locks - most efficient way

[Paul C]

What's the most efficient way for a crew of 2 to go about a lock? Lets assume there aren't any other boats around, and that 50% of the time the lock will be set in your favour, the other half of the time its against you. And that the distance between two adjacent locks is far enough, to justify the 2nd crew member getting back onto the boat instead of walking in between (they might be overtaken by the boat unless they walked fast enough!).

 

In our last trip out we were able to do a few little tricks such as the driver getting off and closing the 2nd of a pair of gates (going uphill in a narrow lock) then getting back on the boat - but only if there's steps at the foot of the lock, and a guaranteed way to get back onto the boat quickly (usually jumping onto roof - bit dodgy).

 

Another trick was to offer to 'finish off' a lock if we had arrived and a boat was already using it in the other direction. This saved them having to stop to pick up the crew, thus no need to block the lock landing (where our boat would be moored).

 

I also tried the 'stepover' (step over the 3ft gap when only one of a pair of gates on a narrow lock are closed) to save a walk of ~140 or more feet, again a bit dodgy that one!

 

Any further tips are welcome...

[Chris Pink]

Why would you need to get back on the boat?

 

You should be finishing off your lock while the 2nd person is getting the next ready

Edited April 14, 2012 by Chris Pink

[bizzard]

Why would you need to get back on the boat?

 

You should be finishing off your lock while the 2nd person is getting the next ready

What if the next lock is ten miles away?

[Paul C]

Why would you need to get back on the boat?

 

You should be finishing off your lock while the 2nd person is getting the next ready

 

 

I've heard of it but tended to want to stay on the boat - do you mean to drive it in slowly and leave it in idle forwards, pushing against the front gate. Our last trip was on the Llangollen and with the fierce weirs, I tended to drive in to the lock quite quicky, to minimise the effect of the weir. I tried a few slow approaches and deliberately 'offsetting' the alignment of the boat to the lock, then allowing the weir's current to take effect, but it would also tend to alter the alignment of the boat in far from predicatble ways - so I went back to driving in at speed. Also, a lot of the time it was windy, so with weir + wind, driving in quicker than average worked out well. Hence, the reason to stay on the boat was to control its speed as it gets into the lock.

 

If there's another way to control the boat, in a strong wind + unpredictable weir, without being on it.......I've heard/seen using a rope to slow it (and possibly to close the gate too) but that's a bit too advanced/unpredictable for me.

[nicknorman]

I've heard of it but tended to want to stay on the boat - do you mean to drive it in slowly and leave it in idle forwards, pushing against the front gate. Our last trip was on the Llangollen and with the fierce weirs, I tended to drive in to the lock quite quicky, to minimise the effect of the weir. I tried a few slow approaches and deliberately 'offsetting' the alignment of the boat to the lock, then allowing the weir's current to take effect, but it would also tend to alter the alignment of the boat in far from predicatble ways - so I went back to driving in at speed. Also, a lot of the time it was windy, so with weir + wind, driving in quicker than average worked out well. Hence, the reason to stay on the boat was to control its speed as it gets into the lock.

 

If there's another way to control the boat, in a strong wind + unpredictable weir, without being on it.......I've heard/seen using a rope to slow it (and possibly to close the gate too) but that's a bit too advanced/unpredictable for me.

Drop off crew at last bridge hole before lock. Crew runs ahead to prepare lock. If going downhill, driver closes top gate after boat is in lock in gentle reverse whilst crew is reaady to open bottom paddles. If going uphill, driver might as well stay on boat and allow crew to work whole lock.

 

Really, with one lock on its own like this there are not too many ways to skin the cat, it is when there is a flight that it gets more interesting. It always helps when your crew are in training for the next marathon and so likes to run to and fro between locks, although other lock users can feel intimidated!

[bizzard]

The worst locks for this i think are Heartbreak Hill in Cheshire. The locks are just far enough apart to put you in a quandry as to either get back on the boat or walk to the next one.I bike is best for those.

[matty40s]

Learn to strap the top gate closed as you are going down.

After hearing it talked about and then watching an excellent video of it being done recently, I have been practicing it, and it is really easy, and it works!!!

You need to make sure the boat has enough momentum going into the lock, and it draws the lock gate closed whilst bringing the boat to a halt.

[FidoDido]

rather than do the 3ft leap, lean over (other hand firmly grabbing the railing!!) and use the windlass (grabbing the squares) to hook the other gate railing and pull it closed. (I use a longish windlass).

[David Mack]

Drop off crew at last bridge hole before lock...

 

... and pick them up at the next brideghole beyond the lock (if its too far to walk to the next lock).

[Timx]

buy a car and go by road..

[Jo_]

What's the hurry? I just walk around and back and around and back as required, enjoying being in the middle of (usually) lovely surroundings with things to look at and listen to - just me and him and the boat .... no pressure, no deadlines ...

[cheshire~rose]

All this talk about leaping across the locks and reaching across with a windlass has me a little worried. Yes I am a wuss who does not like hights however;

 

I was crewing for another forum member a few years ago. The person has spent the majority of his life on and around boats and canals and I was a little anxious beforehand that when faced with lockwheeling for them they might get a little frustrated by me having to walk around the lock to set it rather than striding across the gates. After all I am tall and have long legs so I know I ought to be able to do it but I just did not have the confidence to do it. When we arrived at a lock I got it all set and apologised to the rest of the crew for what I saw as my "weakness". I was really surprised when I was told that although this guy used to bounce around the locks without a care in the world he one day thought about it and reaslised that he would only need to misjudge it or slip once and it could potentially be a life changing experience - so he stopped doing it and he told me that I should continue to work the locks howevere I felt happy and confident to do them so long as I was safe. I suspect the forum member involved will read this and hopefully he will have a wry smile on his face. This is something I have said to so many other boaters since being told it myself. espcially hirers where they need a boost to their confidence sometimes.

 

The oddest thing is that last year I did actually find the confidence to step across a lock and once I had done one I carried on and did more. Then I came to a lock that I was not confident to stride over and decided to walk round. I have no idea whether I will want to stride over them when I get to it this year or not but if I don't I wont worry about it.

 

I just wanted to share the thought because it is far too easy to spend all your time trying to work out the most efficient way to work through a lock and then if you do not achieve it you beat yourself up over it. Far better to ensure the locks are worked with safety in mind even if it takes a few minutes longer

[Burgiesburnin]

What's the hurry? I just walk around and back and around and back as required, enjoying being in the middle of (usually) lovely surroundings with things to look at and listen to - just me and him and the boat .... no pressure, no deadlines ...

 

Thank God for your sanity! I was starting to wonder if this was a Olympic event.

[jelunga]

Drop off crew at last bridge hole before lock. Crew runs ahead to prepare lock. If going downhill, driver closes top gate after boat is in lock in gentle reverse whilst crew is reaady to open bottom paddles. If going uphill, driver might as well stay on boat and allow crew to work whole lock.

 

Really, with one lock on its own like this there are not too many ways to skin the cat, it is when there is a flight that it gets more interesting. It always helps when your crew are in training for the next marathon and so likes to run to and fro between locks, although other lock users can feel intimidated!

 

I am sorry but this suggestion is a recipe for a heart attack.

There is no way in hell that either my crew or I coukd "run" ahead to the bext lock without a full crash team waiting with oxygen and other re-sus kit.

We might "waddle" a bit quicker than normal but that is it!

[Hairy-Neil]

The worst locks for this i think are Heartbreak Hill in Cheshire. The locks are just far enough apart to put you in a quandry as to either get back on the boat or walk to the next one.I bike is best for those.

 

Ditto bicycle....

[mrsmelly]

What's the most efficient way for a crew of 2 to go about a lock? Lets assume there aren't any other boats around, and that 50% of the time the lock will be set in your favour, the other half of the time its against you. And that the distance between two adjacent locks is far enough, to justify the 2nd crew member getting back onto the boat instead of walking in between (they might be overtaken by the boat unless they walked fast enough!).

 

In our last trip out we were able to do a few little tricks such as the driver getting off and closing the 2nd of a pair of gates (going uphill in a narrow lock) then getting back on the boat - but only if there's steps at the foot of the lock, and a guaranteed way to get back onto the boat quickly (usually jumping onto roof - bit dodgy).

 

Another trick was to offer to 'finish off' a lock if we had arrived and a boat was already using it in the other direction. This saved them having to stop to pick up the crew, thus no need to block the lock landing (where our boat would be moored).

 

I also tried the 'stepover' (step over the 3ft gap when only one of a pair of gates on a narrow lock are closed) to save a walk of ~140 or more feet, again a bit dodgy that one!

 

Any further tips are welcome...

Hi

 

I tend to contact the lockie via Vhf and he usualy has the gates open for me before I get there. if the lockie is not on duty somebody puts the Bw key in the pedestal box and presses the buttons, hope this helps.

 

Tim

[Thorfast]

What's the hurry? I just walk around and back and around and back as required, enjoying being in the middle of (usually) lovely surroundings with things to look at and listen to - just me and him and the boat .... no pressure, no deadlines ...

Best post in this thread. A canal trip is run at 3mph...boat...walking. Why is everyone in such a hurry?

[Hairy-Neil]

Working efficiently is not necessarily about hurrying. It's possible to work with efficienly AND take it easy. It's more about putting the least physical effort into getting the same end result.....

 

I've seen a good many boaters hurrying inefficiently too...

[chazzy]

Good advice from Cheshire Rose, lock through in a way that you feel confident don't let others pressure you to think you must go faster. One thing I do when single handed going up in a lock, on leaving the lock I use the stern rope to close the top gate and stop the boat at the lock entrance, I'm not sure if this is accepted practice though.

[Athy]

Good advice from Cheshire Rose, lock through in a way that you feel confident don't let others pressure you to think you must go faster.

Absolutely. While it's courteous to go through the lock efficiently if other people are waiting to use it, if they want you to get through quicker then they should darn' well come and help. Many do of course, but it does irk me to see a crew waiting with their feet up as we go down the lock, so that they can come up it.

[Keeping Up]

Good advice from Cheshire Rose, lock through in a way that you feel confident don't let others pressure you to think you must go faster. One thing I do when single handed going up in a lock, on leaving the lock I use the stern rope to close the top gate and stop the boat at the lock entrance, I'm not sure if this is accepted practice though.

 

Now I'm confused. How do you do this?

 

My technique going up in a lock is to let the boat leave the lock on its own (after all, it's been sitting there in forward gear the whole time the lock has been filling, and it has just opened the gate for me, so it will motor out quite happily without my doing anything) then reach out and engage reverse as it passes me. By the time it has come to a stop and reversed back into the lock entrance, I have had time to shut the gate and drop the paddle so I can just step back on board and re-engage forward gear. On a flight, by this time Pingu will have got the next lock ready for me.

[Paul C]

Thanks for the replies so far. Note that I said most efficient, not 'fastest'. If you're in no hurry, then fair enough do it at your own pace but there's different degrees of 'hurry' or more accurately, the good feeling attached with not wasting effort/time. This might become important if you're eg doing a cruising ring in a week's holiday with lots of locks (eg South Pennine ring in 2 weeks).

 

 

Obviously if the distance to the next lock is too great, the 2nd person is getting on the boat; and if its adjacent, then they'll be walking (ahead). There's a few variations you could do, and I guess it depends on distance between locks:

 

1. Moor on the lock landing, both work the lock, someone gets the boat and drives in, moor on the other side of the lock (landing), and both complete the lock then set off.

 

2. Quick 'drop off' crew member and either hover (not recommended with a weir or lots of other boats) or then moor up with a rope. Maybe go up, maybe wait by side of boat.

 

3. Quick 'pick up' of crew by reversing up to the gate rather than mooring at the lock landing. Once again, a weir makes this tricky/not advisable at times.

 

4. Various ways the boat can be left to drive itself into or out of the lock in a safe and predictable way.

 

Substitute "wind" for "weir" if its blowing a bit.

 

I have seen the technique of strapping the gate behind you but I can't see how it could be perceived safe - that rope is going to inevitibly be near the prop, in the water, if its too loose, etc. Never minding the judgement of speed, length of rope, possibility of trapping a finger or simply not getting the wrap on and crashing into the front gates, etc.

[chazzy]

Hello Allen, I'll try to explain myself, lock full gate open, power the boat out slowly then knock out of gear, step off with stern rope, as boat drifts past gate I take the rope round gate (and to the tow path side of the ground paddle ) to the end of the balance beam and through the loop handle on the balance beam, as the boat exits the lock hold the rope so the momentum of the boat closes the gate, it is also possible to control where the boat stops by feeding the rope through the balance beam handle. As I said, I don't know if this is accepted practice though.

[Keeping Up]

Now I understand. I've never heard of it being done that way before..

[matty40s]

 

I have seen the technique of strapping the gate behind you but I can't see how it could be perceived safe - that rope is going to inevitibly be near the prop, in the water, if its too loose, etc. Never minding the judgement of speed, length of rope, possibility of trapping a finger or simply not getting the wrap on and crashing into the front gates, etc.

 

It is entirely safe, the rope is coiled in hand on the boat and as you step off, you lift over the top paddle gear and loop over the strapping post, the rest of the rope is still in your hand, and the boat is moving forward on momentum not tickover.

I really was amazed not only how simple it was, but also how efficient a way of closing the gate it was.