Narrowboat Hull

[Proper Job]

Following on from Proper Job's contribution, it is also suggested by many that not onlyb the size but the rake of the rudder makes a difference to steering properties. Rudder posts that are nearly vertical are easier to move than those which are raked back about 6% but do not resopond as well. However as the length of swim may also make a difference this may not be such a hard and fast rule.

 

If pressed I would suggest ( please shout me down if I am wriong) that shorter swims can get away with a more vertical rudder post angle than those with long swims. Our boat although not quite as deep as Ocelot, also has very long swims, and an equally massive 15mm rudder plate, it is hard work on shallow narrow canals like the Oxford but on deeper waters it swims beautifully.

Some nice under water views on this post Link to post

 

Excellent one of the rudder rake

[mykaskin]

I think you need to define "good".

Responsive to the tiller.....

 

 

Victoria is very responsive to the tiller, I can get her to turn on the spot, and so have no problem at Hawsbury Junction, and can turn her in one at the bottom of the Paddington Basin. In fact I believe she is the only boat that has gone around the turn from Braunston Marina back onto the canal at the lock end entrance in one. Zak won a beer for that, no-one else in their Stars, Towns and Joshers managed it!

 

However, I would say that she is the heaviest boat to steer ever imaged, and I really feel it on my arms even after a short run if I'm out of practice. So not necessarily a good holiday boat!

 

Cheers,

 

Mike

 

edited because I got the quote the wrong way around

Edited November 27, 2009 by mykaskin

[Steve Priest]

On reading Mike Askin's post, I think that Middle Northwich boats have the edge, I owned one once, it was lovely to steer, but had lots of power as well. Round chines for you!

 

Most new boats we come across have rudders which are far too small. This makes the tiller nice and light, but the boat tends not to respond very well. I think that a lot of boats get away with this by power alone. Give me a heavier to steer but more responsive boat every time.

Edited November 29, 2009 by Steve Priest

[koukouvagia]

In fact I believe she is the only boat that has gone around the turn from Braunston Marina back onto the canal at the lock end entrance in one. Zak won a beer for that, no-one else in their Stars, Towns and Joshers managed it!

 

Rubbish. Have you watched Trevor Maggs or Ron Withey (to name but two) do this manoeuvre?

[David Schweizer]

Rubbish. Have you watched Trevor Maggs or Ron Withey (to name but two) do this manoeuvre?

And Laura Carter.

[NB Alnwick]

On reading Mike Askin's post, I think that Middle Northwich boats have the edge, I owned one once, it was lovely to steer, but had lots of power as well. Round chines for you!

 

Most new boats we come across have rudders which are far too small. This makes the tiller nice and light, but the boat tends not to respond very well. I think that a lot of boats get away with this by power alone. Give me a heavier to steer but more responsive boat every time.

 

I take some comfort from this, because if I ever had just one criticism of 'Alnwick' it was that I thought the effort required to move the tiller when under way was more than on other boats that I have steered but Phil always responded by telling us that the rudder was of the correct dimensions.

[Timleech]

On reading Mike Askin's post, I think that Middle Northwich boats have the edge, I owned one once, it was lovely to steer, but had lots of power as well. Round chines for you!

 

Most new boats we come across have rudders which are far too small. This makes the tiller nice and light, but the boat tends not to respond very well. I think that a lot of boats get away with this by power alone. Give me a heavier to steer but more responsive boat every time.

 

A lot of newish boats have too much 'balance' on the leading edge, so much in some cases that you can't feel a thing at the tiller, in my opinion that's horrible.

A lot of my early Narrow Boating was done steering a trip boat which was an early Joshers motor boat - vertical rudder post, no balance whatsoever, draught over 3', it taught me a lot about where a boat should be in a narrow winding canal and that if you get it right, steering isn't hard work. Sadly the channel is all over the place these days, at that time there were the last vestiges of commercial traffic to maintain the channel in the right place, but the basic rules still apply.

 

Tim

Edited November 30, 2009 by Timleech

[Keeping Up]

A really good boat will find the channel and follow it, as long as the channel doesn't wander around too much - although unfortunately as Tim says, it often is all over the place these days. Apart from the obvious effect that the nose might be nudged into the deep water by the silt a the edge of the channel (or might not depending on the depth, profile, and make-up of the silt)a much more powerful underwater force comes into play.

 

Most people have experienced the effect where the stern gets "sucked in" towards the bank if you get close to the edge of the canal. The same effect works when you are in mid-channel and start to stray towards the edge of the channel; if the boat starts to wander that way, the stern is sucked towards the edge so that the boat is aimed back into the channel. The effect disappears as the boat returns to the channel, so the boat effectively steers itself.

[Kraken]

Having steered hundreds of different canal boats, over the years, I can assure you it does.

 

Some boats are pigs to steer and some are wonderful.

 

 

I'm probably going to regret starting this -

 

but what does make for a hull that's good to steer?

 

 

Just bumping MJG's question really. Carl, having had the advantage of steering hundreds of canal boats, I thought you might be best placed to enlighten us with the benefit of your experience. Were you able to see the bottoms of some of these boats, so that you could relate underwater design features to handling characteristics? I would be interested to know more about this subject, since, having only ever steered one canal boat over the years, I have nothing to compare.

 

You do occasionally see some unusual things like the bulbous bow addition on some, I think it was, Alvechurch boats. Does anyone have any knowledge or experience of that?

[blackrose]

On a different but related point (rather than starting a new thread), if my prop is spins clockwise in forward gear (when looking from behind), does that mean I have a right handed prop? In reverse my stern tends to go to port and in forward I think the boat turns around easier to starboard. Does this make sense?

 

It's worth making a mental note of which way your stern reacts to propwalk (paddlewheel effect) in astern and also which way it turns around easiest in forward.

[Iain_S]

On a different but related point (rather than starting a new thread), if my prop is spins clockwise in forward gear (when looking from behind), does that mean I have a right handed prop?

Yes

In reverse my stern tends to go to port and in forward I think the boat turns around easier to starboard. Does this make sense?

Yes

It's worth making a mental note of which way your stern reacts to propwalk (paddlewheel effect) in astern and also which way it turns around easiest in forward.

 

Very true, but be prepared for it to go the other way in astern and head for the shallows

 

Iain

[Keeping Up]

You do occasionally see some unusual things like the bulbous bow addition on some, I think it was, Alvechurch boats. Does anyone have any knowledge or experience of that?

I've never steered one, but on one occasion we caught up with one on the Llangollen. He was going as fast as he could without creating any wash, we weren't making any wash but quickly caught him and he pulled over to wave us past saying that people had been passing him all day and he couldn't keep up with any of them.

[nb Innisfree]

Very true, but be prepared for it to go the other way in astern and head for the shallows

 

Iain

 

I think you have that the wrong way round, a boat with a right handed prop will turn tighter to port, paddlewheel assisting by pushing stern to starboard

 

As for astern as you say it is anybodys guess, I seem to start off with stern going to port then changes to starboard but sometimes the other way round :lol:

Edited December 5, 2009 by nb Innisfree

[Timleech]

I think you have that the wrong way round, a boat with a right handed prop will turn tighter to port, paddlewheel assisting by pushing stern to starboard

 

As for astern as you say it is anybodys guess, I seem to start off with stern going to port then changes to starboard but sometimes the other way round

 

He was right as regards going astern. A RH prop will swing the stern to Port in astern gear, it'll be the opposite though to a much lesser extent - often unnoticeable - when going ahead.

 

Tim

[Rustykev]

He was right as regards going astern. A RH prop will swing the stern to Port in astern gear, it'll be the opposite though to a much lesser extent - often unnoticeable - when going ahead.

 

Tim

 

Its 22.15 and I've had enough of this....

..... which side is port anyway.....

......"Full ahead backwards" as someone once said