Stopping tidily at lock landings...

[MtB]

Sit in the lock mouth, with a line off the fore end or stern end if it's a wide lock.

 

Tat said, I'd probably use them a lot more if single handed and doing wide locks, sitting the stern end in the mud and using a centre line to stop it going anywhere, with a line off the fore end too if going up and needing to empty the lock.

 

Excellent, this is the sort of idea I was hoping for!

 

Not practical if there's a boat already coming the other way in the lock though, but fine if empty and going downhill. Not sure about it when going uphill though and the lock needs emptying to set it. Will try it out, thanks!

[mark99]

Beware going "up" with your bow in the lock gate area with lock to empty.

 

If you let out a lock full, it can grab the boat fiercely and shove it forward and you could end up ramming very hard the lock gates. Deffo need to tie off properly. Guess how I know this? A CaRT employee let out a lock full before I tied up at Clitheroe Lock Brentford and the look on his face after seeing the ramming told it all. I was not a happy chappie as it nearly yanked me in.

Edited December 31, 2015 by mark99

[RLWP]

 

Not practical if there's a boat already coming the other way in the lock though

 

Then just hang about. There's no need to tie up tidily on a lock landing

 

One of my favourite occupations is letting Tawny get herself out of shape while waiting for a lock. She invariably comes back into line with a bit of engine. Doesn't half confuse the people in the lock tough - a hire boat all across the cut

 

Richard

[GUMPY]

I come in slowly step off the stern with the centre rope and strap the boat to a halt.

Scrub off most of the speed whilst out in mid channel......

As Richard says if there is someone coming the other way just hang out in mid channel

[mark99]

One of the thing I noticed is that, once I set on a course and method for any manouver, any late change, for whatever reason, results in an untidy mess.

 

Even if my chosen set of actions is not really correct better to see it through than change.

[FadeToScarlet]

Beware going "up" with your bow in the lock gate area with lock to empty.

 

If you let out a lock full, it can grab the boat fiercely and shove it forward and you could end up ramming very hard the lock gates. Deffo need to tie off properly. Guess how I know this? A CaRT employee let out a lock full before I tied up at Clitheroe Lock Brentford and the look on his face after seeing the ramming told it all. I was not a happy chappie as it nearly yanked me in.

If you sit the fore end against the gates before the paddles are opened, it can't go anywhere.

[b0atman]

when using reverse to stop flow down side pushing you out would tiller hard over not reduce flow bank side versus flow canalside ?

[zenataomm]

I've learnt over the years that the longer the boat and the heavier it is the easier it tends to be, as they stay where you put them.

So, of course, it's important to put them in the right place first.

I was taught manoeuvres are best done at near standstill and then use power to rotate the boat around its mid-point axis with as little forward motion as possible.

 

Understand how the rotation of your propellor naturally leads your bum in that direction.

Above all though, always point your nose at the fisherman's keep net. If he's left handed it'll be to the right of the concrete mushroom he's sitting on and vicky verky if he's right handed. You don't want a mess of nylon netting and hoops anywhere near your blades.

 

Now at a standstill either allow your blade rotation or a burst of power to start your back end moving to the bank. This will allow you to take a sprightly yet eye catching three feet stride rope in hand, face into the wind so your hair trails off your face (very manly).

Tip: Whilst airborne it is a good idea to ensure you are holding at least a foot more of rope than the gap you are covering. Impersonations of Tom & Jerry at this stage will counter all of your good work up until now. Worst of all your taking a speedy right angled change of direction midair while holding a taught rope will only confirm everything The Fisherman has just said about you. It's not called course fishing for nothing.

 

Resist the temptation to ask your new best friend to hold onto your centre rope, experience suggests it will only result in further recriminations .... possibly tears. Much better to take several turns of rope around his mushroom, don't worry about including his legs as he is not only going nowhere but will have nothing to do for the next ten minutes anyway.

Reaching up onto your roof grab your short pole, the forty inch one will do (these are sold at most boatyards fo things you wouldn't touch with a three-feet barge pole).

Holding it across your chest so each end protrudes past you at shoulder height you are now well prepared to repel cyclists as you march forward to take rightful possession of the lock.

Whilst you return from the lockside to your boat because you forgot your lock key you'll have time to congratulate yourself for not succumbing to the romantic temptation of buying a direct reversing Bolinder which would have made the recent experience merely an awful lot more complicated.

Most Bolinder owners at some point every day berate themselves ......(if only mentally while they cheerfully smile and smugly nod at other boaters who have just waved admiringly and shouted at them "Bolinger?") ..... for not restricting their boating to The Grand Onion where, sensibly, lock gates are left open.

 

I do hope that clarifies.

[John V]

excellent !!! greeny time

[Graham.m]

 

Well yes I've done this naturally and like everyone else, concluded it's the use of astern to stop the boat that does the damage. Alderbaran is 20+ tonnes* so takes a helluvalot of welly in astern to lose even small amounts of way resulting in large volumes of water pushing the boat away from the bank, and a turning moment pushing the bow off that I'm not sure where's coming from.

 

 

 

No magic answer I am afraid,

 

But maybe an idea where the turning moment may come from.

 

When we go astern theoretically the prop pushes the same amount of water up both sides of the boat. When coming into the bank and going astern the water on the outside of the boat is free to move away from the boat. The bank and the boat trap the water on the inside between the boat and the bank. The stern is going in towards the bank, so the pressure builds up between the boat and bank the water travelling along the boat towards the bow. Because we are steering the stern into the bank we have already started to steer the bow away from the bank, add the pressure of the water between bank and boat travelling up to the bow that accelerates the movement of the bow away from the bank.

Edited December 31, 2015 by Graham.m

[mark99]

 

 

No magic answer I am afraid,

 

But maybe an idea where the turning moment may come from.

 

 

 

 

Sounds plausible. Add too the bow trapping a "wedge" of water due to a shallowing canal bed profile as bow heads inwards to the bank.

 

(unless it's the the invisible hand of COD).

Edited December 31, 2015 by mark99

[mark99]

If you sit the fore end against the gates before the paddles are opened, it can't go anywhere.

 

Does not the emptying water initially push you back a few metres before catching you and shoving you forward?

 

I must admit I don't push bow into lock gates "going up" if lock has got signs of water in it as previous experience has not been good. Plus I like to steer boat in on a steady line and hop off and continue up lock steps with centreline.

Edited December 31, 2015 by mark99

[Graham.m]

 

 

(unless it's the the invisible hand of COD).

 

Of course is that not always the case with boats and water

Edited December 31, 2015 by Graham.m

[tehmarks]

I cocked it all up at the top lock at Stoke Bruerne this morning - completely misjudged my approach to the lock landing, then ended up heading sideways when reversing to correct. I eventually gave up and moored on the opposite side of the cut, congratulating myself on a good save.

 

...unfortunately right in front of the water point, which the boat coming up was wanting to use. A very public place to get it all wrong, is stoke Bruerne...

 

I'm not sure whether this thread has been an invaluable resource for avoiding future mishaps, or whether reading it last night was the reason behind the problems to begin with

Edited December 31, 2015 by tehmarks

[Graham.m]

 

 

I'm not sure whether this thread has been an invaluable resource for avoiding future mishaps, or whether reading it last night was the reason behind the problems to begin with

 

Probably the reason trying too hard to get it right Lots of people around of course

[mark99]

I cocked it all up at the top lock at Stoke Bruerne this morning - completely misjudged my approach to the lock landing, then ended up heading sideways when reversing to correct. I eventually gave up and moored on the opposite side of the cut, congratulating myself on a good save.

 

...unfortunately right in front of the water point, which the boat coming up was wanting to use. A very public place to get it all wrong, is stoke Bruerne...

 

I'm not sure whether this thread has been an invaluable resource for avoiding future mishaps, or whether reading it last night was the reason behind the problems to begin with

 

 

The hand of Cod strikes again.

[colmac]

I chuck the wife ashore clutching the centre rope, she quite often makes it too.

[Cloudinspector]

It's not just me then. I have the same problem, 62ft 20 tons and 2ft 9in draught.

The difference compared to our previous boat 50ft 2ft 4in draught is really notable.

I've tried various methods most of which have been described.

What seems to work best is approach dead slow in neutral and paddle the stern over to the bank.

Then step off with centre rope bringing boat to a halt.

[mark99]

The title of this thread reminds me of an old colleague - who always said "she's tidy" when seeing a good looking young lady. A rather odd expression I've never heard of before.

[alan_fincher]

If you sit the fore end against the gates before the paddles are opened, it can't go anywhere.

 

 

 

Does not the emptying water initially push you back a few metres before catching you and shoving you forward?

 

Yes, it very easily can do, in my experience, and I find if I put the nose into the "vee" of bottom Grand union gates, that I need a lot of ahead gear on to avoid getting pushed back as the paddles are drawn. Not enough, and you are flushed back anyway, but also under power when you subsequenty do ride forward again into the gate, potentially further increasing any impact!

 

If is not just a "pushed back" thing either, raising just one paddle fully first to start the lock emptying can easily unseat the bow from the "vee", and push it hard across the other gate. Better to draw both paddles at the same rate either side, to help keep the boat centred, but that advice is not much use to a single hander!

 

I think if you don't mind crashing about a bit, and always have a steerer on who can increase or reduce power as required it is viable at wide locks, but I would not wish to single hand in that way, with nobody at the tiller.

 

It is, however, very practical at narrow locks with at least some apron at the bottom to keep the boat in place, but a far more gung-ho activity in the mouth of deep broad locks where the boat can be flushed all over the place, (although much less of a problem if you are working a pair tied together of course!...)

[GUMPY]

I have always found on GU locks if you want to ride the bottom gates its better to draw both paddles 50% wait a bit then go to 100% used to do that even with the barge.

[ditchcrawler]

OK come slowly against the lock landing, push the tiller over to bring the back in, reverse to stop the boat and drop a short line from the stern over the mooring bollard. Hit the bow thruster button to bring the front in, Job done.

[David Mack]

Step off with the stern rope?

 

This is how I do it:

 

Photo by Andrew Denny on Granny Buttons blog. http://www.grannybuttons.com/granny_buttons/2006/08/fulbourne_at_na.html

Edited December 31, 2015 by David Mack

[Graham.m]

Step off with the stern rope?

 

This is how I do it:

 

Photo by Andrew Denny on Granny Buttons blog. http://www.grannybuttons.com/granny_buttons/2006/08/fulbourne_at_na.html

 

Did he make it

[David Mack]

 

Did he make it

 

Yes I did! I had steered the bow in first and my son had jumped off with the bow rope. I was then steering the stern in so I could step off, and expecting the bow to swing out, but George had already strapped the bow rope on a bollard so I had to make a split second judgement whether to leap or have to deal with the boat across the cut. Andrew just happened to be in the right place at the right time with a camera. I didn't know about the picture until a few days later when a passing boater told me I was on the internet.