Being careful.

[Sea Dog]

I have cylindrical rubber fenders which do hang in the water. What's the issue with that exactly? I've never had a problem in the 10 years I've had the boat and never got hung up because it's a widebeam and I can't use narrow locks anyway. As I said, it's mainly a narrowboat thing.

 

 

I think you'll find it's not mainly a narrowboat thing, although sliding a 6ft 10in boat into a 7ft lock does rather encourage good fender discipline.

 

However, I know a lot of yachties and blue water motorboaters (a sector which hugely outnumbers narrowboats) who all frown on those who don't bring in their fenders when underway - sloppy practice in their eyes. They do tend to exercise their entitlement to fly undefaced blue ensigns though, so they'd get stick of their own from some quarters for that! Ho-hum.

[J R]

9: Always have the center rope trailed back to the steering position. Most useful rope on the boat. All the numbered items above are well thought through and do work.

[Emerald Fox]

Your wife's Largest Asset brought this to mind:

 

Vanessa Feltz's knickers are that big that when Rolf Harris said "it couldn't have been me, I was in Australia at the time". It still wasn't an excuse.

[Darren72]

When taking a piss off the side of the boat when rising in a lock make sure you didn't have a load of beer the night before. Embarrassing taking a piss like a horse and finding gongoozlers when you rise to the top.

[5thHorseman]

Watch that you don't sweep anything into the lock with you as you go in.

 

Took an unseen floating mat of weed into a lock on the Caldon and it jammed the boat - the front stayed put half way down and the stern kept going.

I draw your attention to a previous post "Agree a horn signal for emergencies in advance...."

 

You only have seconds. You hesitate, the crew hesitates, take it from me the boat doesn't.

[Radiomariner]

Watch that you don't sweep anything into the lock with you as you go in.

 

Took an unseen floating mat of weed into a lock on the Caldon and it jammed the boat - the front stayed put half way down and the stern kept going.

I draw your attention to a previous post "Agree a horn signal for emergencies in advance...."

 

You only have seconds. You hesitate, the crew hesitates, take it from me the boat doesn't.

Similar. Swan with five signets sneaked unseen into the lock ahead of me. Could not understand SWMBO's shouting and gesticulations (I have a noisy air cooled Lister engine). What did alert me was an aggressive low level "fly past" by the offending swan's mate.

[Peter X]

 

Perhaps he's an olympic sprinter

 

Richard

 

If she eats lots of chips he only needs to be an average sprinter.

[Naughty Cal]

 

I think you'll find it's not mainly a narrowboat thing, although sliding a 6ft 10in boat into a 7ft lock does rather encourage good fender discipline.

 

However, I know a lot of yachties and blue water motorboaters (a sector which hugely outnumbers narrowboats) who all frown on those who don't bring in their fenders when underway - sloppy practice in their eyes. They do tend to exercise their entitlement to fly undefaced blue ensigns though, so they'd get stick of their own from some quarters for that! Ho-hum.

We don't travel with fenders down (they scuff the gelcoat and are downright dangerous at high speed!) but we don't frown upon those who do. Each to their own.

[mattlad]

When taking a piss off the side of the boat when rising in a lock make sure you didn't have a load of beer the night before. Embarrassing taking a piss like a horse and finding gongoozlers when you rise to the top.

Reminds me....... I had motored past many miles of woods on the off-side whilst bursting for a pee. Finally decided I HAD to go, unzipped opened fly and did what I had to do. Unfortunately the woods ended rather unexpectedly to be replaced by a golf course.

Complete with golfers.

Including female golfists.

I have a slightly dicky prostate.

I had started.

I couldn't stop until all the pee had gone..........

[BruceinSanity]

Reminds me....... I had motored past many miles of woods on the off-side whilst bursting for a pee. Finally decided I HAD to go, unzipped opened fly and did what I had to do. Unfortunately the woods ended rather unexpectedly to be replaced by a golf course.

Complete with golfers.

Including female golfists.

I have a slightly dicky prostate.

I had started.

I couldn't stop until all the pee had gone..........

10. Do not have a mouthful of breakfast cereal when reading mattlad 's posts. I've now got to take the iPad out of its cover to clean it

 

)

[Beaker]

My bum is not normally over the open weed hatch,

 

That's a strange place to keep your keys!

[BrumSaint]

What if they fall out of your pocket?

At least you've still got your fingers and hands to look for them and pick them up.

[Murflynn]

We don't travel with fenders down (they scuff the gelcoat and are downright dangerous at high speed!) but we don't frown upon those who do. Each to their own.

boats are, or should be, pretty things in their owners' eyes.

hanging fenders, especially big balls or dragging fenders, do not enhance the appearance.

Edited November 30, 2014 by Murflynn