Re-boarding: washing line between the rubbing strakes?

[wakey_wake]

I've been looking at the dark patch of water down the side of the boat these nights and thinking it would be a bad place to end up. (So don't fall in)

 

Then I thought, if I ran a length of steel-core washing line from the bow well deck drain hole down to the rear button (or something else around there, might need to add a weld-in), then I would have a grab rail the whole length of the boat. Not enough to get out, but enough to move along to a better place.

 

Do you think it would snag? I reckon a 3mm washing line will sit between the rubbing strakes and not get hooked up on anything.

I'm thinking of it as a semi-permanent fitting, unlike fenders which of course I never leave down while cruising 😉

 

Thoughts please..? 🤔 

 

I know I also need some kind of re-boarding ladder. That's a separate problem and maybe something to do before this.

Edited November 8, 2023 by wakey_wake
...as a semi-permanent fixture

[Tracy D'arth]

Life vest is a simpler solution.

[rusty69]

7 minutes ago, wakey_wake said:

Thoughts please..? 🤔 

I would think washing line will be too small and slippery to usefully grasp. Old lifeboats tend to use rope as grab line, probably 10mm plus. You are still left with the problem of getting out of the water onto the boat, or onto the bank.

 

I fell in for the first time last year. My biggest problem was that I hit my ribs on the way in, and they took a couple of months to fix.

Edited November 8, 2023 by rusty69

[wakey_wake]

Just now, Tracy D'arth said:

Life vest is a simpler solution.

 

Even better than remembering to put it on before falling in is remembering not to fall in before falling in. Safety is belt & braces. (is that a tautology?)

 

I have a nice self-inflating one and wear it while cruising, but pottering around outside and "not planning to get wet"? Not so much... maybe I should re-think that.

 

But how about the first bit, from arriving to getting into the boat? The current perch isn't good, it requires a slide along the side before I can unlock.

[Tracy D'arth]

2 minutes ago, wakey_wake said:

 

Even better than remembering to put it on before falling in is remembering not to fall in before falling in. Safety is belt & braces. (is that a tautology?)

 

I have a nice self-inflating one and wear it while cruising, but pottering around outside and "not planning to get wet"? Not so much... maybe I should re-think that.

 

But how about the first bit, from arriving to getting into the boat? The current perch isn't good, it requires a slide along the side before I can unlock.

So wear the life vest when you get out of the car!  Just how deep is the water around your mooring?

[wakey_wake]

3 minutes ago, rusty69 said:

I would think washing line will be too small and slippery to usefully grasp. Old lifeboats tend to use rope as grab line, probably 10mm plus. You are still left with the problem of getting out of the water onto the boat, or onto the bank.

 

I fell in for the first time last year. My biggest problem was that I hit my ribs on the way in, and they took a couple of months to fix.

Ouchy.

 

So there is effectiveness (which can only be tested, maybe in summer) and safety of not causing new problems.

Yes I know it's not the whole solution. Having a reboarding ladder 50ft away might not always be a great solution either, which is why one should only fall in at the correct end & side of the boat. 🤦‍♂️

 

I don't think I would want a 10mm line down between the rubbing strakes, and it may be too stretchy anyway. Perhaps worth a try... in summer.

1 minute ago, Tracy D'arth said:

Just how deep is the water around your mooring?

Variable. Some is recently dredged, some isn't deep enough to move a boat. One could end up like a dinosaur in La Brea tarpit.

 

(moorings are temporary...  so am I, but I'm not ready to move on yet!)

[rusty69]

4 hours ago, wakey_wake said:

Having a reboarding ladder 50ft away might not always be a great solution either, which is why one should only fall in at the correct end & side of the boat. 🤦‍♂️

My top tips:

 

1. Don't wear silly indoor shoes when going outside.

2. Try and avoid going along the gunwales at all, particularily if it has recently been icy/raining/snowing outside. Or inside even.

3. If you have decided you are going to fall in, avoid hitting your head/ribs/dangly bits or any other body parts you care about on the way down.

4. See 3 above, if you are going to fall in and there is no one else to help you out, fall in at the back, its easier to get a foot on something. I tried climbing out earlier in the year, and it is possible on our narrowboat, but then I am a rather young fit athletic type and you probably wont be falling off my boat.

5. If you are fortunate enough to fall in with someone else present, make sure they haven't got a camera.

6. As above, and ensure they have stopped laughing before they throw you a line, or preferably a decent ladder.

7. Add non slip tape/paint to the slippery bits on the gunwales at the front, back and gas locker.

8. Get out of the boat on the side of the towpath, its often drier than the other side.

9. If you do go in,try standing up. It may only be 3 foot deep.Statistically speaking there is also a high probability of standing on a shopping trolley.

10. Even when just popping out for a bag of coal, ensure you have full drysuit, self inflating life jacket and safety helmet on; and that you have Alexa/Siri setup to call for lifeboat assistance. A PLB and waterproof phone are also invaluable.

11. Befriend someone on the london underground. You may be able to get a cheap 'Mind the gap' speaker system set up for cost price.

12. If you find your weight has mysterioulsy doubled,remove all of your clothing. If it doesn't help with your situation, it will at least give the local you tubers a laugh. See 13.

13 Jump into a very hot shower once you are back onboard,praying that it wasn't an empty water tank that sent you outside in the first place.

14. If it was an empty tank that caused you a midnight swim, remember in future to fill your tank during daylight hours, and not to trip over it and fall in the canal on the way back to the boat. A fluorecent hose pipe could work in your favour. 

15. If you were out changing over a gas cylinder remember to grab hold of it next time. They usually float, and the orange colour is likely to attact someones attention. Also a very good reason for propane v butane.

Edited November 8, 2023 by rusty69

[Alan de Enfield]

4 minutes ago, wakey_wake said:

Ouchy.

 

So there is effectiveness (which can only be tested, maybe in summer) and safety of not causing new problems.

Yes I know it's not the whole solution. Having a reboarding ladder 50ft away might not always be a great solution either, which is why one should only fall in at the correct end & side of the boat. 🤦‍♂️

 

I don't think I would want a 10mm line down between the rubbing strakes, and it may be too stretchy anyway. Perhaps worth a try... in summer.

 

 

Any boat (even a narrowboat) built commercially since 1998 is required to have a method of reboarding for a 'man overboard'.

[rusty69]

deleted

Edited November 8, 2023 by rusty69

[NB Alnwick]

Only go in if you have a ladder available for getting out again!

[Mike Tee]

11. If you do go in, keep your mouth shut for as long as possible, you don't want to be swallowing any of that

[wakey_wake]

32 minutes ago, rusty69 said:

7. Add non slip tape/paint to the slippery bits on the gunwals at the front, back and gas locker.

 

Just now, Mike Tee said:

11. If you do go in, keep your mouth shut for as long as possible, you don't want to be swallowing any of that

 

Oh yes, done all these sensible things. Haven't been for an accidental swim in many years but I do know it's rather disorienting, sudden and doesn't taste nice at all.

Last time pre-dates everyone carrying a camera ✅ and they helped me out pronto.

 

Also,

 

12. Have some light on the side. I don't have full coverage yet but the proof of concept is a short length of 12V LED strip, waterproofed onto a block of wood with a little pot magnet. It works a treat, good illumination over several meters and not dazzling...  but the switch is under the cratch. I'll move it to wifi and/or PIR at some point.

 

 

34 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Any boat (even a narrowboat) built commercially since 1998 is required to have a method of reboarding for a 'man overboard'.

Yep, it's on the list. Boat is older than that.

[Ronaldo47]

Canalised rivers can be quite deep. For our second canal holiday in the very wet Queen's Jubilee week of 1977 we went up the Leicester branch via the Watford flight and Foxton staircase. When we were passing through Leicester on the River Soar, one of the crew who had just been praising his newly-bought waterproofs that were keeping him nice and  dry in that day's downpour, missed his footing while going along the outside to avoid dripping water everywhere inside, and fell in, going completely under. We had only encountered shallow canals before.

[Lady M]

The middle of Brownings Pool is deep too.  DAMHIK

[Jen-in-Wellies]

Cold water will mean you lose dexterity and strength in your fingers very quickly as your body concentrates on keeping warm blood in your core. Will make gripping any small diameter line tricky. Having a ladder set up nearby is a good idea. Where I moor it is five to six feet deep. The couple of times I've helped people out of the water here it has been remarkably difficult. Required a minimum of two to pull them out as they were both quite large guys. Alcohol was a contributing factor in both incidents! We petitioned the mooring operator to put in some ladders, which they did.

[system 4-50]

1 hour ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

The couple of times I've helped people out of the water here it has been remarkably difficult. Required a minimum of two to pull them out as they were both quite large guys. Alcohol was a contributing factor in both incidents!

In the absence of alcohol you wouldn't have bothered to pull them out?

[Ronaldo47]

A couple of decades ago there was a piece in one of the canal mags  by a single-hander about winter canal  boating where he described his experience of falling in. The main problem he had in hauling himself out of the water was the weight of his several layers of now sodden winter clothing.  Although he was in a marina, there was no-one else around.

Edited November 8, 2023 by Ronaldo47

[rusty69]

17 minutes ago, system 4-50 said:

In the absence of alcohol you wouldn't have bothered to pull them out?

It's always wise to negotiate an extraction fee whilst they are still in the water.

[DShK]

I have a telescopic ladder on the roof with ropes running down to the gunwhales, so I can pull it down if I fall in. Got it after I fell in, in a marina. Nowhere suitable to climb out. Luckily it was a lovely day, I could stand, and there were people about to go get a ladder.

 

I blamed falling in on not having enough tread on my boots.

Edited November 8, 2023 by DShK

[IanD]

3 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

Any boat (even a narrowboat) built commercially since 1998 is required to have a method of reboarding for a 'man overboard'.

 

What does that mean -- what counts as "a method of reboarding"?

[Puffling]

3 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

 

Any boat (even a narrowboat) built commercially since 1998 is required to have a method of reboarding for a 'man overboard'.

My boat has those, the "yoghurt pot slashers" on the stern, flat steps about an inch under water.

 

I found using them surprisingly difficult when I tried reboarding following a long swimming session in the Avon river near Pershore last year (remember that heatwave?). And I consider that I have pretty strong leg muscles.

 

Yet I couldn't get adequate purchase on the slippery slimy step to pull myself vertical (grabbing onto the taff rail) in order to haul myself out. In the end, I waded ashore over rocks.

Edited November 8, 2023 by Puffling

[Alan de Enfield]

25 minutes ago, IanD said:

 

What does that mean -- what counts as "a method of reboarding"?

 

It is required by, and explained in, the RCR/RCD

 

The boat builder that fell foul of the RCD (I mentioned him in a previous thread) had shown in his owners manual that he had installed a 'means to reboard' but, he had 'forgotten to do it'.

 

It was one of the features (along with wrong glass, not 'screwed down' stove etc etc) that the Trading Standards raised with him (and the court).

Edited November 8, 2023 by Alan de Enfield

[IanD]

2 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

It is required by, and explained in, the RCR/RCD

Thank you for your helpful and informative reply -- I would have expected an expert on the legalities of canals such as you to have the answer immediately to hand, but obviously not... 😞

[Alan de Enfield]

1 minute ago, IanD said:

Thank you for your helpful and informative reply -- I would have expected an expert on the legalities of canals such as you to have the answer immediately to hand, but obviously not... 😞

 

 

I do, but I'm not your research assistant - if you want to know if your boat complies maybe ask your builder.

[IanD]

Just now, Alan de Enfield said:

 

I do, but I'm not your research assistant - if you want to know if your boat complies maybe ask your builder.

 

I'm sure it does, but since you brought the subject up I though you might want to actually post something helpful to the less knowledgeable members of the forum.

 

I should have known better... 😞