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Single manning of canal boat


sue1

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so......

 

how do you descend Bath deep lock with a 50 foot narrow boat single handed?

 

(I ask this as one who has been boating, often single handed for 20 years - I admit defeat to this one.)

 

 

 

not so. It is sufficient to run a line back from the bow with the boat as far forward as possible.

 

Next time you're in the lock, empty, run a mooring line to the bollard nearest the ladder. Tie it with no more than a few inches of slack using a knot that can be untied under a bit of tension, and mark on the rope where it is tied. Next time you're coming down the lock,use the same mooring line tied to the same bollard, using your mark. As the lock empties it will pull your boat to the foot of the ladder.

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Must admit , ive only hired so far , but have had to single man though a few locks on my own ( im more excitted then the girlfriend about waking up and boatting , she seems to enjoy being in bed more , so its a case of ...go though a couple locks , moor up , get a cuppa then go to the bedroom to be told " when you get to the first lock , ill help you " ...."we're at the 5th one" ...."oh" )

 

but anyways .

 

if im going down a lock , i drive in as normal , take it out of gear and just hold it on the center line, open the bottom gates once empty and then just pull the boat out . its going so slowly , i can shut the gates and then by the time thats done , get down to the bank side and jump on and off

 

going up , i always take it slowly if the girlfriends asleep . firstly cause i dont enjoy the bol..( angry girlfriend) and secondly , i find i cant do it quickly safely anyways . i always just pull the NB in to the lock by the center line as i walk up to the top . pull it back to the down stream gates once shut and open 1 paddle to keep the NB agaisnt the gate . and pulling it off the gate just before the top so the read fender doesnt get stuck under the railings .

 

 

 

ok , so im no where close to knowing even a 1/100th of what most of you know , but personly , thats how i do it and ive found it safer to leave it out of gear and just use the center line the whole way though the operation rather then risk the slippery ladders ...

 

regards

mitch

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Bath deep lock is a pig, went down on my own last week, I use the centre line on the opposite side, to add a kittle extra angle. Also need to pull her back from the gates,to open them.

 

 

I have definitely been down bath lock single-handed, but can't remember whether I climbed down the ladder to get back on or hauled the boat out. Importantly, I remembered to close the back doors and put the tonneau cover on before descending!

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Must admit , ive only hired so far , but have had to single man though a few locks on my own ( im more excitted then the girlfriend about waking up and boatting , she seems to enjoy being in bed more ,

 

If you need help, I'll come and look after the girlfriend. :blush:

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Why don't you just stay on the lockside with one or more ropes ashore, and then just bowhaul the boat out, and reboard under the bridge?

 

David

 

Thanks for this. I've heard stories about Bath deep lock, and it was worrying me. Although I'll (probably) be based in Lincoln, trips to Bath and Bristol are likely to be reasonably common, and single-handed. I will grudgingly *use* ladders if I have to (against walls - never been up or down a lock ladder), but I really don't like them.

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I have singlehanded Lemonroyd going down (was lucky to have a Lockie on the way up) and the trick is to put 3/4 turn of the centre rope around a bollard and feed it through as the boat goes down. This will keep it nice and flush to the side as it goes down. It is then easy to climb down the ladder onto the boat. I can't see anything that in this respect that is different between Bath deep lock and Lemonroyd, just fully open one paddle and go straight to the centre rope.

 

The Going It Alone book is full of good advice but there are many things he suggests that don't do it for me, for example, putting the throttle in reverse while the boat drives out the lock, the single hander hops off to close the lock gate and then the boat returns back to the lock gate once the gate is closed.

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...

 

The Going It Alone book is full of good advice but there are many things he suggests that don't do it for me, for example, putting the throttle in reverse while the boat drives out the lock, the single hander hops off to close the lock gate and then the boat returns back to the lock gate once the gate is closed.

 

I do that all the time when going uphill, it works for me. You should have seen the look on the fisherman's face when he told me "Your boat's gone without you" and I replied "No, I've trained it to come back when I whistle"; just as it stopped I whistled, then he looked up and dropped his rod in amazement!

  • Greenie 3
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I find the centre line never stops the boat from going forward or back enough as there's never a centre bollard in the right place. I don't tie, I use just wrap the rope around the bollard about 4 times. That way I can control both if needed from afar. I'm 50ft by 12ft, so on most locks I have width to control a well..

I agree. Tying with two ropes is not only ridiculous but completely unnecessary. When working uphill in a narrow lock we leave the boat in ahead gear and open the paddles gently. The boat stays at the front of the lock. If you have a front fender we would recomend lifting it onto the fore deck so that it can't snag. Going downhill we take the centre line onto the lock side and take one turn round a bollard. In wide locks we try to share whenever possible but if we are alone we use the centre line to control the boat. Opening the ground paddle on the same side as the boat will help to keep it to that side (except in some of the locks on the Leeds and Liverpool). Most importanatly, work at your own pace, never let anyone rush you.

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I agree. Tying with two ropes is not only ridiculous but completely unnecessary. When working uphill in a narrow lock we leave the boat in ahead gear and open the paddles gently. The boat stays at the front of the lock. If you have a front fender we would recomend lifting it onto the fore deck so that it can't snag. Going downhill we take the centre line onto the lock side and take one turn round a bollard. In wide locks we try to share whenever possible but if we are alone we use the centre line to control the boat. Opening the ground paddle on the same side as the boat will help to keep it to that side (except in some of the locks on the Leeds and Liverpool). Most importanatly, work at your own pace, never let anyone rush you.

 

quite right, it's the same on the Grand Union. Ground paddle same side and gate paddle from the opposite side, the boat isn't going anywhere.

Unfortunately, I think the Trent and Mersey is slightly different so may have to perfect a new method!!

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Some people enjoy working locks on their own. I would enjoy them more if my tired old body didn't groan and protest so much. Make no mistake; moving a boat solo can be hard work, but it's not impossible. It's more technique than brute force. Even so, my limit is about 10 locks in a day before it stops being fun. I watched other single boaters and asked lots of questions when I started out, learning techniques like hopping off the boat with the centre line and windlass as the boat coasts into an empty lock, and letting it pull me up the slope to the top. Engaging with onlookers can save a lot of effort as they'll at least close the lock gate for you when you exit. Wait for a hireboat and let them do all the work whilst providing a comedy of errors. But avoid locking on your own if you can. Especially if the weather's wet and windy or it's getting dark. The potential for mistakes is endless, and one slip could prove fatal. You really need to have eyes in the back of your head. In any case, I find that locks become more and more fun as the number of people doing them increases. Me plus miserable cold girlfriend: Not much fun. Me plus misery plus a boatload of hyper inner city kids: Hysterical.

Having said all that, there is another option. Don't do locks. I am on a 12-mile pound running around the east and north of Milton Keynes between Cosgrove and Fenny Stratford locks on the GU. I have everything within a few hours drive including a 24-hour Tesco. And there are at least five postcodes along the way for total continuous cruiser compliance goodness.

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Some people enjoy working locks on their own. I would enjoy them more if my tired old body didn't groan and protest so much. Make no mistake; moving a boat solo can be hard work, but it's not impossible. It's more technique than brute force. Even so, my limit is about 10 locks in a day before it stops being fun. I watched other single boaters and asked lots of questions when I started out, learning techniques like hopping off the boat with the centre line and windlass as the boat coasts into an empty lock, and letting it pull me up the slope to the top. Engaging with onlookers can save a lot of effort as they'll at least close the lock gate for you when you exit. Wait for a hireboat and let them do all the work whilst providing a comedy of errors. But avoid locking on your own if you can. Especially if the weather's wet and windy or it's getting dark. The potential for mistakes is endless, and one slip could prove fatal. You really need to have eyes in the back of your head. In any case, I find that locks become more and more fun as the number of people doing them increases. Me plus miserable cold girlfriend: Not much fun. Me plus misery plus a boatload of hyper inner city kids: Hysterical.

Having said all that, there is another option. Don't do locks. I am on a 12-mile pound running around the east and north of Milton Keynes between Cosgrove and Fenny Stratford locks on the GU. I have everything within a few hours drive including a 24-hour Tesco. And there are at least five postcodes along the way for total continuous cruiser compliance goodness.

Totally agree about the old bones.

Cannot agree that your cruising pattern complies with the CC regs though, unless you have a "home" mooring

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Wait for a hireboat and let them do all the work whilst providing a comedy of errors.

 

Thanks for the generalisation there. I'm happy to know that us great unwashed who can't afford our own boats provide you with such amusement.

 

rolleyes.gif

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I don't mind the ladder (much) but I'd be interested as to your method. I have failed to find a way to descend bath deep lock (14' wide lock, 18' fall) single handed

 

Actually Bath Deep Lock has a fall of 19'5" - assuming the pound above it is full!

 

Dave

 

PS Why do a lot of boaters refer to wide locks as DOUBLE locks? They are not if you have a Wide boat!

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Actually Bath Deep Lock has a fall of 19'5" - assuming the pound above it is full!

 

Dave

 

PS Why do a lot of boaters refer to wide locks as DOUBLE locks? They are not if you have a Wide boat!

 

I can do bath lock single handed. It's a bit of a nightmare but it's possible. I have about a foot of rope to tie off with when it's empty :D

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I can do bath lock single handed. It's a bit of a nightmare but it's possible. I have about a foot of rope to tie off with when it's empty :D

 

Pah!

 

Victoria_HolmeLock.jpg

 

12 foot water level difference, plus a good 6-8 foot extra in wall... :wacko:

 

I single handed all the way to Newark, about 20 mins per lock.

 

Mike

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  • 4 weeks later...

The majority of my boating has been single handed , i always but always use the centre line all the time, the only time i ever use my bow and stern ropes is when i have moored with my centre line first, i am still amazed how many people moor with a bow or stern rope first ... with either one of those the other end of the boat can swing out , whereas once a centre line is secured the boat is going nowhere.

 

As far as deep wide locks are concerned i have two centre lines on my boat, one on each handrail and i also use the far one to give me more pull to the inside of a deep wide lock, rather than the one nearest the lock wall.

 

I have done the river trent locks like this along with the wide locks on the canal system more times than i care to remember.

 

As already said it is all doable it is just a case of taking your time and learning through experience, it isnt a case of knowing every lock or bridge and knowing how to approach them although local knowledge of problem ones is invaluable, it is just building up confidence and awareness of any potential dangers to yourself and your boat.

 

Another thing i have found effective if there is no bollard close enough to the ladder when getting back on the boat in a deep wide lock is to loop the centre rope around one of the top ladder rungs taking the end back down to the boat to help pull it in to the side , once on the roof just let it go and pull the other end to retrieve it.

 

Rick

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I had never been in command of a narrow boat when i set off from Bristol docks on the 30th of april, i did bristol deep lock on my own, then on to the kennet and avon canal up to the thames, then on to the Oxford canal, were i am at the moment,(banbury) in 12 days, all on my own, what a very very steep learning curve. having a grerat time, apart from when the odd persons offers to help in a lock and opens the top paddles before i have my centre line on and there is a sudden rush forward in to the lock gate !i have made loads of mistakes. but have learnt from them. narrow locks, easy peessy, i just leave it in gear on tick over when exiting the lock , jump off shut the lock and hop back on, Oh i did need to slow the tick over first ! single handed, yes, if you take your time, no problem.

  • Greenie 1
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I had never been in command of a narrow boat when i set off from Bristol docks on the 30th of april, i did bristol deep lock on my own, then on to the kennet and avon canal up to the thames, then on to the Oxford canal, were i am at the moment,(banbury) in 12 days, all on my own, what a very very steep learning curve. having a grerat time, apart from when the odd persons offers to help in a lock and opens the top paddles before i have my centre line on and there is a sudden rush forward in to the lock gate !i have made loads of mistakes. but have learnt from them. narrow locks, easy peessy, i just leave it in gear on tick over when exiting the lock , jump off shut the lock and hop back on, Oh i did need to slow the tick over first ! single handed, yes, if you take your time, no problem.

:) crikey well done :) you are braver than me as the thought of cruising on rivers makes me go a bit pale :wacko: I do enjoy working the locks as I find it very therapeutic and always take my time. I would be too scared to leave my boat in slow tick-over while leaving a lock, incase it did a runner so to speak lol with me doing a 'Usain Bolt' impression, zooming down the cut after it or resorting to jumping in adn swimming to catch it up :blink: ( luckily I do have my Bronze Lifesaving swimming badge lol, but after falling in the cut many times over the years erm.... not a prospect i look forward to :unsure: . :rolleyes:

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I had never been in command of a narrow boat when i set off from Bristol docks on the 30th of april, i did bristol deep lock on my own, then on to the kennet and avon canal up to the thames, then on to the Oxford canal, were i am at the moment,(banbury) in 12 days, all on my own, what a very very steep learning curve. having a grerat time, apart from when the odd persons offers to help in a lock and opens the top paddles before i have my centre line on and there is a sudden rush forward in to the lock gate !i have made loads of mistakes. but have learnt from them. narrow locks, easy peessy, i just leave it in gear on tick over when exiting the lock , jump off shut the lock and hop back on, Oh i did need to slow the tick over first ! single handed, yes, if you take your time, no problem.

That's the advantage of being in a Time Machine :lol:

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