1st time out

[matty40s]

'cough'

 

yep, thas the kind of cough that takes you from a quack doctor near Bristol to a specialist in Leeds....

[JDR]

Nothing like jumping in at the deep end. That's what I did and I got there eventually. I would however strongly recommend having somebody on board who knows how to steer on your first go out, get them to show you how to turn the boat, pull in to the side and most importantly turn around so you can head back. You're bound to make a few mistakes, having somebody onboard will ensure those mistakes only hurt your sense of pride and not your boat! Also good to have somebody help you through your first lock, point out the cill and obvious dangers so you will be aware for the next time. Once you've been out on the boat accompanied a few times you will be able to get more benefit from taking a training course.

[Naughty Cal]

Nothing like jumping in at the deep end. That's what I did and I got there eventually. I would however strongly recommend having somebody on board who knows how to steer on your first go out, get them to show you how to turn the boat, pull in to the side and most importantly turn around so you can head back. You're bound to make a few mistakes, having somebody onboard will ensure those mistakes only hurt your sense of pride and not your boat! Also good to have somebody help you through your first lock, point out the cill and obvious dangers so you will be aware for the next time. Once you've been out on the boat accompanied a few times you will be able to get more benefit from taking a training course.

 

We accompanied each other and neither of us could really handle the boat with any great ease. We very quickly learnt however. There is no replacement for experience, you have to get out there and do it. You can pay for all the qualifications you like but they mean nothing if you dont put the practice in behind the wheel/tiller and get out there for yourself.

[ditchcrawler]

From the BW Byelaws:

 

Vessels turning or turning into canal

 

20. Vessels turning in or into any canal shall do so in such a manner as not to cause obstruction or interference to any other vessel using the canal.

 

Which reads to me that the vessel on the main navigation has right of way.

 

We were always told the same thing by the hire yard on the Broads as well, not that many people take much notice down there. It is every man, woman and dog for themselves down there

Thanks for the info Phylis, ref. the Broads, its the webs between the toes that cause the problems, O and they wear hats like this :captain:

 

Nothing like jumping in at the deep end. That's what I did and I got there eventually. I would however strongly recommend having somebody on board who knows how to steer on your first go out, get them to show you how to turn the boat, pull in to the side and most importantly turn around so you can head back. You're bound to make a few mistakes, having somebody onboard will ensure those mistakes only hurt your sense of pride and not your boat! Also good to have somebody help you through your first lock, point out the cill and obvious dangers so you will be aware for the next time. Once you've been out on the boat accompanied a few times you will be able to get more benefit from taking a training course.

I think you will find that the OP has some boating experience but was only allowed to steer on open water, not tight turns from marinas etc.

[JDR]

We accompanied each other and neither of us could really handle the boat with any great ease. We very quickly learnt however. There is no replacement for experience, you have to get out there and do it. You can pay for all the qualifications you like but they mean nothing if you dont put the practice in behind the wheel/tiller and get out there for yourself.

Couldn't agree more, experience is everything, but given the questions the OP asked in their opening post I still think for a first trip having somebody on board with some experience would make for a more enjoyable experience. It can seen a long way from the

back of a 57' narrowboat to the front the first time you try steering. It's a personal decision whether to take training or not. If you use the boat you will pick up the skills anyway but it can certainly do no harm and would only serve to increase somebody's confidence when starting out. I've seen a surprising number of new narrowboat owners come a cropper on their first few attempts and be put off to the extent that they don't use their boats at all, that's why I think the first trip out should be a positive experience, which is a lot more likely if there is somebody to help.

[Gazboatman]

That's a bad cough - - I'd take some medicine for that Squire!

[Gazboatman]

yep, thas the kind of cough that takes you from a quack doctor near Bristol to a specialist in Leeds....

 

We started on the wide Sharpness, no tight bends of locks, Gloucester dock is a big dock and not much went wrong in there, we did have to double up with someone else in the dock lock and made a bit of a mess of it, we explained to the lock keeper that this was our first lock as we had just bought the boat, to which he replied "I'd take it back"

 

Once on the wide Severn we had no problems apart from when the engine cut out and we had to throw the trusty anchor in, which I'd just attached to the boat 2 mins prior.

 

I think by the time we had got to Stourport, we'd mastered the basics but the basins were a bit of a challenge after being on the wider waters.

 

I'd say just completing that trip has probably given me/us more experience than a quite few boaters who have been at it for years, the ones that don't really stary too far from their marinas.

[Boat&Bikes]

Thanks for your comments you are the first to say what most people will be thinking and I appreciate your honesty. I think the word is impulsive and I know the saying that a fool and his money are soon parted. Having said I have no experience is not exactly true.My parents had boats, I steered on open water (Trent) but was never allowed to moor up or take the boat out of the Marina hence my apprehension. Due to family issues (I will not go into) we will not be able to take the boat out much anyway but owning her suits our needs as a floating weekend retreat, I could have bought a static caravan and had kids running around it all day or the peace and tranquility of this? If nothing else if I do manage to take it out on little trips that will be a bonus for us at the moment.

 

 

We had never set foot on a narrowboat this time last year,brought one last May,went out and took it slow and steady...its not that difficult.Had a few panic attacks at certain times,tunnels etc but its fun and not that much of a risk if you have a little common sense.

 

 

Ali.

 

Given your posts and a couple of others recently I do have to concede I find it surprising that any body buys a boat (used or new) with no apparent previous experience of steering just embarks on a trip... either unaccompanied or without training or at the very least previous hiring experience...

 

 

I think you might be suprised how many people do such things without previous experience...life is for living Martin.

 

 

Ali.

[Guest]

I think you might be suprised how many people do such things without previous experience...life is for living Martin.

 

Actually - on reflection, given some other recent posts on here I wouldn't really be that surprised at all....

Edited February 1, 2012 by MJG

[Naughty Cal]

Actually - on reflection, given some other recent posts on here I wouldn't really be that surprised at all....

 

Have you undertaken much training Martin?

[Guest]

Have you undertaken much training Martin?

 

No - and of course the implication of your question is that I am wrong to express surprise at those that haven't had any training before they purchased their boats because I haven't, correct?

 

However that wasn't the point I made at all when I said -

 

Given your posts and a couple of others recently I do have to concede I find it surprising that any body buys a boat (used or new) with no apparent previous experience of steering just embarks on a trip... either unaccompanied or without training or at the very least previous hiring experience...

 

I merely suggest it is a good idea to have some previous experience and this can gained by a variety of ways.

 

As you know ours was gained as hireres (Both GRP and NB), as was yours I believe (GRP). Others on here sought/seek help from other CWDF members (or other experienced boaters) to accompany them on their first trip(s), and yes of course some have paid for formal training.

Edited February 1, 2012 by MJG

[Naughty Cal]

I was implying that we all learn in different ways Martin. You claim:

 

"I find it surprising that any body buys a boat (used or new) with no apparent previous experience of steering just embarks on a trip... either unaccompanied or without training or at the very least previous hiring experience..."

 

yet our hire boat experiences bore absolutely no resemblance to the boat we eventually bought. We cant even claim it gave us any training or experience as it is a completely different kettle of fish.

 

Taking delievry of your own boat is no different to being let loose for a week on a hire boat. You have to start somewhere.

[Guest]

I was implying that we all learn in different ways Martin. You claim:

 

"I find it surprising that any body buys a boat (used or new) with no apparent previous experience of steering just embarks on a trip... either unaccompanied or without training or at the very least previous hiring experience..."

 

yet our hire boat experiences bore absolutely no resemblance to the boat we eventually bought. We cant even claim it gave us any training or experience as it is a completely different kettle of fish.

 

Taking delievry of your own boat is no different to being let loose for a week on a hire boat. You have to start somewhere.

 

Well I'm surprised yet again as really do find it incredibly surprising that at least some the experiences you gained as a hirerer did not transfer through to being an owner - but I will just have to accept that you forgot everything you learned and started all over again from scratch.

 

and as I made the point before, the difference between picking a hire boat up and a new boat from a builder or broker is that the hire company at least offers some basic instruction as they are compelled to, you don't always get that with a boat you buy (though as I said before sometimes you do).

[Chertsey]

Well I'm surprised yet again as really do find it incredibly surprising that at least some the experiences you gained as a hirerer did not transfer through to being an owner - but I will just have to accept that you forgot everything you learned and started all over again from scratch.

 

and as I made the point before, the difference between picking a hire boat up and a new boat from a builder or broker is that the hire company at least offers some basic instruction as they are compelled to, you don't always get that with a boat you buy (though as I said before sometimes you do).

Do you think your narrow boating experience has equipped you to handle a sports cruiser then?

[Naughty Cal]

Well I'm surprised yet again as really do find it incredibly surprising that at least some the experiences you gained as a hirerer did not transfer through to being an owner - but I will just have to accept that you forgot everything you learned and started all over again from scratch.

 

and as I made the point before, the difference between picking a hire boat up and a new boat from a builder or broker is that the hire company at least offers some basic instruction as they are compelled to, you don't always get that with a boat you buy (though as I said before sometimes you do).

 

A CATD grp hire boat has only one similarity with a sports cruiser. It floats.

 

It isnt a matter of forgetting everything we had learnt, we didnt learn a jot about sports boats until we were literally thrown in at the deep end with our own.

[Guest]

A CATD grp hire boat has only one similarity with a sports cruiser. It floats.

 

It isnt a matter of forgetting everything we had learnt, we didnt learn a jot about sports boats until we were literally thrown in at the deep end with our own.

 

Well there you go see....

 

Of course I agree we all learn differently and it's up to us as individuals to determine whether we pay for training or not, or if we just sail off into the sunset with no previous experience on or of our newly purchased boats.

 

I just go back to my original point that I find it surprising that some do - it's their choice, it wouldn't be mine.

[Guest]

Do you think your narrow boating experience has equipped you to handle a sports cruiser then?

 

If we are talking an immediate comparison around steering and general manoeuvring then clearly no. ('The Dog House' is a tad slow at getting up on the plane... and she turns slower)

 

If we are talking about the general effects that wind, current and tide can have on a boat, combined with an understanding of lock operation, rules of the 'road' etc. It all has lead me to being a more confident boater overall meaning I would have less to concentrate on should we ever buy one.

 

and if we ever did I would still either pay someone to specifically cover handling/steering one, or tap up somebody on here to take me through it.

[Richard10002]

I am finding some of the discussion here quite amazing

 

Whether the OP bought the boat on a whim, or after many years of consideration, albeit without any experience, doesn't really matter a jot. It's a free country, (in this respect), and the fact that he has asked the question suggests a degree of responsibility and an awareness of his limits.

 

He has had lots of answers, and I am sure he will be getting some help from someone here, or someone in a professional capacity, or both.

 

I would actually be surprised if there weren't many boaters who had bought a boat without experience... It's one of those things that is almost bound to happen, given the numbers involved. A mate of mine bought one on a whim on eBay for 8 grand after a drunken night. He's on his second boat now, and I don't think he's come to any harm, nor has he harmed anyone else.

 

Live and let live?

 

 

Richard

[Guest]

I am finding some of the discussion here quite amazing

 

Whether the OP bought the boat on a whim, or after many years of consideration, albeit without any experience, doesn't really matter a jot. It's a free country, (in this respect), and the fact that he has asked the question suggests a degree of responsibility and an awareness of his limits.

 

He has had lots of answers, and I am sure he will be getting some help from someone here, or someone in a professional capacity, or both.

 

I would actually be surprised if there weren't many boaters who had bought a boat without experience... It's one of those things that is almost bound to happen, given the numbers involved. A mate of mine bought one on a whim on eBay for 8 grand after a drunken night. He's on his second boat now, and I don't think he's come to any harm, nor has he harmed anyone else.

 

Live and let live?

 

 

Richard

 

Hi Richard - my post about it being preferable in my view that previous experience (or somebody with experience on board with them on their maiden voyage) would be a good idea before moving a very expensive piece of kit is not a criticism of folk who choose not to - I just personally find it surprising that people do, and as this is a discussion forum I can express that - as you and others say though that is indeed 'their boat their choice', it's just not something I would have considered doing.

[Richard10002]

......I just personally find it surprising that people do, and as this is a discussion forum I can express that - as you and others say though that is indeed 'their boat their choice', it's just not something I would have considered doing.

 

Totally agree, and I nearly added something to that effect.

 

I find it surprising that you find it surprising

[Guest]

Totally agree, and I nearly added something to that effect.

 

I find it surprising that you find it surprising

 

I find it surprising, that you find that I find it surprising, surpri.....

 

 

lets not go there, we could be here all week.....

[JDR]

So Escape, have you taken the boat out yet or are you still waiting for definitive clarification on the BW regs relating to giving way before starting the engine?

[Jo_]

Hmmmm. I think it may be a bit frozen and icy on our stretch of the T&M at the moment. I'm heading down there this morning and expect to see the coots, tufties, geese and swans slithering about wondering where their water went. Beyooootiful morning but maybe not easy boating weather?

[Guest Phil Bassett]

As an RYA boat handling instructor I would teach the following:

 

If the other boat cannot see you give way, but also warn of your presence with a horn signal (If you do not know the correct one, a long blast will do)

If you are coming out blind put a look out on the bow (If you are note single handing)Again, warn with the horn

 

None of us should be in a hurry when boating so "He who gives way, wins"

 

Phil

 

 

Canal Experience Training

[Naughty Cal]

As an RYA boat handling instructor I would teach the following:

 

If the other boat cannot see you give way, but also warn of your presence with a horn signal (If you do not know the correct one, a long blast will do)

If you are coming out blind put a look out on the bow (If you are note single handing)Again, warn with the horn

 

None of us should be in a hurry when boating so "He who gives way, wins"

 

Phil

 

 

Canal Experience Training

 

Surely to people who do know the correct sound signals though 1 blast on the horn could be mistaken for "I am turning to starboard"