Nene locks

[GUMPY]

Going uphill with a 60ft boat is it better to sit back in the lock and open the paddle on the same side as the boat

Or

Sit forward and open the opposite side paddle?

Bearing in mind as there is no flow over the gates I can't wait for them to self fill.

[bottle]

The first one if ground paddles but that doesn't always work.

Edited September 5, 2014 by bottle

[GUMPY]

The first one if ground paddles but that doesn't always work.

Yes that's a normal lock, well nearly

Personally since they have fitted the baffles on the GU its:

Opposite side gate

Same side ground

Opposite side ground 50%

However Nene locks are nothing like normal locks having only gate paddles about 2ftx2ft6 sometimes above sometimes below water.

When the river is at normal level there is usually 3-6" of water coming over the gates, so no need to use paddles.

This year its mostly down so having to use them. Off uphill tomorrow.

[Scholar Gypsy]

Where I ended up was :

i) take a bow rope to one of the numerous bollards, to control sideways movement a bit (and in particular to stop you crashing into the other wall)

 

ii) open the gate paddle on the same side as the boat.

 

As you say, these paddles are large and strong, and one will fill the lock pretty qucikly. Opening one paddle makes especially good sense if you are single handed, or have only one crew, as (on the guillotine locks) there is no way to cross over the top gates. [by the time you walk around the bottom end of the lock it will be nearly full anyway.]

Edited September 5, 2014 by Scholar Gypsy

[MoominPapa]

In our 60ft boat I tend to sit towards the back, with a rope from a stern dolly, round the rearmost bollard and back to the boat. When the gate paddles are opened, the flow bounces off the guilotine and throw the boat strongly forward, and the rope checks that.

 

MP.

[GUMPY]

All good its easy on the electric ones as DLW can do the guillotine, on the manual ones that's my job and she doent steer.......

 

MP which side do you open?

[MoominPapa]

All good its easy on the electric ones as DLW can do the guillotine, on the manual ones that's my job and she doent steer.......

 

MP which side do you open?

None in particular, probably whichever one is on the same side as the guilotine controls gets opened first. We don't stop on the lower lock landing, we go straight into the lock and I bring the boat to stop with the front desk next to forward ladder. Lock crew goes up the ladder, walks back and takes my rope round the back bollard, closes the guilotine then opens the paddle. We usually use both paddles.

 

MP.

[FadeToScarlet]

We found, with a 72' boat, that it depended on the depth of the paddle. If the lock is shallow, and you can't see the paddle, then the same side; if you can see it, then the opposite side.

 

Note that, with this method, the fore end will cross over to the other side of the lock once the paddle is under water and the flow gets behind the boat, and then cross back again once it's full.

 

The main thing we do is hang moped tyre fenders, to avoid getting hung up on the chains, and to prevent excessive banging about. Once the first bit of the lock is full, whichever of us is steering will generally rope the boat to a bollard and open the other paddle to finish it off quickly.

 

Edit to add- some kind soul has drilled out holes in the manual wheels (apart from perio) which you can out a screwdriver through to make a handle and make it a LOT easier!

Where I ended up was :

 

i) take a bow rope to one of the numerous bollards, to control sideways movement a bit (and in particular to stop you crashing into the other wall)

 

ii) open the gate paddle on the same side as the boat.

 

As you say, these paddles are large and strong, and one will fill the lock pretty qucikly. Opening one paddle makes especially good sense if you are single handed, or have only one crew, as (on the guillotine locks) there is no way to cross over the top gates. [by the time you walk around the bottom end of the lock it will be nearly full anyway.]

There is, but it depends on your bravery! I have done, but don't make a habit of it.

Edited September 7, 2014 by FadeToScarlet

[Mac of Cygnet]

I didn't have much trouble in the Nene locks singlehanded until the very last one, going up, when the boat suddenly surged forward so violently that my centre rope broke and it crashed against the top gates. This also happened in the first lock up from Fradley Junction, so it's not just big wide locks which you have to be careful of with a small boat. In both cases it happened so quickly that I didn't have time to drop the one paddle I had open.

[Scholar Gypsy]

I didn't have much trouble in the Nene locks singlehanded until the very last one, going up, when the boat suddenly surged forward so violently that my centre rope broke and it crashed against the top gates. This also happened in the first lock up from Fradley Junction, so it's not just big wide locks which you have to be careful of with a small boat. In both cases it happened so quickly that I didn't have time to drop the one paddle I had open.

 

I had a similar incident at Lower Barnwell lock - not a deep one. I was single handed (well various people were in sleeping bags on the roof which is much the same thing). The centre rope got caught on the side hatch and detached it (fortunately it didn't end up in the water).

 

Since then I use the bow rope rather than a centre line ...

[GUMPY]

So far we have been using centre rope (which is set 2/3 way back down the boat) double turn on the bollard next to the downstream ladder and back to me on the stern which is just past or level with the ladder.

DLW uses paddle on same side as boat but being her winds it slowly. So far tickety boo.

 

However Thrapston VM are an interesting place to get on to if going upstream, reversing round a corner next to a bridge, wouldn't want to do it if there was any flow on the river.

Edited September 7, 2014 by Loddon

[ditchcrawler]

Are you heading for the top of the R Lark to visit Judes Ferry?

[GUMPY]

Are you heading for the top of the R Lark to visit Judes Ferry?

Wish we could but due to work commitments we are on our way home!

Could have worked all next week as well if I hadn't said no....

[Mac of Cygnet]

Are you heading for the top of the R Lark to visit Judes Ferry?

 

Is Isleham (?) lock open again, then? I failed for the second time to reach Jude's Ferry this summer because the lock was out of action.