Not boasting or anything but

[alan_fincher]

Just done my best winding at Cambrian wharf ever.

It was dark, there were gongoozlers in the flapper and it was just about perfect.

Ok, the boat is only 40ft and there aren't many boats there, but even so, it looked like I knew what I was doing.

 

 

Not hard to wind a 40 foot boat though!

 

 

[FadeToScarlet]

 

Not hard to wind a 40 foot boat though!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WaoZwiUARw

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqesCLFOd3U

Even easier with a 22' Bantam! I was very pleased to wind it in the 35' or so wide entrance to the Paddington arm, in front of loads of people without touching the sides!

[cloggy]

I assumed it was a typo and he clipped a bridge

At the other end of the scale I recall a queue forming while this chap tried to get his Anglo Welsh hire boat into a lock sideways.

 

12-06-010.jpg

They could have wound the paddles down while waiting :-)

[Bunny]

Congrats, 'Tis a great feeling getting it dead right with a big audience!!

My claim. To fame is reversing the boat smartly from the Cunning Man at Burghfield back to the winding hole by the bridge, turning (in reverse) into the winding hole, then forward through the bridge hole perfectly on a hot summers night after five pints in the pub!

I amazed myself as much as the audience

Naughty bit if current there , really managed to cock it up beautifully there once . Well done . Bunny

[tehmarks]

I went past the services above Cosgrove Lock a few days ago before realising there was nowhere to moor. Reversed back up, past the services and around the bend, and onto a mooring right behind some tupperware without any difficulties or cursing. I thought the feat had gone unnoticed, but the owner of said tupperware (and the narrowboat it was tied to) struck up a conversation the following day, asked if this was my first boat, and congratulated me on how well I'd reversed it.

He didn't see two days before or two days after though where it all went horribly wrong. I blame the wind in those cases...

[Phil Ambrose]

I find that Trojan handles left-hand turns much more easily than right-hand ones. Can this really be the case, or is it more likely that I handle them more confidently?

I was always under the impression that all boats turned more easily to the left unless prop is opposite hand of course .

Phil

[Athy]

I was always under the impression that all boats turned more easily to the left unless prop is opposite hand of course .

Phil

Thanks, Phil. I didn't know that. I thought it was just me. Mrs. Athy does not seem to differentiate between left and right turns.

[Phil Ambrose]

Thanks, Phil. I didn't know that. I thought it was just me. Mrs. Athy does not seem to differentiate between left and right turns.

I should have added that this only applies to boats " on shaft" not to those with outdrives, outboards, Z legs etc, on boats with these types of propulsion don't seem to favour one way or the other.

Phil

[blackrose]

I was always under the impression that all boats turned more easily to the left unless prop is opposite hand of course .

Phil

With a right-hand prop yes that's generally the case - in forward the bow should turn to port (left) more easily. In reverse a right-hand prop should bias movement of the stern to port meaning that the bow moves to starboard (right).

 

Opposite situation for a left-hand prop.

Edited January 17, 2016 by blackrose

[Bee]

Have actually managed to turn our little Dutch tug completely around whilst trying to reverse in a straight line. So embarrassed that I had to pretend I meant to do it. Tied up and had an early lunch.

[Dave Payne]

Spun round at Fradley in front of a full pub, felt great!

 

Got round Hawksebury in one a few times again in front of a full pub, felt great!

 

Reverse off my pontoon, through the marina and out onto the pump out every month with curtain twitching from other boats, feels great!

 

Spent half hour trying to get onto a pontoon in the wind at a marina, didnt feel great!

[lampini]

Not done much to warrant aplause. Just on the bottom of GU the day after my boat had been " Dried out" as I was coming up to the Bulls Bridge turn it was blowing a Hooley, there was a boat coming out as I made my turn, he banged and clattered his way out where the wind caught him. I as a newbie of just 2 weeks including my sinking altered course to starboard gave it full Port rudder a little bit of go juice and went round him and straight through the arch without a scratch. As I was coming out there was a bus load clapping my feat giving me the thumbs up. That felt great reward after my past trials.

 

Mate - you was OWED that bus worth of applause!

[Sbg]

some boats do just turn and handle nicer than others, I noticed this more while going round the warwickshire ring (and a few offshoots) with another boater, where they were having to do 3 point turns to get round we were going round in one even though the boats were the same size.

 

with ours you push the tiller over and it will almost turn in its own length, theirs wouldn't even turn 45 degrees in the same space

 

Very true. We owned a 59' cruiser stern for until last year, which I thought handled pretty well...until I spent a week aboard "Silver Moon" (Chesire Cat hire boat) which at 62' was the longest I have ever handled. She steered like a dream, even in reverse...

[NickF]

 

Very true. We owned a 59' cruiser stern for until last year, which I thought handled pretty well...until I spent a week aboard "Silver Moon" (Chesire Cat hire boat) which at 62' was the longest I have ever handled. She steered like a dream, even in reverse...

I spent a week on their old "Morning Cloud" about five years ago when they were still red, that was a Liverpool Hull and handles like a brick! I think Silver Moon is one of their newer ones.

 

Oxfordshire Narrow Boats and the newer Shire Cruisers are probably the best handling boats I have been on.

[Sbg]

Not sure how old Silver Moon is but I think she came to them second hand.

[blackrose]

What about the opposite scenario where you've ballsed-up a manoeuvre and embarrassed yourself?

 

I turned into the herringbone pontoon moorings in Gloucester basin and got it all wrong as I had far too much turning momentum. Smashed into the pontoons with an almighty crash on a warm June afternoon, right in front of a pub full of shocked al fresco drinkers and diners!

 

Fortunately there was no damage but it was highly embarrassing.

[Sbg]

What about the opposite scenario where you've ballsed-up a manoeuvre and embarrassed yourself?

 

I turned into the herringbone pontoon moorings in Gloucester basin and got it all wrong as I had far too much turning momentum. Smashed into the pontoons with an almighty crash on a warm June afternoon, right in front of a pub full of shocked al fresco drinkers and diners!

 

Fortunately there was no damage but it was highly embarrassing.

Same place, same conditions - expertly manoevred in bow first but as we had a reverse layout Mrs SBG later thought we should turn so our bedroom was further from the bar noise... I obliged by reversing out, trying to turn then ending up broadside across 3 or 4 moored boats. Luckily came to a gentle halt and no damage but I learnt about winding and reversing from that.... red faces and wine offerings to the other boaters, who were all very good humoured about it!

[alan_fincher]

The trick, as has been said, if you get it horribly wrong, is to try and look like you somehow planned it.

 

Tricky when you have left the boat in ahead gear against gates in a filling lock, and you are not fast enough as it pushes the gates open, and sets off without you, with nobody else on board.

 

I've now managed this twice with "Sickle" but fortunately "Sickle" is incapable of maintaining a straight course with nobody at the tiller, and has managed to steer sufficiently well towards a bank without too much impact, that I have managed to jump back on, and carry on with only partial loss of face.

If it ever goes to the bushes on the non towpath side, I may not recover the situation quite as easily.

On the other hand, sometimes though no great skill of your own a manoevre goes better than you could possibly imagined it micht.

It just happened that cheshire~rose was filming when I pulled this off, but I doubt I could do it again!

 

[mark99]

We tried to wind a 57 foot boat below Middlewich flight and after about 30 mins of furious faffing and heaving, head scratching, found that the gap was 56' 11 3/4".

Edited January 18, 2016 by mark99

[YamYam]

Best manourve ever. Gloucester docks, lovely sunny day, barrow load of grockles watching. Space between two boats just bigger enough for mine. Spun it round and drifted into said space and gently kissed the wall slap bang in the middle with a foot either end (bit like that french? guy who parks cars inbetween other cars with only an inch or so to spare).

 

Worst one, trying to get into the last lock before the severn at Stourport. Trying to look professional and failing miserably all in front off several thousand grockles. (Obviously that's a lie, but seemed that many at the time :-))

 

Strange thing is I don't really think I've improved over the years. Still get it all wrong on a regular basis

[blackrose]

Strange thing is I don't really think I've improved over the years. Still get it all wrong on a regular basis

The thing to remember is that there's always potential for it to go wrong even when you think you're experienced and in control. It's a balance between confidence and a having a healthy respect for the complete chaos that could ensue if it does go wrong!

[YamYam]

The thing to remember is that there's always potential for it to go wrong even when you think you're experienced and in control. It's a balance between confidence and a having a healthy respect for the complete chaos that could ensue if it does go wrong!

:-) Ah, complete chaos sums it up admirably, except its rather 'when' than 'if' esp in my case

[Athy]

The trick, as has been said, if you get it horribly wrong, is to try and look like you somehow planned it.

 

 

 

 

On the other hand, sometimes though no great skill of your own a manoevre goes better than you could possibly imagined it micht.

 

It just happened that cheshire~rose was filming when I pulled this off, but I doubt I could do it again!

 

Hallelujah! That new bow thruster has really made a difference. The people on Reg. didn't look very impressed, though.

[Bee]

Look, if it all goes horribly wrong just shout down the hatches 'I told you to get out here and pole the front/back/middle off, now shift your fat *** and do some ***** work for a change' Not only will everybody think you are an alpha male but you will soon have the boat all to yourself. Even the dog will leave.

[Martin Megson]

 

I think every time I've been up the Llangollen there has been a boat get itself into that position (after leaving the 'waiting area' on the left of your picture)

 

To be fair there was a very strong flow from the by-wash which nearly caught me out and I was expecting it.