Canal Etiquette

[doratheexplorer]

On 06/05/2022 at 10:41, David Mack said:

It's polite to knock and ask first. But in London it's expected that boats will breast up, so if you get no reply you can go ahead anyway. Outside London breasting up is not normal practice, and you shouldn't normally do it, and certainly not without permission.

I've always been confused by this response.  If there's nowhere else to moor, so you have to breast up, how exactly do you knock and ask first?  Throw stones at their door?  Drop anchor and swim across?

[doratheexplorer]

11 hours ago, Arthur Marshall said:

I know - I was exaggerating somewhat for effect. I know some people legitimately do as you describe  and I'm also sure you don't leave yours for a couple of weeks on a 48 hour mooring or a prime spot.

But don't you worry about leaving it on its tod for so long? I worry about mine when I leave it a couple of hours to go shopping, and nobody in their right mind would think there was anything worth nicking on my old tub.

I often have to leave my boat for days at a time.  I haven't seen my boat since friday.  I am careful about where I leave it and take some precautions, but yes, I worry about it all the time.

[Thomas C King]

On 06/05/2022 at 10:35, David Mack said:

On the GU most bottom gates leak more due to the mitre posts being worn at gunwale level by narrow boats using only one gate.

 

On canals with single-gate locks, do they have the same problem? Wondering why CaRT volunteers tell people to use two gates. Do single-gate locks need a lot more repair?

[Tracy D'arth]

13 minutes ago, Thomas C King said:

 

On canals with single-gate locks, do they have the same problem? Wondering why CaRT volunteers tell people to use two gates. Do single-gate locks need a lot more repair?

I think its leaving a lock descending with only one gate open when most of the damage is done to the other gate.  Ascending there seems to be more control over the boat for some strange reason.

[TheBiscuits]

14 minutes ago, Thomas C King said:

 

On canals with single-gate locks, do they have the same problem? Wondering why CaRT volunteers tell people to use two gates. Do single-gate locks need a lot more repair?

 

No, when single gate is used badly on a wide canal the boat rubs directly on the face of the mitre that makes the water seal.  This is why most of them leak at average top rubbing strake height above the lower water level.

 

The same happens on headgates, but as the damage is always above the water level it doesn't cause leaks.

 

On a single gate narrow lock the gate seal is usually sat back in the recess when the boat goes through.  There can be some damage to the seal face if the gate won't fully open, but if there's too much debris or silt behind the gate it won't open wide enough to get a boat in the lock so the scraping is much less common.

 

On a double gate narrow lock the boat can't scrape the mitre faces regardless of how badly it's operated.  The worst that can be done is partial scraping to the inner corner of the face, not a gouge all the way across the face.

[David Mack]

2 hours ago, doratheexplorer said:

I've always been confused by this response.  If there's nowhere else to moor, so you have to breast up, how exactly do you knock and ask first?  Throw stones at their door?  Drop anchor and swim across?

You pull up alongside the other boat, and if there's more than one of you, one holds the handrail of the other boat to hold the two together, while the other steps across to knock on a door. If you are single handed you may have to tie your centre line temporarily to their handrail (if it's the type you can tie onto) or some other suitable fixing, while you go and knock. Only after you have received a 'yes' reply or determined there is nobody home do you tie up properly to the other boat.

Easy really.

[reg]

For visitor moorings CRT are quite clear 

"No, on visitor moorings it’s about using the space economically and leaving minimal gaps and double breasting if needs be to allow the maximum number of boats to use the site."

 

So if anyone is on a visitor mooring then they cannot refuse double breasting.

 

Full link here 

https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/enjoy-the-waterways/boating/moorings/canal-and-river-mooring-faqs

 

CRT Also state that breasting up may be a necessity

 

"It you don’t fit in the gap, breasting-up is a possibility and in fact a necessity in some extremely busy places like London"

 

Edited May 9, 2022 by reg

[Ray T]

14 minutes ago, reg said:

For visitor moorings CRT are quite clear 

"No, on visitor moorings it’s about using the space economically and leaving minimal gaps and double breasting if needs be to allow the maximum number of boats to use the site."

 

So if anyone is on a visitor mooring then they cannot refuse double breasting.

 

Full link here 

https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/enjoy-the-waterways/boating/moorings/canal-and-river-mooring-faqs

 

CRT Also state that breasting up may be a necessity

 

"It you don’t fit in the gap, breasting-up is a possibility and in fact a necessity in some extremely busy places like London"

 

 

Yes, but we had an awkward cuss at Brownsover, on the north Oxford, who refused to move his boat 2 meters to allow us into a gap, because he had just set his satellite aerial up.

 

[reg]

12 minutes ago, Ray T said:

 

Yes, but we had an awkward cuss at Brownsover, on the north Oxford, who refused to move his boat 2 meters to allow us into a gap, because he had just set his satellite aerial up.

 

Was it over Easter? If so it  may well be the incident one cited in the CRT article.

"...To allow as many people as possible to enjoy these locations we’re asking people not only to respect the maximum stay times but to shuffle up and share the space as well.

There’s nothing more frustrating as a boater after a long day’s cruising, than to arrive at a visitor mooring to discover that there’s absolutely no space to moor because everyone else there already has moored with "smaller than boat sized" gaps in between them. This is particularly annoying when if everyone had been sensible you could have fitted in a 70 footer! Or you discover that there’s room for you if another boat moves just a foot or so and they refuse to do so with a lame excuse like "I've just set my satellite dish up."

Honestly, that happened to a boater over the Easter holidays"

 

https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/enjoy-the-waterways/boating/boating-blogs-and-features/boating-team/shuffle-up-and-share-the-space

 

 

Edited May 9, 2022 by reg

[Rob-M]

I'm afraid in this instance their satellite dish would have been going for a spin.

[Ray T]

1 hour ago, reg said:

Was it over Easter? If so it  may well be the incident one cited in the CRT article.

"...To allow as many people as possible to enjoy these locations we’re asking people not only to respect the maximum stay times but to shuffle up and share the space as well.

 

 

 

 

Not on this occasion, it was about 3 years ago before we moved the boat to the T & M.

[MtB]

2 hours ago, Rob-M said:

I'm afraid in this instance their satellite dish would have been going for a spin.

 

I too am surprised it didn't get accidentally whacked with a long shaft.

 

 

[TheBiscuits]

On 09/05/2022 at 16:52, MtB said:

I too am surprised it didn't get accidentally whacked with a long shaft.

 

That would be wilful damage.

 

Throw a line round the satellite dish and breast up to him instead! 

 

[Rob-M]

5 minutes ago, TheBiscuits said:

 

That would be wilful damage.

 

Throw a line round the satellite dish and breast up to him instead! 

 

Those long shafts can be difficult to handle and you can forget to watch what is happening behind you when turning round with one.