Whoopee!

[system 4-50]

OK, I've come onto narrow canals for the last couple of months. I have dutifully tied up below the locks, wandered up, discovered nobody about and the lock empty, opened the gates and gone back to the boat, untied it, pushed it off at the nose, and fought the wind and spillways to get the boat into lock.

 

Recently I watched another single hander doing it and was encouraged to be braver. I brought the boat straight upto the gates as I couldn't see any sign of people or leakage through the gates. Timing it perfectly, I brought the boat to a stop exactly against the gates preparatory to walking the gunnel and stepping off. And with that slight touch the gates opened fractionally. A very slightly touch of the throttle and both opened fully and gently! Happiness!

 

And so the next four locks all did the same!. The fifth was clearly leaking so had to be worked.

 

I understand this is acceptable working practice, no?

 

Not all the lock gates were fully visible. If I pushed one open, even ever so gently, and a member of the general public happened to be sitting on the arm, unaware of my presence, how would that be?

[Rebotco]

OK, I've come onto narrow canals for the last couple of months. I have dutifully tied up below the locks, wandered up, discovered nobody about and the lock empty, opened the gates and gone back to the boat, untied it, pushed it off at the nose, and fought the wind and spillways to get the boat into lock.

 

Recently I watched another single hander doing it and was encouraged to be braver. I brought the boat straight upto the gates as I couldn't see any sign of people or leakage through the gates. Timing it perfectly, I brought the boat to a stop exactly against the gates preparatory to walking the gunnel and stepping off. And with that slight touch the gates opened fractionally. A very slightly touch of the throttle and both opened fully and gently! Happiness!

 

And so the next four locks all did the same!. The fifth was clearly leaking so had to be worked.

 

I understand this is acceptable working practice, no?

 

Not all the lock gates were fully visible. If I pushed one open, even ever so gently, and a member of the general public happened to be sitting on the arm, unaware of my presence, how would that be?

 

I believe they're a bit tetchy about manslaughter these days.

It will be interesting to see other replies to this post.

 

Brian

[casper ghost]

It's certainly easier nudging the gates open if you're single handed.

Casp'

[blackrose]

I've nudged gates open on double locks with my widebeam when I can see daylight through the crack between the gates. The trick is to bring the boat up to the gates very slowly and almost bring it to a stop just before the bow touches the gates. Then once the bow fender is resting on both gates (in the centre), you can put the boat back into gear and push them slowly open. Get it right and you'll feel like you're a skilled boater, get it wrong and go clattering into the gates and you better hope nobody's looking!

 

I don't know if it's accepted practice or not, but if you do it make sure nobody's anywhere near the balance beams.

[luctor et emergo]

If there's no water leaking out, I nudge the gates. A blast on the horn alerts anybody around the lock.

On most of the Western K&A locks you can't get the bow against the gate, and get on the bank, because the layout of the bridges, or the bank simply to steep. The layout of the narrow Oxford Canal locks, with their landing stages next to the lock gates, is superb, and a joy to work.

[system 4-50]

Surely the lock working areas should be off-limits to the general public? ie the gates and the areas directly between?

Impossible to enforce of course, but there should be signs warning them of the risks.

[mrsmelly]

Surely the lock working areas should be off-limits to the general public? ie the gates and the areas directly between?

Impossible to enforce of course, but there should be signs warning them of the risks.

 

We dont need any signs stating the bleeding obvious. Its about time people accepted their own mistakes rather than all the moaning about danger. Life is dangerous unless we lock ourselves in the garden shed and never go out..........

[system 4-50]

We dont need any signs stating the bleeding obvious. Its about time people accepted their own mistakes rather than all the moaning about danger. Life is dangerous unless we lock ourselves in the garden shed and never go out..........

 

My wife owns the garden shed. It is a death trap. Rakes stacked prongs outward, overcrowded, only one exit in a tinderbox, no fire extinguishers, full of toxic chemicals, I find it necessary to refuse to do anything in the garden because it is too dangerous...

[magpie patrick]

Surely the lock working areas should be off-limits to the general public? ie the gates and the areas directly between?

Impossible to enforce of course, but there should be signs warning them of the risks.

 

 

When single handing I used to nudge gates open (Now I have Val I almost never single hand), fundamental rule, if you can't see the balance beam, and thus can't see the sweep of it is clear, don't push it with the boat.

 

Otherwise, just get on with it.

[furnessvale]

OK, I've come onto narrow canals for the last couple of months. I have dutifully tied up below the locks, wandered up, discovered nobody about and the lock empty, opened the gates and gone back to the boat, untied it, pushed it off at the nose, and fought the wind and spillways to get the boat into lock.

<SMIP>

Not all the lock gates were fully visible. If I pushed one open, even ever so gently, and a member of the general public happened to be sitting on the arm, unaware of my presence, how would that be?

 

You can dutifully tie up etc and by the time you have returned to the boat a member of the public can still wander up and helpfully close the gates.

 

I always rest on the gates even if the lock is not set. Far too many lock landing areas are too shallow to get in properly. Provided you are touching the gates you can empty a lock in front of the boat which will stay firmly in position with the water flow. Leave the tiller on strings and the boat in gear and when the lock is empty the boat will helpfully open the gates and come in on its own.

 

George ex nb Alton retired

Edited December 4, 2011 by furnessvale

[Mac of Cygnet]

You can dutifully tie up etc and by the time you have returned to the boat a member of the public can still wander up and helpfully close the gates.

 

I always rest on the gates even if the lock is not set. Far too many lock landing areas are too shallow to get in properly. Provided you are touching the gates you can empty a lock in front of the boat which will stay firmly in position with the water flow. Leave the tiller on strings and the boat in gear and when the lock is empty the boat will helpfully open the gates and come in on its own.

 

George ex nb Alton retired

 

This is simply not possible in many locks, including most of the C&H and Rochdale - there is just no way of getting off the boat when it's nosed into the lock tail.

[Theo]

I have seen complaints about the practice of nudging. As you push ito the lock people say that you wear the sealing surface of the lock gates and couse them to leak.

 

Nick

 

PS Movin this to boat handling.

[Theo]

In 2008 on the Grand Tour, SWMBO had to abandon ship to look after her mother. I had the privilege of wirking up Tardebigge alone. all the locks were against me IIRC so nunging was not an option.

 

My method was to walk up four locks, opening a bottom paddle as I went. By the time I got down again the first lock was ready for the gates to be opened. Open the gates unmoor and enter lock. Climb out up the ladder with windlass and center line. Close up and them open top paddles. make fast to the top beam or whatever to stop the boat moving back on to the bottom gates. Open the next set of gates. Open the top gates of the lock Theodora was in. Set her on tickover ahead keeping hold of the centre line. Use the centre line to assist shutting the top gate. Climb aboard and steer into the next lock.

 

No nudging needed.

 

Nick

[Matthew Dowson]

The gunnel will certainly rub against the gate as you enter the lock and cause wear and leaks in due course, thereby shortening the gates life. In working boat days it was accepted practice, but back then the concern wasn't on lack of funds for maintaining the system. Guess if we're not all doing it its not a major problem.

[furnessvale]

This is simply not possible in many locks, including most of the C&H and Rochdale - there is just no way of getting off the boat when it's nosed into the lock tail.

 

I was, of course, describing my narrow lock technique where, even on Bosley, it is possible to walk along the top plank and jump onto the wing wall.

 

George ex nb Alton retired

 

I have seen complaints about the practice of nudging. As you push ito the lock people say that you wear the sealing surface of the lock gates and couse them to leak.

 

Nick

 

PS Movin this to boat handling.

 

Certainly on narrow locks the boat pushes against the body of the mitre post or the attached steel rubbing plates, not the sealing strips. Broad locks are quite different where the distance between the wing walls would cause the unattended boat to slew round too much in any case.

 

George ex nb Alton retired

Edited December 4, 2011 by furnessvale

[ditchcrawler]

We dont need any signs stating the bleeding obvious. Its about time people accepted their own mistakes rather than all the moaning about danger. Life is dangerous unless we lock ourselves in the garden shed and never go out..........

Well said

[mykaskin]

This is simply not possible in many locks, including most of the C&H and Rochdale - there is just no way of getting off the boat when it's nosed into the lock tail.

 

You just climb up the gates - simples.

 

Mike

[Mac of Cygnet]

You just climb up the gates - simples.

 

Mike

 

I'm getting abit old for monkey business. But seriously, I've seen this suggested several times, but have you EVER seen it done? I haven't.

[AJLintern]

Grappling hook over the balance beam? Bow mounted trebuchet...?

[ditchcrawler]

You just climb up the gates - simples.

 

Mike

I have done that once but cant remember where, got a right bollicking off her indoors so not tried again.

[luctor et emergo]

Having moved around the K&A locks, I don't see how I could climb up them, from the bow...

[alan_fincher]

My method was to walk up four locks, opening a bottom paddle as I went. By the time I got down again the first lock was ready for the gates to be opened. Open the gates unmoor and enter lock. Climb out up the ladder with windlass and center line. Close up and them open top paddles. make fast to the top beam or whatever to stop the boat moving back on to the bottom gates. Open the next set of gates. Open the top gates of the lock Theodora was in. Set her on tickover ahead keeping hold of the centre line. Use the centre line to assist shutting the top gate. Climb aboard and steer into the next lock.

I'd suggest it would need to be a very non-busy time for a single hander to be able to walk 4 locks ahead of their boat drawing paddles to reverse the lock, and then walk back to operate in the way you say.

 

If you are turning 4 locks ahead, you would need to be fairly confident that no other boat was even (say) eight locks ahead, and coming down, or (with all the locks up to your lead lock already in their favour), they will probably arrive there long before you.

 

At most flights there are very few places where you can know what is going on 4 or more locks ahead of you.

 

Even with a crew of two or three working very quickly, and even at non-busy times, do we ever set more than a couple ahead.

 

Sods law almost dictates that the only boat you meet coming the other way all day long will be the one that arrives at a lock you have turned well in advance long before you do.

 

I have seen complaints about the practice of nudging. As you push ito the lock people say that you wear the sealing surface of the lock gates and couse them to leak.

In a twin gate situation, (narrow or broad lock) if you "nudge" in a straight line dead through the middle, you can never really be rubbing on the sealing surfaces, if you think about what actually is then capable of touching what.

 

If you try barging a double lock, at a bad angle of approach, so the gates don't open at all evenly, then it is certainly possible to damage, particularly if one gate hardly moves, and you rub the seal, because something stops the other one opening totally.

[furnessvale]

I'm getting abit old for monkey business. But seriously, I've seen this suggested several times, but have you EVER seen it done? I haven't.

 

The intermediate gates at Chester Northgate staircase have proper hand and footholds cut into the steelwork. It must look quite impressive as you get near the top of the gate and look back at the boat below and, NO, I haven't tried it even though I rockclimbed in my youth.

 

George ex nb Alton retired

[Martin Megson]

I tried this for the first time at Hillmorten on the Oxford canal as I mainly travel alone. These are twin locks with a handy pier between extending 10 ft which is ideal to tie up to. Originally planned to stop in front of gates and open manually but they moved very easily with just a slight nudge.

[mykaskin]

I'm getting abit old for monkey business. But seriously, I've seen this suggested several times, but have you EVER seen it done? I haven't.

 

Yes, a few times, and even managed it myself!