rope tricks and tip

[jim and pat dalton]

Might be a niave question but: Are there any tricks for going uphill in locks??

[canaldrifter]

Might be a niave question but: Are there any tricks for going uphill in locks??

 

If you have a good bow fender leave the boat ticking over in gear as you fill the lock. The stem will ride up over the cill, and nudge the gates open when the level equalises.

 

It also stops having to control the boat in the lock, if the lock is filled carefully.

 

Single handed, you can step aboard as the boat chugs out of the filled lock.

 

BW frown on the practice.

 

Tone

[Keeping Up]

If you have a good bow fender leave the boat ticking over in gear as you fill the lock. The stem will ride up over the cill, and nudge the gates open when the level equalises.

 

It also stops having to control the boat in the lock, if the lock is filled carefully.

 

Single handed, you can step aboard as the boat chugs out of the filled lock.

 

BW frown on the practice.

 

Tone

 

On narrow locks, in order to close the gate behind you, you can sneakily let the boat 'help' you to open the gate and chug out of the lock on its own; as it passes you where you are standing by the balance beam, you can engage reverse gear which allows the boat to travel a length or two before coming back to you. Meanwhile you have had time to close the gate so you just step on board and re-engage forward gear.

[Sue]

My favourite rope trick is to put a double turn of the aft rope around a bollard, hold tight and gently reverse back 'leaning' on the rope. This sends the bow out from the side..

 

Ahem, not needed if you have a bow thruster of course!

[canaldrifter]

A very obvious and simple 'trick', is to run the centre line back along the cabin top or for'd to the foredeck, so that it is within reach of the steerer or a crew member.

 

Keep it flicked over obstructions towards the towpath side. Then it's easy to step off the back or front of the boat, rope in hand, and immediately take control.

 

You often see centre lines coiled up neatly in the centre of the cabin top, out of reach, except from the gunnel of a boat beginning to drift.

 

Tone

[mykaskin]

Another trick (not great on cabin boats, but does work) is to use the backend rail line (or center line) tie it off, and then run ahead on it - the line pulls the whole boat alongside the bank, and keeps it there.

 

Just be wary of it pulling the boat over, so make sure everything is put away properly. Works well in locks, especially going up hill - no lean then, but make sure there is enough line not to pull downwards when the roof starts to get higher than the bollard.

 

Cheers,

 

Mike

[Keeping Up]

A sort of a combination of the effects of Mike's and Sue's techniques, but using the stern line on each case, is to pass your stern line round a bollard (or use a piling hook) and back to the dolly. With the boat at tickover forwards it will hold the whole boat against the bank without the need for any other mooring rope. then if you change from forwards to reverse the boat will move back a bit and swing the bows out. When they are pointing in the right direction, re-engage forwards and the line goes slack so you can just lift it off the bollard as the boat sets off.

 

 

The holding effect in forward gear is not that strong (Mike's technique for using the centre line is much more powerful) but it will work if there's not too much wind blowing. You may need to experiment a bit to get the right length of rope too. It helps if the dolly is well away from the centre of the boat, towards the edge, so it works particularly well if like me you have a cruiser stern and can let the outer upright of the stern rail work like a dolly.

 

So you can achieve mooring up, staying moored, swinging out, and setting off - all without leaving the stern of the boat!

[mykaskin]

If I did that the bow would be across the canal, but unless there is a boat coming the other way, I just tie the stern so I can get back on the boat (I single hand), and then when set off from the bank the boat swings in the middle and end up in the deep again.

 

Mike