Boat well stuck in HNC lock

[twelveeyedfish]

Hello all,

 

I recently brought the boat all the way through the HNC - in a boat with 2ft draft we were literally scraping along the bottom much of the time. Incredibly short, shallow pounds didn't help when going up the W locks. Didn't get stuck in any locks in a 6ft10 wide boat but I had the same problem in lock 31W, two locks before the tunnel when we too couldn't get the thing to fill sufficiently to open the top gates. Coming down, so many paddles stuck that the lock just after the guillotine lock at Slaithwaite (23E I presume) took around half an hour to fill at a trickle. Finally managed to fully open one of the paddles when the lock was well over half full.

 

The problems with the shallowness of the cut are exacerbated because you need to drop off your crew by boat at lock 2E as there is no towpath access as you mentioned. This can be a pain if you can't get within three feet of the sides - I can't jump that far!

 

I think I will try the Rochdale canal next time...

[Mac of Cygnet]

Well! As I said earlier I've just singlehanded the HNC (again) and I simply don't recognise most of these problems. The canal is generally much better than it was when I first traversed it 8 years ago. Many of the gates have been replaced in the last two years, and leakage is much reduced in these cases. As for Lock 2E, well there is indeed no pedestrian access, but why do you need to get to the bank? The crew gets on at Lock 1E or 3E, and off above or below 2E, both with enough depth (below is at the exit from a tunnel anyway, with even a proper landing stage!) Most of the HNC locks have steps down at the lock tail, so no need to come in to the bank; if going down, just nose gently into the top gate to let crew off.

 

The HNC is worth the effort and sometimes ingenuity - don't be put off by these exagerrated horror stories put about by people who do it once and "Never again!"

Edited May 16, 2014 by Mac of Cygnet

[Neil2]

That lock 31W is fairly well known, and it must be an inherent problem otherwise they would have sorted it out by now. When the water level in the pound above is too low it simply won't make a level with the lock. This is a common problem throughout the sections where there are short pounds, usually resolved by sending water down from the pound above.

 

I think a lot of it is luck, frankly, and if the canal is in a bad mood it can be a real pain. I know a single hander who comes up North every year and always via the HNC, but I also know of folk who have had a nightmarish experience with it and will never do it again.

 

BTW I don't think forcing lock gates open is a great idea, especially on the HNC. If you really have to force them it means the water levels haven't properly equalised, which suggests the water in the pound is too low, which means the clearance over the cill may not be sufficient. If there's one piece of advice I would give to anyone crossing this canal it is be sure you know the draught of your boat and carry a depth gauge.

 

 

[Mac of Cygnet]

That lock 31W is fairly well known, and it must be an inherent problem otherwise they would have sorted it out by now. When the water level in the pound above is too low it simply won't make a level with the lock. This is a common problem throughout the sections where there are short pounds, usually resolved by sending water down from the pound above.

 

I think a lot of it is luck, frankly, and if the canal is in a bad mood it can be a real pain. I know a single hander who comes up North every year and always via the HNC, but I also know of folk who have had a nightmarish experience with it and will never do it again.

 

BTW I don't think forcing lock gates open is a great idea, especially on the HNC. If you really have to force them it means the water levels haven't properly equalised, which suggests the water in the pound is too low, which means the clearance over the cill may not be sufficient. If there's one piece of advice I would give to anyone crossing this canal it is be sure you know the draught of your boat and carry a depth gauge.

 

 

 

I have never, in my 10 transits of the HNC, seen pound 31/32W low! In any case, the next pound up is the summit, which has enough water in it to fill the whole flight (Don't overdo it, though, or you'll stop the lucrative Tunnel sightseeing trips - I once spent 3 happy days at Marsden waiting for the level to recover after paddles were left up on 42E). Neither do I remember any particular problems with 31W on any occasion. Perhaps my 'luck' will run out next time!