How Slow is Slow past moored boats?

[D. W. Walker]

I've put my tin hat on, as I know this will raise some hackles!

Fact: Whenever I pass moored boats, I always slow down as a courtesy. My boat is not fast even on a good day - 13 BHP and some of those horses have probably escaped!

However for an obsessive minority, however much you slow down, it's never enough. So you slow from 4mph to 2mph, they expect 1mph. You slow to 1mph, they still glower at you, and in some case yell or even swear at you because you are doing more than 1/2 mph. This can make passing long lines of moored boats (e.g. miles long on the GU approaching London) a very protracted affair. Or is it simply that they just resent any moving traffic on the canal disturbing their tranquillity, and expect it to be just like a watery suburban housing estate? Or is it mainly a perception caused by the engine noise?

We've all seen these obsessive types, their boats are often festooned in signs saying  "SLOW DOWN" and "PASS AT TICKOVER" , which itself is a nonsense, as tickover is so different between different engine types e.g. Russell Newbery versus modern buzzbox?

Making their inability to secure their boat adequately into somehow becoming my problem seems a bit unreasonable. Perhaps if some people actually learned to tie their boats up correctly and securely, there might not be such an issue? If the rocking of your boat really does bother you so much, sell it and buy a house, they don't (usually!) rock with passing traffic!

In the days of working boats there was none of this, there was a job to do, although in fairness there was probably little offside mooring then, and certainly no residential.

I'd better get my coat!

[rusty69]

3 minutes ago, D. W. Walker said:

Making their inability to secure their boat adequately into somehow becoming my problem seems a bit unreasonable. Perhaps if some people actually learned to tie their boats up correctly and securely, there might not be such an issue? If the rocking of your boat really does bother you so much, sell it and buy a house, they don't (usually!) rock with passing traffic!

Spot on! 

[mross]

Just gradually speed up until some bitch rattles her windows and then ease off a tad.  Unless the canal is very narrow OR very shallow and you can see boats heeling over on the slopey bottom! In that case, go very slowly.  I think you need to slow suddenly when two boat's lengths away so they hear your engine note change.  People can't bear the idea that you might not have slowed down.

[Guest]

Good OP 'I'll go underground now' we've noticed the same things why people don't tie up properly? Some will blame hire boats but we've logged that the biggest culprits are those with 'trad stern' maybe someone can explain why, are they more difficult to control. We've had more problems with them, especially bridges and blind bends.'without exception' never use horns and expect us to get out of their way. By the way we always slow down past moored boats as long as we have enough momentum to still steer.

[mrsmelly]

I find it very simple. I always pass all boats at tickover however many there are in the line. Only exeption is if its blowing a hooley and need some power on to keep from whacking the boats. I always tie my boat up tight so when crap boaters storm past me I dont get bashed about but I pride myself on not needing to be that crap.

[nicknorman]

Slow down to what you consider is a reasonable speed bearing in mind all the circumstances. If someone jumps out screaming "SLOW DOWN" just shout back at them "Tie your boat up properly" and carry on. I find that many of the boats that pass us rather fast when we are moored, are festooned with those "SLOW DOWN", "PASS AT TICKOVER" signs. Obviously such a policy only applies to other people, not to themselves.

[rusty69]

22 minutes ago, oats said:

biggest culprits are those with 'trad stern' maybe someone can explain why,

Maybe it's  traditional

Edited May 19, 2017 by rusty69

[Horace42]

I have said it before in reply to similar threads; it is psychological! You imagine boats are going fast by the sound of the approaching engine - so you cut the revs a bit. This does not slow you down much, but gives the impression of slowing down - which is the important bit.

Although I am inclined to agree that modern mooring facilities enable boats to be tied up securely so that the old problem of pins pulling out of soft ground is a thing of the past - so that slowing down to 'snails pace' is unnecesary, especially if it is just to avoid annoying someone who has not tied up properly - which nowadays is becoming a nuisance - with dozens of in-line boats to pass on a cruise.

If you are going 'fast' and get shouted at, cut the revs and apologise - if going 'slow' shrug your shoulders and carry on carry cruising.

 

 

Edited May 19, 2017 by Horace42

[larryjc]

Whats with this 'modern moorings' thing.  We've been  on the L&L for the last 6 weeks and have used pins nearly all the time.

[mross]

Pins and chains are better when there is summat to put them on?

[rowland al]

We passed a hire boat slowly the other day and a woman came running out saying we nearly spilt her tea.

Moral of the story, don't tie your boat just with the centre line if you want to avoid excessive rock'n'roll.

[mross]

12 minutes ago, rowland al said:

We passed a hire boat slowly the other day and a woman came running out saying we nearly spilt her tea.

Moral of the story, don't tie your boat just with the centre line if you want to avoid excessive rock'n'roll.

I do hope you expressed yourself!

[Neil2]

22 minutes ago, larryjc said:

Whats with this 'modern moorings' thing.  We've been  on the L&L for the last 6 weeks and have used pins nearly all the time.

The Leeds Liverpool is pretty exceptional in that there is a dearth of "proper" moorings and piling/armco, so pins are used a lot more especially if you like to moor out in the sticks. 

 

I find those tickover stickers as objectionable as "baby on board" signs.

 

[Dave Payne]

Only been told off twice, once by a moored boat when i first got mine, to be fair i was green and forgot to drop the revs, second time by a fella on the ashby, i was on tickover and his chains were slack so it pulled him as i went past, i lost it a little and shouted a few choice words.

What gets my back up is when passing a moored boat at night, slowly, and they jump up and stare out the window at you, even had one chap come out his bow doors and stare at me for five minutes......

[matty40s]

Depends on how hard it's raining. ...

[system 4-50]

4 minutes ago, Dave Payne said:

What gets my back up is when passing a moored boat at night, slowly, and they jump up and stare out the window at you, even had one chap come out his bow doors and stare at me for five minutes......

That sounds like me, staring out of the window, wishing it was me, I like travelling when it is dark!

[BruceinSanity]

This is a well worn theme and I guess most of it's been said before. Tie your boat in expectation of being passed at speed, pass other boats as if they were moored to thistle stalks.

What gets up my anatomy is people not slowing down when they can see a problem up ahead, even just another boat in the middle of mooring. Nothing worse than having to frantically cling onto a line because you've got one end sorted and you were just about to fix a chain or drive a pin at the other. I once had a well mounted bowline fairlead ripped clean off by a boat tanking past in that situation.

[nb Innisfree]

Must admit this is one aspect I don't miss now I live on dry land. 

[Sir Nibble]

I watch mooring warps, you can see by their behaviour if you need to slow a bit more. The ones that emerge dripping from the water and allow the boat an eight foot run up before snubbing it are the ones that pull their pins and no amount of slowing down will prevent piss poor mooring.

[zenataomm]

Talking of rubbish tying up.

Too many years ago to admit to, I was genuinely on tick over passing through Shardlow, there were boats tied up everywhere.

It was a Saturday and Manchester Rovers were playing Chelsea United or some such event. A small plastic boat with half a dozen blokes crammed in the cabin were shouting enthusiastically at a large screen TV inches from their faces. Everything being powered by a very large generator thundering away on the towpath just about sets the scene.

It happened in seconds, and I can only imagine it was the combination of slack lines and a tight chain between the boat and the generator.

[rusty69]

13 minutes ago, zenataomm said:

It happened in seconds, and I can only imagine it was the combination of slack lines and a tight chain between the boat and the generator.

ooops

[Drowsy Maggie]

I find a lot of (inexperienced?) boaters drop their engine revs moments before reaching my boat, and increase them again the moment they've passed. They don't realise the engine revs are irrelevant - it's the displacement of water i.e. their boat's speed through the water combined with the canal depth, that is the issue. On deep canals (e.g. Glos-Sharpness shipping canal) there's no need to slow at all, whereas on a shallow canal (Llangollen, Macclesfield etc) there's much more consideration required.

[Robbo]

42 minutes ago, Drowsy Maggie said:

I find a lot of (inexperienced?) boaters drop their engine revs moments before reaching my boat, and increase them again the moment they've passed. They don't realise the engine revs are irrelevant - it's the displacement of water i.e. their boat's speed through the water combined with the canal depth, that is the issue. On deep canals (e.g. Glos-Sharpness shipping canal) there's no need to slow at all, whereas on a shallow canal (Llangollen, Macclesfield etc) there's much more consideration required.

It's usually because a lot of moaning moorers only listen out for it no matter what speed you do.  I tend to drop speed before hand and then again when near the moored boat.

[IanD]

With hire boats it might be because they've been told to slow down (e.g. to tickover) when passing a moored boat, but not been told that they need to do this at least a couple of boat lengths *before* the moored boat to give their boat chance to slow down -- I've seen this happen lots of times, with predictable consequences...

[mrsmelly]

1 hour ago, nb Innisfree said:

Must admit this is one aspect I don't miss now I live on dry land. 

Commiserations.

Edited May 19, 2017 by mrsmelly