Breasting up through locks

[Workhorse]

How do you breast up going through locks. This will be my first trip on the K&A, and seem the thing to do at Caen Hill Flight.

[King Learie]

How do you breast up going through locks. This will be my first trip on the K&A, and seem the thing to do at Caen Hill Flight.

 

 

Hi Workhorse

 

My experience is with working boats and they are breasted up so that just two people can get the pair through locks - one on the motor and one on the paddles and gates.

 

To be breasted up, the following boat is allowed to overtake on the starboard side and the stern lines are first tied off, followed by the front ends and you are then 'breasted up'. There is not so much speed, and slow to respond to reverse, and two boats, lashed together, to insert into a container a few inches larger - phew! (strange how I revert to imperial measurement when concerning the boats)

 

This does take a little time to get use to the change in control but easily mastered with practice.

 

I find looking down between the boats and lining up the the join in their hulls with the line where the two far gates meet and checking on your port side to make sure you are clearing the lock side by an inch!

 

Just go slowly and get the pleasure of doing it right to the amazement of the watching gongoozlers.

 

Only draw back can be lock gates that don't quite open due to debrie behind and you get stuck like a cork in a bottle ands the same with bridge holes too. Last month we had the motor pushed back by a JCB's long arm, reaching down from the bridge above, while I held the butty fast - wish I had a camera! It was the adjacent boatyard's fault (and their JCB!) as they had moored one of their boats too near to a angled bridge hole and 72 foot and two boats wide, we needed a clear run at it.

 

Best of luck

 

King Learie

[Workhorse]

 

Hi Workhorse

 

My experience is with working boats and they are breasted up so that just two people can get the pair through locks - one on the motor and one on the paddles and gates.

 

To be breasted up, the following boat is allowed to overtake on the starboard side and the stern lines are first tied off, followed by the front ends and you are then 'breasted up'. There is not so much speed, and slow to respond to reverse, and two boats, lashed together, to insert into a container a few inches larger - phew! (strange how I revert to imperial measurement when concerning the boats)

 

This does take a little time to get use to the change in control but easily mastered with practice.

 

I find looking down between the boats and lining up the the join in their hulls with the line where the two far gates meet and checking on your port side to make sure you are clearing the lock side by an inch!

 

Just go slowly and get the pleasure of doing it right to the amazement of the watching gongoozlers.

 

Only draw back can be lock gates that don't quite open due to debrie behind and you get stuck like a cork in a bottle ands the same with bridge holes too. Last month we had the motor pushed back by a JCB's long arm, reaching down from the bridge above, while I held the butty fast - wish I had a camera! It was the adjacent boatyard's fault (and their JCB!) as they had moored one of their boats too near to a angled bridge hole and 72 foot and two boats wide, we needed a clear run at it.

 

Best of luck

 

King Learie

 

 

Hi KIng Lear

 

Thanks for the info. I feel you have answered my question perfectly

 

Workhorse

[Hairy-Neil]

The pair pictured would not be able to breast up down Caen Hill flight......The Grand Union pairs are too long to go through breasted. The butty has to be bow hauled out of the lock first, before the motor boat pushes over and exits the same gate. Going up hill on the K&A the motor must tuck in behind a closed gate before the butty enters the lock.....

[Webchem]

And if you breast up two motor boats you can have all sorts of fun playing with throttle steering. Get the power right and you can go sideways!

[rallyfan]

When I did the K&A a few years ago, the lock keeper at Caen Hill told me not to breast up as we would get stuck entering some of the locks. I don't know if this is still the case, but no doubt someone on here an advise

[Theo]

When I did the K&A a few years ago, the lock keeper at Caen Hill told me not to breast up as we would get stuck entering some of the locks. I don't know if this is still the case, but no doubt someone on here an advise

 

I like breasiting up. things go so much more smoothly and the manoeuvrability is greatly enhanced. The lashings that I use are from bow to bow and stern to stern but I also like to take a line from stern to bow and bow to stern (if you catch my drift!) This prevents the boats surging backwards and forwards against one onother. You need pretty long ropes, though.

 

Nick

[Keeping Up]

When I did the K&A a few years ago, the lock keeper at Caen Hill told me not to breast up as we would get stuck entering some of the locks. I don't know if this is still the case, but no doubt someone on here an advise

You can certainly take a pair of modern (6'10") narrowboats up the whole flight breasted, that's what we did 3 years back. The only time we had to single out was when we met a 72-footer coming down, because it was too difficult to pass in the pound otherwise.

 

Allan

[Workhorse]

Thanks for all the info. We're not going up as a pair, but I was given to understand that it was the thing to do. Seems its not, or is it?

 

Time will tell.

[Bernie]

What we frequently do in a broad lock is just to share with another boat and enter and leave separately, not too difficult to do.

[Theo]

What we frequently do in a broad lock is just to share with another boat and enter and leave separately, not too difficult to do.

 

But much easier, quicker and generally more fun if you are securely tied together. Having what is effectively a two engined craft is useful too.

 

Nick

[David Schweizer]

Several people have warned that breasting up on the Caen Hill flight is not a good idea, and I can confirm that from personal experience. Admitedly my boat is almost 7ft wide, but I got well and truly stuck in one lock (about half way down) when breasted up with another boat a few years ago. It took us nearly an hour to get ourselves free.

 

The photo shows boats breasted up on the Grand Union, which is a proper Wide canal with locks that will easily take two Working boats, The K&A is a law unto itself and was not really built for pairs of Narrowboats but for Broad beam barges.

Edited April 2, 2007 by David Schweizer

[Mrs Panda]

We also got stuck a few years ago.

 

The boat we went down with had an experienced crew and persuaded me to rope the boats together. The first few locks we managed brilliantly and I was getting the hang of it. Then we got stuck...... after that we paired up but not tied together.

 

We went through those locks 5 times that season.

 

Mrs Panda

[Guest]

Intending to do the GU for the first time this summer - first time in wide locks also. Our technique is for me to handle the gates/paddles and for my wife to steer. She's very competent and neither too confident nor too cautious - but I'm not too happy with the idea of leaving her on her own in our little 30 footer breasted up alongside a much longer and much heavier boat whose steerers' competence and capability is totally unknown. I think we'll let the bigger boat go in first and then squeeze ours in alongside afterwards - hopefully they will agree that it would be sensible for the little'un to exit first also.

[Grasshopper]

Ah but if you find yourself passing Calcutt and sharing the locks with me, I'll be the little 'un as my Sea Otter is only 26 ft.

 

Of course if we met up with another pair, you could get four of us in a lock...........

[Tiller Slave]

I operated a commercial pair of motors for 9 years.

1. To breast up you need to get the boats as tightly lashed together as possible- bow stern centre lines and ideally springs.
   
2. This is so the boats act as one unit- if not tight one will act as a pendulum on the other.
   
3. Steer using only one engine- turn the other off.
   
4. If the boats are of different lengths- steer from the longer/ heavier one. Line up the sterns!
   
5. You need to use more power/reeves to counter act the extra weight
   
6. When breasted you can easily go in straight lines - side ways and stopping are much harder!
   
7. Line up well on the locks sides and remember the extra momentum when trying to stop before the end of the lock.
   
8. Caen Hill is fine for breasting up- from memory 3 locks have tight bottom gates which need to be un-breasted for. BUT check with the lock keeper first.
   
9. Get your crew to explain to oncoming boats that you are breasted and therefore have limited manouverability and need the centre between locks.
   
10. The technics need practice- getting it wrong can have dire consequences!
    

Good Luck.

 

If done well it is much quicker and less effort-

If done badly :cheers:

[John Orentas]

The usual problem is that one or both of the owners refuse to remove their side fenders, in which case they deserve to get stuck.

 

I once got stuck in the iron lock at Beeston I was sharing the lock with a brand new boat but I didn't notice his brand new fenders I got that uneasy feeling that the water was going up and I wasn't. Took great pleasure in removing them with my Stanley knife.

[Sue]

I was down them and up them this month with another boat alongside. We didn't breast up, but left one lock and entered another driving the boats at the same speed keeping them together. That is extremely easy as the lenghts in between are so short. We did not bang the boats once.

 

This is handy especially if there are boats coming in the other direction.. we can then split without having to unstrap the pair. Passing is great fun, everybody has their own idea of how it should be done on Caen Hill.. and huge discussions can take place!

 

For myself I like to let one boat leave the lock below while one boat leaves the lock above, they then swap places. Once the swap has taken place the other two boats do the same thing.. that works treat. It is so funny seeing all 4 narrowboats trying to swap places at the same time.

 

I saw one boater once get so enranged and stressed out, that he flew out the lock, turned into one of the huge side pounds, take a tour round it doing a wheelie then flying back into the lock which had been vacated smacking the concrete trying to turn.. tut tut not the way to do it!!

 

By the way, the only lock you cannot go two together is lock number 38 known as Jack Dalby Lock. This is still too narrow once empty to take two narrowboats side by side. The lock gates have been replaced on this one, and it was hoped that the lock itself would be widened, but English Heritage would not allow that to happen, saying that the lock must remain as it is.. Ah well.. makes life interesting!

[Gillie]

We went up Caen Hill at Easter..paired up in every lock with another boat..we are 70 ft ..and both fitted in every lock..

 

It was a wonderfull experience ..especially the sloe gin and tonic the guy on the other boat kept passing me !!

 

..one of the highlights of my boating life so far..Caen Hill that is not the sloe gin although it was lovely !

 

 

 

Edited May 3, 2007 by Gillie

[John Orentas]

All this and not a single mention of passing pairs of boats in staircase locks, there have been some lively discussions about the apparent impossibility of passing boats in a staircase, Bunbury usually.

[Chris J W]

Call me naive, but I would have thought breasting up would be the best way for those going single-handed? (Me to be included ...) Leave my boat breasted up with the larger crew (if they seem to know what they are doing...) and help with the gates and paddles, putting the kettle on, and getting the bacon butties ready.

[DHutch]

All this and not a single mention of passing pairs of boats in staircase locks, there have been some lively discussions about the apparent impossibility of passing boats in a staircase, Bunbury usually.

Ah indeed! Much fun can be had debating that, espcailly if you can get a number of blokes interested enough to watch them having a go at it!

 

- But all the more fun with a bit of gillie's sloe gin to make it all flow smoother. Or just overflow if you stuggle with geting the paddle operations right!

 

 

 

Daniel