'ham.

Good to know, thanks.

 

[GFC]

Fair winds, smooth seas and blue skies for your cruise!

 

[menzies]

Good luck!

What's your expected number of days and arrival date?

 

[rgano]

Long story made short at nearly the end of the internet here at Aqua Harbor Marina just off the Tennessee at the head of the Tom Bigbee Waterway.

Rented truck; stuffed truck; drove 371 miles to Wheeler State Park; busted butt loading truck contents onto boat. Waited out a windy day on Wednesday, our planned underway day and selected today which turned out quite calm if overcast and cold at mid-40s.

Got underway at 0715.

Got extremely lock-lucky at Wheeler and Wilson locks with no waits.

Had CO alarms in aft bedroom (can you call that area a stateroom on a HOUSEboat?) and forward at the helm go off when we ran the big 7.4 liter gas engines at 2700 RPM. A known problem on these vessels. Took my 2-inch painter's tape bought for this purpose to the sliding glass door all the way aft and solved the problem.

Arrived to a worker-less marina at 1400 needing to replenish the 90 gallons of gas burned today. Tied up along their thousand-foot long pier and plugged into shore power to await the time that somebody arrives to pump gas.

Good place to be away from any impending weather. Supposed to start being sunnier tomorrow PM.

Thanks for the heads up Larry.

 

[Olebird]

Strong occluded front over Memphis this time of year can be particularly dangerous -especially for a house boat - you could wind up in Kansas Toto!


Storm tracks headed directly for you right now 19:20 - DUCK!! (Holiday Inn - ground floor!!)


Happy New Year!!

 

[rgano]

It got a bit bumpy last night as we sat moored at the tremendously long lay-along transient section at Aqua Harbor, but today dawned with the clouds blowing away. Wind was a little sporty, but the fuel dock man showed up for work at 0800, and we were able to get fueled and outa Dodge by 0915, about as late as we could and still make Midway Marina by dark transiting three locks. We had tremendous "lock luck" today with all three locks open and awaiting our arrival, and we got into the marina and fueled just at dusk. We got pretty badly handled by the winds in two locks owing in major part to the fact that our deck is low to the water, and the floating bollard is at about chest high as we stand on deck. This makes for an excessive length of nylon from cleat to bollard which allows the wind to get between us and the wall sending us flying about at the end of our VERY taut tether. Winds for tomorrow' four locks are predicted to be mild. Whew.

with 240 gallons gas capacity, we have to be careful about fuel stops. I am not leaving any marina without full tanks. 90 and 80 gallons used a day last two days. A 120 mile distance between fuel stops as we will have from Bobbies Fish Camp at Coffeeville Dam to Dog River south of Mobile will just about drain this gas hog. May have to drift for a bit.

 

[O C Diver]

With all that wind, you should rig a sail to save fuel. I'm sure that boat will point to wind and not side slip. Hoping your transit of Mobile bay will be with better weather.

Stay safe!

Ted

 

[rslifkin]

with 240 gallons gas capacity, we have to be careful about fuel stops. I am not leaving any marina without full tanks. 90 and 80 gallons used a day last two days. A 120 mile distance between fuel stops as we will have from Bobbies Fish Camp at Coffeeville Dam to Dog River south of Mobile will just about drain this gas hog. May have to drift for a bit.

If it helps your planning for fuel burn, figure that pair of engines will burn about 30 - 32 gph combined in the 3200 - 3300 rpm range. Down at 1300, you should be around 5 - 5.5 gph combined. 1500 rpm will be around 6 - 7 gph. If you're up for tinkering, you can save a little fuel at low rpm (under 1500 or so) by leaning out the idle mixtures on the carbs a bit. You can usually go a bit leaner than most would set them and still get a good idle.

 

[Olebird]

messing around with the mixture --- uhh don't think so --- burned valve way more expensive than gasoline!! (but you know that I'm sure). There were times when I was absolutly certain Our 55' (with 2 454 cid) was draging an anchor!!


You have been exceptionally lucky with locks - you should stop at the casino in Demopolis and see if you can win some gas money!!


Wonder what it would do on one engine, 90% of Hull Speed??


Might get home by Spring!!




How's that little AIS working ????

 

[rslifkin]

messing around with the mixture --- uhh don't think so --- burned valve way more expensive than gasoline!! (but you know that I'm sure). There were times when I was absolutly certain Our 55' (with 2 454 cid) was draging an anchor!!

That's why you only lean out the idle mix and don't touch the main fuel metering. By the time you're under enough load to worry about the valves or for detonation to be a concern with the extremely conservative low RPM timing, the idle mixture is no longer having any effect and things are running fairly rich and safe. The lean idle mix just saves a bit of exhaust smell and fuel at low speeds. It won't be all that lean anyway though, just a little leaner than most run, as going too lean trashes the idle quality.

 

[rgano]

If it helps your planning for fuel burn, figure that pair of engines will burn about 30 - 32 gph combined in the 3200 - 3300 rpm range. Down at 1300, you should be around 5 - 5.5 gph combined. 1500 rpm will be around 6 - 7 gph. If you're up for tinkering, you can save a little fuel at low rpm (under 1500 or so) by leaning out the idle mixtures on the carbs a bit. You can usually go a bit leaner than most would set them and still get a good idle.

Thanks for the data. We only "own" this boat for a couple of weeks; so no tinkering allowed! Well, I did adjust the linkage for the rudder indicator today. Damned thing was reading half left rudder when amidships.

Need a hole saw - no drink holders at the helm. Sacrilege.

We ran at 2400 most of today making around 11 MPH in still water (although sometimes below dams we ran 13 for awhile) for 59 miles. Burned 79 gallons. 7.5 hours total time with an hour-plus waiting on locks (four of them today). Say maybe 13 gallons an hour.

At the 3000-plus RPM setting I would arrive in Demopolis with around 20 gallons per tank, eek!

We are also having to run the 8.2 KW generator a goodly portion of the days to keep from freezing to death. I get cold death stares from Mary when I tell her to wear more clothes or to stand on her head to elevate her cold feet up to the warmer air.

Winds today were light, and lock-luck was outstanding as no tug traffic was observed except one running north before dawn this morning at Midway Marina. Apparently this is the annual slow time for commercial traffic on the Tenn-Tom. Water levels are nominal, and except one ten-mile section below a fast running side tributary, junk in the water has been minimal.

We have 119 miles and three more locks and one overnight anchorage before we gain Demopolis and our next fuel. At our average of 80 gallons of gasoline a day for the two past 60-mile days at 2200 to 2500 RPM, we should arrive with about 1/3 of our fuel remaining. This big 57-foot Marlowe we have been keeping company with for the last two days could drag us along, I suppose.

Funny story. The Marlowe swapped into my spot at the fuel dock this morning at dawn as I departed with the intention of catching up at the second lock after getting some "insurance" diesel. Seems nobody knew there was no diesel in the marina tank. Maybe we'll tow him. There's an image, dumpy box boat towing a big Marlowe GB wannbe. There is no red or yellow boat towing service way out here....

 

[BandB]

Wifey B: I'm still back at the first post and wondering why the @^@&^% someone would want to take that boat to the Gulf. It's a river boat all the way, but not for coastal cruising at all. Are they just going to dock it and use for lodging? The trip down doesn't bother me, like any winter delivery, just get ready to freeze the bejeebies or something but it's like the chicken crossing the road with nothing to do on the other side.

 

[Andy G]

I have no idea where you are going, or why it is so cold in the southern area of the US in winter,however this is an entertaining thread.

What's not to like, pushing a houseboat with 700 odd horsepower down river through a seemingly deserted river system freezing your bum off to the sound of dueling banjos.

Mr RT is right, you are a better man than I Gunga Din.

 

[psneeld]

Wifey B: I'm still back at the first post and wondering why the @^@&^% someone would want to take that boat to the Gulf. It's a river boat all the way, but not for coastal cruising at all. Are they just going to dock it and use for lodging? The trip down doesn't bother me, like any winter delivery, just get ready to freeze the bejeebies or something but it's like the chicken crossing the road with nothing to do on the other side.

Because GICW and bay cruising down there along with fishing may jnterest a few people. ...maybe, possibly?

Don't know in this case, but some houseboats can easily handle coastal cruising... there is a website for looping houseboats last I looked.

 

[rgano]

It will be freezing tonight, but we are comfortable in Demopolis after a 120-mile day. We (the 57 Marlowe we are hanging with these days) had planned a 59-mile day, but an early start and excellent lock luck and a nice following current convinced us that we could make the 120-mile run from Columbus, MS to Demopolis, AL in one throw between daylight and darkness. We almost made it, with us pulling into the fuel dock just after dark. Took on 151 gallons of gasoline. Just for fun, we ran the boat to 3200 RPM for about three minutes for a photo op. Is this an example of too much motor for a boat or what? Mostly we ran at 2400-2600, a bit more than the 2200 it seems comfy with, but oil usage is minimal and looks clean on the dipstick.

The boat is going to the Gulf because the new owner wants it there. It is not my business to ask him what he intends to do with it, but assume local only.

My wife and i are doing this because we want to, and we are smart enough and resourceful enough to get-r-dun under challenging circumstances. There are over a dozen transits of this waterway between the two crews hanging together for the last three days, and we are playing the AIS and locks like a fiddle bettering any of our previous runs for today's run at similar still water boat speeds by 3-4 hours.

Anymore snide remarks beside my sideways photo? Actually, I am not sure it is cuz this dude can climb!

 

[rslifkin]

Glad to hear all is going well. In that picture, I'd say that hull seems a little lift-deficient. Maybe some huge trim tabs would get it up enough to let it accelerate a little more and get the bow to climb a bit better. If it does better than 20 kts flat out, but is struggling along like that, it might need more engine to actually get up and go.

 

[O C Diver]

Get the picture right side up, and you have an avatar picture you can be proud of.

I was waiting for the picture of you towing the Marlowe. Was wondering if common sense (your wife) was going to push you to Demopolis and a power pedestal. Glad the extra run worked out. Lot to be said for not having to listen to the generator run all night.

Ted

 

[Blissboat]

Following with interest!