Jump to content

Huddersfield Narrow Sinking


cotswoldsman

Featured Posts

Just now, jetzi said:

Thanks. So this technique is frowned upon because presumably you could damage the lock gates if you do it incorrectly?

Takes some practice to make sure everything ends up in the right place, if you get it wrong the boat can crash the bottom gates or the boat ends up too close to the top gate and you have to drag it forward or the strapping post is too close to the handrail and the rope gets stuck. Plenty to get wrong.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

42 minutes ago, Rob-M said:

Takes some practice to make sure everything ends up in the right place, if you get it wrong the boat can crash the bottom gates or the boat ends up too close to the top gate and you have to drag it forward or the strapping post is too close to the handrail and the rope gets stuck. Plenty to get wrong.

 

Yes, that, and the fact that nearly every boat has an engine these days. It's a lot more difficult and dangerous than engaging reverse. Nor are strapping posts universal.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, IanD said:

 

There aren't any offside paddles on most of those HNC locks (including the dodgy one), they have two ground paddles on the nearside. So the normal thing to do coming out of the lock (going up) is to push the gate open and drop the paddles, which is when the fun starts...

P1030122.JPG

 

I'm not familiar with HNC paddle gear but since the thread had been resurrected after being dormant for 8 years none of the posts before mine had been explicitly about the HNC, it was a generic discussion. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 hours ago, IanD said:

 

There aren't any offside paddles on most of those HNC locks (including the dodgy one), they have two ground paddles on the nearside. So the normal thing to do coming out of the lock (going up) is to push the gate open and drop the paddles, which is when the fun starts...

P1030122.JPG

 

Your pic shows a lock on the Diggle flight.  The lock causing the trouble is much further down, and IIRC has the normal arrangement of paddles, on both sides.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Mac of Cygnet said:

 

Your pic shows a lock on the Diggle flight.  The lock causing the trouble is much further down, and IIRC has the normal arrangement of paddles, on both sides.

 

You're right -- and looking at the photo of the original sinking, my memory tells me it wasn't that lock (9E) that we nearly came to grief in but one of the ones on the Diggle flight (that I posted the photo from), I remember looking down at the boat from the port side.

 

Which is even more worrying if more than one HNC lock had the same problem. Still, we escaped without any damage thanks to being pre-warned about the problem on here... 😉

Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 hours ago, IanD said:

 

There aren't any offside paddles on most of those HNC locks (including the dodgy one), they have two ground paddles on the nearside. So the normal thing to do coming out of the lock (going up) is to push the gate open and drop the paddles, which is when the fun starts...

P1030122.JPG

Actually in that picture, both top paddles and the balance beam are on the offside. The towpath is on the right.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 hours ago, jetzi said:

Thanks. So this technique is frowned upon because presumably you could damage the lock gates if you do it incorrectly?

The one thing you are not going to do is damage the top gate. But if the rope is too long and the boat is full length you could crash the bottom gate, albeit at reduced speed.

The strapping post on the gate in the video is not particularly tall and is rectangular, so not particularly easy to use. Some gates have taller strapping posts, oval in shape and banded with iron strips to take the wear from ropes. With these you can let the rope out a little as the gate shuts, if you have taken it too tight in the first place.

Strapping works best with a heavy boat. If you try it with a light boat you usually end up with everything stationary with the boat not fully into the lock and the gate half closed.

Strapping gates closed was (and still is) an essential part of horse boating and when bowhauling butties through narrow locks separately from the motor.

  • Greenie 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 minutes ago, David Mack said:

Actually in that picture, both top paddles and the balance beam are on the offside. The towpath is on the right.

True -- I meant the paddles were both on the same side as the balance beam, so no back-and-forth crossing over needed to operate the lock.

 

I'm still pretty sure it was one of these where we had the problem though, not 9A...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.