Yesterday I watched CRT (full time staff) assisting boats over the Rochdale summit, no ropes, just careful use of the paddles.

 

All this arguing over same side/opposite side paddles is rather meaningless as it varies from canal to canal, and boat length is a major factor.

On the Rochdale its opposite side paddle us, but when I help shorter boats its much less clear cut.

If you don't know the lock and have additional crew a good safe option is to open both paddles together about a 1/3, so that any forces tend to cancel out.

 

 

On the Nene, going uphill single handed, the locks can be really  quite lively. So I normally tie off the stern line at the back of the lock, and then take in the bow line while operating the paddle.  I only use one paddle as they are huge, and it is not possible to cross the top gates (you need to walk all the way round the lock).  The bow line is connected to a long light line (you can see it in a heap on the grass) which I take to the stern of the boat once the lock is full.  Then I am ready for going up the ladder at the stern, at the next lock.

22 hours ago, Ken X said:

We went through Big Lock during last years Middlewich Festival.  Didn't realise until we came down through Maureens Lock and saw the crowds. 

(snip)

Made very sure the centre line was ashore so we could, at least, retrieve the boat at the end.  One of the bottom gates was a right sod though.  Hope it has been sorted by now.  Enjoy.

If it's the bottom towpath side gate, no, it hasn't.

Centre line to back bollard on towpath side is our usual method for working that lock. Works perfectly going down; occasionally gets boat on the wrong side for steerer going up. 

On 03/04/2024 at 19:00, Rincewind said:

You need a longer rope!

 

 

You're gonna need a bigger boat!

1 hour ago, Scholar Gypsy said:

On the Nene, going uphill single handed, the locks can be really  quite lively. So I normally tie off the stern line at the back of the lock, and then take in the bow line while operating the paddle.  I only use one paddle as they are huge, and it is not possible to cross the top gates (you need to walk all the way round the lock).  The bow line is connected to a long light line (you can see it in a heap on the grass) which I take to the stern of the boat once the lock is full.  Then I am ready for going up the ladder at the stern, at the next lock.
 

 

I usually use both paddles as I can hop across the bow of my widebeam, but using one would be less hassle - does it take much longer to fill the locks?

 

My bow ropes are kept on either side of the roof so that they can be grabbed from the bank if necessary. When I enter a lock going uphill (single handed) I generally throw a stern rope up and then jump up onto the roof to throw a bow rope across. Sometimes I can step from the roof to the bank and secure both ropes, other times I have to go back to the stern and use the ladder. I don't particularly like carrying ropes up ladders as the potential for trips and accidents increases. Likewise if I'm jumping from the top of the lock onto the roof (going downhill) I throw any ropes onto the roof first and then make a very predetermined jump - often that's safer than going down a slippery ladder, but if I am using the ladder I won't be carrying a rope. 

 

I obviously didn't jump from the top of Bath Deep Lock! 

Edited April 5, 20242 yr by blackrose

10 hours ago, dmr said:

Yesterday I watched CRT (full time staff) assisting boats over the Rochdale summit, no ropes, just careful use of the paddles.

 

All this arguing over same side/opposite side paddles is rather meaningless as it varies from canal to canal, and boat length is a major factor.

On the Rochdale its opposite side paddle us, but when I help shorter boats its much less clear cut.

If you don't know the lock and have additional crew a good safe option is to open both paddles together about a 1/3, so that any forces tend to cancel out.

 

 

Yes short boats like mine like to do their own thing sometimes,

 

I don’t think anyone’s dare say it have they?

use one gate?

 

I found by chance today that if you leave a top paddle open on the Hatton flight the boat will also lower and stay on that side when you open a bottom paddle on opposite side, 

Not suggesting this is good practise but just an observation.

 

 

11 hours ago, beerbeerbeerbeerbeer said:

Yes short boats like mine like to do their own thing sometimes,

 

I don’t think anyone’s dare say it have they?

use one gate?

 

I found by chance today that if you leave a top paddle open on the Hatton flight the boat will also lower and stay on that side when you open a bottom paddle on opposite side, 

Not suggesting this is good practise but just an observation.

 

 

I think the main thing with descending those locks is that they empty quickly on one paddle so it’s generally not worth opening the opposite paddle if you’re on your own.

2 hours ago, Captain Pegg said:

I think the main thing with descending those locks is that they empty quickly on one paddle so it’s generally not worth opening the opposite paddle if you’re on your own.

They seem to fill quick enough on just one too,

even if it’s a tad slower I’ll only work one-side of a broad to save my energy,

them paddles take a lot of work winding up,

makes sense to halve the work when faced with 21 wide locks,  

 

 

23 hours ago, blackrose said:

 

 

 

 

I usually use both paddles as I can hop across the bow of my widebeam, but using one would be less hassle - does it take much longer to fill the locks?

 

 

Occasionally I do open both top paddles when filling the lock before I go downhill, and I need to use both gates (eg at Elton or Yarwell where there is a 90 degree turn into the lock). By the time I have wound the second paddle up the lock is full.

10 hours ago, beerbeerbeerbeerbeer said:

They seem to fill quick enough on just one too,

even if it’s a tad slower I’ll only work one-side of a broad to save my energy,

them paddles take a lot of work winding up,

makes sense to halve the work when faced with 21 wide locks,  

 

 

 

It depends on the lock. If it's leaking significantly some locks can be impossible to fill with only one paddle and you'll never be able to open the gates.

Edited April 6, 20242 yr by blackrose

I believe beerbeer etc was referring to Hatton, and having come up there last week can confirm all 21 are fine using one paddle to save energy!

On 04/04/2024 at 14:39, IanD said:

That's one I remember being tricky too, nothing you do seems to work

First lock I arrived at after hiring from Anderton last year was Big Lock. Raining a lot so was single handing whilst kids sat looking out the windows. Took me a good while before I cottoned on to one of the rear paddles being a fraction of an inch open by the boat that vacated as we arrived. Was waiting and waiting for an age to get out ….with so much distance between things hard to notice everything especially at the back of the lock. Always carefully check previous occupants have indeed lowered the paddles to the max everytime now.

Edited April 7, 20242 yr by nealeST

19 hours ago, blackrose said:

 

It depends on the lock. If it's leaking significantly some locks can be impossible to fill with only one paddle and you'll never be able to open the gates.

Absolutely, although as others have said this not generally a problem on the GU Birmingham line because it has big paddles. I do though recall that a month or so ago I had to open the offside paddle of Shop Lock to fill the lock.

 

Elsewhere on the GU I reckon I’ve lost a day of my life waiting for folk struggling to open a gate on the Braunston and Buckby flights thinking it will make a level on a single ground paddle.

12 minutes ago, Captain Pegg said:

Absolutely, although as others have said this not generally a problem on the GU Birmingham line because it has big paddles. I do though recall that a month or so ago I had to open the offside paddle of Shop Lock to fill the lock.

 

Elsewhere on the GU I reckon I’ve lost a day of my life waiting for folk struggling to open a gate on the Braunston and Buckby flights thinking it will make a level on a single ground paddle.

while the pound above empties ?

 

To fill Ratcliffe lock on the Soar you currently need both paddles - it only has gate ones- fully open and your boat shaft in the mitre of the bottom gates!! Or lean very hard on the top gates and get a wedge in the mitre. The bottom gates were meant to be renewed this winter but the floods stopped this happening, so we have to wait for the autumn for them to be done. Each lock on the Soar behaves differently sharing with GRP boats requires a lot of care!

12 hours ago, beerbeerbeerbeerbeer said:

while the pound above empties ?

 

Yep. Despite all the rain I’ve encountered low pounds at Buckby this year.

On 08/04/2024 at 07:04, Captain Pegg said:

Yep. Despite all the rain I’ve encountered low pounds at Buckby this year.

Got them to look forward tomorrow,

when I did the Stockton flight this morning I stepped off boat and left it to drift in as usual but didn’t bother with a rope/line and the boat came up lovely and gentle hugging the side,

I retrieved a rope as soon as the cabin was high enough,

Just a little thing, but not having to faff with stepping off with a rope, trotting up the steps flicking the rope over the gate and wrapping it around a bollard made work just that little bit lighter,

only opening one paddle of course and waiting til the boat had drifted up to the top gates so it weren’t drawn forward with a bang from the open paddle, 

Im sure I did the Hatton flight like that last time I went up, and I doubt very much I’m the first to do it,

Filling a lock, watch out out for overhanging walkways behind the stern, just the thing to compress your tiller at the very least.

If you are singlehanded while operating the paddles the boat will tend to move back, and the centreline will tend to slacken to allow this. 

54 minutes ago, LadyG said:

Filling a lock, watch out out for overhanging walkways behind the stern, just the thing to compress your tiller at the very least.

If you are singlehanded while operating the paddles the boat will tend to move back, and the centreline will tend to slacken to allow this. 

Mine moves forward

On 03/04/2024 at 18:51, Kane Brennan said:

I have only done a few double locks as the majority on the Trent and Mersey are single locks. As we are a couple, in a situation where we are the only boat in a lock, should we both be getting out so one of us can manage the boat with rope on a bollard whilst the other does the gate. 

Because when we are coming up a double lock with no other boats around, one of us gets out whilst the other does the lock, no matter how incremental we do the gates or whether its the side the boat on or not. I find the boat just swings around bouncing off each wall, whilst it is a real fight to keep it straight and off the gates.

I have decided next time I am just going to get off and tie the rope off and feed it either way as it goes up or down, so it stays on one side of the lock. Well down it doesn’t really bounce around, it is only up.  
 

Enter lock close gates, move boat back to gates, tie off forward line backwards from bow, tiller over to side of lock that you are moored against and run engine in forward gear, then have crew member on bankside open paddles. I know of a fuel boat that always did it this way and it worked every time. This going up the locks.

9 hours ago, Drayke said:

Enter lock close gates, move boat back to gates, tie off forward line backwards from bow, tiller over to side of lock that you are moored against and run engine in forward gear, then have crew member on bankside open paddles. I know of a fuel boat that always did it this way and it worked every time. This going up the locks.

This is good for the GU locks but not correct for longer boats that have to sit across the locks- in Calder and Hebble and Huddersfield Broad locks for example. Here the tiller arm should  point into the lock, otherwise it will tend to snag on the lock side especially going down. Accepting that 70+ foot fuel boats won’t fit in these locks at all!  
It may not be correct in other broad locks- The Avon seems to have a mind of its own,  and note the sign at Pershore lock, not the triangular one. 

 

 

10 hours ago, ditchcrawler said:

Mine moves forward

It seems to vary on where and how the lock fills on boats I’ve been on, LadyG is right to warn of snagging on overhanging walkways for bottom gate paddles on some of the Northern locks, we found on some locks there we moved forward some back. If your boat has to lie  across the lock be especially careful as the lock fills on the C&H and Huddersfield Broad. I think some of the L&L have these overhangs too but it very many years since we’ve been there sadly.
 

I guess we can’t expect all wide locks and therefore our boats to always behave the same just as the filling of narrow locks vary. 
 

This is not the way to do a wide lock, Its half way down in the blog Narrowboat Chalkhill Blue - Cruising Diary: Flecknoe (missing being on board) (nbchalkhillblue.blogspot.com)

Edited April 10, 20242 yr by ditchcrawler

I've always got on ok in double locks using the open opposite gate technique...... except on the double locks into Chester, they mince up boats!!

Good to know, I’m heading through there in June. I think the CRT man those locks between 9am and 3pm?

17 minutes ago, nealeST said:

Good to know, I’m heading through there in June. I think the CRT man those locks between 9am and 3pm?

Depending on the CRT volunteers that might be a good or bad thing. 

15 hours ago, Ianws said:

Depending on the CRT volunteers that might be a good or bad thing. 

Met a good one today on Bosley locks, Had a word at the top and warned me about a couple of low pounds, then he walked down, had a quick word and said he was going to check the pound again and would open up for me on his way down. That is really useful rather than standing beside me or Diana at the same lock.