Thanks for help

[Ray T]

Elaine and Stuart, close friends borrowed our boat for a week (mid week to mid week) recently.

 

At the Braunston flight, coming down, Stuart was lock wheeling and Elaine steering. Elaine was a little concerned, about steering the boat into double locks with another boat already in the lock.

Along came NB Polestar and the crew taught Elaine how to enter locks "side by side".

 

I do not know if the crew of Polestar read this forum or not but Elaine and Stuart would like to pass on their grateful thanks.

If any one meets Polestar could you please pass on our gratitude.

 

Many thanks.

[ditchcrawler]

Was it this one http://www.tarncourt.co.uk/waterways/sections/leedsliv/polestar.jpg

[WJM]

was a little concerned, about steering the boat into double locks with another boat already in the lock.

Along came NB Polestar and the crew taught Elaine how to enter locks "side by side".

 

Tied together?

[Ray T]

Not sure I will ask them this evening, just looked at Canal Plan AC - there are six of them.

 

Boat is dark blue with light blue writing, a couple travelling from Watford to North Wales.

 

Boats weren't tied together.

Edited June 26, 2014 by Ray T

[Quinafloat]

No need to tie them together, each steerer steers his own side and both boats enter the lock together. Saves a lot of faff with ropes and is very much quicker.

[WJM]

Thats what I thought. No special skill required to drive a narrowboat into a broad lock with a narrowboat already tin it.

[Ray T]

Thats what I thought. No special skill required to drive a narrowboat into a broad lock with a narrowboat already tin it.

 

There may not be for you but there is for newbies, were you never a beginner?

I put a simple remark of thanks on CWDF, not for the post to be dissected thank you.

Edited June 26, 2014 by Ray T

[Laurie Booth]

No need to tie them together, each steerer steers his own side and both boats enter the lock together. Saves a lot of faff with ropes and is very much quicker.

Very dangerous to do this, much safer to go into the lock one at a time.

[Quinafloat]

Very dangerous to do this, much safer to go into the lock one at a time.

 

What's dangerous about it?

[GeoffS]

Very dangerous to do this, much safer to go into the lock one at a time.

Whats dangerous? I would do this as first choice assuming both boats agree to it even if single handing and walking up the lock steps

[bizzard]

I wouldn't risk it with a strangers anyway. They don't know how well you steer and you don't know how well they steer.

[Nightwatch]

I met another boat some years ago and we shared the wide locks. He asked me to enter second, he would just get his bow in and almost stop, I would come along and as I entered he would proceed slightly ahead of me. By the end we had off it to a 'T'. Stopped him drifting across the lock and me bashing into him.

 

Martyn

[adam1uk]

Very dangerous to do this, much safer to go into the lock one at a time.

 

Nonsense.

[Laurie Booth]

 

Nonsense.

I was persuade against my better judgement, while doing a flight of locks to go in side by side into the locks.

The first few locks everything was fine, then came a serious problem.

 

Both our boats jammed in the gate and got seriously stuck.

We had to get BW to help us out. They got two men to lift the paddles to force us out of the gates, we both shot out backwards like corks out of a champainge bottle.

 

It is much safer for the newbie boater to go in first, throw a rope up and then his/her partner pull the boat to the side.

Then the experianced boater goes into the lock.

[bizzard]

 

Nonsense.

Not nonsense at all, I don't think. Laurie's remark is quite sensible. You might think yourself a fully expert, proficient and accurate steerer but not every one is, especially many hire and some leisure boaters who pop out for an occasional tootle, who may be too polite to decline the idea and then dither, perhaps panic and counter steer taking both boats off course. As I said I wouldn't do it with strangers, boaters I know, maybe yes.

[adam1uk]

I was persuade against my better judgement, while doing a flight of locks to go in side by side into the locks.

The first few locks everything was fine, then came a serious problem.

 

Both our boats jammed in the gate and got seriously stuck.

We had to get BW to help us out. They got two men to lift the paddles to force us out of the gates, we both shot out backwards like corks out of a champainge bottle.

 

It is much safer for the newbie boater to go in first, throw a rope up and then his/her partner pull the boat to the side.

Then the experianced boater goes into the lock.

 

So you got a bit stuck; it wasn't 'very dangerous', no-one was likely to get injured.

Not nonsense at all, I don't think. Laurie's remark is quite sensible. You might think yourself a fully expert, proficient and accurate steerer but not every one is, especially many hire and some leisure boaters who pop out for an occasional tootle, who may be too polite to decline the idea and then dither, perhaps panic and counter steer taking both boats off course. As I said I wouldn't do it with strangers, boaters I know, maybe yes.

 

I'd never force anyone to do 'synchronised boating' if they didn't want to do it, but hire boaters particularly are often very receptive to ways of doing things that they hadn't previously considered. In fact, I can think of at least three cases when I've done locks side by side with hire boaters, with great success. There are some locks, such as Knowle, the Soulbury Three, and the lower ones at Stoke Bruerne, where you're much more likely to get into difficulty by going in separately, than going in side by side.

[Quinafloat]

There are many times I would also advise against putting two boats in together. When there is a bridge arch or bush hindering one of the boats, and certainly if the lock gates don't open fully. But surely that's just common sense.

 

Is it dangerous? In my opinion no, either steerer can just reverse if they cannot complete the manoeuvre, just like any other lock entrance.

 

The vast majority of the time it works fine and it is easier on the boats and the crew. Certainly never heard of injury or damage to boats when doing this.

[Laurie Booth]

 

So you got a bit stuck; it wasn't 'very dangerous', no-one was likely to get injured.

 

 

It seem very dangerous to me as the water in front of me started to rise and my boat stayed at the same level. The only advantage to me about going into a lock together is to speed things up.

Is it dangerous? In my opinion no, either steerer can just reverse if they cannot complete the manoeuvre, just like any other lock entrance.

 

The vast majority of the time it works fine and it is easier on the boats and the crew. Certainly never heard of injury or damage to boats when doing this.

In our case we were jammed between the gates and could not reverse out.

[matty40s]

I agree with Laurie if the boats aren't tied.

I move all sorts of boats through wide and narrow locks and there are differences to all. Bywashes and silt banks affect steerage just when you think you have it right ( or hope they do), and end up with one or both banging sidewalls or lock gates unecessarily. Far better is to get one in, moved over, and then the next.

My record locking was 46 wide locks in a day using this method, two lads on the other boat and me. Lapworth junction to Braunston very simply. When moving other people's boats, I can't afford to take risks with their property by formation locking.

[adam the wanderer]

Did this start off saying thank you for your help? why did it get into who should of tired up to who,,,

[Ray T]

Did this start off saying thank you for your help? why did it get into who should of tired up to who,,,

 

Well yes it did, but as ever threads get derailed.

[nicknorman]

I think 2 in absolute parallel is fine if you know what you are doing. If not it is perhaps better to have one ahead, the other with the bows virtually abeam the stern of one in front. That way there is a bit more time to check the other boat is doing the right thing, but the second boat starts to overlap the first as soon as the latter goes into reverse, thus stopping his boat from moving into the middle of the lock.

 

In Laurie's case, sorry but it seems to me to be a failure to check the gates were properly open before embarking on the manoeuvre. The same could surely happen in a narrow lock if you charged in but the gates would not fully open due to an obstruction.

 

It does perhaps depend on the locks a bit - for example the strange circulating currents in the short Knowle pounds makes it hard enough to get 1 boat in clean, never mind 2 at once! Hatton is OK though.

Edited June 27, 2014 by nicknorman

[J R ALSOP]

46 wide locks in a day, thats whimpy boating, Top of Stockton to Tardebig Bottom with a pair, and still had time for barbecue and a pint.

[David Mack]

Both our boats jammed in the gate and got seriously stuck.

We had to get BW to help us out. They got two men to lift the paddles to force us out of the gates, we both shot out backwards like corks out of a champainge bottle.

 

It is much safer for the newbie boater to go in first, throw a rope up and then his/her partner pull the boat to the side.

Then the experianced boater goes into the lock.

But if the second boat was aiming to slot into the gap alongside the first, but gate wasn't fully open, the bow of the second boat would be bounced out and hit the stern of the first. How is that better?

 

In my experience as the first boat applies reverse to stop, the stern inevitably swings out, and so the second boat is delayed, making the whole process a lot slower. I'd much rather go in either bow to bow (which does rely on two competent steerers) or with 1/3 of a boat length of overlap.

[OldGoat]

Strangely,

My Management doesn't enjoy driving the boat

EXCEPT when

the opportunity occurs to breast up in a flight of broad locks and she manages the whole procedure without a flaw.

 

We've tried two side by side and invariably that the other boat does something daft - too much power, sudden full reverse and the like

Or one after the other, he drive in first the gives hard astern and washes us over, or the converse.

 

Nobody, it seems has the sense to manage to judge both boats' speed to allow for the waterway conditions so the there's no need to put on sudden power in either direction.

 

Perhaps it's because our boat swims well and has enough torque to stop gracefully.