'Banging the gates' open...??!!

[Bobbybass]

Came through Fradley junction today.

 

On the middle lock..my wife went down to help...a green boat ..gold license..called something like 'Time on Time' that was coming up.

 

The lock drained..my wife was pushing on one gate..the man's wife was at the other.

My wife started to push the gate..but the man's wife snapped at her...

"Don't do that...he bangs them open !"

My wife did try and push the gate open..but was beaten by the man's boat hitting it hard and almost knocking her over with the impact.

 

I didn't know about this..but arrived as the lock filled.

As it came up...I started to push the gate...

"don't do that...he bangs them open !".

I did indeed..push the gate..but was beaten by the mans boat scrapping the sides as it forced the gate.

 

My wife said.."No wonder the gates leak"..but was ignored.

 

Good job..there aren't too many people like this...as with the lack of money to mend gates...we will all be stranded..

 

Or do others.."bang them open "...and I'm missing something ?

[cotswoldsman]

I don't bang them open but push them open. I never do this when some kind is opening one gate. I wait until the gate has been opened and the push the other one open.

[Nightwatch]

Same as John has mentioned. With the top gate it's only when the water has levelled that I engage and let the boat do the work. You sometimes have to ease off as the boat can catch the gate as it opens.

 

Martyn

[Bobbybass]

I don't bang them open but push them open. I never do this when some kind is opening one gate. I wait until the gate has been opened and the push the other one open.

I know..but this was a good bang !!

 

I know a good bang when I see one ....

[muddywaters]

I would have wrote down the boats name and license number and told cart

[Bobbybass]

I accept that you may gently use the boat to push the gates sometimes...but if someone is there and the gate is already opening...gunning the engine hard will only result in you carving notches out of the gates...as was the case here..

[Mike Tee]

Coming up Atherstone mid August, one of the bottom gates was leaking so badly I didn't just nudge the top gate, I literally had to take a run at it, so sometimes there is no alternative.

 

However, only to be done as a last resort as far as I am concerned.

 

(Although I do leave the engine in gear on tickover when going uphill in locks, but that is a little different than ramming the gates!)

Edited October 3, 2012 by Mike Tee

[Athy]

I must admit to gently encouraging the bottom gates (of narrow locks) from time to time.

[johnmck]

Twas not an elderly couple, she working the lock and poor on her pins was it? Saw a couple who worked locks just as you describe on the Oxford at Napton a month or so ago. I really thought someone was going to get hurt as he charged the bottom gates. Think the boat we saw came from the Wey if memory serves me.

[nb Innisfree]

Gate pushing isn't something to get overwrought about it's been going on for 100yrs or more.

[Higgs]

When horse-drawn narrowboats were common, wouldn't this practice have been impossible? Possible with engines. It doesn't sound very healthy for the lock gates. That is, heavy impact.

Edited October 3, 2012 by Higgs

[Bobbybass]

Twas not an elderly couple, she working the lock and poor on her pins was it? Saw a couple who worked locks just as you describe on the Oxford at Napton a month or so ago. I really thought someone was going to get hurt as he charged the bottom gates. Think the boat we saw came from the Wey if memory serves me.

Sounds the same...

 

As I say..it was not a gentle 'push'

He ran the bottom gates so hard..full throttle..and moving fast.. it knocked my wife off her feet..

[Guest]

I once saw a boater hard ram the gates on the Johnson flight on the L%L from memory - it was the sound of the impact which caught my attention. The gates were still shaking from the impact as I looked up.

 

At the time I was an inexperienced hire boater but even to me then it seemed the wrong thing to do.

 

Boaters who do this are nothing short of idiotic and irresponsible and cost us all.

[alan_fincher]

Gate pushing isn't something to get overwrought about it's been going on for 100yrs or more.

Pushing is one thing - ramming something ele entirely.

 

Generally there can be very little excuse for the latter, IMO.

[onionbargee]

He's abusing my and your gates that we rely on to live on the cut, i would have had a word with him.

 

 

He's an idiot anyway because if he leaves the boat in gear the gate will open in it's own time, battering it won't make it open any quicker.

 

Maybe he thinks he's Moses ?

 

Film him and send it to CART.

[nb Innisfree]

It always amazes me that some people have no idea of mass and momentum, sort of unaware of the real world and how things work.

[Ex- Member]

Well you learn something every day.

 

Even though we spent well over 18 months on the water we never intentionally used the boat to open gates let alone ram them, I simply assumed that you shouldn't. I always pulled over to the mooring and let Lynn get off and wait ill they opened then entered the lock, same with exiting, I even used to hold the boat back when in he lock so no to hit the gates front on.

 

We must have been excellent boaters

 

If she sees this she'll go mad

[grahamjnewman]

Gate pushing isn't something to get overwrought about it's been going on for 100yrs or more.

 

Kust cruised from Braunston North and completed the 4 Counties ring again - at 1 lock there was a volunteer lock keeper who open 1 gate but expected me to open the other with the boat - experienced boaters who do this do it slowly and with care - the less experienced may be incined to go quicker and hit the gates much hardermwhich can cause damage - always best to let the crew open both gates.

[steelaway]

Came through Fradley junction today.

 

On the middle lock..my wife went down to help...a green boat ..gold license..called something like 'Time on Time' that was coming up.

 

The lock drained..my wife was pushing on one gate..the man's wife was at the other.

My wife started to push the gate..but the man's wife snapped at her...

"Don't do that...he bangs them open !"

My wife did try and push the gate open..but was beaten by the man's boat hitting it hard and almost knocking her over with the impact.

 

I didn't know about this..but arrived as the lock filled.

As it came up...I started to push the gate...

"don't do that...he bangs them open !".

I did indeed..push the gate..but was beaten by the mans boat scrapping the sides as it forced the gate.

 

My wife said.."No wonder the gates leak"..but was ignored.

 

Good job..there aren't too many people like this...as with the lack of money to mend gates...we will all be stranded..

 

Or do others.."bang them open "...and I'm missing something ?

 

 

 

Some body should explain to him how delicately these gates are mounted. Although it is much easier to knock them out of the sockets leaving a lock.

 

Alex

[Paul C]

Kust cruised from Braunston North and completed the 4 Counties ring again - at 1 lock there was a volunteer lock keeper who open 1 gate but expected me to open the other with the boat - experienced boaters who do this do it slowly and with care - the less experienced may be incined to go quicker and hit the gates much hardermwhich can cause damage - always best to let the crew open both gates.

 

 

Which lock has the volunteer lock keeper? We never saw any!

[bowten]

Pushing is one thing - ramming something ele entirely.

 

Generally there can be very little excuse for the latter, IMO.

I entirely agree.The Mrs could have been seriously injured.

Edited October 3, 2012 by bowten

[sueb]

Only a matter of time before he hurts someone

[JDR]

How does this sound? Might be wildly off the mark...kinetic energy=.5 x m x vxv

2.2mph=1m/s 15tons=14763kg.So a 15ton boat clouting a lock gate at 2mph would have a transitional KE of 7381J.That would in turn be presented to the gate either by a small fender or the top of the stempost. There may or may not be water in the lock. Just thinking of the noise that would make makes me cringe.

[Dr Bradley]

Comingup to a lock, if I can see it's empty I stop the boat just as it reaches the gate, then go to tickover and gently iopen the gate. As a single hander it saves a lot of efforet, mooring going to an opening the gate, returning to the boat and entering the lock. I see nothing wrong with this, but the operative word is "gentle". There have been no end of stoppages over the years because boats have hit and dislodged the gates, resulting in boaters stuck, crane hire and staff time. The guy was an idiot.

[Ange]

When we're going up in a narrow lock Dave leaves the boat slightly in forward so she gently pushes open the gate when it's ready. It saves a bit of effort and feels good to let the boat do some of the work for you

 

Dave's always with me operating the paddles - the only time he stays on the boat in a lock is if there's other crew helping.

 

Agreed, the man's a danger and an idiot - you should never ram the gates.