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Steering from inside


Heffalump

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We timed a lunch stop rather well the other week, and after tying up the heavens opened with fat rain and hail coming down.

 

A narrowboat passed us while we were eating, but there was no umbrella to be seen on the counter, neither was there a person!  The back doors were all closed up, so presumably, there was some method of controlling this boat from inside.  This must have been from the very front as there was no raised wheelhouse to provide visibility, it looked like a standard NB.  Has this been seen before?  How was it achieved?

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Quite a few boats have steering at the front, although not so many narrowboats as the linkages to the rudder must be very long. I've seen one or two. Presumably (if it's not hydraulic) then there are chains running down either side to a set of pulleys with some mechanism attached to the rudder.

 

I used to steer a 90ft steam boat on the Thames from an amidships steering position and you have to be very careful to remember what's happening behind you - i.e. that half the boat is behind you and will swing out and potentially hit things when you steer under bridges, etc. A bow steering position must be quite difficult to get used to. Presumably most NBs with front or amidships steering must have a tiller or a jury rig to steer from the stern too?

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2 minutes ago, blackrose said:

Presumably most NBs with front or amidships steering must have a tiller or a jury rig to steer from the stern too?

This one looked just like normal from the back, tiller with the bar still attached swinging on its own, very eerie!  I imagine they had quickly disappeared below when the hail started.

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18 minutes ago, Mike Tee said:

I seem to remember that Wyvern from Leighton Buzzard had one that steered from the front - not a hire craft, but specially built for mild off-shore cruising. (Not mild for a narrowboat!!!)

Ocean Princess.

http://oceanprincess.co.uk/

 

Ocean Princess canal boat built by The Wyvern Shipping Co Ltd crossing Loch Ness, Scotland
 
Chris Coburn's Progress is a similar boat.
 
 

 

Edited by Ray T
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You can also get push-pull cable steering so no chain or hydraulics but although it was fine for  42ft GRP broads cruiser I would not be so sure of it on a longer narrowboat. Then there are several mechanical systems that either revolve a shaft/shafts between front and back or use levers and push pull shaft.

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53 minutes ago, blackrose said:

Quite a few boats have steering at the front, although not so many narrowboats as the linkages to the rudder must be very long. I've seen one or two. Presumably (if it's not hydraulic) then there are chains running down either side to a set of pulleys with some mechanism attached to the rudder.

 

I used to steer a 90ft steam boat on the Thames from an amidships steering position and you have to be very careful to remember what's happening behind you - i.e. that half the boat is behind you and will swing out and potentially hit things when you steer under bridges, etc. A bow steering position must be quite difficult to get used to. Presumably most NBs with front or amidships steering must have a tiller or a jury rig to steer from the stern too?

And a lovely site she was too! We don't go downstream much, so I don't know how many F.B. have now - apart from that awful tin box with the dummy boiler,

Back on topic - I was part of a crew writing an article for MB&Y on a 40 footer slightly fat NB  on a French river with such an arrangement. Wheel steering near the front - which I found very awkward and standard tiller at the rear. I don't remember any jiggling with controls when you switched  steering from one position to another. 'Twas a long time ago.... 

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Our boat steers by wheel steering from a wheelhouse slightly forward from the middle (its a replica harbour tug)  Its very simple, the wheel operates a pump, two hydraulic hoses go to a push / pull hydraulic ram that shoves the rudder to and fro and that's all there is to it. As Blackrose says, it takes a bit of getting used to, the boat still steers from the back even if the steerer sits in the front so its easy to clout things with the stern.

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30 minutes ago, Bee said:

Our boat steers by wheel steering from a wheelhouse slightly forward from the middle (its a replica harbour tug)  Its very simple, the wheel operates a pump, two hydraulic hoses go to a push / pull hydraulic ram that shoves the rudder to and fro and that's all there is to it. As Blackrose says, it takes a bit of getting used to, the boat still steers from the back even if the steerer sits in the front so its easy to clout things with the stern.

I have the same system with a midships steering position though at only 32' it's not really a problem to see what's going on behind especially from an elevated position.  We hired a broads cruiser once that had forward control it was a nightmare as you were so low down - impossible to go astern without a lookout, very easy to clout other boats when mooring and not too clever under low bridges..   I've seen narrowboats like this and I can't see how you could pilot such a boat with total confidence.

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We used to hire wide-beam narrowboat style boats from Westview Marina in Earith.  They had dual tiller/wheel sterring.  On sea-going boats I have used with dual steering, there was a priority system installed so only one position could control the steering.  On the Earith boats however, both sytems were permanantly linked so as you moved the rudder the wheel at the front steering position turned.  It was always surprising to see how much wheel movement was caused by a small push on the tiller.

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These all steer from the front, ex Broads, we have one here.  The GRP Trentcraft also steered from the front with either an outboard motor or inboard engine which was stuffed up under the foredeck with a long shaft to the reear.

img.jpg

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14 hours ago, zenataomm said:

When I was inside it never occurred to me to ask if I could steer anything ……..

You could have done a good trade in those mini anchors for use as grappling hooks

  • Greenie 1
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Many years ago I used to steer an ex-Amsterdam waterbus on the Bridgewater. Steering position was about 12 feet back from the bow of a 48ft boat. Spent about 60% of my time watching the back end. 

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2 hours ago, bizzard said:

These all steer from the front, ex Broads, we have one here.  The GRP Trentcraft also steered from the front with either an outboard motor or inboard engine which was stuffed up under the foredeck with a long shaft to the reear.

img.jpg

Oh no, those bloody awful Carribeans.  Had them on the Thames, no idea what their arse was doing and huge wash.  Everyone hated them.

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4 hours ago, Chris Williams said:

Oh no, those bloody awful Carribeans.  Had them on the Thames, no idea what their arse was doing and huge wash.  Everyone hated them.

Its that very boat that's here, Alphacraft from Blundell, ''Mirage''. 10 berth. We're thinking of opening it as a hostel for distressed dare devils.

Edited by bizzard
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11 minutes ago, bizzard said:

Its that very boat that's here, Alphacraft from Blundell, ''Mirage''. 10 berth. We're thinking of opening it as a hostel for distressed dare devils.

Get those **** fenders off.  Looks like a Christmas tree. 

Please don't bring it onto the Thames.  We like civilised craft.

 

 

Bates.JPG

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On 11/05/2019 at 18:25, Ray T said:

Ocean Princess.

http://oceanprincess.co.uk/

 

Ocean Princess canal boat built by The Wyvern Shipping Co Ltd crossing Loch Ness, Scotland
 

 

Each of the brothers who are the owners of Wyvern have a boat like this.

 

As well as James Griffin's Ocean Princess shown above, John Griffin has one called Avonturier.

 

These boats cause much concern when steered from inside with the lights out through Braunston or Blisworth tunnels.  You simply pass a boat with a tiller at the back, but nobody visibly holding it.

A further unusual boat based in the Stoke Hammond area also has both wheel and tiller steering, but also has 2 engines, 2 props, (and 2 linked tillers).

EDIT:

"Avonturier" operating in "conventional mode".....

IMG_2630.JPG

 

Edited by alan_fincher
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There has been a time or two when I've left the wheelhouse on a straightish bit, nipped down to fill the kettle and stick it on the gas when there really has been nobody steering the thing, passed a very puzzled angler once doing that. (We neither condone or encourage others to take part in this shockingly irresponsible behaviour)

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14 minutes ago, Bee said:

There has been a time or two when I've left the wheelhouse on a straightish bit, nipped down to fill the kettle and stick it on the gas when there really has been nobody steering the thing, passed a very puzzled angler once doing that. (We neither condone or encourage others to take part in this shockingly irresponsible behaviour)

What can happen when you do this

 

https://www.facebook.com/hans.egli/videos/10155378220521134/

 

 

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2 hours ago, Bee said:

There has been a time or two when I've left the wheelhouse on a straightish bit, nipped down to fill the kettle and stick it on the gas when there really has been nobody steering the thing, passed a very puzzled angler once doing that. (We neither condone or encourage others to take part in this shockingly irresponsible behaviour)

Used to do that on the Thames, cruiser came alongside to investigate.  Only did it briefly in good visibility and nothing coming.

Edited by Chris Williams
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19 hours ago, Chris Williams said:

Oh no, those bloody awful Carribeans.  Had them on the Thames, no idea what their arse was doing and huge wash.  Everyone hated them.

Pretty sure thats an Alphacraft not a carribean.

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