"Narrow" Narrow lock

[clovey]

Some locks are a bit tight and slightly narrower that they should be, has anyone ever had / compiled at list of potential "tight" locks. My current boat is just a tiny bit over the 6ft 10in modern standard where might I have problems?

Thanks for any help provided.

[John Orentas]

A bit like a good pub guide, out of date before it's printed. There was at one time a great number of 'tight' locks on the system but I believe the vast majority have been repaired or rebuilt in recent years.. In 'the old days' great torrents of water would pour out from behind the lock walls as they were emptied*, I remember trying to form a mental picture of the huge size of cavity that would contain so much water, in time of course the walls would become unstable and bulge in-wards.

 

There was little alternative but to dismantle and rebuild the chamber at that time but more recently the system of 'pressure grouting' has proved very successful.

 

*Thats why so many of us still have hopper style windows, they were very necessary at one time.

Edited September 22, 2007 by John Orentas

[zenataomm]

Some locks are a bit tight and slightly narrower that they should be, has anyone ever had / compiled at list of potential "tight" locks. My current boat is just a tiny bit over the 6ft 10in modern standard where might I have problems?

Thanks for any help provided.

 

Half way down heart break hill just above Malcolm Webster's old yard the one on the left was tight. And around Penkridge/Rodbaston area they seemed to be different every time so suspect vibration from the motorway.

6ft 10in Standard!!!!???? Work boats were rare under 7ft. !!!

[SoJo]

Some locks are a bit tight and slightly narrower that they should be, has anyone ever had / compiled at list of potential "tight" locks. My current boat is just a tiny bit over the 6ft 10in modern standard where might I have problems?

Thanks for any help provided.

As a generalisation

 

Top Marston Doles

Hurleston

and Upper Mill

 

But you should not have a problem anyway if under 6' 11"

[MartinClark]

As a generalisation

 

Top Marston Doles

Hurleston

and Upper Mill

 

On the HNC:

Wade Lock 21w and Dungebooth Lock 22w are narrow in Uppermill.

Pigtail Lock 32e below Marsden is even narrower.

 

As with all of these "narrow" locks, the lock itself may not be particularly narrow in any one spot, but with subsidence, some have become sort of banana shaped, so that the longer a boat is, the more likely it is to get jammed.

[Paul H]

Half way down heart break hill just above Malcolm Webster's old yard the one on the left was tight. And around Penkridge/Rodbaston area they seemed to be different every time so suspect vibration from the motorway.

6ft 10in Standard!!!!???? Work boats were rare under 7ft. !!!

 

 

but has Malcolm Webster packed up?

 

but ON TOPIC ... and some of the locks on the southern Stratford are a bit tight.

 

Paul H

[Hairy-Neil]

and some of the locks on the southern Stratford are a bit tight.

 

Paul H

 

There's a tight bridge hole on the S Stratford too, just north of Wilmcote flight.....

[Ian_L]

There's a tight bridge hole on the S Stratford too, just north of Wilmcote flight.....

 

In August, I took a 71' 6" NB from Bishopton on the Stratford Canal up to the GU at Lapworth and then down to Engineer's Wharf on the Paddington Arm of the GU. 179 Locks (took a comfortable 10 days) without a problem. Can't speak for any other canals at the moment.

cheers

Ian

[zenataomm]

" ......... but has Malcolm Webster packed up?"

 

 

 

Sorry as I wrote that I wondered if I'd confused myself. What I meant to say was Old Malcolm Webster's yard tee hee ........ sorry Malc you really helped me out that day in 1984 when I ended up with my butty half in and half out that blasted lock, I'd never heard of a Tirfor before but soon bought one.

 

zenataomm

Edited September 23, 2007 by zenataomm

[Richard T]

We got well and truly stuck exiting Camp Hill top lock going up hill in Auriga - little woolwich- many years ago. Mind you she was 7ft1in wide on a good day and a bit more on a bad. It wasn't the lock that was the problem but the cast iron rails that protect the brickwork.

[Purple Fairie]

The top end of the Chesterfield canal is quite tight! We went up there last year and from Worksop town lock upwards we had to lift our fenders to get in the locks. Oh! and the Fairy is 6'10" also.

[Liam]

There is a new boat moored up at Wincham Wharf on the T&M. The new owners wanted to take it up the Llangollen but got well and truly stuck in Hurleston and eventually had to be pulled out so the boat is unable to go up the Llangollen.

 

The new owners were talking to LB about this and they asked them to bring their boat back for modifying, but the owners demanded a new, thinner boat which they've now received and the old one is at Wincham Wharf so if you want to pick up a bargain....

[magpie patrick]

I notice Hurleston bottom lock specifically says "lift your fenders" as it is extremely tight. Presumably the LB had been built with a bulge in it. Could I ask (without meaning any offence) why people have their fenders down in locks anyway: my main experience of doing this, in a borrowed boat, was a fairly high casualty rate, I think we got through about 8 during the week with top gates being particularly good at ripping them off!

 

I heard from somewhere that 6 feet 10 became the standard because steel plate came in that width and it wasn't worth welding a couple of inches extra on.

[mayalld]

On the HNC:

Wade Lock 21w and Dungebooth Lock 22w are narrow in Uppermill.

Pigtail Lock 32e below Marsden is even narrower.

 

As with all of these "narrow" locks, the lock itself may not be particularly narrow in any one spot, but with subsidence, some have become sort of banana shaped, so that the longer a boat is, the more likely it is to get jammed.

 

42E is also narrow (Lillith got stuck in there before finally failing at 32E)

[Purple Fairie]

I notice Hurleston bottom lock specifically says "lift your fenders" as it is extremely tight. Presumably the LB had been built with a bulge in it. Could I ask (without meaning any offence) why people have their fenders down in locks anyway: my main experience of doing this, in a borrowed boat, was a fairly high casualty rate, I think we got through about 8 during the week with top gates being particularly good at ripping them off!

 

No offence taken! It's probably habit more than anything... we had been on narrowboat holidays for years before we owned the Fairy and lifting the fenders had never been an issue before, which has obviously more to do with where we've been than anything else?

 

I heard from somewhere that 6 feet 10 became the standard because steel plate came in that width and it wasn't worth welding a couple of inches extra on.

 

We were told by the lock keeper at Forest Locks that it's usually the base plates that stick out a bit further than the sides but LB are usually ok. He did say though that 3 boats had to be lifted out the year before when they got stuck, non were LB hulls!

[PeterG]

Last year I saw a boat getting stuck near the top of the napton flight, but that was only because they had a vast array of different yacht type fenders down which then jammed.

 

With fenders like that, I wonder how they got so far up, as I cannot remember any tight points through there?

[Phoenix_V]

As with all of these "narrow" locks, the lock itself may not be particularly narrow in any one spot, but with subsidence, some have become sort of banana shaped, so that the longer a boat is, the more likely it is to get jammed.

 

Strange that, when we got stuck in lock 13 on the Ashton the BW "expert" after telling us that the gate wouldnt open fully because of the granny paddle gear on the back of it alleged that our boat was bannana shaped.

 

When we suggested raking the crap out from behind the gate they did'nt want to know.

 

I'm quite certain the boat would have fitted if the gates opened fully, has any one else tried this lock with a full size boat lately?

 

I am submitting a formal complaint so would appreciate any extra info.

[Hairy-Neil]

I heard from somewhere that 6 feet 10 became the standard because steel plate came in that width and it wasn't worth welding a couple of inches extra on.

 

2 metre steel is the norm for modern base plates.....

[Mr Baites]

av erd o tite lock keepas

Edited September 25, 2007 by Mr Baites