A Beginners Guide
to Canal Boating
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UNDER CONSTRUCTION - last addition
14/03/2000
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The first question usually asked about boat handling is do I need a license? The answer to this is no, for normal hire craft. The next question is how long will it take me to get the hang of it? the answer here is usually not long. As to what form do the controls take? almost universally on hire boats it is a case of a simple tiller for direction, and one lever to control the engine which you push forward to go forward, and backward to slow down or stop (no brakes) or to reverse. The further forward or backward the lever is moved the faster the engine goes.
It is safe to say, that anyone can navigate a narrow boat. Obviously as you spend more time at the helm so your skill level goes up, but believe me, even the most experienced helmsman will from time to time misjudge a maneuver and either bump the boat or have to start all over again! This usually happens at the only place that day where you have had an audience to admire your skill, or even more embarrassingly just after having imparted a particular pearl of wisdom regarding boat handling to someone who is new to the canals. So don't worry if you do have a mishap.
All hire companies give you basic tuition on your arrival to start your holiday, and reputable ones will extend the usual lesson if you ask, and certainly if they feel you are still in any way unsure. They are used to people coming along with no experience at all, and so they always start from the assumption you know nothing. Their tuition includes a run through on the equipment provided on your boat and how to use it, safety rules and regulations, steering and maneuvering, and using locks etc. Many now send a booklet to you when you book your holiday giving much useful information for you to study and some also offer a video for you to watch.
I have seen children as young as 6 or 7 (under adult supervision) steering 70ft boats and operating locks, and senior citizens who are in to their 90's coping with the rigors, so no one need feel apprehensive. It is comforting to know that as almost all hire boats are made from steel, slight knocks are easily absorbed without damage, and believe me, even the most experienced boater WILL scrape a bridge or a lock, or run aground from time to time.
For anyone who does feel the need to try their hand a little more than is on offer at the open days I mention at the bottom of the INTRODUCTION page to this section, a welcome addition to the type of holiday available on narrow boats is offered by Middlewich Narrowboats where they offer a short break holiday coupled with training to obtain the RYA Inland Waterways Helmsman's Certificate. The course part of the holiday can be tailored in length to suit your individual requirements.
Hints & tips for steering
Really there is no substitute to just getting on with it. You will soon come to grips with the peculiarities of your particular craft (no two boats behave exactly the same) and how she reacts to particular conditions (a boat will handle differently in a shallow and/or narrow channel to a wide/deep one) However there are some points which may prove to be of some use to you when starting out. Some may seem obvious perhaps, others baffling, what is certain is not every one will feel the same way about each point, and for sure some of you will find a different and better way of doing things once you get under way yourself. Above all though, do not think that steering is difficult - It is not. Take it easy and you will soon be more than capable - If this was not the case Hire companies would not let complete novices loose with a £50,000 boat after as little as half an hours tuition at the helm!!!
Narrow boats are tiller steered. Push the tiller to the right while going forward, and your boat will turn to the left, and vice versa.
When in reverse, a narrow boat does not (often) respond to the tiller. Try and avoid having to go backwards for any distance. (see further notes on reversing)
When turning, a narrow boat pivots around a point about one third of the way from the bow to the stern (depending on your boat). It does not track like a car. This tends to mean that until you get used to it, you turn into a corner too early
The rate of turn for a given
movement of the tiller (or the sensitivity) is dependant on the speed of the
water across the rudder. This means primarily three things.
1) If you are on a waterway with a "flow" on it and traveling with
the flow, you need to be going faster than the current in order to have any
steerage.
2) Pushing the tiller over and applying a momentary burst of throttle will
increase the flow and hence the amount of turn.
3) If while traveling forward, you suddenly need to change direction, and at
the same time slow down (for instance meeting a boat at a blind bend)
applying reverse while trying to steer will render the tiller useless, as
while your speed over the water may well be greater than any current, the
suction created by the propeller means the flow across the rudder is nil or
reversed.
Your boat will continue to turn even after you have centered your rudder, so when cornering you need to either center the tiller before you are actually on your new course, or apply a short amount of "opposite tiller" to stop the turn when on course.
Unlike a car where if negotiating a bend you would tend to steer once and then straighten up as you come out of a bend, it is a good idea on a boat to steer in "short steps" (tiller over until the boat begins to turn, then center it, and repeat this several times as you go round the bend.
Putting the tiller hard over and keeping it there when needing to turn sharply is (usually) less efficient than (say) 85% over. This is due to the rudder becoming more like a solid wall than a deflector plate.
Keep to the center of the channel wherever possible. The water will usually be deeper here.
Pass other boats left side to left side (the opposite of in a car over here) UNLESS either the other boat requests you do otherwise, or you make perfectly clear to the other boat your intention to do so (this most often occurs when a boat is maneuvering on preparing to moor or leaving a mooring.) . Another exception you may come across, is the boat being towed by a horse on the towpath. Here you should let them have the towpath side of the canal so that you avoid fouling their rope. There are specific HORN SIGNALS for indicating your intentions. Some boaters reinforce these with hand signals similar to those used in a car - or indeed use these instead of horn signals.
There is no need to give more than a few feet of clearance between boats, so do not get right over when approaching on coming traffic, just move off line a little. The canal may well be very shallow a long way from the bank, especially on the non towpath side, so there is danger of running aground. An exception to this is when passing working boats which are loaded, or boats under tow. They will need the deep water or extra room to maneuver, so it is polite to give them as much room as you safely can.
When approaching a narrowing of the canal (for instance a bridge hole or aqueduct) or a lock entrance, aim to just miss the bank by a few inches, with the side of the boat you favour standing on when steering. Let the other side take care of itself. Your boat will fit as long as you pass through the narrow squarely and it is much easier to steer if trying to watch only the side you are standing on, rather than moving from side to side.
When passing through a short narrow section such as a bridge hole, it can pay to ease the throttle right off as the stern enters the narrow. This is because the suction created by the propeller can slow you, or attract the rubbish that some kind soul has thrown off the bridge.
When entering a lock, particularly a narrow one when going up hill, start to stop in plenty of time. The lack of water under the boat and at the sides makes reverse gear much less efficient than normal in halting forward progress.
Running aground is a situation which you will inevitably find your self in. Luckily British Waterways have done much in recent years to improve the situation, so hopefully it will not occur too often. For ideas on how to cope with this see my Single Handed Boating Guide In this section I have outlined the best ways to get yourself free.
MORE TO COME......
Most narrow boats do not steer at all well when in reverse, tending to veer to one side irrespective of what you do with the tiller. There are however a couple of tips which if you do find yourself having to reverse will help to make life easier.
The first is effective when the boat does tend to at least hold a straight line, or only drift slowly to one side when in reverse, even if you cannot steer it in the normal fashion. The trick here is to line the boat up in the direction you wish to head and start to slowly but steadily reverse with the tiller in the center, and the throttle constant. When the boat begins to drift off course or when you need to change direction apply short bursts of forward throttle and appropriate tiller movement until the boat swings into the line you wish it to head. Try not to halt the reverse progress of the boat before returning to reverse gear. Cross winds will make this suggestion difficult to achieve success with.
The second and most effective is to send someone to the bows with a barge pole and get them to punt the bows in to line while you apply the first technique to keep the stern in line and the boat moving backwards. Care is needed here with using the pole to ensure that the person using it does not fall and injure themself. They should in all cases stand in the bow well deck rather than on the gunnels or roof. The pole needs only to be applied when the boats course needs to be corrected, and communication between the helmsman and the "punter" are important to coordinate efforts.
If both these methods fail, you may find yourself with no option other than to walk the boat back with crew ashore with bow and stern lines. Again take care noone endangers themselves.
Commercial boats and deep drafted vessels are the most likely boats to give horn signals to indicate which direction they are intending to move in, and it is important you understand what they mean so that you can take appropriate action yourself. You may encounter the signals when following a boat (for instance if it is planning to moor or turn) as well as when approaching a boat. All boats are entitled to give the signals, but if giving them yourself, do not rely on the fact that others will understand them and act accordingly - they may not be as knowledgeable as you. The Signals are:-
One short
blast = I am turning to MY right
Two short blasts = I am turning to MY left
Three short blasts = I am going astern
Four short blasts = I am altering course ( usually
followed by one of the signals above)
One long blast = Announces
you are there - repeat every 20 seconds on approaching a blind spot
refer to single handed boating for more information