Does being a driver make you a better boat handler?

[Chertsey]

Since this has been resurrected.... I put my beloved Volvo 240 back on the road a couple of weeks ago, having not driven for nearly a year, and I reckon, purely anecdotally, that since steering some big boats recently, I've become a more confident driver, particularly about the size of the vehicle and knowing where its extremities are.

[Chris-B]

Since this has been resurrected.... I put my beloved Volvo 240 back on the road a couple of weeks ago, having not driven for nearly a year, and I reckon, purely anecdotally, that since steering some big boats recently, I've become a more confident driver, particularly about the size of the vehicle and knowing where its extremities are.

 

 

Just don't drive with the fenders down and your tow rope hanging off the bonnet mascot

[FadeToScarlet]

Since this has been resurrected.... I put my beloved Volvo 240 back on the road a couple of weeks ago, having not driven for nearly a year, and I reckon, purely anecdotally, that since steering some big boats recently, I've become a more confident driver, particularly about the size of the vehicle and knowing where its extremities are.

 

Well, the 240 has got gunwales down the sides... :

 

Narrowboats are dead easy to steer compared to rowing eights, anyway. For starters, your motive power always does what it's told!

[MoominPapa]

Narrowboats are dead easy to steer compared to rowing eights, anyway. For starters, your motive power always does what it's told!

Except when the Morse cable or the propshaft comes adrift......

 

MP.

 

Edited to say: I seem to have problems with the bowthruster too.

Edited June 16, 2009 by MoominPapa

[FadeToScarlet]

Edited to say: 99.9% of the time, does what it's told!

[Billypownall]

I cannot believe this topic has attracted 5 pages. I dont think I have ever read such rubbish on this forum which is usually so interesting.

[jeannette smith harrison]

iv been a driver for over 25 years & brought up with the canal in my blood.

car drivers seem to lack patience,good manners not to mention the good morning with a smile & a wave

[Ray]

My better half has no inclination to drive a car. She's tried and given up trying to ride a bike and we've just spent a considerable time re-touching the paintwork on the boat from the battle scars of our last cruise (although as the predominant steerer most of the scratches were mine!)

 

SWMBO can't seem to grasp boat steering and almost rammed a boat moored on a bend whilst we were out last year. This means that I invariably end up doing all the steering when I so enjoy working locks.

 

I've discussed this with my daughter, who drives (a car), rides a bike and can steer the boat and we've come to the conclusion that "mum" has general problems with co-ordination.

 

On the other hand, I'm not as confident as I ought to be in driving cars, bikes or steering boats, but I like to think I do all of them reasonably well, save that I don't trust myself on a motored bike, and I can see no obvious correlation between any of them because they all behave so differently in generally different environments.

[the grinch]

in my experience as boatyard staff I would say the complete opposite is true. the hirers in general that don't drive find it easier to master the tiller than their driving colleagues and we find the same is true with trip boat skipper trainees the non drivers pick it up quicker.

[David Schweizer]

in my experience as boatyard staff I would say the complete opposite is true. the hirers in general that don't drive find it easier to master the tiller than their driving colleagues and we find the same is true with trip boat skipper trainees the non drivers pick it up quicker.

My experience would confirm that. Many years ago I was involved in training Young people to learn how to handle a narrownboat, and the non drivers took to it far more readily than the drivers who had a tendancy to steer in the wrong direction.

 

I also found that the girls learnt far more quickly than the boys, probably because they were prepared to listen carefully, and ask if they had any queries, wheras the boys tended to appraoch the whole preoceedure on the assumoption that it was easy and they did niot really need instructuion. My daughter learnt when she was eleven years old, and despite having to stand on a box to see over the cabin roof, learnt very quickly and is now an excellent steerer.

Edited to add:- I have just realized that i said all that nearly two years ago on this thread. (post 21)

Edited June 20, 2009 by David Schweizer

[Tom6]

I wasn't great at reversing either, so I just kept doing it until I felt better.

Going forwards occasionally is good too, maybe try it sometime

 

I agree about your mate, perhaps he's just trying to annoy you, or provoke you or thinks it might get interesting if he's insulting enough. Perhaps he's playing 'one-up-man-ship' or maybe he's genuinely got superiority 'issues'. Maybe he's just teasing you light-heartedly and expecting a jovial rebuff. Don't take it to heart - this is all exactly why i don't like people.

 

Good luck and regards from

Tom

 

PS My first statement and choice of quote is a classic example of stuff i don't like from other people unless i can pass it off as gentle joshing, which is the way i meant it.

Edited June 20, 2009 by Tom6