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So, I set off at 08.30 this morning to descend the Marple flight single-handed expecting a steady and solitary descent. I was very surprised to be greeted at that time of the morning by three cheerful v-lockies who asked if I would like their help, to which I was happy to accept (when single-handing I neither expect nor rely on any help). I was accompanied all the way down the flight of 16 by a friendly retired policeman called Jack, who is in his 70s, and we enjoyed a good natter all the way down. As much as I enjoy doing locks alone it was a pleasure to spend a few hours in his company. I take my hat off to people like Jack and his friends who do it just for the fun of it and I think make a great contribution to the waterways, expecting nothing in return. I've not met a v-locky yet who has been a problem, but then I'm always friendly and welcoming towards them which gets us off to the right start. Dangerous or inappropriate operation from them is, of course, unacceptable but I've yet to witness it.

Sorry Nick, but that is utter tripe. Yes, of course there is an expectation that the paddles will be opened.... Just as soon as the boat is in the best position for passage! Allow that the steerer will have a preferred way of transiting (ride the front gate, ride the back gate, hover in the middle). You or I may have firm views on which is right, but it isn't our call when it isn't our boat. We prefer to ride the front gate in tickover, so if the paddles are whipped up before we are settled, we get thrown about, and really the idea that you whip the paddles up and be prepared to drop them if there is a problem is just plain silly. Far better to avoid the problem in the first place.

Pretty loud, what with all that close harmony singing going on.

I don't care whether I am a nice person or not in the eyes of those who would interfere. The bottom line is that when I work my boat the way I want, everything works out OK. As soon as somebody starts meddling and doing things their way, it works less well. If you can't see that there is a need for somebody to be in charge, and for it to be clear who that is (rather than having two people believing that they are in charge, or nobody knowing that they are in charge), then your involvement in the operation of a lock is a risk. If my boat and family is involve, it becomes an unacceptable risk that I mitigate by ensuring that such individuals are not involved.

No Getting a decent solar installation will sort you out up to say mid October and then again from mid March. The vagaries of the English climate can move those dates in either direction. Decent batteries like Trojans are good for something like 1700 cycles down to 50% as long as they're charged correctly on a daily basis. If you occasionally only go down to 60% SoC then that 1700 might go up to 2000. So at worst they'll be good for about 5 years. Ignore the arguments

Well I think we've all satisfactorily clarified the OP's question.

How about giving some thought to the fact that a mooring is simply somewhere to leave a boat when it is not being used, instead of indulging in endless semantics on 'interpreting' the meaning of certain words in the relevant legislation ? An annual Licence entitles a boat owner to use their boat on any part of the waterways covered by that Licence throughout every day of the year, and unlike commercial vessels, pleasure boats don't necessarily have to be on the move to be in use - a fact that both you and C&RT seem to find convenient to ignore. Using a pleasure boat can entail a variety of activities, including inactivity, anything in fact that the owner finds pleasurable. It follows therefore that the owners of Licensed pleasure boats are perfectly entitled to enjoy their boats in any way they so choose, and over whatever travelling distance they choose. In demanding that boats 'cruise', ie move about, whilst away from their moorings, C&RT are effectively denying pleasure boaters enjoyment of some part of what they have paid for and are entitled to indulge in as and when they so choose. C&RT's stance on this matter is grounded in the ridiculous presumption that pleasure craft are not being 'used' unless they are underway on passage to another 'place'.

I think narrow boat owners should pay more if anyone should, they are the ones who habitually only use one gate on broad locks resulting in premature gate replacement. Keith

Dave you're quite right some boaters prefer not to have the assistance of the volunteer and as you can see they should always ask first. Nick I congratulate you, this is the first time I've been called sensitive and only reinforces my comment that you don't know me.

Hi Caitlin their are better batteries than Trojans though, the Gel tubular things now out have better cycles by a long way and they will be what I put on the new boat, even though I have had great life out of my full tractions. Do some internet research first before buying it always pays of in the long run

If you don't like looking at fat boats you can always stick to narrow canals.

The end.

Whilst I've enjoyed this thread enormously, I'm easily pleased. The original question was I believe a good one. It's good to get fresh eyes on a subject I did read the document you refer to a long time ago but, as with many things, parts of it are just forgotten and standards may slip a little. Obvious parts like oil and grease may be remembered but others not so much. So the value of this thread to me is in that I have just reread the document and have reminded myself of some of the no noes. So thanks to the OP for raising this and to the others for the fun. Have extracted the relevant part below Manage your waste Don’t pump oily water from your bilge into the waterway. Well-maintained engines shouldn’t leak oil. Check the drip tray under the engine and gearbox regularly. If it starts getting oily, find and mend the leak. Ideally use biodegradable oils. Avoid spilling petrol and diesel. If you do, mop it up – don’t use detergents. The toilets on your boat mustn’t discharge sewage into the waterway. There are pump-out facilities for chemical or closed toilet systems at marinas and sanitary stations. Use the minimum amount of chemicals to avoid upsetting the sewage treatment system. If you have a closed toilet system, you may not need to use chemicals at all – so check your manual. The wastewater from sinks, showers, washing machines and dishwashers is allowed to flow straight into the waterway. It can be very damaging to sensitive aquatic life. Most washing detergents contain phosphates which encourage rapid algal growth and eventual oxygen depletion when the algae die. This can cause fish and other aquatic life to suffocate. On top of this, the degreasers found in washing up liquids and soaps strip the natural oils from fish gills making it difficult for them to breathe. So to help keep the water as healthy as possible, put your cooking waste in the bin, and use phosphate-free detergents. Please don’t throw any waste overboard – even apple cores take a long time to rot. Litter can kill wildlife, and it can cause problems for other boaters by getting tangled in their propellers. There are plenty of waste disposal points at marinas and along the waterway.

Indeed. Still probably more important to have a meaningful meaning than a correct spelling imo.

I always agree with your advice Rusty,only then do I ignore it

Tiny painting of my barney boat 'Thyme'

It might be worth checking that the gearbox is not slipping when is astern (reverse). I would try disconnecting the cable at the gearbox end and engaging locally.

Hell o young man how ya doin. Remember its not what you know its who you know that counts. Come and see me for beer and advice

Is that 1889?

Tony even got the wife working as well. we have to say we've had the dog box for a couple weeks allready,and we love it, lots more light, with the openers fresh air. col

That's the real point to be made. Flying obviously has potential dangers, both to crew and anyone else, and while working through a lock is certainly less dangerous, the dangers are not so apparent, especially to the uninformed onlooker. It is when people don't 'see' the danger, that things become dangerous.

As I recall the original post was about a volunteer lock keeper, volocky as some call them volcky as others call them, raising a paddle n Cranfleet lock without the say so of the helm. How that relates to the extended discussion on different locks and paddle raising techniques employed on the various designs of lock and their impact on boats of different lengths is a mystery to me, but I'll leave that for others to decide. I'm sorry to disappoint you but I'm afraid I'm not a 'modern person', as you have seen fit to call me and to me the fact that you have resorted to a personal attack after one post and without knowing me to my mind shows a degree of intolerance on your part. I've not participated in the discussion because I had nothing to add but I was interested in the subject. However this soon waned when I found I was having to wade through all the extraneous stuff, hence my post. It possible that my view of volunteer lock keepers may be a bit biased as I am one myself. Therefore, I can quite categorically state that during training I was told to 1) Always ask the helm if they want assistance. 2) Always check with the helm if it's OK to raise paddles etc. Now I'm not saying that this always happens but I don't recall not following these steps. Of course I'm not saying that volunteer in question was guilty/not guilty but before people go flying off the handle and making all sorts of accusations maybe the facts should be known first. Was he distracted by something. a wasp or bee? Does he have any personal problems or some weighty thing on his mind? We all make mistakes and in my experience the ones who shout the loudest about other's errors are those who cannot take it when it is coming in their direction.

You miss the point by a country mile! In actual fact, I am NEVER in charge going through a lock, because I am operating the lock, so that theory is blown out of the water isn't it. Your stories of being a pilot simply empahsise the point. Somebody was always "in charge", and if I understand correctly there are established processes to transfer control, so that there is never any doubt who is in charge at any moment. Or perhaps you operated a very relaxed system where the co-pilot simply started flying if it looked to him like the pilot wasn't, and that unless the pilot said anything, that was OK. Passing through a lock isn't rocket science, but it is a potentially dangerous situation, and preventing problems is for the best.

Point of order old sport..................I excpect you had/have some bits of paper proving your competence to fly helicopters and gliders I have some proving my ability to take passengers, its not that either of us chose it that way but the law dictates it surely?

Having installed quite a lot of Sterling Alternator Regulators over several Decades I do believe that they Do improve bulk charging times and generally improve Battery performance and longevity. Have even Run my Boats engine for charging with the Sterling Reg. turned off to see the difference and it is noticeable,the Battery state of charge is less the next morning than if the Sterling Reg.had been used. Have to agree with Doctor Bob

Something I notice repeatedly about batteries is they seem to degrade to about 50%-60% of new capacity fairly quickly when not treated correctly, then the degradation stops. There seems to be no technical explanation for this but in my experience over many decades and boats, this is what happens. If the reduced capacity is still enough for the use to which they are being put, then yes the user will claim 'they are fine'. When I say I wrecked my recent set of Trojonoids in five months, I mean their capacity fell to 50%-60% of new capacity in that period despite my best efforts at looking after them. They still work fine. I feel faintly insulted by Dr Bob's assertion that just a bit of common sense and the right tools to look after batteries. I feel I have both. gave it my best shot and failed.

Visitor moorings on the Thames are in short supply so I'm happy to see them made available for visitors. They are not meant to be used to store a boat for free for a week at a time.

Hi Nick. It's lovely to see you stubborn as ever. ...but in this case, you're wrong....(my view of course )

This trip has been a bit of hard work the river is right down above wakefield still its the same for both wide and narrow boats. I have met plenty of boats coming the other way and not had any problems but this is the beauty of canals made for big boats, I have over the last week seen some of the ugliest narrowboats I have ever seen a lot of them in very poor condition but on the whole most widebeams have been in good condition and some like mine designed to look good [others have been a bit boxy] Its fortunate that beauty is in the eye of the beholder otherwise all boats would look the same and what a boring world that would be

As an occasional visitor to the Thames I don't want to turn up at a potential mooring site to find it blocked by empty boats moored for a week. The whole point of the EA rules on the Thames is to keep boats moving and ensure that the limited space remains available. I would be so bold to say that the £100 per day charge is not about making money; rather it's about moving people on. Moorings on the Thames are limited because most of the bank is controlled by the respective riparian owners. I'm not sure that there are sufficient EA sites to accommodate caretakers and moorings. In effect much of what you propose is already happening on private land, with businesses like SRB moorings (between Henley and Cookham) collecting mooring fees and sometimes agreeing longer stays at a negotiated rate. Another point about the Thames is that levels and flows can change quickly and dramatically. An empty boat moored for a week could be at risk, and if it broke away it could cause significant damage to other boats and/or infrastructure.

Well lots of info to take on board....(sorry) I have just spent 3 days on my Narrow boat & I am now on my Fat wide ass boat with lots of room.... I can stretch my feet out without touching both walls at the same time.....Heaven.... I do use the Thames a lot & the shallow draft & wide beam (12ft) with a flat ass end makes for little wake, even at full throttle. It has more room then a dutch barge of 60ft & due to the fact it's oblong you can use all the space even above the engine (I can seat 8). It's good on fuel & not far off my narrow boat (45hp narrow 65hp fat boat) & I have 1000 watts of solar on 1/4 of the roof (lots of space). I do go slow on small rivers & canals as seeing a fat ass boat coming at you round a bend can be scary for some old boys (& girls). I do have to pay more for fee's etc etc but ha ho. & my last point is this..... No one else in the world has come up with such a stupid idea for a boat as a 72ft X 6'8" wide floating bowling alley. The rest of the world thinks we are as mad as, well "English men" I would like to see all canals dug out & be fitted with 14ft wide locks. Come on you know it makes sense. that's why we pay more to use them. if a canal is unfit for use take that up with CRT who the wide beam owner pays MORE MONEY TO.

The T and M as the GU and such as the K and A are all too small for widebeams though I admit taking mine once on the bit you just mentioned What always makes me giggle is on this forum narrowboaters simply have no idea just how superior a boat in every way a widebeam is. Used on properly gauged parts of the system such as the Trent below Nottingham and the A and C etc widebeams are great. Funny thing is people who have never even been on one seem to think they can pass comment onto how they handle etc

I am quite astounded by the vitriol poured out here about Sterling products. Whilst the canal world seems dominated by Victron, the sailing community see Sterling as premium products. Funny that a 5 year battery life span seems normal in sailing yachts whereas less than a year seems possible for canals - how can you destroy your batteries in 5 months? Certainly this is NOT down to different suppliers but maybe you have something to learn from the 'other side'. Someone seemed to be saying I was a gullable fool for having the AtoB. Do your bog standard cheap batteries last 5 years+? I am out of here.

Question to the mods. Does the forum software have the ability to create a branch in topics? That way when a topic veers away from the OP the mods can move these entries off to a separate, but kind of joined, thread. This means that personal ding dongs or spats can be held away from the 'meat' of the OP leaving those of us who were interested in the main idea of the topic to view it without having to trawl through endless 'he said', 'she said' posts.

Thus speaks a man who sells bow fenders!

My view. Someone who opens a paddle in a lock without first checking with the person in control of the boat should be removed from working locks forever, banned, end of. It's a simple rule that even as newbies we perfected. Anything could happen.

Person loses everything due to own stupidity, expects everyone else to pay for mistake. You sure she doesn't work in the banking sector?

Another crowdfunding page raising money for a stupid person, why must people bale you out when you cut corners in life.

I expect you'll be hoping you never come up behind me then because that's how I do it too. Not one click at a time but definitely no more than half way at first and then possibly winding back down a bit briefly if it seems necessary. I do this because I am thinking about it, not because I'm not. And because my wife is fed up with having the boat move backwards and forwards repeatedly and crashing into the lock gates and I'm fed up with her revving like crazy to try and stop it. Once things settle down a bit I'll open both. I doubt if this adds more than a couple of minutes. If those two minutes are that important to the boater behind me then I can't help thinking they have chosen the wrong method of transportation.

You may like cameron diaz and i may like lucy lou.....taste is personal and i dont find them ugly....they just look like wide narrowboats.......narrowboats are no lookers IMHO yes historical but not a thing of design beauty. Abomination is a bit harsh tho.....imagine calling another mans wife an abomination because she is not your cup of tea.......you wouldnt do that.

just tell them its bloody cold in winter, you dont know how the bog works when its full, and have a part cooked chicken on the oven and the gas has gone on a Sunday at 4.30 and you cant get another until Tuesday as all the boatyards are shut until then. Add on that you have to keep moving on a continuous journey every 14 days and dont fancy the bit where you have to go up to Scotland via the sea to do the authorised route. hope this helps us all..

The one I had In my motor boat produced similar revs it, also had a fairly loud exhaust note, toward the end of my carrying days as leisure boats were getting thicker on the water the shouting "SLOW DOWN" occurred more often.I had slowed as much as i could & the swill from the deep draft was causing the water movement My get out clause was to hopefully look at them blankly & cup my hand around my ear & pointing toward the exhaust stack One time I heard a guy say to his mate. It's no good shouting he appears to be as deaf as he is f*****g blind to which I replied " Lucky I didn't bump you then" as they say on the master card advert the look on their faces " Priceless"

Some years ago on the Wey, in the middle of the day we passed, at what I thought was a suitably slow speed, a boat moored loosely to pins in the towpath. But as we passed it, first the stern, then the bow of the boat drifted out from the bank towards us, dragging ropes and pins in the water. Then HE emerged from the back doors, still pulling his clothes on, while SHE came out of the front doors doing the same. I guess they were in too much of a hurry to tie up properly!

Spot on!

I think the fact you found it easier to express the number of inches in a metre as a decimal fraction answers your question neatly. JP

I'd love to have an underwater drone to do the subsurface bit I agree with you by the way - nobody has the financial 'appetite' to drag them out and restore them. What I would like to see would be the boats dragged out and left at the side on the canal bank to rot down and have plants growing through them. So that everyone can see them because they are beautiful even as hulks. Don't know who would host such a sculpture but its something I would like to see done with all rotten historic boats if nobody can restore them.