On 10/8/06, Adrian Stott <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: <susgesting leaving gates open> Being a little devils advocate here - if I am working through wide locks with my narrowboat, do I have to leave both gates open just in case a wide beam comes along in the opposite direction? :-)
> I think charging gates was never OK. Stemming them was, though, and > still is IMHO. ...and in some cases necessary due to leaking gates, faulty paddles etc. Personally I think it should only be used sparingly. The important thing is knowing your abilities (and that of the boat), and ensuring that the gates are not actually hit. > I would like to know for sure how much dropping paddles was common > practice. I suspect it was, as it is less hassle. Surely it would be > simple to design paddles that *can* be dropped without damage. I > believe that that was a deliberate element of the "new design" paddles > on the broad GU locks north of Braunston. Has the design of other > paddles changed, so that they are more fragile now? I think it was regular practice, but not actually thought of as good practice by the canal authority. Of course, properly "dropping" a paddle involves slowing it down before the paddle reaches the bottom, thus not banging it closed. This is what I always do - if I feel I can't do this, then I wind it down. The top end of the GU - Hatton, and Knowl for example have paddles that are designed to be dropped. The paddle is attached to a collar around a screw (I think). The locking mechanism consists of a square wedge on a chain, which is normally knocked out allowing the paddle to drop under it's own weight. I can only guess it's the screw that provides the drag? The paddle opening are also far greater than normal allowing some really good locking speeds. Cheers, Mike -- Michael Askin http://shoestring.zapto.org/ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/canals-list/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/canals-list/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
