Spanish Windlass

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

13 minutes ago, Lily Rose said:

Good point.

My problem today was about being unable to open the top gate without using the boat's help. Fortunately I was going up, not down, otherwise I would have been stuck. Spanish windlass may have been useful if going down.

Last year I went through Atherstone flight for the first time and did not have any problems. I was not in a hurry. Wedge not needed.

The Atherstone flight is a nice flight.

I used the Spanish windless coming UP a lock. Normally I'd push the top gate with the boat but it was of no help. In fact I usually get the boat to help me push the gate open regardless. Then when the gate is open I drop the paddles as the boat comes out of the lock, shut the gate and hop on.

[Allan(nb Albert)]

23 hours ago, Goliath said:

Struggled to open a top gate earlier today so used a spanish windlass to open it.  

Yep, there'll be people very familiar with this method, an old and tested method I guess, but anyone who’s not tried it will find it useful. Just tie it from the lock beam to a bollard or post. It don’t take many turns with a bit of wood. Very simple and very effective. 

My Scout Master used to say you only used a Spanish windlass if you can't use a handy billy. We tended to use a Spanish windlass variant as depicted in the top illustration here - 

https://www.snapdragonmirage.org.uk/page93.html

However the contraption would generally be turned through 90 degrees with the bottom of the larger spar on or in the ground to prevent movement (various ways of doing this). This would be much kinder to the rope and the smaller spar could be easily attached to the tightened rope making it permanent  if needed. 

However, handy billy with 3-2-1 or dead man holdfast was the preferred method  for tightening a line.

In a boating environment, I have found that a couple of climbing karabiners can often bring the mechanical advantage needed move anything that needs moving.

[rusty69]

On 24/04/2018 at 21:38, Goliath said:

Struggled to open a top gate earlier today so used a spanish windlass to open it

Well, if you struggled (with your name), what chance have us mere mortals got

[Sea Dog]

10 hours ago, Allan(nb Albert) said:

My Scout Master used to say you only used a Spanish windlass if you can't use a handy billy. 

I had to look up what a "handy Billy" was - I've used a "block and tackle" hundreds of times, but have never heard it called that.  Live and learn, eh?

[Horace42]

17 hours ago, Athy said:

That evokes a distant memory; was KeilKraft the principal maker of those kits? 

Can't be sure, but Keilkraft sounds right - maybe also AirFix - before 'plastic' kits.

[cuthound]

When I was a young lad growing up in Lancashire, what I now know as liquorice (like in allsorts) was called "spanish".

Don't think it would be a good material to make windlasses out of though. ?

[furnessvale]

1 hour ago, cuthound said:

When I was a young lad growing up in Lancashire, what I now know as liquorice (like in allsorts) was called "spanish".

Don't think it would be a good material to make windlasses out of though. ?

I used to prefer the raw root spanish rather than processed liquorice.

George

[cuthound]

53 minutes ago, furnessvale said:

I used to prefer the raw root spanish rather than processed liquorice.

George

Yes, so did I, I believe it is only available from health shops nowith,  not sweet shops.

[ditchcrawler]

I have seen a number of boats moored with a Spanish Windlass to pull them in tight

[rusty69]

10 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

I have seen a number of boats moored with a Spanish Windlass to pull them in tight

Never thought to use one like that, but have used a truckers hitch with similar effect 

[furnessvale]

12 hours ago, rusty69 said:

Never thought to use one like that, but have used a truckers hitch with similar effect 

I just use the boat's dolly or T stud and whatever bank anchor I am employing to give me the multiple links of a pulley system.

George

[bizzard]

1 hour ago, furnessvale said:

I just use the boat's dolly or T stud and whatever bank anchor I am employing to give me the multiple links of a pulley system.

George

I doubt if a rope would ever run smoothly around multiple T studs and things on the bank without swigging it.  Pulley blocks, yes.

[furnessvale]

43 minutes ago, bizzard said:

I doubt if a rope would ever run smoothly around multiple T studs and things on the bank without swigging it.  Pulley blocks, yes.

I was comparing to a truckers hitch.

George

[Sea Dog]

A block and tackle, old Harry's wotsit (or whatever scout masters use), etc, might be better, but the beauty of a Spanish windlass is that we all have the required kit on our boats without carrying extra kit for extremely rare use.