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Single handed locking (on the GU)


Galeomma

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I have just done a couple of days single handed along the GU including locks.

 

I can cope going up hill pretty well...

 

Going up

1 Moor up

2 Set lock

3 motor in

4 climb ladder with center rope

5 tie off boat with center rope

6 operate lock

7 motor boat out

8 tie up

9 close lock gates.

 

OK, not too bad but going down is doing my head in.

 

Going down

1 moor up

2 set lock

3 motor in

4 get off and hold center rope

5 operate lock while trying to hold boat steady (ish)

6 open gate

7 climb down ladder while trying to keep boat close, only to find its drifted across the lock. help.gif

8 pull boat back without falling in.

9 climb back up ladder to pull boat back as I can't do it while on the ladder.

10 when boat is close enough, scoot down ladder and jump on boat without falling in.

11 drive out

12 tie up

13 close lock gates.

 

There has to be an easier way to do these wide locks single handed.

 

Help please!!

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Going up: go in through single gate and hop off the boat (with centre rope and windlass) at the bottom of the lower gate steps.

 

Going down: drop boat on centre rope. Open one gate, pull boat through gate from lockside, close it, hop on boat at bottom of steps.

 

The layout sometimes prevents some of the above, but it usually works.

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I have just done a couple of days single handed along the GU including locks.

 

I can cope going up hill pretty well...

 

Going up

1 Moor up

2 Set lock

3 motor in

4 climb ladder with center rope

5 tie off boat with center rope

6 operate lock

7 motor boat out

8 tie up

9 close lock gates.

 

OK, not too bad but going down is doing my head in.

 

Going down

1 moor up

2 set lock

3 motor in

4 get off and hold center rope

5 operate lock while trying to hold boat steady (ish)

6 open gate

7 climb down ladder while trying to keep boat close, only to find its drifted across the lock. help.gif

8 pull boat back without falling in.

9 climb back up ladder to pull boat back as I can't do it while on the ladder.

10 when boat is close enough, scoot down ladder and jump on boat without falling in.

11 drive out

12 tie up

13 close lock gates.

 

There has to be an easier way to do these wide locks single handed.

 

Help please!!

 

Going downhill:

 

1 moor up

2 set lock

3 motor in

4 get off and make center rope line fast to a bollard

5 operate lock while trying not needing to worry about holding the boat steady (ish), other than avoiding the stern catching on the sill

6 open gate

7 Use centre line to pull boat back to ladder if necessary

8 Climb down six rungs of ladder in less than 30 seconds onto boat roof

9 Go back up and untie centre line from bollard

10 climb down six rungs of ladder in less than 30 seconds onto boat roof

11 drive steer out

12 tie moor up

13 close lock gates doors.

 

:D

 

MtB

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When going down.

 

Moor up

Set lock

Motor in

tie on centre bollard with enough slack but not too much. Keep an eye on boat/cill but largely forget

open 1 gate and give a heave on the centre line and boat will start to glide out lock (keep centre line in hand)

Close gate behind boat and run down steps and step onto the stern as it passes.

 

The most annoying thing is having to moor up and set the lock EVERY time. If everyone left gates open then I reckon at least 50% of the time you wouldn't need to do this.

What about when going down the other gate swings open as you enter..........

 

NB did not someone have a remote control to get their bote out of the locks when going down?

I go in slow enough that the gate doesn't fully open, then if you are quick enough to open a paddle then it'll close itself.

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Going up…on your own through wide locks on the GU, open only the one paddle the same side as your boat is positioned in the lock and it will hold it in place without drifting off, I found this by accident, its a bit of a slower process but it seemed to work a treat…or it could be the other way around as I'm a kinaesthetic learner and need to be doing it to understand what I'm actually doing!

Edited by Shockabilly
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Since they have buggered up the gate paddles on the GU by fitting baffles I have changed my paddle lifting regieme, with one or two exceptions I do the following;

Gate paddle opposite side to the boat

Ground paddle same side as boat

Ground paddle 50% opposite side to boat.

This is with a 60ft boat held on centre line using a version of the lightermans hitch

http://www.animatedknots.com/lightermans/

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The most annoying thing is having to moor up and set the lock EVERY time. If everyone left gates open then I reckon at least 50% of the time you wouldn't need to do this.

 

I go in slow enough that the gate doesn't fully open, then if you are quick enough to open a paddle then it'll close itself.

I agree. We recently did the Wey Navigation and it is normal procedure to leave the gates open. So much easier.

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I agree with others about pulling the boat out of the lock when going downhill. It takes a little longer but is much easier (and safer).

 

Going up, my system - and I freely admit I have never seen anyone else doing this - involves a light line (8mm) that lies on the roof, and is connected to one of the bow ropes. I nip up the ladder with that line, and then pull up the bow rope and attach it to a bollard.

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On the L&LC in the 1970s, going downhill, I used to leave the boat just dragging in gear. You could open the gates against the push of the boat, climb down the gate - the L&LC gates used to have footholds for this - and ensure the boat was heading towards the towpath as it was leaving the lock. Then climb back up the gate, close them and stroll down the towpath to push the boat off and jump on as it reached the bank. I only once had to appear relaxed as the boat continued unattended down the middle of the canal! I suspect that, given moored boat numbers today, this is not too helpful a posting.

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Going downhill:

 

1 moor up

2 set lock

3 motor in

4 get off and make center rope line fast to a bollard

5 operate lock while trying not needing to worry about holding the boat steady (ish), other than avoiding the stern catching on the sill

6 open gate

Step 7. Haul boat out of lock using centre line and fasten to bollard at lock tail

 

Step 8 Close gates and paddles unless it's one of the locks that has a notice saying "Leave bottom gates and paddles open."

 

Step 9 Get on board, release centre lone and head off into the sunset.

 

Bloomin' keyboard.........................^^^line.

 

Or:-

 

Arrive at lock.

 

Notice CRT volunteers floating round, having prepared the lock for you.

 

Enter lock, and chat with them while they do all the hard work.

 

Head off downstream.

 

Works for me. (Sometimes)cloud9.gif

Edited by John Williamson 1955
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Thanks for all your input.

 

I tried Mike on the Weys method of getting off the boat at the foot of the lock and walking up the steps. That was much better than using the ladder.cheers.gif

Still finding the going down a pain but pulling the boat out seems a lot safer than using the ladder so I'll persevere with that.

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I Hate the top lock gates on the K&A, who's the bright spark that thought using a metal stirrup would be an improvement over the nice wide steps that are used on the GU?

 

How exactly are you meant to see where to put your foot when trying to step down? Not everyone has legs long enough to make it off the gate without a proper step!

 

Rant over - but I still hate the top gates on the K&A locks, well top gates when going from Reading to Hungerford at least.

 

And where exactly does the K&A get better anyway? We've been told it's much nicer the farther west you go past Newbury, how much farther do we need to go before it gets better??

 

OK, now the rant really is over :)

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Ill throw in my 2d worth

Uphill

Moor up

Open gates

Motor in getting off at bottom of steps, having slowed boat to a crawl and put the tiller strings on

Loop centre line round bollard using a version of lightermans hitch

Close gate

Open opposite side gate paddle full

Open same side ground paddle full

Open opposite side ground paddle 50%

Close opposite side paddles

Open gate

Close same side paddle

undo centre line

Pick up stern line attached to n/s dolly

Motor out slowly

Reset tiller strings

Step off boat before it passes gate with stern line

Pass stern line round gate rail

Close gate when boat past (stern line is exactly the length to enable this)

Step back on board motor away.

 

 

Down hill

Moor

Open gate

Draw bottom gate paddle a very small amount (stops offside gate swinging)

Motor in attach tiller strings and stop boat using centre line

Loop centre line round bollard using a version of lightermans hitch

Close gate

Pull all lower paddles

Close offside paddle

Open n/s gate

Pull boat out on centre line

Close bottom gate as stern passes gate

Down steps and back on boat.

Motor away

 

Things to note,

1, All my lines are only just long enough to complete the job required so as an example when shuting the lower gate as the rope goes tight the gate is shut and it pulls me off the beam.

2, I weigh 17stone so have the bulk to manoeuvre the boat when needed

3, My tiller strings hold the tiller central as the boat has a big rudder it goes in a straight line.

4, not saying this will work for you but it does for me.

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The most annoying thing is having to moor up and set the lock EVERY time. If everyone left gates open then I reckon at least 50% of the time you wouldn't need to do this.

 

 

You wont find many people who can work that one out. They cant get passed coming to a lock and the gates are open the other end.

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not yet done single handed locking and admit i dread it, reading this thread has made me even more worried that won't cope.

 

I sympathise with this as I was quite worried myself as a new boater a few weeks ago. I had to pick my boat up from Gayton and bring it down to and through London- I did have my son and my Mrs to help me part of the way, but most of the trip was on my own.

 

In the event it was not so bad at all. Actually at a lot of locks there were other boats going up or down whose crew were very happy to do a little extra to assist a single hander. It became quite sociable at points on the GU, going through several locks with the same boat/s.

 

At other times I mobilised some random members of the public who were hanging around the locks (I know there's a word for such people, I can't remember it right now) and they seemed to enjoy opening & closing gates as directed!

 

I am sure you will be fine when it comes to it. I would just advise taking things slowly and simply, not (yet) trying out any of the clever techniques advocated on this & similar threads!

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