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Locking technique


Richard T

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Came across a new technique for closing paddles today. On a broad canal two boats going up hill one gate only open, first boat goes in and goes behind the closed gate. This is normal practice for an experienced steerer so so far so good. The next thing that happens is the steerer reaches for his short shaft and attempts to release the paddle by pushing on the pawl - fortunately he fails. If he had succeeded the paddle would have dropped out of control!!! When he comes to leave the lock one gate is opened and he simply nudges the other one until it opens making no effort to leave the boat to open it. No wonder locks get damaged. 

The boat was a full length Stewart’s and Lloyd’s one. Spoke to the boat following up the flight - they refused to work the flight with this boat because of the arrogant attitude of the steerer!!

Rant over. 

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We arrived at the Buckby flight and went up the first two locks, the next lock was padlocked up as per restrictions.

We moored up and put the kettle on.

Boat goes by and enters the padlocked lock, fills the lock and goes up with his boat and realises he can't get out and then wastes another lock full of water coming down and reversing out.

Was amusing.

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1973. Arrived at Itchington Top Lock.  Lady lock-keeper couldn't understand how we had got there.  The whole section was closed for maintenance.  She told us to keep going, which we did.  Got through Fosse Bottom and stopped for the night.  Next morning saw the padlocks being put on.  We hadn't seen any closure notices, even at Napton Junction.

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1 minute ago, WJM said:

Opening the top gates with the boat was normal practice during the commercial days. It still is for some.

 

Just a thought but maintenance was probably better and quicker when commercial interests relied on the locks.   Not many commercial interests rely on them in quite the same way these days.

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Sadly there are a small number of working boat types who like to be very brutal with the canal infrastucture, and are happy to hit other boats too. I think they are in some sort of fantasy and trying to re-enact a version of canal history. They are unable to accept that the canal system is now 200 years old, fragile, and no longer has a huge team of maintainance workers, or the funding that was available when it was a commercial transport system. A few "modern" single handed men have a similar attitude.

 

..............Dave

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No matter how careful the steerer is, entering a double lock from downstream with only one gate open invariably leads to damage to the mitre - metal strake on soft wet wood. The Rochdale lock 66 incident may have failed with the lock full but was probably weakened by previous regular abuse. The system is old so should be treat with the same care you would treat your aging granny.

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2 hours ago, dmr said:

Sadly there are a small number of working boat types who like to be very brutal with the canal infrastucture, and are happy to hit other boats too. I think they are in some sort of fantasy and trying to re-enact a version of canal history. They are unable to accept that the canal system is now 200 years old, fragile, and no longer has a huge team of maintainance workers, or the funding that was available when it was a commercial transport system. A few "modern" single handed men have a similar attitude.

 

..............Dave

More or less what I was trying to say only I was trying to be diplomatic.

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On 11/06/2019 at 13:52, Midnight said:

No matter how careful the steerer is, entering a double lock from downstream with only one gate open invariably leads to damage to the mitre - metal strake on soft wet wood. The Rochdale lock 66 incident may have failed with the lock full but was probably weakened by previous regular abuse. The system is old so should be treat with the same care you would treat your aging granny.

Except the gate on Lock 66 is 21 years old, not 200. And given the very low level of use the Manchester end of the Rochdale gets, it must have seen far fewer boats than the wide locks of the Grand Union.

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Its a difficult lock to get into and get out of. Its heavily silted at the top, and there's a big load of silt just below it from the bywash. We had several attempts to get in and eventually had to take a bit of a run at it and drive the front up onto the silt. Coming down we had to flush out. With these sorts of problems its quite possible that these gates have seen a fair few bangs over the years, flushing is always a risk as there is a chance of the gates slamming shut if they are not fully open to start with.

 

Should add, we got through without giving this lock any stress so its not our fault :).

 

..................Dave

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