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Post by naughtyfox on Sept 5, 2020 5:15:10 GMT
If you have a decent fender / tip cat on the bow one perhaps slightly naughty method is to have the bow pressing against the top gate with the boat ticking over in forward gear...only going uphill, and only in relatively shallow locks. Some gates have a metal plate seemingly for the purpose. Mr Nemesis, the first rule of the 'bow pressing against the top gate with the boat ticking over in forward gear' club is: Do not talk about the 'bow pressing against the top gate with the boat ticking over in forward gear' club. So I've heard. When we were on the southern Oxford Canal an 'experienced boater' told us that is exactly what we should be doing going uphill in locks, to plonk the front fender onto the rubbing board and leave the boat in forward gear at tickover - what's going to happen apart from the propeller kick empty water? We had already worked this out for ourselves, but it was good to hear confirmation that this is the proper method. Old story, but Tony C hasn't heard it: 2 years ago I was alone at Penkridge, the Witch had gone home, and I had already fallen into the canal whilst painting the side of the boat. After this I wanted to paint the other side of the boat so turned it round at the water tap (where the elsan is) which meant going down Filance Lock. Some other boater had already moaned that there were no steps or landing stage to get off the boat below this lock. On the way up, as I had just left the lock 10 minutes previously, of course it was empty so I thought I'd gently nudge the doors open with the nose of the boat, but they didn't budge, even with a bit o' welly. I left it in forward gear on tickover so that the boat would stay in that position and not drift to the other side of the canal. I jumped off the boat and started to open one gate by hand and then the boat started chugging in and I thought... fuck! -it's going to gather speed and hit the cill/gates at the top end! But, no panic, I'll climb down to the boat, down the ladder, and be back in control in a jiffy. Only there's no poxy ladder at the eastern end, is there? (no). What moron designed this lock? And it's too deep to jump down onto the roof. So I sprinted to the ladder at the far end, waited for the boat to arrive, jumped onto the roof and ran down to the sliding hatch, eased myself onto the back deck, put it in neutral, let the revs drop, reverse in and a bit of power-splashing and the nose stopped just short of the cill. I mean, that was close! A woman observing from above called down: "I can see you've done that before, that looked really good!" so I said "Yeah!" Boating is a lot easier with two people, but it is very satisfying to do it all yourself, and always good to remember that you can never be too careful.
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Post by naughtyfox on Sept 5, 2020 5:17:42 GMT
Perhaps...can't see the harm myself. I did ask him whether any marina had ever asked the question of how a diesel powered craft was able to drive out of the marina at which it just refuelled, given that it was not using any of the diesel to propel the boat. Err... by using diesel from the previous fill-up? On which tax "has been paid" ?
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Post by patty on Sept 5, 2020 6:10:11 GMT
Ok, confession time Met. I actually had a day off cruising yesterday because it was a work day, so for most of the day I was sat down on the laptop and on the phone. At a fiver a night for the mooring, it was well worth staying where I was at Fotheringhay. What a lovely spot that is. I must say though, I hadn't realised how physical it can be at times just working a boat through a few locks, if you're not used to it. It's actually turned out to be a bit of challenge to adjust from being a desk-bound office person to full time liveaboard and cruising. At least the scenery is nice. And the pies. Fotheringhay takes me back to my early teens when I read my way through all the Jean Plaidy novels-'Royal Road to Fotheringhay' etc. Would love to read them all again ! Love Fotheringham...days of my youth, drinking with the Young Farmers, zipping around the countryside with little sis driving I wanted to be married at that church but mum didn't want me to(too far from the shop we opened and the customers wanted to view) Have u seen the wonderful pictures of Mary Queen of Scots at the Talbot Hotel in Oundle...Had my wedding reception there
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Post by patty on Sept 5, 2020 6:13:22 GMT
As long as you don't decide a banjo could be your thing...noooooooo When I attended uke classes someone had a sort of banjo/ukulele ...mind u he could play it so I thought it sounded great
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Post by Deleted on Sept 5, 2020 6:59:58 GMT
If you have a decent fender / tip cat on the bow one perhaps slightly naughty method is to have the bow pressing against the top gate with the boat ticking over in forward gear...only going uphill, and only in relatively shallow locks. Some gates have a metal plate seemingly for the purpose. I've only just remembered the reason I didnt do this for most of the Nene locks- in many cases the water was already overflowing the top gate even before you opened a paddle, and my nice bow cover thing would have been thoroughly tested. As I get a bit more experience on the GU I'll try this tip, provided I wont get told off by any hoary old boaters.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 5, 2020 7:17:53 GMT
It would not be a bad idea for you (or someone here) to copy and print out your 'diary of disaster' for future generations to read, or for it to be sent to a publisher one day...? You yourself might like to re-read your notes in 25 years' time... That's very kind of you to suggest Foxy. None of my drivel will be remotely publishable of course, but it will probably be fun for me to reread my scribblings in 20 years time, or when I can no longer do boating. It's the little things that I would like to remember- like the cows who are currently drinking from the river on the opposite bank, barely 30 yards away. Or the silence when you wake up, as opposed to the traffic noise which was a constant presence in my previous place. Or even the angry swans who come to cadge muesli on some mornings, and make strange threatening noises to encourage me to get a move on. I dont think it's even sunk in properly yet that this is it- I'm living on this thing, and not stepping off at the end of the day into a comfortable house.
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Post by Clinton Cool on Sept 5, 2020 7:41:26 GMT
Going up narrow locks on your own is quite tricky really. Leaving the boat on its own against the cill on tickover doesn't work, in my experience. Tickover isn't enough to keep it against the cill when that backward motion starts and then, the tickover ensures it slams even harder into the lock gate when that powerful forward motion begins. If you can be on the boat to regulate the throttle against the movements of you boat.. great. I have 2 methods.
Open the paddles very slowly and stop the boat smashing into the lock gate too hard by hauling on the centre rope like your life depends it. Hard work.
Or: Open 1 paddle fully in record time. Really go for it. Doing this will reduce the time the boat moves backwards so the smash into the lock gate will be acceptably gentle. It's essential that you can fully open the paddle in 2 or 3 seconds. Any longer and the backwards movement will be longer, and we all know what that leads to. Problem is many (most?) paddles are poorly maintained and too stiff to enable this to be done in the short time required.
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Post by naughtyfox on Sept 5, 2020 7:56:54 GMT
Going up narrow locks on your own is quite tricky really. I did 24 locks in a row on my own afternoon & evening at Tardebigge, up at 5am to polish off the remaining 18 which I did in 3 hours (10 minutes/lock) - piece of piss. Well, yes, lucky in that they were all empty for me (going uphill).
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Post by brummieboy on Sept 5, 2020 9:23:45 GMT
Take the boat up to the cill, wrap your front/centre/rear rope to a forward strapping post. Open paddles gently and then control the boat with your rope and the strapping post.
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Post by Clinton Cool on Sept 5, 2020 9:30:36 GMT
Take the boat up to the cill, wrap your front/centre/rear rope to a forward strapping post. Open paddles gently and then control the boat with your rope and the strapping post. Often the bollard is too far back for this to be effective. Ideally, there would be a bollard slightly in advance of the cill.
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Post by patty on Sept 5, 2020 9:39:45 GMT
It would not be a bad idea for you (or someone here) to copy and print out your 'diary of disaster' for future generations to read, or for it to be sent to a publisher one day...? You yourself might like to re-read your notes in 25 years' time... That's very kind of you to suggest Foxy. None of my drivel will be remotely publishable of course, but it will probably be fun for me to reread my scribblings in 20 years time, or when I can no longer do boating. It's the little things that I would like to remember- like the cows who are currently drinking from the river on the opposite bank, barely 30 yards away. Or the silence when you wake up, as opposed to the traffic noise which was a constant presence in my previous place. Or even the angry swans who come to cadge muesli on some mornings, and make strange threatening noises to encourage me to get a move on. I dont think it's even sunk in properly yet that this is it- I'm living on this thing, and not stepping off at the end of the day into a comfortable house. I hope you continue to enjoy....
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Post by brummieboy on Sept 5, 2020 12:39:43 GMT
Take the boat up to the cill, wrap your front/centre/rear rope to a forward strapping post. Open paddles gently and then control the boat with your rope and the strapping post. Often the bollard is too far back for this to be effective. Ideally, there would be a bollard slightly in advance of the cill. B.W. spent a lot of money putting these mushrooms in. A centre rope or stern rope will always be behind the forward one, unless you've only got 10 ft boat.
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Post by brummieboy on Sept 5, 2020 12:43:48 GMT
As long as you don't decide a banjo could be your thing...noooooooo When I attended uke classes someone had a sort of banjo/ukulele ...mind u he could play it so I thought it sounded great George Formby only ever played a ukulele, but was often confused with a banjo because of the sound board instead of a hollow body. Definition of a gentlemen: One who can play the banjo but chooses not to. What's the difference between a banjo player and a foot spa? A foot spar bucks up your feet.
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Post by patty on Sept 5, 2020 14:44:14 GMT
When I attended uke classes someone had a sort of banjo/ukulele ...mind u he could play it so I thought it sounded great George Formby only ever played a ukulele, but was often confused with a banjo because of the sound board instead of a hollow body. Definition of a gentlemen: One who can play the banjo but chooses not to. What's the difference between a banjo player and a foot spa? A foot spar bucks up your feet. I could play the uke if in a group..well I found one chord... Solo...Nooooooooooooo.......
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Post by naughtyfox on Sept 5, 2020 16:07:34 GMT
When I attended uke classes someone had a sort of banjo/ukulele ...mind u he could play it so I thought it sounded great George Formby only ever played a ukulele, but was often confused with a banjo because of the sound board instead of a hollow body. Definition of a gentlemen: One who can play the banjo but chooses not to. What's the difference between a banjo player and a foot spa? A foot spar bucks up your feet. Banjo here:
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