Two into one (boats in a narrow lock)

[magpie patrick]

Rationally we all know that two short narrow beam boats will fit in one narrow lock, but I can't recall the last time I saw it and I've had otuer members question my sanity when I suggest it...

 

Today, Marple locks... A sight that gladdened my heart. 

[Rob-M]

Used to happen a lot when my parents had a cruiser in the 70's.

[magpie patrick]

4 minutes ago, Rob-M said:

Used to happen a lot when my parents had a cruiser in the 70's.

Yes, I recall it well, we even had two narrow boats in locks together on my first couple of "grown up" boat holidays - we rented a 38 foot one year and a 32 foot the next, and on both occasions shared with other short narrow boats

[PeterF]

That takes me back to borrowing the in laws 36ft Springer in the 1980s. It stopped in about 1988 when he welded an extra 9ft into the shell.

[dmr]

A while ago we had us (70 foot) and two short narrowboats all sharing a K&A lock. A few weeks ago I watched a plastic cruiser and a short narrowboat share a wide Rochdale lock and they did it one behind the other rather than side by side.

 

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

[Captain Pegg]

I think this is Wychnor lock. Taken a few weeks ago with my steel narrowboat behind a GRP cruiser.

 

I’ve also shared a handful of GU locks with a wide beam.

 

 

[Guest]

Almost certainly Wychnor. I recognised the adjacent 'shed'.

[David Mack]

I can remember a hire boat trip in the mid 70s when we did the 'Bunbury Shuffle' with one 50ish ft narrow boat and 6 30-40 ft cruisers and narrow boats, swapping places at the intermediate level. All done under the direction of Dartline staff who were obviously used to it. I don't suppose they often get more than three boats doing it now.

[Jen-in-Wellies]

In the big locks in Yorkshire, sharing is mostly limited by the lack of moving boats.

Sharing Doncaster lock with a wide beam. Still room for a little un to squeeze in.

 

Occasionally you do come across a boat that you can't share a lock with.

[OldGoat]

Isn't (the early examples above), the way things used to work?

Two or more crews - of like minds 'said' OK - it can be done, let's work together - to make it happen.

 

Shirley, that's what boating's about - tiral and (happy) error??

 

[Captain Pegg]

10 minutes ago, OldGoat said:

Isn't (the early examples above), the way things used to work?

Two or more crews - of like minds 'said' OK - it can be done, let's work together - to make it happen.

 

Shirley, that's what boating's about - tiral and (happy) error??

 

No. They are examples of the way it works today.

[nicknorman]

1 hour ago, Captain Pegg said:

I think this is Wychnor lock. Taken a few weeks ago with my steel narrowboat behind a GRP cruiser.

 

I’ve also shared a handful of GU locks with a wide beam.

 

 

Ouch - Windlass on painted roof! Chiperama! Rustification!

 

[Captain Pegg]

3 minutes ago, nicknorman said:

Ouch - Windlass on painted roof! Chiperama! Rustification!

 

It’s actually on the timber slide.

[john6767]

Only ever shared a narrow lock once, South Oxford

 

[Mike on the Wey]

My boat is 32' and I have shared locks on the Oxford many times. On the Wey we regularly get four boats in a lock. 

[TheBiscuits]

Two? Try five! 

 

An edition of TheBiscuit's travelling circus from 2016 : A breasted pair of narrowboats towing a breasted canoe and rowing boat with a flubber piled on top.

 

We did get some comments that day.

 

 

 

 

Admittedly not a narrow lock.

[David Mack]

Some locks have extra recesses in the side, just to accommodate extra boats:

 

I think it is the same lock that I once shared with about 30 canoes, but I don't seem to have a picture.

Edited September 14, 2020 by David Mack

[magpie patrick]

2 hours ago, dmr said:

A while ago we had us (70 foot) and two short narrowboats all sharing a K&A lock. A few weeks ago I watched a plastic cruiser and a short narrowboat share a wide Rochdale lock and they did it one behind the other rather than side by side.

 

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

I've done that with Juno - a rather snooty woman at Bradford told me "there are two boats in already" - I had actually been there first but let the steel boats go in ahead before slotting in at the back

[roland elsdon]

I managed to prove to 2  very confused owners that you can pass in Bascote riser once.

[nbfiresprite]

The owner of this boat, attacked "Maureen" lock keeper at Marmont Priory Lock a few weeks ago, when she asked him to share the loack with one of Foxes Hireboats. A local called the Police and five cars turned up. No action was take as he claimed to be a 'traveller' and the police have a hands off policy when it comes to travellers. I heard this from the hirer, who had been followed by the traveller all the way from Marmont Priory lock back to Foxes.  Council and Middle Level staff have been told to stay away from him for their own safety. So he's allow to do what he wants.  

[WotEver]

I wonder if that noisy little red thing might fall into the cut...

[PaulJ]

10 minutes ago, WotEver said:

I wonder if that noisy little red thing might fall into the cut...

If the owner has attacked Maureen hopefully someone will attach it to the owner beforehand..

[boatsandsteam]

We had two Narrowboats in Aynho weir lock. Ours was 62 feet, the other was around 45.

[David Mack]

15 minutes ago, boatsandsteam said:

We had two Narrowboats in Aynho weir lock. Ours was 62 feet, the other was around 45.

Done it with three. Being 70 ft long we were last in and first out. A nice way of queue jumping!

[Mike Todd]

1 hour ago, David Mack said:

Done it with three. Being 70 ft long we were last in and first out. A nice way of queue jumping!

There is not a lot of point either at Aynho or Shipton Weir as the next lock follows soon and sharing is not possible. In my experience, two 60ft's do not pass - tried it! But it often mystifies new comers who are sure that it can be done. But, as I say, it is not worth the risk of having to back out and start again.