Single handed.....

[David Schweizer]

David.

 

For someone who spends a lot of his time banging on about working boats and their crews in the days of old, what's all this 'twaddle' about how the boatmen would scamper up and down lock ladders all day long. They were only installed during the 1980's.

 

I didn't spend anything like half my life racing around circuits but I did spend a significant bit of it climbing vertical ladders on big plant machinery, they by law have safety hoops fitted, they don't have organic slime all over them and in the main they are used by fit young chaps not geriatric wrinklies like us.

 

They are and always have been regarded by the authorities as extremely dangerous and only allowed if a staircase is impractical for some reason.

Who mentioned anything about working Boatmen climbing Laders John? It certainly wasn't me. But as you have mentioned them, I have seen them climb the gates on more than one occassion, and they would jump from the top of an empty lock onto the cabin roof, I have a photo of Arthur Bray doing just that.

 

Oh, and old age is a state of mind, not just a phsical characteristic. You might consider yourself to be a geriatric wrinkly, but I have a long time to go before I am prepared to wear that mantle.

[Hairy-Neil]

I've known someone climb the gate at Denham Deep but not jump down onto the cabin top.....

[blackrose]

No use of the ladder or ropes, (going uphill, gates open) I chugged slowly into the chamber and stepped off at the same time selecting neutral. The boat came to a halt before reaching the far gates.

 

They [ladders] are and always have been regarded by the authorities as extremely dangerous and only allowed if a staircase is impractical for some reason.

 

Perhaps with a small boat on single locks this works but my boat displaces approx 30 tonnes and even in neutral going very slowly the momentum means if you step off it's not going to come to a stop by itself until it hits the gates at the other end, so I need to have a centrerope which I take over the balance beam and stop the boat on a bollard. I don't know about other canals, but the staircases on many locks on the Southern GU are impractial to use single-handed because they go out at right angles to the lock. One would have to step off the boat and throw the rope over the high butress stair case wall perpendicular to the lock and then try to run around and up the stairs before the rope catches itself on the beam. Much easier to carefully use the ladders in my opinion

Edited April 3, 2007 by blackrose

[Supermalc]

I'd like to see someone go through this lock singlehanded, without climbing ladders. Doesn't matter if you're in a canoo or a large Dutch barge.

 

The only way onto your boat once you are through is down the ladder seen through the gates to the left. The next point to get onto your boat safely is 2 miles to the right.

 

 

 

 

 

[Tortoise]

I'm lucky - with a relatively light 30' boat, I pull the boat by the centre rope in & out of the lock from the side, remaining on top to work the lock. The boat gets loosely tied with the centre rope, and remains in netral. A little more finesse in control was required on the single width locks on the Oxford, though.

 

What I find frustrating when working single handed is other people 'helping' when MY boat is in the lock, but not letting me control the operation - it's one of those things where they don't know what's important to me, as they're not working on their own. This is often meant well and in the end helpful, but can be downright dangerous, like the people who decided to open the gates for me while I was crossing them...

 

The extreme version of this was up at Napton last summer where a woman working two hotel boats waiting to come down was issuing orders to her crew to work the lock while my boat was coming up, even telling me to 'shut up' at one point. I always appreciate help, but this was just rude & arrogant, however 'green' she thought I was. I understand she had her prorities & point of view I couldn't necessarily see, but... Everyone else, of course, has been lovely, help - or just teamwork - is always welcomed.

 

Rant? Me? Apologies. I'm nice really. ;-)

[BlueStringPudding]

I'm lucky - with a relatively light 30' boat, I pull the boat by the centre rope in & out of the lock from the side, remaining on top to work the lock. The boat gets loosely tied with the centre rope, and remains in netral. A little more finesse in control was required on the single width locks on the Oxford, though.

 

What I find frustrating when working single handed is other people 'helping' when MY boat is in the lock, but not letting me control the operation - it's one of those things where they don't know what's important to me, as they're not working on their own. This is often meant well and in the end helpful, but can be downright dangerous, like the people who decided to open the gates for me while I was crossing them...

 

The extreme version of this was up at Napton last summer where a woman working two hotel boats waiting to come down was issuing orders to her crew to work the lock while my boat was coming up, even telling me to 'shut up' at one point. I always appreciate help, but this was just rude & arrogant, however 'green' she thought I was. I understand she had her prorities & point of view I couldn't necessarily see, but... Everyone else, of course, has been lovely, help - or just teamwork - is always welcomed.

 

Rant? Me? Apologies. I'm nice really. ;-)

 

When Kev and I were on the Trent & Mersey at Christmas time, we were in a lock and the lock was already part-full when a chap moored up in the pound behind us, had a go at us for not waiting for him (hadn't seen him coming, to be honest!) and promptly "helped" by opening all the paddles fully (gate and ground) sending a waterfall into the lock and throwing the boat around all over the place with poor old Kev on board clinging to the rope to try to keep the boat reasonable steady and not to fill up the bow with water.

 

Git. We moored the other side of the lock and let him pass us - didn't fancy joining him at all the rest of the locks on our journey. We weren't even single-handed but people "helping" can still be a problem especially when they want to take control despite it not being their boat inside the lock!

[MaryP]

At Beeston Iron Lock there is no internal ladder, so single handed you have to pull the boat in or out, staying on the lock side. Did that today.

[Freetochat]

Can anyone recommend this book - Going it Alone - a boater's thoughts on single handed boating by Colin Edmondson.

[Maffi]

Yes its well worth the money.

[goldtone]

I have to move the boat single handed this weekend for the first time, encountering a couple of double locks. Going up, not down

 

How is this done? I presume I just tie up to a bollard or keep hold of the middle rope when opening the paddles. Do you open paddles on both sides, or just one side. How do you hold the rope when opening opposite paddle?

[carlt]

At Beeston Iron Lock there is no internal ladder, so single handed you have to pull the boat in or out, staying on the lock side. Did that today.

If you keep the boat in forward, dead slow, it comes out on its own.

[Keeping Up]

I have to move the boat single handed this weekend for the first time, encountering a couple of double locks. Going up, not down

 

How is this done? I presume I just tie up to a bollard or keep hold of the middle rope when opening the paddles. Do you open paddles on both sides, or just one side. How do you hold the rope when opening opposite paddle?

The easiest way is to find another boat to share the lock with.

 

Otherwise, just open the ground paddle on the same side as the boat, no more then half-way at first, and use the centre rope to keep the boat in place. You can make use of the bollard too, if there's one in the right place - but it's better to just take a turn round it and use it as a brake/pulley (ie so that the rope is pulling in the right direction) rather than tying to it, because if you tie it too short the boat can rise high enough to be tipped over.

 

When the lock is about half full, raise the paddle the rest of the way. Don't bother with any other paddles unless the bottom gates are leaking so much that you can't open the top gates.

[Chris J W]

I have to move the boat single handed this weekend for the first time, encountering a couple of double locks. Going up, not down

 

How is this done? I presume I just tie up to a bollard or keep hold of the middle rope when opening the paddles. Do you open paddles on both sides, or just one side. How do you hold the rope when opening opposite paddle?

 

I normally just open the open gate, enter very slowly (nearly stopped!) and step-off the back with the centre-line in hand and walk up to the top, giving her a tug into the lock if I've lost too much momentum. Loosely wrap the rope around a bollard, sufficient that it's not going to un wrap and fall in.

 

After shutting the gate, ensuring the rudder isn't caught, I normally just work the one side. Ground paddles 1/4 up first for minute, then 1/2 for a minute then full - the boat will drift off in the flow, just keep an eye that your centre-line hasn't come off the bollard.

 

Once the water is above the cill; half open the gate paddles and as the flow settles open completely. (You still may need to open the other ground paddle a bit if the lock won't equalize)

 

Once level; open the gates (after dropping the paddles again), pull her back to the side, motor out. (not forgetting to shut the gate behind you if so inclined.)

 

It's not quick, but it works for me.

 

(Other methods are available!)

[Machpoint005]

I normally just open the open gate, enter very slowly (nearly stopped!) and step-off the back with the centre-line in hand and walk up to the top, giving her a tug into the lock if I've lost too much momentum. Loosely wrap the rope around a bollard, sufficient that it's not going to un wrap and fall in.

 

After shutting the gate, ensuring the rudder isn't caught, I normally just work the one side. Ground paddles 1/4 up first for minute, then 1/2 for a minute then full - the boat will drift off in the flow, just keep an eye that your centre-line hasn't come off the bollard.

 

Once the water is above the cill; half open the gate paddles and as the flow settles open completely. (You still may need to open the other ground paddle a bit if the lock won't equalize)

 

Once level; open the gates (after dropping the paddles again), pull her back to the side, motor out. (not forgetting to shut the gate behind you if so inclined.)

 

It's not quick, but it works for me.

 

(Other methods are available!)

 

Once in the lock, that's more or less the method we use in wide locks, even with two of us - saves a lot of walking, and avoids crossing the top gates (going up). We have had a few 'tuts' from gin palaces in a hurry, but surprisingly it doesn't seem to be significantly faster overall to draw the paddles on both sides. The time the water takes to fill the lock is only a small(ish) proportion of the total time taken to transit a lock!

 

Ian

[Hairy-Neil]

David Schweizer, Catweasle, Supermalc, John Orentos...... Thought I was dreaming, then realised this is a very old post .....

[goldtone]

Thanks guys, that has been a great help. I in fact look forward to working a lock alone, it will be another notch on the bedpost for me as a newbie, so to speak!

[carlt]

it will be another notch on the bedpost for me as a newbie, so to speak!

with all those Polish lassies, I'm surprised there's room!

[goldtone]

with all those Polish lassies, I'm surprised there's room!

 

Always room for another notch, that's always been my downfall motto!

[magnetman]

Has anyone ever actually met a boater with only one hand??

[Liam]

Captain Hook

[magnetman]

Being a proper single handed boater i bet he's got over that centreline fixation which causes so much grief.

 

Being a proper single handed boater i bet he's got over that centreline fixation which causes so much grief.

[bargeeboy]

As a general guide

 

NEVER NEVER NEVER leave an unattended boat in a lcok with it in gear.

Especially when alone

Who is going to take control when you are in the water !!

As said earlier whether your boat is 20' or 70' rest on top gates going uphill and on bottom gates going down hill

Always have at least one line ashore so you have some form of control over your boat.

When on your own it might be easier to bow-haul the boat out of an empty lock rather than climbing down the ladder.

Let the water do the work.

A good tip when going downhill a long flight is to set up a rear line with a loop that the length of which will not let the boat hit the top gate. When you go into the lock step off with the line and loop it over the end of the paddle spindle if their is not holding back pins at the lock.

I'm in Gdansk at the moment and I can't find any Polish lassies (maybe tonight as in Sopot).

[magnetman]

This looped line over the hold-back pin when going down, to clarify do you mean just as a way to stop the boat to stop it banging the gate? I'd never secure the stern to anything near the top gates while going down it's too near the sill i always keep to the exit end of the lock and use front rope. I agree on the engine in neutral, or even stopped in a close flight bowhauling.

[Chris Pink]

As a general guide

 

NEVER NEVER NEVER leave an unattended boat in a lcok with it in gear.

Especially when alone

 

Well, "never never never" is quite strong, especially as the only way i can avoid losing my motor at the bottom of a wide lock is to leave it idling in gear with the tiller string attached, thus leaving the boat sitting neatly against the wall. I do not like jumping onto my boat from a lock ladder.

Edited April 9, 2008 by Chris Pink

[Chris J W]

Well, "never never never" is quite strong, especially as the only way i can avoid losing my motor at the bottom of a wide lock is to leave it idling in gear with the tiller string attached, thus leaving the boat sitting neatly against the wall. I do not like jumping onto my boat from a lock ladder.

 

I see what you mean, but why not just pull her back to the side (and out if needs be) with a line? (Asked out of curiosity)