How do you open lock gates ?

[Stroudwater1]

Coming up Braunston locks the other week a vlockie was most insistent that we opened the top gates using our backs against the gates. 

 

We tend to open locks pushing foreward with arms stretched out and body  low to the ground, pushing as far to the end as safe and possible. This seems to give a  mechanical advantage, and allows us to sometimes open gates sooner than just leaning as the vlockie advised. A number of times around the network we wouldn’t have opened gates using the back against the lockgate way of pushing. 

 

Other advantages of pushing forewards - you can keep an eye on your boat, check no one’s pulling the lock open and about to fall in and see what’s ahead of you so get your feet on the steps where there are any and avoid “stuff” on the ground where there is some. 
Opening the gate earlier will conserve fractionally more water as the whole lock exit occurs a little faster. 
 

The vlockie told all of us around it was better for our backs to push from behind. I’m not aware of this, and if as can happen the gate opens rapidly or you trip going backwards you could fall backwards. What was troubling is this is being taken as Gospel by others on the flight. On the way back down we were reprimanded by another boater for daring to open the gate without using our backs. 
 

The fact that you can’t start to close most gates using the Vlockies preferred posture wasn’t considered at the time. 
 

Is this new vlockie training, is it how others open locks? 

[Stephen Sugg]

I do it with my back. Just more comfortable for me.

[Arthur Marshall]

I use the power of the human backside whenever possible. That way you push with your legs and avoid back strain.

[IanM]

I push with my back against the beam.  I can't really see how bringing your arms into play makes it any easier, it is still your legs doing the pushing without putting strain on your back.

[Alan de Enfield]

 

Using your back allows the use of the strongest muscles in your body - your thighs, and stops potential back damage caused by pushing with a bent back that a 'forward push' requires

Edited July 25 by Alan de Enfield

[Tony Brooks]

I did it in a similar fashion to you, especially the stiff ones. I think this is just another volly-locky jobsworth. I had one at Foxton who insisted that the way I positioned myself and stooped to operate the paddles not only, as 6ft plus, stressed my back, but also put my face in line with the windlass if it slipped. In that case I emailed CaRT and told them that if I was injured whilst doing it as instructed I would be coming to them for compensation, and then ignore the volly-locky.

1 minute ago, IanM said:

I push with my back against the beam.  I can't really see how bringing your arms into play makes it any easier, it is still your legs doing the pushing without putting strain on your back.

 

By doing it the way the OP describes, you use the weight of your body to help push the beam to augment muscle power. It does not prevent you using your leg muscles. I certainly did not use my back muscles.

[matty40s]

Looking at the Volockies manning Braunston bottom yesterday, they shouldn't be doing locks at all. One struggled to cross the upper gates and clamber down, a very large bloke could hardly wind the paddles up, and looked in pain as he hobbled from one end to the other.

The third didnt do anything. 

The top two pounds were well over a foot down.

[nicknorman]

I find pushing with the bum is easiest and allows the most force to be applied to a recalcitrant gate. As you say, when closing you have to start off by pulling but then you are not trying to fight the last 1/2” of water pressure and as soon as I can, I switch to bum mode.

 

However it is absolutely nothing to do with a volockie how you choose to operate lock gates. Tell them to move away from the lock that your boat is transitting as their assistance and opinion is not wanted, and that “nobody likes a back seat driver”. They might get the message, although probably not!

[IanD]

The way the human body is built, you can get the most force in this case by putting your back/bottom against the beam (depends on beam height, keep as low as possible) and starting with legs which are only slightly bent, then you use the strongest muscles in the body and take advantage of the leverage because thigh and calf are almost in a straight line -- which gives several times the force.

 

Once it starts to move you need to stay low and take tiny steps to keep your legs almost straight and keep this advantage -- look at the way that truck pullers get it moving in strongman competitions, if they don't know how to get something heavy moving nobody does... 😉 

 

Also if things go wrong and your feet slip and you fall down, you fall on your bum not your face... 🙂 

 

If you want to do it the other way it's your choice, but the volockie's advice is correct -- you can get more force backwards, and you're less likely to strain your back or arms.

Edited July 25 by IanD

[David Mack]

Like others, I prefer to use my backside against the beam. Which isn't to say that I don't sometimes pull instead, particularly on lighter gates. But it is entirely up to you. There is no absolute right or wrong way of doing it, and the vollockie shouldn't be telling you there is.

[Stroudwater1]

21 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:

 

 

By doing it the way the OP describes, you use the weight of your body to help push the beam to augment muscle power. It does not prevent you using your leg muscles. I certainly did not use my back muscles.

Thanks for the better description Tony, that’s what I find. I guess it’s the way I would push a piano up a slight hill. Pushing with bum and legs stretched to push would stop it falling backwards but wouldn’t get the thing shifted at first quite as effectively though it often would shift. Interestingly the vlockie also told me it wasn’t ready but push as I did and it actually was. 
 

@IanD I bend knees and thighs so both are a little out of alignment and give it a sustained slowish push so as to align if that makes sense. I also slightly bend my arms, so all big limb groups are working then slowly rise as the gate opens. It does vary depending on lock beam height composition (angled steel is cold and sharp) etc. With Tardebigge you can push with a little finger on the bottom gates 😂 
 

@nicknormanit was a tricky situation as a crew of several, some who had never operated a single lock in their life. It’s the first time we have met vlockies here as we tend to go up or down out of vlockie hours. I didn’t want a scene and I just ignored and opened the gate. 

[Hudds Lad]

Entirely depends on the height of the beam, the weather and the ground underfoot. I'll use whatever method is comfortable, although usually i'm relegated to steering so it's a non-issue for me  

[Tacet]

7 minutes ago, Stroudwater1 said:

Interestingly the vlockie also told me it wasn’t ready but push as I did and it actually was. 
 

@IanD

The gates are always ready to push and, in fact, always ready to open should you push hard enough.

[nicknorman]

16 minutes ago, Stroudwater1 said:

 

@nicknormanit was a tricky situation as a crew of several, some who had never operated a single lock in their life. It’s the first time we have met vlockies here as we tend to go up or down out of vlockie hours. I didn’t want a scene and I just ignored and opened the gate. 

Yes I know the feeling! And I think they rely on most people not wanting a scene. But the more control freak volockies are tolerated, the more they feel empowered.

16 minutes ago, Stroudwater1 said:

 Interestingly the vlockie also told me it wasn’t ready but push as I did and it actually was. 

I had that at Stenson once, went to open the top gate and the micromanaging volockie said “No, it isn’t ready until the water level (inside the lock) reaches this mark”. I pushed anyway and of course it opened, because it is nothing to do with the level inside the lock, only to do with the difference in levels, and the pound was slightly down. This is the sort of intelligence and competence that one has to deal with with some volockies! No idea of the big picture, everything done by numbers.

Edited July 25 by nicknorman

[magnetman]

9 minutes ago, nicknorman said:

Yes I know the feeling! And I think they rely on most people not wanting a scene. But the more control freak volockies are tolerated, the more they feel empowered.

I had that at Stenson once, went to open the top gate and the micromanaging volockie said “No, it isn’t ready until the water level (inside the lock) reaches this mark”. I pushed anyway and of course it opened, because it is nothing to do with the level inside the lock, only to do with the difference in levels, and the pound was slightly down. This is the sort of intelligence and competence that one has to deal with with some volockies! No idea of the big picture, everything done by numbers.

Its really funny thinking about a volunteer lock assistant telling someone who has been canal Boating for half a century that the gate is not ready to open. You couldn't make it up ! 

 

 

[frahkn]

My boat was 70 feet and 6 inches long (bit more with the fenders) when I bought it 11 years ago. I doubt that it has shrunk in the intervening period.

 

That didn't stop a volockie at Foxton telling me that it couldn't be more than 68 foot, because "I can always tell by the gap between the back and the boat".

 

I could not argue - I am getting on a bit and have only so much life left; certainly not enough to waste on arguing with idiots.

[Jim Riley]

If the gate is stiff I use my bum, might change half way if it gets easier, but it's up to me what I do when. Volokies time would be better spent going round with a tub of grease, specially on the Rochdale. 

[IanD]

8 minutes ago, magnetman said:

Its really funny thinking about a volunteer lock assistant telling someone who has been canal Boating for half a century that the gate is not ready to open. You couldn't make it up ! 

 

 

A question for you -- how does the volockie know they've been boating half a century and aren't just an overkeen and ignorant newbie? Is there an "old boater" badge available to show this? 😉 

 

(none of which makes up for the lack of observation of the volockie...)

[Tony Brooks]

26 minutes ago, Hudds Lad said:

Entirely depends on the height of the beam, the weather and the ground underfoot. I'll use whatever method is comfortable,

 

This is so true. I came across one lock where the beam was so low, neither described positions would have worked very well. It was many years go and might have been on the Chelemer navigation pre-IWA involvement. I can't remember if I used the boat pole to lever from a more sensible height or looped a rope around the beam and pulled. Once it was partially open, my foot was more than capable of opening it fully.

 

That was the navigation, where one lock was leaking from the mitre so badly it would not make a level. When the bod from the Commissioners got there, he partially opened the offending gates and pulled all the paddles so the gates slammed shut, a definite no-no for the Thames and I suspect CaRT locks.

[magnetman]

4 minutes ago, IanD said:

 

A question for you -- how does the volockie know they've been boating half a century and aren't just an overkeen and ignorant newbie? Is there an "old boater" badge available to show this? 😉 

 

(none of which makes up for the lack of observation of the volockie...)

 

It doesn't take long to figure out if someone knows what they are doing. If the person doing the figuring out knows what they are doing

[IanD]

Just now, magnetman said:

 

It doesn't take long to figure out if someone knows what they are doing. If the person doing the figuring out knows what they are doing

 

How, before the boater has even opened a paddle or gate? I've seen plenty of people who look like experienced old boaters -- some even wearing neckerchiefs/waistcoats/flat caps -- who don't seem to have much of a clue, so you obviously can't go by appearance. Maybe volockies are supposed to be clairvoyant? 😉 

[magnetman]

6 minutes ago, IanD said:

 

. Maybe volockies are supposed to be clairvoyant? 😉 

Correct. 

[booke23]

Is anyone still using the working boat method of bashing into the bottom gate and leaving the boat in gear while you open the paddles and stand there until the boat opens the gates and enters all by itself? Ditto as you then fill the lock......(Asking for a friend) 

[nicknorman]

56 minutes ago, IanD said:

 

A question for you -- how does the volockie know they've been boating half a century and aren't just an overkeen and ignorant newbie? Is there an "old boater" badge available to show this? 😉 

 

(none of which makes up for the lack of observation of the volockie...)

Well in that particular case, we had already drained the lock and driven the boat in and opened the appropriate paddles ( bearing in mind Stenson is one of the few wide locks where you open opposite side ground paddle first). So it must have been pretty obvious.

28 minutes ago, booke23 said:

Is anyone still using the working boat method of bashing into the bottom gate and leaving the boat in gear while you open the paddles and stand there until the boat opens the gates and enters all by itself? Ditto as you then fill the lock......(Asking for a friend) 

Encountered that just yesterday at Planet lock, Caldon. On arrival there was a boat in the lock coming up. He opened the top paddles and then disappeared inside as I walked up to the lock. I sat on the balance beam and then started to open it, at which point his boat started moving forwards as it was in gear. I was momentarily alarmed thinking I shouldn’t have helped open the gate, but then he appeared, lowered the offside paddle and drove out. Presumably he was sat inside waiting to see the boat start to move, then came out. Quite cool I thought, although personally I wouldn’t be inside in a lock with no-one outside whilst it was filling.

 

Although I love a good anti-volockie rant, it also has to be said that there are some good ones. This morning we went from Westport Lake, to Harecastle tunnel entrance just to turn round and dump rubbish. A young (relatively) volunteer tunnel keeper of female disposition came over for a chat, she was very pleasant and interested and presented a good customer facing image of CRT. Makes a change from the usual taciturn grumpy grey-beardy limpy old men!

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

36 minutes ago, booke23 said:

Is anyone still using the working boat method of bashing into the bottom gate and leaving the boat in gear while you open the paddles and stand there until the boat opens the gates and enters all by itself? Ditto as you then fill the lock......(Asking for a friend) 

My friend does that occasionally,

I wouldn’t say bash the lock mind, rather come to rest on the gate or gates. 
Usually when there are no bollards to tie to or for other odd reasons, like a low pound and can’t get boat to side. 
 

 Certainly has boat in gear when the locks approaching full. Boat drives out while paddles being lowered.