Good Job There Are No (navigable) Locks On The Broads

[DAVIDH]

The best thing about it is the filmer's laughter (one of the crew by the way). 

 

[Maxwellian]

That was both painful and hilarious at the same time. I am sure that boat has thrusters!

[Chelsea14Ian]

Its still easy to turn the boat 

[marshman]

I know people think boats are like cars but honestly, they are not!! Boats generally have ropes to aid manoeuvring and you could just as easily have moored up and walked it in!!!

See it in Norfolk time and time again - lets turn a 40' boat in a 43' space on the engine and make it hard work but never never do it the easy way - on ropes!!!

[JennyMorgan]

54 minutes ago, marshman said:

I know people think boats are like cars but honestly, they are not!! Boats generally have ropes to aid manoeuvring and you could just as easily have moored up and walked it in!!!

See it in Norfolk time and time again - lets turn a 40' boat in a 43' space on the engine and make it hard work but never never do it the easy way - on ropes!!!

Quants are quite useful too!

Watching some of the three story bling boats, complete with twin screws and bow thrusters, coming through the lock at Oulton Broad can be morbidly entertaining. The roar of the bow thruster alone being something not easily forgotten. Seemingly greater reliance is placed on the thruster than either the twin engines or the twin rudders. Learning to walk before running might be a wise option when it comes to buying a boat! Start with a rowing boat.

In fairness, though, the helmsman probably learned a great deal and he did manage to turn her. The quantity of fenders . . . . . . . . wow!

[Vaughan]

Hmmm. . . . .

This is an automatic lock with no lock keeper and I would guess it is on the canal system in Brittany although it may be somewhere in central France, around Gray.

You cannot blame the hirers for this one, actually. I have driven these boats, when I have had to jump on board to help them into the quay at St Gilles. They have an underwater shape like a soap dish and will not stay in a straight line. they are also impossible to moor stern on. If I can't do it, I don't see how first time hirers can!

In addition there is something wrong with the boat. One can see that it will turn to starboard, but not to port. I would guess that at some point, they have backed hard into the shallow bank, the rudder has gone aground and the force has twisted the tiller on top of the shaft, out of line with the rudder. So it will turn one way, but not the other. I hope they eventually realised this, and called the boatyard!

[Broads01]

I agree the helmsman only ever steers to starboard but it could be there's nothing wrong with the boat. Because novices expect a boat to perform like a car, they sometimes think the steering lock is like a car also and under turn the wheel big time, hence why at the beginning of the clip the boat takes so long to steer to starboard. The technique of hard lock and quick short bursts of just enough throttle is alien to novices especially if they haven't received a good handover, hence I think when the boat ends up skew to the lock gates the helmsman just doesn't know what to do. If he has a bow thruster he certainly doesn't know how to use that either. 

[Vaughan]

These boats don't have bow thrusters since the flat underwater shape will not accept one.

Canals have made up banks with firm bottoms which slope up sharply to the sides. Not the same thing as the Broads.

It is common for hirers to reverse toward the bank and the rudder will go aground before the stern touches the side. This will wrench the rudder round, so that the tiller will slip round on the shaft. After that, you only have steering one way and might go straight if you are lucky.

Believe me - I have seen it many times before!

[Cockatoo]

Considering he couldn't turn left I thought he did quite well!

[loribear]

that was so painful to watch, i just could'nt understand what he was trying to do down the river, it looked like he could'nt handle it .

[JennyMorgan]

3 hours ago, loribear said:

that was so painful to watch, i just could'nt understand what he was trying to do down the river, it looked like he could'nt handle it .

Just my way of looking at it but I thought that was quite wise. No one else about, a spot of learning and practice, surely not a bad idea. That said, warping her into the lock might have been more prudent but as one Royal Navy type once commented to me,  'you've got an effing engine, er hem well use it', language like that he must have been lower deck! 

[Siddy]

Only thing missing was a good bywash giving him the final push off line before entering the lock.