I feel confident steering but do I need a course?

[heather2002]

Hi,

Novice here. Had hire boat for a week (40ft cruiser stern) In process of purchasing a trad (57ft) I became really confident at handling the cruiser stern after the second day.

Just wondering if I should take a boat handling course anyway? Is this boat going to be much different to a cruiser stern?

I read everything I can get my hands on and read the manuals on the first day.

Advice appreciated. Thanks

 

Heather

[Gillie]

Hi Heather

Great you are feeling so confident..I too felt very confident and pleased with myself handling the 2 hire boats we hired..

but went on a helmsman's course anyway before buying my boat.... and was so glad I had ..

apart from being a really brilliant weekend I learnt so much..

lots of things I had already anticipated learning about and loads of things I had not even thought of..like reversing in a perfect straight line down the canal...great fun!!

also the rope work side of it was good as I knew nothing about ropes...

 

Have had my boat ( 70 ft Trad) for a few months and been out in her a lot and each time there is something new to learn or a unexpected situation comes up ...

especially here on the River Kennet ( Kennel & Avon canal )..

I would certainly recommend a course...

The canals and Rivers seem benign most of the time but as these floods we are having show they are anything but

and I think it is better to have all the advice and training you can to be in charge of a boat on the waterways...

 

Hope you enjoy your boat when you get her...let us know how it goes

 

Gillie

[Chris J W]

Hi,

Novice here. Had hire boat for a week (40ft cruiser stern) In process of purchasing a trad (57ft) I became really confident at handling the cruiser stern after the second day.

Just wondering if I should take a boat handling course anyway? Is this boat going to be much different to a cruiser stern?

I read everything I can get my hands on and read the manuals on the first day.

Advice appreciated. Thanks

 

Heather

 

Heather,

 

Welcome to the club! ('sbit of a mad house now and then, but keep with us ...)

 

Like you I'm an unashamed newbie and I still can't make up my mind to do a course or not and I'm planning on single-handed Continous Crusing (CC-ing) As I type this now, I'm confident that I'll be OK - so long as I remember to take things slowly and never rush; a sort of aquatic 'measure twice, cut once' approach.

 

However, when I finally get the keys in my hand I start off and find I've taken most of the marina, several bridges and a few aquaducts with me I may well change my mind!

 

You had the confidence to take out the boat for the week - build on that. Learn from watching others. Never be afraid to ask. And then, if you still find you're not sure/confident about somethings then a course could be a good thing. (And I will, in all seriousness, be saying the same thing to myself.)

 

Good luck and Good Boating!

 

Chris

[DHutch]

Ive never been on a coarse.

- However i have learnt much off my grandad/mum

- My grandad is a very keen boaty person, as well as a generally practical personal, and an engineer. (all engineers think alike...)

 

So ive picked up a lot from there.

- I wouldnt mind doing a course tho, but ive not many the time/money as yet.

- But certainly if you can spare the time and the money i would imagine you would learn more than enought to make it worth while?

 

 

Daniel

[heather2002]

Hi Again,

 

Thanks everyone for your replies. I think I will take the good advice and look around for courses. I just wish I had taken one before we hired a late booking hire boat. First two days of my holiday were ruined because of nerves. Had I been nearer the hire company on the second day, I'd have returned the boat and happily spent the rest of the week at home.

I was assured that I would be fine and that it was the over-confident ones that would have more problems.

It would have helped if I'd been told that one cannot steer in reverse without some forward thrusts!

We had taken a wrong turning and eventually reached a turning point, only to find some kids in a tiny dingy positioned near where I wanted to nose into. With horrendous visions of crushing them against the canal side, I got myself into such a tizz trying to turn the boat. Had it not been for some other people turning their boat with the help of a rope, I think I'd still be there now with a search party out for a suspected stolen hire boat!

We were met by staff at the first lock to guide us through the first lock, but having zig-zagged down the canal to the lock, I was in no state to absorb the advice, other than to avoid the cill at all cost.

That cost turned out to be a huge carbon inprint! I was revving backwards and forwards, trying to remain in the centre of the lock for numerous locks to come and choking on diesel fumes, until a kind boater informed me that I was just churning up the water and making life difficult for myself.

It all clicked into place at the end of the second day, but not without tears of frustration and thinking that I would never grasp how to steer a boat, ever! Not helped when we picked our daughter up on the third day and she managed the tiller like a duck takes to water!

Enough of my ramblings. Can anyone recommend a good training course in The West Midlands? Nearest to Leamington would be best for me.

 

Thanks for all your responses. What a lovely helpful bunch of folks you are!

 

Heather

[Gillie]

There are a fair few centres doing the RYA helmsman's course...

 

We went to Terry Robinson at TR Boat Handling...He is based at Fazeley ( near Tamworth) during the winter months and Gnosall ( near wolverhampton ) the rest of the year..

 

We went for the 2 day course and spent the night on terry's boat..

He is a lovely man and a very good teacher and also makes a very good lunch!!

 

Here is a link.... T R Boathandling

Edited June 26, 2007 by Gillie

[Gary Peacock]

Do the course!

 

We have a great laugh at the self taught experts in their own imagination!

 

The record for stupidity was flooding and nearly sinking a brand new boat on the second lock after picking up a brand new boat!

 

It isn't rocket science but a bit of training and correct advice can go a long way.

 

Another alternative is to pop along to your local boat club and see if they have any members who like to do a bit of instruction, you might not get a certificate to wave about but the experience might be just as worthwhile!

[Hekaterine]

Hi Heather

 

Some friends of ours did a course and thought it was very good - it was in the Rugby area. Give me a shout if you want me to get the details from them.

 

karen and keith

[KenK]

Hi Heather,

Yes , do the course. I can recommend Bob Strachan he runs courses from Alvechurch, you can find him on the Alvechurch website. I did a two day course with him and learnt more in those two days than in 15 years of hiring, mind you I am a slow learner

Like Gillie we are on the K&A and she's right there is always something new or unexpected, the training will give you the confidence to deal with it.

 

 

Ken

[blackrose]

I've been living on boats for 5 years now and although I think I know what I'm doing most of the time, occasionally something happens which makes me think again, so a course is good for a novice or experienced boater alike. It can only increase your confidence (which I hope I'm not being too mean in saying might be slightly misplaced after only a week).

 

Whether a boat has a trad or a cruiser stern does not affect it's underwater profile, so apart from the fact that you might be subject to a tiny bit more windage on a trad, it should make no appreciable difference to its handling.

 

Enjoy your new boat.

Edited June 28, 2007 by blackrose

[heather2002]

>>>Another alternative is to pop along to your local boat club and see if they have any members who like to do a bit of instruction, you might not get a certificate to wave about but the experience might be just as worthwhile!

<<<<

 

Thanks. I never thought about a boat club. Don't know if there is one in Warwickshire?

Having decided upon doing a course, I find they are booked solid right through until September. Will keep trying though.

 

Best wishes

 

Heather

[Gillie]

We did the course in November so don't let the time of the year put you off...

in fact its probably better to do it in slightly worse conditions...

for the experience of the unexpected and cold..!!

[adam1uk]

We've hired for many years and also feel pretty confident, but have decided to do a one-day course when we're out on our shared boat in September. The way I looked at it, it certainly wouldn't do any harm and the chances were that we'd learn something. It's not just the boat handling, either: I reckon it'll be good to do a simulated man overboard exercise, and what to do in other emergencies. Having heard good things about Douglas Nethercleft at Four Counties Boating we've booked a day with him using our own boat (which also saves some money). He's quite close to your area, operating at Calcutt, but if you want to get in touch with him I believe he's currently out on his "summer" cruise, so might not be around to carry out courses for a while.

 

Edited to add link

Edited June 30, 2007 by adam1uk

[gollum]

We've hired for many years and also feel pretty confident, but have decided to do a one-day course when we're out on our shared boat in September. The way I looked at it, it certainly wouldn't do any harm and the chances were that we'd learn something. It's not just the boat handling, either: I reckon it'll be good to do a simulated man overboard exercise, and what to do in other emergencies. Having heard good things about Douglas Nethercleft at Four Counties Boating we've booked a day with him using our own boat (which also saves some money). He's quite close to your area, operating at Calcutt, but if you want to get in touch with him I believe he's currently out on his "summer" cruise, so might not be around to carry out courses for a while.

 

Edited to add link

 

 

Hi Heather, im new to boating, so i did a 1 day course with Willow Wren, they where very good. all the best Paul.

[heather2002]

>>The record for stupidity was flooding and nearly sinking a brand new boat on the second lock after picking up a brand new boat!<<

 

Please share how you managed to do that. I just can't figure that out at all.

 

Thanks

 

Heather

 

 

 

Thanks for all responses.

Well we finally got booked up with Willow Wren in July.

Will post back as to how it went.

 

Heather

[KenK]

>>The record for stupidity was flooding and nearly sinking a brand new boat on the second lock after picking up a brand new boat!<<

 

Please share how you managed to do that. I just can't figure that out at all.

 

 

 

Heather

 

Most likely reason catching the rear of the boat on the cill when locking down. If its a deep lock and there are some then the boat can end up with the bow under water. Happened at Bath deep lock a couple of years ago. The other alternative is opening gate paddles too quickly with the front of the boat close to the gate when locking up. Some of the larger locks especially on rivers have a huge volume of water coming through the paddle and if your not careful straight into the boat. I saw someone do the on the Avon at Weston lock the water went straight through the boat and hit the lady steering. And of course everyones favourite leaving the fenders down in a lock.

 

I'm sure there are other ways, locks are straightforward if you take your time and think about what your doing, but every year someone has an accident.

 

Ken

[MtB]

And of course everyones favourite leaving the fenders down in a lock.

Ken

 

This puzzles me. I'm moderately experienced with boats and I think having side fenders down is a bit girly, but I can't imagine how they can present a risk in a lock.

 

Unless you are in the lock with another boat... or in a narrow lock - maybe you get wedged up! Is that it?! Or is it something else I haven't thought of?

 

Cheers, Mike

[John Orentas]

This puzzles me. I'm moderately experienced with boats and I think having side fenders down is a bit girly, but I can't imagine how they can present a risk in a lock.

Unless you are in the lock with another boat... or in a narrow lock - maybe you get wedged up! Is that it?! Or is it something else I haven't thought of?Cheers, Mike

 

 

 

Hi Mike. This one keeps coming up. Eg. February 2005

 

Mainly but not soley concerned with narrow locks.

 

People tend to miss the point on this issue, it is not only the added width that can give problems. When a boat is moving up or down in a chamber it is vital that there is a minimum of friction between it and the wall.

 

What actually happens is that one side, say left side close to gunnel hight momentarily sticks and prevents the upward motion, the boat than tilts a little and the baseplate on the opposite side makes contact with the wall. You now have a jambing situation, things go from bad to worse in seconds, the more the water rises the more firmly the boat is fixed.

 

The water only needs to rise a foot or so when you are in this situation, in seconds there is water pouring into the boat, you are past the point of no return now and seconds later your pride and joy is under water at the bottom of the lock. Total time elapsed about 30 seconds.

 

The only contact between boat and lock should be your steel rubbing strakes, that's what they a for and that gives the least friction. Even then the person on the boat must be vigilant at all times, with someone on the lockside within eye and earshot with a windlass in hand and with a clear idea of what to do if there is any drama.

 

OLD BOATMAN'S TIP. When you are on the back of the boat going up in the lock, move your weight gently from side to side and keep the boat moving.

Edited July 5, 2007 by John Orentas

[Pete of Ebor]

Hi,

Novice here. Had hire boat for a week (40ft cruiser stern) In process of purchasing a trad (57ft) I became really confident at handling the cruiser stern after the second day.

Just wondering if I should take a boat handling course anyway? Is this boat going to be much different to a cruiser stern?

I read everything I can get my hands on and read the manuals on the first day.

Advice appreciated. Thanks

 

Heather

 

Just a gentle word of warning.. It's only when you think you've got confident that something goes totally belly-up - hopefully not your boat... When you're very inexperienced and terrified being in charge of this great big lump of unsteerable steel, you do tend to be quite careful... It's only once you think you've cracked it that you'll really start to learn how it behaves - or doesn't as the case may be. That being said, I haven't done the course, though I have hired a motley assortment of hireboats over the last 15 years, and the only thing I'll say is that no two have ever behaved/steered/reversed in the same way.

[sueb]

I've never done a course. I think they are a fairly new invention. Just remember ALWAYS stand in front of the tiller. If you stand beside it and put the boat into reverse, the tiller will swing over and knock you into the water. The boat will still be going backwards and can go over you with nasty results.

Sue

[Water Rat.]

Tony Ward from Braunston is THE man. Good price as well.

[saltysplash]

Practice practice practice.

 

learn from mistakes and do it all again.

 

remember you dont have to go everywhere at warp speed. keep your revs low and give yourself plenty of time to react to developing situations. Think ahead and how your boat might react to what you do with it.

 

here endeth lesson 1........can I charge a fee?

[sidewaysid]

Hi Heather

I'm new on here and fairly new to canal boating, I did the course with Top Lock training in Marple, they are very nice people, I am an apprentice trained engineer and I'm now 54 yrs old, but the training i received as an apprentice was solid and has stood me in good ground until now.

The boat handling course reminded me of my apprenticeship, good solid yet simple facts on how a boat should be handled, plus safety and courtecy on the cut. It was well worth it and i advise you to do one...You know i was taught that you should never need to leave your vessel (only to tie up) yet I have sat and watched loads of numpty's jumping and leaping about with ropes from the centre, pulling the boat to the moorings...idiots !!!! fortunately I can moor my craft whilst still at the tiller...Thanks to my RYA inland waterways course, and you get a certificate to frame and show off

Edited October 2, 2008 by sidewaysid

[Machpoint005]

I did the course with Top Lock training in Marple, they are very nice people.

 

but Malcolm and Alison do a brilliant diesel engine course too.

[MartinC]

Hi Heather, im new to boating, so i did a 1 day course with Willow Wren, they where very good. all the best Paul.

 

 

I second that. Remember that Andy at Willow Wren wrote the RYA book that goes with the course.