What word do you use for "driving" a boat ?

[Justin Smith]

What word do you use for "driving" a boat ?

[IanM]

Steering seems to be our go to.

 

One which annoys me for some reason is helming.  Normally used by the lumpy water lot which have made the transition across to canals.

[Tonka]

The Tiller

[Justin Smith]

11 minutes ago, IanM said:

Steering seems to be our go to.

 

One which annoys me for some reason is helming.  Normally used by the lumpy water lot which have made the transition across to canals.

"Steering" is better than "driving" !

 

2 minutes ago, Tonka said:

The Tiller

But how would that work if, for example, asking someone if they were driving / steering the boat into the lock ? Tillering ?

Edited August 28 by Justin Smith

[IanM]

Just on a slight tangent...

 

In Traction Engine circles the person steering isn't the driver.

[Bee]

Steering

[Ray T]

From one of the many video's of working boats "Would steerer (name) report to the office please."

[Stroudwater1]

25 minutes ago, IanM said:

Just on a slight tangent...

 

In Traction Engine circles the person steering isn't the driver.

Which can confuse insurance companies not used to such terminology- the steerer being the one responsible for some accidents, driver for some and often a bit of both..! 

[Alan de Enfield]

40 minutes ago, Justin Smith said:

But how would that work if, for example, asking someone if they were driving / steering the boat into the lock ? Tillering ?

 

 

tillering

[ˈtɪlərɪŋ]

noun

tillering (noun)

1. the production of lateral shoots by a plant, especially a grass or cereal, from the base of the stem:
   "tight grass management encourages tillering"

[blackrose]

45 minutes ago, Tonka said:

The Tiller

 

 

That's a noun rather than a verb, which is what I think the OP was asking for. So you could say "to tiller" or "tillering" but perhaps not. Also it doesn't cover all the boats steered with a wheel.

[IanM]

11 minutes ago, blackrose said:

 

Also it doesn't cover all the boats steered with a wheel.

 

Wheelieing? 🤣

[GUMPY]

Driver is the bloke looking after the engine.

Steerer is the bloke with the waggly stick.

Sometimes they are one and the same 🫣

[Momac]

1 hour ago, Justin Smith said:

What word do you use for "driving" a boat ?

I will go with the following from the internet 

 

[IanM]

3 minutes ago, Momac said:

I will go with the following from the internet 

 

 

😠

 

 

[agg221]

1 hour ago, Justin Smith said:

"Steering" is better than "driving" !

Except you drive tugs...!

 

Alec

[Peanut]

What if you have a horse pulling, you might be steering with the 'elm, but who is the driver?

[Arthur Marshall]

I drive. I also tend to park it. There again, I don't wind it either, I turn it round and I don't have windlasses, just twangling irons. So I'm probably not a purist.

[dogless]

From all I've read 'steerer' has been the term as @Ray T alluded to, but language is about communication, so as long as folks understand you, call it what you please.

 

i find the use of port and starboard on narrow boats intensely irritating for no rational reason.

 

Perhaps @Ray T can confirm , but I understand  the working boaters referred to 'inside' and 'outside' meaning towpath side or none towpath side rather than the nautical terms ?

 

Rog

[agg221]

19 minutes ago, Arthur Marshall said:

I don't have windlasses, just twangling irons.

 

I have a brass one. This begs the question, are twangling irons like domestic irons or golfing irons, in that 'irons' are objects irrespective of material, or is mine a twangling brass?

 

Alec

[Steve Bassplayer]

If you're giving direction instructions to the person who's steering it's called 'conning'.

 

So if you are giving yourself instructions which way to steer, perhaps you are conning yourself? 

Edited August 28 by Steve Bassplayer

[Hudds Lad]

28 minutes ago, Arthur Marshall said:

I don't have windlasses, just twangling irons

Nice, must try one of those, all we have are lock bats  

[agg221]

9 minutes ago, Hudds Lad said:

Nice, must try one of those, all we have are lock bats  

Are you on the Calder & Hebble...?

[Jon57]

11 minutes ago, agg221 said:

Are you on the Calder & Hebble...?

 

4 minutes ago, Jon57 said:

 

 

[David Mack]

2 hours ago, dogless said:

Perhaps @Ray T can confirm , but I understand  the working boaters referred to 'inside' and 'outside' meaning towpath side or none towpath side rather than the nautical terms ?

Which is specific to which side the towpath is on at particular location (and which direction you are travelling). But what terms were traditionally used to describe one side or the other of the boat? Port/starboard? Left/right? Something else?

[Justin Smith]

21 minutes ago, David Mack said:

Which is specific to which side the towpath is on at particular location (and which direction you are travelling). But what terms were traditionally used to describe one side or the other of the boat? Port/starboard? Left/right? Something else?

I find Port/Starboard a bit confusing and have to think about it from first principles (POSH = port out starboard home, which corresponded to the shaded side of the ship when travelling out to India via the Suez canal). But at least Port and Starboard cannot be confused with left and right from a different perspective, e.g. the left of someone directing you from the front (and looking at you) is your right.....