What length can be handled solo?

[junejune]

Hi,

 

I'm about to take the plunge and buy a second/third hand nb. Should I be able to get about (slowly) on my own and if so, does length matter

enormously?

 

Looking forward to your expert answers

[deletedaccount]

I don't think it matters much. Mine's 58 foot and I don't think a 70 footer would be much more difficult.

[canaldrifter]

I've handled 72ft to 32ft solo on more than a few occasions, and it really doesn't matter, except in high wind or current.

 

The real secret is to do everything very slowly, keep centreline in hand.... and don't ever jump.

 

Tone

Edited March 22, 2011 by canaldrifter

[carlt]

With practice 144 feet becomes second nature.

[ditchcrawler]

Have you ever handled a Narrowboat before?

[GSer]

The build of both yourself and the boat will make a difference when single handing, a heavy 70' boat takes a bit of man(or lady) handling, but it can be done with little problem as long as you are strong enough.

 

Get out and try a few, it really is the best way to know if you can manage.

[canaldrifter]

With practice 144 feet becomes second nature.

 

You'd be a maxi-centipede then?

 

Tone

[carlt]

a heavy 70' boat takes a bit of man(or lady) handling, but it can be done with little problem as long as you are strong enough.

 

Really?

 

The woman who lives with me, in a romantic capacity (TWWLMIARC), is 5' 2" struggles to lift a 20 kilo anchor yet can handle a full length work boat without breaking a sweat.

 

Let the engine do the work and you don't have to.

[Guest]

The woman who lives with me, in a romantic capacity (TWWLMIARC),

 

you never fail - brilliant -

 

what tends to catch Jan out though is when something out of the ordinary happens - strong gust of wind and the like (but guess that could catch a lot of folk out) - generally though she can handle 'The Dog House' (60ft) pretty well much on her own now, leaving me to do the locks.

Edited March 22, 2011 by MJG

[twbm]

I think longer boats are easier to steer, which is what you spend most of your time doing. Strategically placed adequately long centre ropes allow boats of any inland waterway length to be handled by one person if they are methodical and careful. Techniques at locks can be adapted to single handling.

[canaldrifter]

Really?

 

The woman who lives with me, in a romantic capacity (TWWLMIARC), is 5' 2" struggles to lift a 20 kilo anchor yet can handle a full length work boat without breaking a sweat.

 

Let the engine do the work and you don't have to.

 

Oh gawd. I have to agree with you again!

 

What's the point of having a donkey and braying yourself?

 

I must admit whenever I see a steerer jump ashore, rope in hand, and try to stop a 25 ton moving boat, I wonder why s/he didn't stop the boat first, and then step ashore.

 

Tone

[GSer]

Really?

 

The woman who lives with me, in a romantic capacity (TWWLMIARC), is 5' 2" struggles to lift a 20 kilo anchor yet can handle a full length work boat without breaking a sweat.

 

Let the engine do the work and you don't have to.

 

 

I feel for her, i really do

[RLWP]

 

The woman who lives with me, in a romantic capacity (TWWLMIARC)

 

<snip>

 

TWWLWMIARC

 

Richard

 

My spellchecker wants to correct that to Matriarchal

[Albion]

Oh gawd. I have to agree with you again!

 

What's the point of having a donkey and braying yourself?

 

I must admit whenever I see a steerer jump ashore, rope in hand, and try to stop a 25 ton moving boat, I wonder why s/he didn't stop the boat first, and then step ashore.

 

Tone

 

In theory that is perfectly correct, but with deeper drafted boats the reverse thrust of stopping tends to get between the bank and the stern swim. By the time you have managed to stop all forward motion the stern will, in all likelihood, be too far from the bank to step ashore. Even if you approach the bank as slowly as you can it can sometimes be difficult to arrest all forward motion without the stern being pushed back out. The effect depends a lot on draft, prop size, depth of water, which way the prop walks etc of course.

Roger

[carlt]

My spellchecker wants to correct that to Matriarchal

We're heading back to Swmbo territory, there.

[canaldrifter]

In theory that is perfectly correct, but with deeper drafted boats the reverse thrust of stopping tends to get between the bank and the stern swim. By the time you have managed to stop all forward motion the stern will, in all likelihood, be too far from the bank to step ashore. Even if you approach the bank as slowly as you can it can sometimes be difficult to arrest all forward motion without the stern being pushed back out. The effect depends a lot on draft, prop size, depth of water, which way the prop walks etc of course.

Roger

 

Well... yeah, Roger, but if you know your boat, the stern can be swinging in before you apply reverse thrust so that you don't have to jump at all.

 

And even if it starts to swing out, for example when transverse thrust is working against you, you then let it go astern for a bit, then give it some forward thrust with tiller towards the bank so that the stern comes in nicely. The bow, being lighter, can easily be pulled in, except when the wind is high and off-bank.

 

I was doing that for the last four years that I was on crutches, including Merlin, a 72ft trip boat on the Basy. It worked for me. (I'm not now on crutches after two hip replacements, but I still don't jump).

 

Three points of contact at all times = pretty safe.

 

Let the engine do the work.

 

Tone

[koukouvagia]

Personally I'd rather steer a deep drafted, heavy 70' boat any day. The heavier the boat the more it stays put and there's less faffing around at locks.

[Albion]

Personally I'd rather steer a deep drafted, heavy 70' boat any day. The heavier the boat the more it stays put and there's less faffing around at locks.

 

Agreed when hovering for locks and general boating. They are so much more stable and less skittish with crosswinds etc.

Roger

[Machpoint005]

My own experience is that our current 48 footer is easier to handle on a centre-line than the previous (shared) 58' job, or our first 60-footer. Ditto steering - but it does have a ginormous tiller and a relatively powerful engine.

 

Everything is fairly easy single-handed, though - until the wind blows!

 

It doesn't help if a boat's not skittish, if the wind is against you!

[Kate_MM]

One of the most useful things I did was have an instructor for a day at the start - saves time and unlearning bad habits later and I learned a lot about the theory of what was happening out of sight. Very useful for things like winding without lots of revving, splashing and shoving the tiller back and forth!

 

I haven't had much experience of more than 60' single handed but I have friends who say it is easier in some ways - you take the length of a lock rather than bounding around. I find little day boats the worst - no weight so catch every gust of wind.

 

And I'd reiterate everything everyone has said about taking it slow and steady - and avoid boating in pouring rain unless you really need to. There's no one there if you slip. After a bit you dread meeting helpful souls who insist on doing the lock for you. I know they mean well and I do love having someone to shut a gate but you feel rather vulnerable at the bottom of a lock with an over enthusiastic windlass wielder just out of hailing range! But, having said that I love trundling around on my own, there is a great freedom in being able to stop when and where I feel like it without having to be somewhere to pick up/drop off crew or fret about reuniting them with their car.

 

Have fun!

[David Mack]

Hi,

 

I'm about to take the plunge and buy a second/third hand nb. Should I be able to get about (slowly) on my own and if so, does length matter

enormously?

 

Yes. If the boat is longer than about 72ft its awful hard work lifting it round the locks. Below that length, I find longer is no more difficult than shorter, and often easier.

 

David

[Yellowback]

Yes. If the boat is longer than about 72ft its awful hard work lifting it round the locks. Below that length, I find longer is no more difficult than shorter, and often easier.

 

David

 

 

 

 

Can't you just fit a wheel to the bow of the long ones and treat it like a wheel barrow?

[zenataomm]

I'll merely say.......

Barry Burgess

[Chertsey]

What makes steering hard work is a badly balanced rudder, not the size of the boat. I've steered 72' boats that were alike in every respect but some were easy (Chertsey, Hampstead, Chiswick) and one was a lot harder (Tarporley). Yeah, I know, it's a Northwich.

Chertsey steers as easily if not more so than the 54 footer and 32 footer I've had before, and is definitely easier to manoeuvre and position.

 

edited to be honest: except when it's windy

Edited March 22, 2011 by Chertsey

[canaldrifter]

Can't you just fit a wheel to the bow of the long ones and treat it like a wheel barrow?

 

The problem is they squeak so much due to the axle being immersed most of the time.

 

Retractable boats make more sense.

 

Tone