Turning sharp bends

[Guest]

Yes I think most of us have found ourselves in that situation. A bit like riding a motorcycle you can either take the corner or brake hard. But you can't do both.

 

It usually comes down to damage limitation, normally full astern, come to a stop then worry about how to get out of the problem. Often too it can be much easier to pass on the 'wrong' side in this situation, we should not be over concerned about doing that, just give a very clear signal of what you are going to do.

 

Always a good guide, as with sailing boats, whatever you do 'Be decisive'.

The worst ones are where you can't avoid coming out of the bend on the wrong side. I had that problem on the Shroppie last year, and of course there was a boat coming towards me as I exited the bend. The guy got quite irate and blasted his horn, despite the fact that I had clearly signalled him to pass on the "wrong" side. I suggested that I could get an articulated boat to avoid such problems, but the comment went over his head.

[DHutch]

I'd say diesel boats have had direct control since their introduction, so maybe more like 90 years.

 

The early diesels like Bolinders didn't have a reverse gear, the engine was rigged so it would run backwards just like a steamer. I've heard that some boatmen didn't trust the set up and would strap the boat to stop it leaving the prop turning forwards on tick over rather than risk the engine stopping .

Yes, you are correct, it seams to have happened again. (and again, it seams that i was a major contributer!)

 

I have moved the 'bolinder posts' to a seperate topic which can be see here: http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=6358

 

 

Daniel

[grunders]

The worst ones are where you can't avoid coming out of the bend on the wrong side. I had that problem on the Shroppie last year, and of course there was a boat coming towards me as I exited the bend. The guy got quite irate and blasted his horn, despite the fact that I had clearly signalled him to pass on the "wrong" side. I suggested that I could get an articulated boat to avoid such problems, but the comment went over his head.

 

 

An interesting concept I must say!

[Yoda]

Where would you fit the anti-jacknife device?

[Hairy-Neil]

An interesting concept I must say!

 

Its not new technology.......Push tugs often steer by articulating the train by shortening the links between pan and tug/pan and pan.

[Machpoint005]

Sorry if this offends - but if you can't stop, you are going too fast. What's the hurry?

[carlt]

Sorry if this offends - but if you can't stop, you are going too fast. What's the hurry?

None whatsoever but, if you've never overshot your intended mooring, never spilt your g&t bumping the front lock gate, never had a gentle (or not so gentle) meeting of bows in a bridge hole, never hit the bank on a blind hairpin; I'd say you've got a static caravan at Billing aquadrome and you shouldn't have listened to the dodgy geezer who told you it was a boat.

[Guest]

None whatsoever but, if you've never overshot your intended mooring, never spilt your g&t bumping the front lock gate, never had a gentle (or not so gentle) meeting of bows in a bridge hole, never hit the bank on a blind hairpin; I'd say you've got a static caravan at Billing aquadrome and you shouldn't have listened to the dodgy geezer who told you it was a boat.

Either that, or he(she)'s a carefull, skillful boat handler who never goes too fast in situations where to do so would mean that he(she) wouldn't have control.

Actually, the world's full of people like that - they just don't make a lot of noise about it.

 

. . . never overshot your intended mooring, never spilt your g&t bumping the front lock gate, never had a gentle (or not so gentle) meeting of bows in a bridge hole, never hit the bank on a blind hairpin . . .

You ever been ski-ing? There are people who ski like that, you can see them any day of the week, they're either on their way to the hospital or already there!

[carlt]

Either that, or he(she)'s a carefull, skillful boat handler who never goes too fast in situations where to do so would mean that he(she) wouldn't have control.

Actually, the world's full of people like that - they just don't make a lot of noise about it.

You ever been ski-ing? There are people who ski like that, you can see them any day of the week, they're either on their way to the hospital or already there!

 

Perfect people don't exist and as someone who has been boating, carefully, fragile boats for many years and rarely goes above tickover, without any major mishaps I think you're talking to the wrong boater.

 

And yes I used to ski regularly when I lived in France. Fell over loads (as did more skilled skiers than I) never damaged anything though.

[StoneHenge]

We had something similar on our last trip, twice. Once coming up to a blind bend with a bridge, but we slowed right down and the other boat did the same as we spotted each other and they let us through (nice).

 

We went through one section where there is a boatyard to the left, loads of moored boats, some doubled up, so you the passing is fairly narrow, and a boat was coming the other way as far over as possible, with us in the way, so they moved over, as they needed to have done as it was neither practical or safe for us to pass on the wrong side, and he ended up having to get himself out of strife after. Going too fast, not anticipating another boat coming.

 

I am just super cautious and slow down for bends (esp with moored boats) and bridges just in case. When we came to the last bridge before Marston's junction to get onto the Ashby, we had just came out of the bridge when another boat started to come towards it. They had to slow down pretty quick, and we ended up right over to the right, which mucked up the turn into the junction no end. Better than crashing I suppose!

 

Don't feel bad about it. I mean, we learn from our mistakes, so next time you will just be more wary.

[DHutch]

Perfect people don't exist...

Exactly.

 

Carls not saying you've got to tank it along flatout and bounce of anything in your way.

- But if you are clocking up the miles year on year, you do end up with the odd little bump, that just life. Look at the old working boats, or a 10year old car even.

 

Ive also been skiing for number of weeks, but im not that sure what youy point is there really?

- Out of all the people i know who've been skiing recently, the only one to end up cutting there holiday short with a trip to hospital was my cousin, who broke her thumb when someone ski'ed into her when she was sat down with a coffie in the cafe. He was fine.

 

Simuarly, i do a fiar bit of mountain biking and a bit of light downhill riding, which includes watching some serously good people, on some serously good bikes, ion full body armour piling it off the side of nothing and ending up being airlifted to A&E.

- While a total noob hits a massive tabletop at twice the speed he should, on a tin-pot bike and shorts, decks it right accross the track. And gets up with just a scatch.

 

Im rammling off on one now. but all my point is is that its as much down to luck, and the behavour of the surrounding members, than it is judgement.

- Knowlage/skill/experince/judnment/assistance/and a better boat all help. But there not the be-all and end-all. Unplaned things happen, and stuff happens.

 

 

Daniel

[Machpoint005]

Either that, or he(she)'s a carefull, skillful boat handler who never goes too fast in situations where to do so would mean that he(she) wouldn't have control.

 

Thanks Wyeman, I aspire to that but modesty forbids...

 

Ian

[Guest]

If you have never made a mistake, you have never made anything.

There is a charity wide beam boat by us that is huge, the same old guys have crewed it for around twenty years now on a daily basis. I am friendly with most of the crew and they told me only last week how they had bounced it off a bridge even with all the miles of experience they hold.

I certainly make plenty of mistakes especially on unknown canals, and have seen plenty of others do the same.

[Big John]

Slowing down seems to be the main thing, and that is a good idea - don't know why I didn't do it at the time actually...

Horn's always used for those sharp bend into bridge hole situations where there's only gonna be room for 1 boat but I will definitely consider it for sharp corners as well

But how many of you have ever heard a response? - from another horn?

 

Speed is the crucial thing - and eyes at the bows

[DHutch]

But how many of you have ever heard a response? - from another horn?

- Speed is the crucial thing...

Yeah, we sound off at every blind/narrow/bridgeona bend, but you rairly get a response boat or no boat.

 

- But as you say, speed is the key. Get that 22tonnes upto 5mph, and watch the little boats moving out of the way.

 

 

 

Daniel

[Christine]

Opps!

 

 

From a skew bridge somewhere on the Llangollen.

[grunders]

Opps!

 

 

From a skew bridge somewhere on the Llangollen.

 

 

Funny, that rock doesn't look two miles long

[Christine]

Well - my daughter said it felt like it when it hit her on the head

[John Orentas]

Funny, that rock doesn't look two miles long

 

 

That's the one that killed all the dinosaurs. In saw a programme about it.

[DHutch]

Haha, here we go again...

 

No comments need be made. Other than the fact that P38 was involved. And my mum was stearing...

 

 

Daniel

[Rich]

From recently acquired practical experience, anyone wanting to sharpen up their boat control on tight river bends should try the trip from Oxford to Lechlade on the Thames.

 

It is very narrow in parts with bags of right angle bends and one or two 180 degree bends as well, one of which has the spit of land between the chunks of river about 60 foot apart.

 

And then of course there are a couple of bends with marker bouys on the apex further out than you would expect. They are even more exciting coming down stream as you don't see the bouys until you are halfway round the bend.

 

Richard

[mayalld]

The trouble with Beatty is that if you wind her up too much in reverse, the clutch, or something, I don't know what - not much of a mechanic - slips, meaning you get less reverse thrust.

 

Slowing down while your approaching the corner so that you're going slowly when you get there and then putting on the power is supposed to be quite effective giving better steerage etc.

 

What sort of engine/gearbox?

[magnetman]

Cone clutch? Kelvin? They can take a while to bite. I had to pull someone off an upper thames sandbank once, they were properly stuck. The hairpins are good fun specially with wide grp cruisers about.

[grunders]

What sort of engine/gearbox?

 

 

The engine is an Armstrong Siddeley 21 HP 2 cylinder but I am afraid I don't know about the gearbox.

[charles123]

There is a nice tight bend short of the stop lock before Preston Brook tunell going north, there are rings and I moor there regularly, a number of times I have seen the hire boats ex Alvechurch Anderton fail to get round that bend, when it starts going pear shaped you have seconds to react, you should see them panic. The bend is lined with what looks like old railway lines bent to the shape of the canal edge so little damage is done. But quite funny to watch

 

Charles