Articles

For the absolute beginner to boating, taking out a Canal Boat subscription can open your eyes to what the other boaters have been up to, the places they visited and any problems that they may have encountered on their way. It will also make you aware of any restoration projects that are being undertaken along the canal routes. This will help you decide on your trip and calculate your mooring spots each evening. The calculation is simple. Assume a speed of three miles per hour with twenty minutes needed to navigate each single lock, stepped locks take longer. Add the distance in miles to the number of locks and divide by three to get your journey time in hours.

Having decided upon your route and arrange for boat hire, the novice boater should visit the New to boating section of the Canal Boat website. This gives clear, easily understood instructions on how to navigate the journey safely. It covers the following areas.

Locks

This section describes the principle behind how locks work, complete with an animation. The article discusses the various types of locks and how to operate the mechanisms. It also tells you the correct order to use the various parts of the lock gates when flooding or draining the lock. It points out some obvious but easily overlooked dangers, like what happens if you tie up to the bollards when draining a lock, the proper way to keep the boat in position as it lowers or rises. It also mentions the wisdom of sharing a lock with another boat where possible and reminds you to be aware of boats travelling the opposite direction in stepped locks.

Steering

This gives you an overview of the different types of steering mechanisms the various boats employ. Steering wheels which behave like a cars, the boat will turn in the same direction you turn the wheel; tillers and rudders, with which the boat will turn in the opposite way to that of the tiller. It also makes you aware of the fact that boats take much longer to change direction and stop than a car.

Engines

This gives the basic controls available to you in controlling you speed and how to reverse. It also covers speed limits, usually 4 MPH and mentions the damaged caused by exceeding the speed limit, along with river protocol.

Mooring

This is one of the longer sections that cover where you can moor, both on moorings owned by the Navigation Authority and private landowners. It describes concisely how to manoeuvre correctly into the mooring position, while this sounds simple on paper, it will take some practice before you can do it right every time. After your first trip you will want to renew your Canal Boat subscription so you can plan your next trip..