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Female single hander


Tristesse

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Hi, I was wondering if there are any single women living aboard. I have been bitten by the narrow boat bug and I am seriously considering getting my own boat. However, I am on my own. Is it possible for a woman on her own to handle a narrow boat?

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If you have facebook look up Heidi Manning she runs a trade boat selling nick nacks talk to her I'm sure she can put your mind at rest. Personally I can't see any reason why it should make any difference male or female as far as operating the boat is concerned.

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Hi, I was wondering if there are any single women living aboard. I have been bitten by the narrow boat bug and I am seriously considering getting my own boat. However, I am on my own. Is it possible for a woman on her own to handle a narrow boat?

 

 

Well I can think of at least four single wimmins here on CWF who are solo boaters, so yes its definitely possible.

 

Anyway if a bloke can do it then a woman should have no trouble at all!

(And I've just thought of two more I know who are not here on CWF!)

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Hi, I was wondering if there are any single women living aboard. I have been bitten by the narrow boat bug and I am seriously considering getting my own boat. However, I am on my own. Is it possible for a woman on her own to handle a narrow boat?

 

I know a woman who single hands a widebeam, so I doubt a narrowboat will cause issues provided you are fit and healthy. Single handing is mainly taking your time and thinking ahead. Only issue I can see will be on the heavier locks if you are lightly built where a bit of brute force is needed to shift the gates. Once again there are techniques to overcome this problem (if it is a problem, for all I know you may be stronger than many male single handers).

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And now I've remembered two more. So now I can think of four CWF solo female boaters and four non-CWF solo female boaters I know personally.

 

I'm fairly sure there is a closed FB group for solo female boaters too. Someone will send you a link if you hang around a bit...

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Hi, I was wondering if there are any single women living aboard. I have been bitten by the narrow boat bug and I am seriously considering getting my own boat. However, I am on my own. Is it possible for a woman on her own to handle a narrow boat?

Yes, but it helps if your active and able as you'll be climbing up the lock ladders and pulling the boat with the rope.

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Try out a 1-dayer boat handling course and see if it's for you.

Have you seen Pru Scales at the locks?

 

For the single-hander (male or female) there's a booklet - 'Going It Alone' by Colin Edmondson - a boater's guide to working a narrowboat singlehanded available through the IWA online.

Edited by Sir Percy
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Thank you all. I have done quite a bit of boat handling, locks etc but never alone. That's how I got hooked. I wasn't sure if I was looking at it with rose coloured glasses. I have seen Pru but I'd guess she has quite a bit of back up!!!

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Ten years on, I can tell you that yes, you can get along just fine as a female single - hander. However, you will find you have no shortage of 'helpful' men telling you how to do everything from cutting wood to reversing :-)

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Thank you all. I have done quite a bit of boat handling, locks etc but never alone. That's how I got hooked. I wasn't sure if I was looking at it with rose coloured glasses. I have seen Pru but I'd guess she has quite a bit of back up!!!

The only real difference for locks for single handed is that you have to get up/down the lock ladder and use ropes to keep the boat steady in the lock. Swing bridges are totally different as you have to pull the boat through with ropes (or wait for another boat).

 

One of the ways to practice this alone bit is when you go boating with someone do all the work as if you were alone.

Edited by Robbo
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There is really no difference in this case along gender lines... The question is what an individual can or cannot do, and/or how far they are willing to try. Only you can decide that.

Plenty of women single hand, plenty of men don't, and vice versa. Strength, agility and confidence are not unique to either gender, but vary from person to person.

You will establish your own comfort zone over time-for me, I will single hand narrow locks happily but with wide locks, I'll wait for another boat, as my boat is short, I don't like doing doubles on my own.

Swing bridges etc., are a pain for any single hander, but they don't really affect me in the area I cruise.

Edited by Starcoaster
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Swing bridges etc., are a pain for any single hander, but they don't really affect me in the area I cruise.

 

 

Swing bridges are easy for a girl... just wait for a bloke to come along and they'll be falling over themselves to help!

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I feel reassured about the handling, wondered about the safety aspect. My family don't seem too keen on me taking off alone.

 

Well, that's a different matter. Unfortunately, I think there was a thread somewhere here from a female boater feeling unsafe on her own, but on the other side of the coin plenty of threads about improving boat security, and internet, phone coverage etc., (for staying in touch).

Edited by Sir Percy
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I feel reassured about the handling, wondered about the safety aspect. My family don't seem too keen on me taking off alone.

 

 

As a single hander myself, yes the safety aspect worries me too. If you have a fall you're quite likely to injure yourself so always have a mobile phone in your pocket. Best a waterproof one should you end up in the water.

 

I also feel safer if I wear an automatically inflating life jacket thing if I'm doing a flight in the dark/wet/frost. Or at least two of those three. And definitely if all three together!

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I didn't mean safety as far as falling is concerned but you do hear of strange people on canalvtow paths at night near run down areas.

 

 

Yes I missed that totally. Come and cruise on the K&A then. No run down areas on any of it!

 

Plenty of strange peeps though, e.g. moi...

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I didn't mean safety as far as falling is concerned but you do hear of strange people on canalvtow paths at night near run down areas.

 

They're normally just us boaters... :D

My philosophy on this is that if you don't feel like the biggest, baddest thing that you might meet out there on the towpath at night is you, take some classes to learn defense skills and confidence in your demeanor until you reach the point that you do.

The idea of being afraid to walk somewhere in this country makes me angry, and it should make you angry too. So make that anger do something for you, and use it as a chance to learn something useful that might keep you safe one day, or equally likely, stop someone targeting you as an easy mark in the first place.

 

 

Oh... perhaps I misunderstood....

Naive, moi...

No, your perception was equally likely, and actually gave me pause to think, because it hadn't occurred to me until you said it.

  • Greenie 1
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