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A Winch Instead of/and ropes


Adam

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hya

 

i am fitting out a 58ft nb and was thinking

 

could you bolt an electric winch bow and stern

 

and have the controls near the tiller

 

then when your in a lock just hook the end over two bollards

 

then just winch in as you up

 

or out as you go down

 

saves al that tuggin on ropes

 

but i would have ropes aswell for moorin up

 

do u think this would work??

 

thanks

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personally I wouldn't because:

*it could be dangerous (eg. if the machines breaks, goes out of control etc.)

* expensive?

* not needed - takes the fun out of it.

 

Although if you decide to do it I think it would be very unique and interesting.. it just isn't something I would consider. But good luck :-)

 

hya

 

i am fitting out a 58ft nb and was thinking

 

could you bolt an electric winch bow and stern

 

and have the controls near the tiller

 

then when your in a lock just hook the end over two bollards

 

then just winch in as you up

 

or out as you go down

 

saves al that tuggin on ropes

 

but i would have ropes aswell for moorin up

 

do u think this would work??

 

thanks

Edited by Sam
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If you had the winches on remote control, you could look after your boat whilst locking single handed - not for me though.

 

Yeh if you do it I would say by remote (and near tiller?!) to increase safety

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Yeh if you do it I would say by remote (and near tiller?!) to increase safety

a ment have the controls on your control pannel

 

but the remote control is a good idea

 

i am not a single hander though

 

would put some sort of quick release on it for safety

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I pressumed that what you meant.. instead of having a little switch on the end of your tiller.. (lol)

 

Personally I think it would be good if the person doing the lock has control too... incase say.. Something goes wrong like the boat gets caught on the cill... and you fell off the back. That is when a remote would be needed IMHO.

 

Sam

 

a ment have the controls on your control pannel

 

but the remote control is a good idea

 

i am not a single hander though

 

would put some sort of quick release on it for safety

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You shouldnt really ever need to tugg very hard.

- IF you holding it in a lock, there will be bollards/handles/lockbeams to take a turn around.

- Do a week on emilyannr and you soon realise that tugging anything is a waste of time (usally even the controls) and you soon find ways to get around that.

 

However, we do have a mechanical chain winch for the anchor. Which has even been used, once...

 

 

Daniel

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i might try it

 

get a couple from a scrapyard of an old landrover or sumthin

 

can always sell them on then

 

just thort it was a good idea especially in locks that have fierce paddles

 

I'm not being mean or anything but out of interest.. have you been boating before?

 

I have never personaly had a time when I could have done with them...

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unfortunately everything we do in our business has to be covered by an operational risk assessment which means you can't do very much .................... :(

 

one of the rules we apply in the construction industry when using vehicle winches is that nobody should stand anywhere near the cable/rope, allowing for the fact that sod's law says that when it does snap it will fly back and sideways and catch someone.

 

so I suggest the concept is inherently unsafe 'cos there will always be someone nearby trying to be helpful when it all goes tits up.

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so I suggest the concept is inherently unsafe 'cos there will always be someone nearby trying to be helpful when it all goes tits up.

 

And tits up it invariably will go...

 

In a lock you need to be ready to act immediatly to rectify situations should they arise. You really don't want to be trying to figure out why a winch isn't working as your boat is hanging on its ropes and about to rip the cleats out the deck. Not being a traditionalist myself I'm always into new ideas, but I'm afraid this one's a non-starter.

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Another problem is that your suggested source has never yielded a decent winch (apart from capstan winches which are just spinning mooring dollies, using ropes, not safe unless you're planting telegraph poles or pulling up trees) and I've been picking at land rover cacasses for over 20 years.

In the 4x4 world you get winch hazards and safety stressed to you from all angles, and they are used well away from the public. I don't think wire rope, under tension, is the best thing to have when surrounded by gongoozlers.

 

I went to rescue a wooden boat wedged in marston doles lock, before the chamber was rebuilt, many years ago. I eventually got it out using an 8 ton tirfor, but not before I was the only person within the radius of the rope. Everybody (where do they all come from?) had to move 20 metres away. Of course you then look a fool when the rope doesn't snap but it was better than decapitating someone.

 

One of the onlookers was a BW foreman, with his gang and there wasn't any offer of help whatsoever, they didn't even help supervise the crowd.When I had a chat about this with him he just said he was going to wait for me to fail then go and get the dredger moored 5 minutes away to shift it in bits; nice man.

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I'm not being mean or anything but out of interest.. have you been boating before?

 

I have never personaly had a time when I could have done with them...

 

ye but only a fiberglass cruiser

 

me and my son he is 14 went out on a 50ft narrowboat for a week and i work the locks as they are stiff

 

he sumtimes struggles to hold the ropes

 

plus i have thought of another downer of this

 

if i am in a small lock and the water gets into the winches

 

they could do anything

 

still might use one for the ancor tho

 

dropped the on on the 50ft hire boat took me my son n another boater to get it unstuck

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Guest st170dw

I think there may be something here for the single handed boater for mooring. Attach the pins or hooks at each end - set the fenders and then adjust the tension from the helm. Could be good for hireboats too - an easy way to moor using ropes on winches not wire.

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I think there may be something here for the single handed boater for mooring. Attach the pins or hooks at each end - set the fenders and then adjust the tension from the helm. Could be good for hireboats too - an easy way to moor using ropes on winches not wire.

 

But who would actually use it? everyone manages at pressent

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Guest st170dw
But who would actually use it? everyone manages at pressent

 

Sam that is a very good point.

 

Single handed in a wind it can be very difficult to moor with the wind coming from the towpath side. It is a juggling act between the centre rope to keep the boat alongside the bank. Leave that to attach the fore or aft rope - the other end is escaping!

 

OK thinking about it - the answer is to moor using the centre rope first - why does the obvious not come to mind when you need it!

 

:(

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Call me cavalier but unless single handed,on the Thames or likely to squish a fibreglass cruiser, who ropes on anyway

 

Good control of paddes and the throttle should be all you need.

 

Are you in narrow locks tho?

 

I am in wide locks and have problems shooting back into the gates i do try with the engine but normally get thrown out to the side

 

and generally into somebodys newly painted narrowboat

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I rarely use ropes even in wide locks. All this messing around with lines is a very new concept, probably as a result of this silly obsession with paintwork, you have rubbing strakes welded onto you boat use them, or are they just decorative. The excessive use of side fenders has caused more sinking's than anything else.

 

I have never been on one of the new fangled helmsman courses does it all emanate from them.

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I rarely use ropes even in wide locks. All this messing around with lines is a very new concept, probably as a result of this silly obsession with paintwork, you have rubbing strakes welded onto you boat use them, or are they just decorative. The excessive use of side fenders has caused more sinking's than anything else.

 

I have never been on one of the new fangled helmsman courses does it all emanate from them.

 

Ditto. We also don't use ropes that much.

 

And if we do it is the middle one and we never have to 'struggle' with it.. and i'm talking about wide locks.

I would say it is needing to get the right mixture of control using the bollard etc. and not opening the paddles too quickly.

 

 

 

Out of interest.. when you went boating.. who actually help the ropes / worked the lock etc.

Edited by Sam
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Are you in narrow locks tho?

 

I am in wide locks and have problems shooting back into the gates i do try with the engine but normally get thrown out to the side

 

and generally into somebodys newly painted narrowboat

 

Broad locks - I am on the L&L. It is all down to how you fill the lock.

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