Lethal Locks

[MtB]

Well, in Blackrose's case, what purpose is served by taking them up?

 

Doesn't look like a pillock whilst cruising?

 

 

 

MtB

[Guest]

Bits of roped plastic pipe dangling from the side of a craft on inland waterways is a prescription for disaster. Tyres even worse. Mooring use only for me now (different for wood/GRP boats.)

[billS]

Doesn't look like a pillock whilst cruising?

 

 

 

MtB

But he is cruising in a widebeam

[FadeToScarlet]

That is what bothers me with engine off in locks, no horn

 

Do many people have the horn on the ignition? Thinking of the four or five boats I know well, only one has it wired that way, I think.

[Rebotco]

Observation.

 

Well, I sure haven't observed it. In any case I would have thought it so little, it would be would be nigh on unobservable on a double lock.

Sounds more like Guesservation to me.

[the grinch]

 

That does somewhat surprise me, as I've never heard that before. It does make some sense from an engineering point of view. Any idea of the source of that information?

you're welcome to come along next time I'm doing a drain down of one of our locks and you can see for yourself that not only are they tapered vertically but are also slightly tapered lengthways as well, this is to prevent the wall from falling inwards (although it still happens sometimes) our locks have a mix of styles the stone locks have an invert which is curved up from the middle with about a foot rise from the centre to the walls the last lock we have built with a sharp transition from a flat floor invert into the walls there is no rise in the floor at all but there is still an offset in the length of the lock

Edited May 22, 2014 by hamsterfan

[magpie patrick]

you're welcome to come along next time I'm doing a drain down of one of our locks and you can see for yourself that not only are they tapered vertically but are also slightly tapered lengthways as well, this is to prevent the wall from falling inwards (although it still happens sometimes) our locks have a mix of styles the stone locks have an invert which is curved up from the middle with about a foot rise from the centre to the walls the last lock we have built with a sharp transition from a flat floor invert into the walls there is no rise in the floor at all but there is still an offset in the length of the lock

 

And just to add to Hamster's practical recital, lock gates hung on an absolutely vertical wall tend to flap about, a bit of a lean helps them stay open or closed: helps-if the gate is badly balanced it doesn't always succeed

[ditchcrawler]

Do many people have the horn on the ignition? Thinking of the four or five boats I know well, only one has it wired that way, I think.

Mine is, as is the tunnel light, but I wired it up. I can't go to bed and leave the tunnel light on, just like a can't lean on the button and blow the horn at midnight. Thankfully I don't do many locks with the engine off.

[MtB]

But he is cruising in a widebeam

 

Ok point taken. It makes no difference!!

 

 

MtB

[the grinch]

yes Patrick the gate quoin/collar does indeed make the gate fall away from the mid position to fully open or closed

[blackrose]

 

Very blackrose-centric POV.

 

 

MtB

 

Well, I thought you were asking for our POV?

 

And my POV is no more centric than yours...

I thought fenders were only supposed to be used for mooring?

 

No, when I crewed on passenger boats on the Thames we often used fenders between boats in locks. There are no hard and fast rules. It depends on the situation.

Edited May 22, 2014 by blackrose

[Graham Davis]

 

Well, I sure haven't observed it. In any case I would have thought it so little, it would be would be nigh on unobservable on a double lock.

Sounds more like Guesservation to me.

 

Next time you go through a narrow lock watch how the gap between the boat and the brickwork gradually alters as the boat moves up or down.

That is called "observation"!

[blackrose]

 

They are, but plenty of peeps on here say otherwise as they have yet to get hung up in a lock.

 

MtB

 

That's a very narrowboat-centric POV. Perhaps narrow boats on canals are only supposed to use fenders for mooring, but that doesn't necessarily apply to all boats in all situations. Even narrowboats may have fenders placed between themselves and other boats in a big crowded Thames lock for example.

They do say otherwise but fail to explain how they help or what purpose they serve whilst underway.

 

Anyone care to explain?

 

Yes, if you can explain to me how I am supposed to put my fenders down when I'm single handing and approaching a big river lock with plastic boats in? Some narrowboaters have this "no fenders" rule so firmly embedded up themselves they have even suggested I leave the helm to put the fenders down!

Edited May 22, 2014 by blackrose

[MtB]

Yes, if you can explain to me how I am supposed to put my fenders down when I'm single handing and approaching a lock with plastic boats in.

 

Don't!

 

IME, they put their own out in one helluva hurry

 

 

MtB

[blackrose]

Well, in Blackrose's case, what purpose is served by taking them up?

 

Thank you.

 

Don't!

 

IME, they put their own out in one helluva hurry

 

 

MtB

 

IME they don't always.

[blackrose]

The other thing is that when my boat is bouncing around in a lock and I'm above looking down at it, I'd rather the fenders were down. That's a personal choice. I've got enough to think about when I'm moving my boat by myself without putting fenders up and down. If other people want to bounce off their rubbing strakes that's fine with me - you move your boat how you see fit and I'll do the same with mine.

 

 

 

[Guest]

 

Well, I thought you were asking for our POV?

 

And my POV is no more centric than yours...

 

No, when I crewed on passenger boats on the Thames we often used fenders between boats in locks. There are no hard and fast rules. It depends on the situation.

I tend to agree with that, my comments were aimed at the OP's situation of two NB's in a wide canal lock etc.

Edited May 22, 2014 by Guest

[Richard T]

 

And just to add to Hamster's practical recital, lock gates hung on an absolutely vertical wall tend to flap about, a bit of a lean helps them stay open or closed: helps-if the gate is badly balanced it doesn't always succeed

Which is what I understand the problem to be at Aston on the T&M where the offside bottom gate will not stay closed unless a paddle is drawn. CRT are aware of this but it needs a fairly major rebuild to solve. I was told that when last rebuilt the quoins were put in vertical in both planes.

[Guest]

 

That's a very narrowboat-centric POV. Perhaps narrow boats on canals are only supposed to use fenders for mooring, but that doesn't necessarily apply to all boats in all situations. Even narrowboats may have fenders placed between themselves and other boats in a big crowded Thames lock for example.

 

Yes, if you can explain to me how I am supposed to put my fenders down when I'm single handing and approaching a big river lock with plastic boats in? Some narrowboaters have this "no fenders" rule so firmly embedded up themselves they have even suggested I leave the helm to put the fenders down!

Should plastic boats not be last in/first out when mixing with steel boats? Or is that only on canals?

In your circumstances I can't see any harm in leaving the fenders down if there is no chance of jamming the boats; that is my concern in the canal situation.

[adam1uk]

The other thing is that when my boat is bouncing around in a lock and I'm above looking down at it, I'd rather the fenders were down. That's a personal choice. I've got enough to think about when I'm moving my boat by myself without putting fenders up and down. If other people want to bounce off their rubbing strakes that's fine with me - you move your boat how you see fit and I'll do the same with mine.

 

 

In a lock like that, how do you ensure that your fenders are against the sticky-out bits of wall, and not where the sticky-in bits are?

[Dave_P]

I don't want to repeat myself but I will say that nothing in this thread alters the validity of my previous comments in this subject.

 

For the sake of clarity: fenders down can cause boats to be hung up. Fenders up can cause the same problem. Please everyone stop thinking that raising fenders means you can't get stuck and you can be complacent.

 

Serious problems here were averted because the OP was vigilant.

[nb Innisfree]

I once saw two NB's jammed in bottom of lock 19 K&A, one of them had pipe fenders down, other had none.

[blackrose]

Should plastic boats not be last in/first out when mixing with steel boats? Or is that only on canals?.

Ideally yes, but that's not always the way out works out. I've turned up at Thames locks which are already half full of cruisers and plastic boats and the lock keeper has waved me in. Most of them don't care who's steel or plastic, they just want to get boats through.

In a lock like that, how do you ensure that your fenders are against the sticky-out bits of wall, and not where the sticky-in bits are?

You can't unless you have horizontal fenders like some Dutch barges have.

[magnetman]

Blackrose

The op is about two narrow boats getting wedged in a 'double' lock. IMO the Thames and wide beam vessels, splitters etc have nothing whatsoever to do with it.

 

 

Istr years ago there were two boats wedged in similar circumstances but one of them was a light build perhaps a Springer and was permanenty damaged ie crushed a bit.

[Dave_P]

Blackrose

The op is about two narrow boats getting wedged in a 'double' lock. IMO the Thames and wide beam vessels, splitters etc have nothing whatsoever to do with it.

 

 

Istr years ago there were two boats wedged in similar circumstances but one of them was a light build perhaps a Springer and was permanenty damaged ie crushed a bit.

It has everything to do with it when it's often repeated that fenders should always be up when cruising. This is highly likely to lead to complacency, especially among new boaters. "My fenders are up so I don't need to worry in locks". Far better to teach people to use common sense and properly consider all the factors - lock width, uneven walls, projections into the lock, shape of hull, angle of gunwales, shape of rubbing strakes, familiarity with the lock... etc. Then make a considered judgement on how best to work the lock.