Docking with center helm

[rodlloyd]

With my new barge, I am having trouble perfecting docking alongside with my center helm narrow boat.  54ft long, the helm and where I need to step ashore is actually 1/3 the way back from the front.   This means I really need to be perfectly parallel to the bank when I step ashore.  With the center of turning half way, as the front comes in, the back goes out and vise-versa.  

 

I like to pride myself with good boat handling but docking with my new boat is hard to master.  Any suggestions please.

[Boater Sam]

4 hours ago, rodlloyd said:

With my new barge, I am having trouble perfecting docking alongside with my center helm narrow boat.  54ft long, the helm and where I need to step ashore is actually 1/3 the way back from the front.   This means I really need to be perfectly parallel to the bank when I step ashore.  With the center of turning half way, as the front comes in, the back goes out and vise-versa.  

 

I like to pride myself with good boat handling but docking with my new boat is hard to master.  Any suggestions please.

Barge? Barge!  Plank!

Moor on a bend?

That's why the last owner sold it!

[Sea Dog]

5 hours ago, rodlloyd said:

 

I like to pride myself with good boat handling but docking with my new boat is hard to master.  Any suggestions please.

The thing about narrowboats is, they're a bit of an odd beast from a general boaty point of view, but they are quite well designed for their unique environment.  This includes putting the steering position on the back.  The shallow sides of a canal mean that you approach perfectly and then it can all go wrong at the last minute as the prop wash pushes the boat back out. It's relatively easy to sort this and get the back end in striking distance, but not always to come alongside perfectly parallel. This is where the advantage of your midships steering position can be outweighed by one of its disadvantages. 

Edited December 11, 2019 by Sea Dog

[bizzard]

The wind direction and prop walk can help too. A righthand prop should move the stern end to starboard when put into forward gear when stationary and move across to port when put into astern gear.  Both without doing anything with the rudder.   Reverse this for a lefthand prop. Sometimes the wind can help too if you you can moor so a side wind direction pushes you into the bank. In a strong wind you might have trouble casting off again.

[Alan de Enfield]

5 minutes ago, bizzard said:

In a strong wind you might have trouble casting off again.

Simple to overcome tho', just use a spring line and 'drive off'.

[bizzard]

11 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Simple to overcome tho', just use a spring line and 'drive off'.

As long as the rope is not around a six inch nail banged into the bank.

[Alan de Enfield]

7 minutes ago, bizzard said:

As long as the rope is not around a six inch nail banged into the bank.

Admittedly a 9" one is better than a 6" one.

[ditchcrawler]

2 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Simple to overcome tho', just use a spring line and 'drive off'.

How do you retrieve your mooring chain or hook?

[bizzard]

20 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

How do you retrieve your mooring chain or hook?

Spring rope. You can really only use that method of casting off using a mooring ring, bollard or tree.

[howardang]

3 minutes ago, bizzard said:

Spring rope. You can really only use that method of casting off using a mooring ring, bollard or tree.

Or a crewmember who likes walking!

 

Howard

[Alan de Enfield]

41 minutes ago, bizzard said:

Spring rope. You can really only use that method of casting off using a mooring ring, bollard or tree.

Or Armco, fence post, gate post etc.

Edited December 11, 2019 by Alan de Enfield

[Murflynn]

there's a diamond shaped lock on the Stratford Avon that posed a problem for me even in a short cruiser that had a central helm position.  God only knows how you would manage with a narrowboat.   When secured, the boat only touches the lockside at the bow and stern, at half-length you would be 10ft away from the side.   in practice it would be easier to man-haul the boat in and out again.

[zenataomm]

We quite rightly baulk at our boats being called Barges, and then eagerly suggest they're Narrowboats.

It's Narrow Boat, repeat after me "narrow boats are not barges, nor are they narrowboats"

[The Dreamer]

26 minutes ago, zenataomm said:

narrow boats are not barges, nor are they narrowboats

I’ll take either, but longboat does my spud in!!!

[ditchcrawler]

52 minutes ago, The Dreamer said:

I’ll take either, but longboat does my spud in!!!

Doesn't that depend if you come from the Severn/Worcester area

[blackrose]

3 hours ago, zenataomm said:

We quite rightly baulk at our boats being called Barges, and then eagerly suggest they're Narrowboats.

It's Narrow Boat, repeat after me "narrow boats are not barges, nor are they narrowboats"

There's really no need to be so absolutist about the use of terms such as barge or narrow boat. Wikipedia and several other sources all classify narrow boats as a type of barge.

 

If it's being used as a general description rather than specifically for a wide flat bottomed boat, then the term barge can also cover narrow boats.

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barge

 

barge

/bɑːdʒ/

noun

1. a long flat-bottomed boat for carrying freight on canals and rivers, either under its own power or towed by another.

[Boater Sam]

Oh yes there is now that the narrow canals are getting bunged up with BARGES! I should have known better to look at that post, never again.

[Murflynn]

9 hours ago, blackrose said:

There's really no need to be so absolutist about the use of terms such as barge or narrow boat. Wikipedia and several other sources all classify narrow boats as a type of barge.

 

If it's being used as a general description rather than specifically for a wide flat bottomed boat, then the term barge can also cover narrow boats.

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barge

 

barge

/bɑːdʒ/

noun

1. a long flat-bottomed boat for carrying freight on canals and rivers, either under its own power or towed by another.

so it's not for carrying people.  We can assume that anyone calling their boat a barge is nowt but a dirty-faced bargee with coal int'hold.

[zenataomm]

16 hours ago, blackrose said:

There's really no need to be so absolutist about the use of terms such as barge or narrow boat. Wikipedia and several other sources all classify narrow boats as a type of barge.

 

If it's being used as a general description rather than specifically for a wide flat bottomed boat, then the term barge can also cover narrow boats.

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barge

 

barge

/bɑːdʒ/

noun

1. a long flat-bottomed boat for carrying freight on canals and rivers, either under its own power or towed by another.

You're seriously quoting Wikipedia as a reliable source of accurate  information?

[cuthound]

22 hours ago, The Dreamer said:

I’ll take either, but longboat does my spud in!!!

 

If only the Vikings had built canals all would have been OK ?

[Jen-in-Wellies]

On 12/12/2019 at 19:58, cuthound said:

 

If only the Vikings had built canals all would have been OK ?

Vikings didn't bother building canals. They just carried, or pushed their ship over the land to reach the next bit of natural water.

[Rebotco]

7 minutes ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

Vikings didn't bother building canals. They just carried, or pushed their ship over the land to reach the next bit of natural water.

Yeah well thats one way we could beat the winter stoppages! 

[Jen-in-Wellies]

7 minutes ago, Rebotco said:

Yeah well thats one way we could beat the winter stoppages! 

Or when CaRT fill the canals in and turn them in to cycle tracks.

 

We haven't been of much help to @rodlloyd in coming up with a solution to the problem of mooring a centre cockpit boat. I think it is going to be very tricky to do on shallow canals, without a crewmember with a rope at either the bow, or the stern, ready to step on to the bank and pull the boat in. One of the reasons why centre cockpit craft never became that popular on the cut.

Jen

[Rebotco]

20 minutes ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

Or when CaRT fill the canals in and turn them in to cycle tracks.

 

We haven't been of much help to @rodlloyd in coming up with a solution to the problem of mooring a centre cockpit boat. I think it is going to be very tricky to do on shallow canals, without a crewmember with a rope at either the bow, or the stern, ready to step on to the bank and pull the boat in. One of the reasons why centre cockpit craft never became that popular on the cut.

Jen

Thats easy if its a proper narrowboat and not a "barge" or plastic boat.

Just need a bow thruster at one end or t'other - or even better, one at each end!

[Arthur Marshall]

Where I moor on the Macc, fairly tight between two boats, it's impossible to go in forwards and straighten up,partly because it's so shallow your steering goes to pot anyway. I make a vague effort then reverse in till the blunt end hits the stage by which time the boat is across the canal and haul it in with the centre rope. Would be impossible with a centre position - you'd have to get the back in, walk down the side of the boat with the rope and pull it in. 

How would you manage singlehanding lift bridges? Is there really any advantage to a centre steering post for a boat?