Best Stern for Single Handed

[Stroudwater1]

Our trad stern boat came with three lengths of tiller arm  which can be handy. The short one is ideal for three to stand at the stern well outside the  arc, but is rather hefty to steer with for long.

I must say I like to sit on the roof and steer when  not in a mildly challenging place or worse. It gives better view of the surrounding area and of things in the canal ahead. I can jump down sharpish  in unforseen danger but cant recall needing to do that. 

[haggis]

One thing which hasn't been mentioned is the layout of the steps from the stern into the cabin on a trad style boat. Some the stairs go straight down and the headroom is not a big problem but I have seen others where the cabin entrance is at one side and to get from stern to cabin you have to negotiate a 90% bend while doubled over. Not an easy manoeuvre to make ! 

[Hudds Lad]

3 minutes ago, Stroudwater1 said:

I must say I like to sit on the roof and steer when  not in a mildly challenging place or worse. It gives better view of the surrounding area and of things in the canal ahead. I can jump down sharpish  in unforseen danger but cant recall needing to do that. 

I do the same if there's long stretches of not much going on, made a cushion for either side of the hatch, find it takes the strain off your legs on long days.

Other advantage here is the better half can sit on the other side so we can chat and she can see stuff rather than her stand on top of the engine facing forward. Bridge holes can be challenging though  

[Captain Pegg]

On average I encounter a boat to steer for the first time once every couple of weeks and there is no option but to keep going in inclement weather and into the fringes of the day when even at this time of year it gets cold. Only lightning or severe wind is a reason to stop.

 

Often I know nothing of the boat until I turn up. I'm always pleased to see a trad and my heart sinks if I see something with a fully fitted pram hood, because generally I'm going to remove it fully then reassemble it upon delivery.

 

It's not universal that a trad is better because other factors affect how easy it is to single hand but when steering over the course of a long day there is something much more comfortable about being in the hatches of a trad compared to the rear deck of a cruiser or the often slightly weird sparse area of a semi-trad enclosure.

 

Just having ropes, windlass, mug of tea, biscuits and centre lines right next to you is all part of it. Plus the throttle (and maybe gear lever) will be right next to your hand and still controllable when steering with the tiller to the opposite side.

 

The advantage of a small hatch on an old style trad is that it's likely to stay fully open which means you're much less likely to crack your head on it at some point which is an occupational hazard with modern trads, semi-trads and cruisers. But yes the access into some old trads isn't easy. In many though there is more suitable access elsewhere on the boat, as there is with most boats.

 

My pet hates are controls on the right hand side and cruiser sterns with steps down within the deck area. If you owned such a boat you'd get used to it but for a one-off steerer they will catch you out.

 

Edited May 23, 2023 by Captain Pegg

[Paul C]

Semi trad with a stool to sit on is comfy for me over long distances. Tried the sitting on the hatch (of a trad), not really a seat. Some cruiser sterns have seats, some better than others (and/or in the arc of the tiller).

[IanD]

29 minutes ago, haggis said:

No, no. The reason for the discussion on this thread is because the OP wanted information. It is therefore important that incorrect and misleading information should be corrected. I don't think anyone is saying that any stern layout doesn't have problems but some of us are fire fighting against the incorrect information being posted by you. This is not about point scoring, Ian, it is about trying to be helpful .

 

What incorrect information is that -- the one I already explained, or something else? 😉

 

The comments about rain (and your reply above) shows what I meant -- inside the rear hatch on a trad does get wet if you have to travel in heavy rain, and sometimes you can't just stay moored up but have to do this. It's not a killer issue, but it is a disadvantage that semi-trad and cruiser sterns don't have, they stay dry inside. But they have other disadvantages, as has been pointed out, and these can be bigger for some people -- especially when single-handing. As you say, it's important to be honest -- on both sides of any discussion.

 

And I made it clear that -- in spite of this -- I'd have a trad stern if I was a single-hander (subject of thread!), so you can hardly accuse me of being anti-trad... 😉

Edited May 23, 2023 by IanD

[Captain Pegg]

16 minutes ago, Paul C said:

Semi trad with a stool to sit on is comfy for me over long distances. Tried the sitting on the hatch (of a trad), not really a seat. Some cruiser sterns have seats, some better than others (and/or in the arc of the tiller).

 

In my experience few - if any - boats have fitted seats that are properly suitable for steering.

 

I can and sometimes do sit on the roof of Vulpes to steer but it makes access to the speed wheel awkward so only tends to work for a few minutes where there are few moored boats. It's also a trade-off of being relatively uncomfortable but a rest for the legs. Most steerers will use a cushion to stop the slide runners digging into their legs/arse.

 

One of the more bizarre things I ever saw was a couple who had his and hers forward facing seats on the cabin top either side of the hatch. They were sat there with their legs forward pootling along the canal. Noted the boat was from the Wey Navigation. Different breed. 

 

 

Edited May 23, 2023 by Captain Pegg

[MtB]

8 minutes ago, Captain Pegg said:

Noted the boat was from the Wey Navigation. Different breed. 

 

Agreed. River cruising is totally different from canal cruising, and people who like it are really strange! 

 

 

[Captain Pegg]

3 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

Agreed. River cruising is totally different from canal cruising, and people who like it are really strange! 

 

 

 

Whilst that's true we also have rivers in the Midlands. I don't think the folk here are like those on the Wey.

[MtB]

1 minute ago, Captain Pegg said:

 

Whilst that's true we also have rivers in the Midlands. I don't think the folk here are like those on the Wey.

 

 

Wey is like it is because they have no truck with CCers or CMers.

 

So all you get there is the wannabe-Thames types! 

 

 

[Hudds Lad]

20 minutes ago, Captain Pegg said:

One of the more bizarre things I ever saw was a couple who had his and hers forward facing seats on the cabin top either side of the hatch.

Have seen similar, but only for the lady of the boat, some sort of legless deckchair type thing. How she got in it without falling off the side is beyond me, seemed happy enough with it though.

[IanD]

42 minutes ago, Captain Pegg said:

 

In my experience few - if any - boats have fitted seats that are properly suitable for steering.

 

I can and sometimes do sit on the roof of Vulpes to steer but it makes access to the speed wheel awkward so only tends to work for a few minutes where there are few moored boats. It's also a trade-off of being relatively uncomfortable but a rest for the legs. Most steerers will use a cushion to stop the slide runners digging into their legs/arse.

 

One of the more bizarre things I ever saw was a couple who had his and hers forward facing seats on the cabin top either side of the hatch. They were sat there with their legs forward pootling along the canal. Noted the boat was from the Wey Navigation. Different breed. 

 

 

 

I'm hoping mine will work for that (steering seat on top of bike locker) but won't know for sure until I try it... 😉

 

If the couple were sitting on the roof, how on earth did they steer the boat?

[Captain Pegg]

2 minutes ago, IanD said:

 

I'm hoping mine will work for that (steering seat on top of bike locker) but won't know for sure until I try it... 😉

 

If the couple were sitting on the roof, how on earth did they steer the boat?

 

Hand on the tiller. It wouldn't be that far away, no further and perhaps nearer than if you sit on the roof with your legs dangling into the hatch. Bums were at cabin top level, plus depth of cushion, with legs forward. I guess they might have had a stick with a collar but I doubt that would be necessary.

[IanD]

5 minutes ago, Captain Pegg said:

 

Hand on the tiller. It wouldn't be that far away, no further and perhaps nearer than if you sit on the roof with your legs dangling into the hatch. Bums were at cabin top level, plus depth of cushion, with legs forward. I guess they might have had a stick with a collar but I doubt that would be necessary.

Was this a narrowboat? If so I'm not sure I'd want to sit on the roof like that on the narrow section either side of a hatch without a firmly attached backrest, and probably not even then -- there are times when seats on the roof work (see below) but that doesn't sound like one of them... 😉

 

 

[Captain Pegg]

13 minutes ago, IanD said:

Was this a narrowboat? If so I'm not sure I'd want to sit on the roof like that on the narrow section either side of a hatch without a firmly attached backrest, and probably not even then -- there are times when seats on the roof work (see below) but that doesn't sound like one of them... 😉

 

 

 

 

Narrowboat on a narrow canal. It wasn't a sensible place to be sat at all.

[IanD]

5 minutes ago, Captain Pegg said:

 

Narrowboat on a narrow canal. It wasn't a sensible place to be sat at all.

Indeed -- far too easy to fall off sideways, smack your head on the gunwale on the way into the water, and then end up in a fight with the propeller where there's only going to be one winner... 😞

 

Looking on the bright side, the remaining roof-sitter could then bring the boat to a halt and retrieve your mangled body...

Edited May 23, 2023 by IanD

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

I think rails around the back or part around would be quite handy for when having a wee off the side. 
Relieving myself today madE me wish I perhaps had something to lean forward and rest against with me legs. 
 

 

[Hudds Lad]

6 minutes ago, Goliath said:

I think rails around the back or part around would be quite handy for when having a wee off the side. 
Relieving myself today madE me wish I perhaps had something to lean forward and rest against with me legs. 
 

 

Dirty boy, hope the wind was in your favour

[IanD]

1 hour ago, Hudds Lad said:

Dirty boy, hope the wind was in your favour

At least it was only a #1 -- think medieval castle... 😉

[Hudds Lad]

7 minutes ago, IanD said:

At least it was only a #1 -- think medieval castle... 😉

Long drop?

[Nixie]

Stern

D - Complicated

P - Cruiser, obviously

 

They always start out as a cruiser but slowly turn into a wide beam.

[ditchcrawler]

21 hours ago, Lily Rose said:

 

I haven't got a photo with the tiller in place but this one does show the shape of the stern. Without seeing Still Waters and Lily Rose side by side it's hard to tell if I have more room outside the back doors. 

 

 

 

An IP 49 electrical plug and socket 😄

[peterboat]

4 hours ago, IanD said:

Was this a narrowboat? If so I'm not sure I'd want to sit on the roof like that on the narrow section either side of a hatch without a firmly attached backrest, and probably not even then -- there are times when seats on the roof work (see below) but that doesn't sound like one of them... 😉

 

 

Cracking boat that is Time of life

[Guest]

Just now, peterboat said:

Cracking boat that is Time of life

 

Made in Yorkshire IIRC and on the Thames now I think?

 

Would look a bit out of place in Sheffield 🤣🤣

[Lily Rose]

15 minutes ago, peterboat said:

Cracking boat that is Time of life

 

 

https://www.canalboat.co.uk/boats/boat-tests/boat-test-time-of-life-by-finesse/