No horse? No problem! The art of 'Long Lining'

[@AOMCI2009Tomahawk]

Excellent documentary. Thank you. It is always a joy to watch people doing things well.

[@huwevans2653]

Well done to all envolved. Great to see these practices in action, even when things go wrong which I am sure they did often back in the day. Please do more of these.

[@leebolton6162]

Amazing, I'm in love with the amazing colours of the traditional narrowboats.

[@markdemelo7643]

Wow that's a lot of stuff to remember & fast not to mention all involved have to work as one. Wow never knew/thought that was possible what a great video thanks so much for sharing & please if possible show us more,God bless.

[@YellowPinkie]

So much that could go wrong! I've read about lpng lining, but never seen it done. Thanks! I bet a couple of walkie takies would make it super slick.

[@harveysmith100]

fascinating to watch, thank for sharing.

[@BoatingBiker]

Fascinating video!! I walked this area as a boy with my dad. I hate the graffiti.

[@trueblue2124]

Always a little uncomfortable when I see people rushing around a lock - (fell in lock once) - but fascinating - great job - - thank you for sharing -

[@applecounty]

Nice (and very necessary) bit of dredging there.

[@mrLumen2]

Тетрис для настоящих джентльменов :)

[@mykaskin]

Tetris for real gentlemen indeed! Love that description! :)

[@davidsedlickas8222]

Love it. Sad I cannot volunteer.

[@mjallenuk]

Nice perspectives on the camera fella...

[@johnswimcat]

Great video, really interesting. I was wondering how you get a butty through locks. I think one would need some practice though! Very well filmed, that can't have been easy

[@mykaskin]

Practice makes perfect, and this is far from it as you can see - but it's important to practice these skills so they stay alive.

[@wbjl2000]

Bravo Zulu 👍

[@davidsedlickas8222]

Been on Brighton. Mrs was on the tiller for several miles a few years ago.

[@urbanrider7981]

Hi,did you family work on the boats ? My grandparents worked for Fellows Morton and Clayton until 1947.

[@virginiaelliott6537]

What happens when you meet a boat coming down? or do you take over the flight

[@mykaskin]

The boats are soon past someone coming down. It’s quite common when you have a pair to have to turn the lock around. It’s quickest and safest for everyone.

[@t1n4444]

Very interesting video in the heritage department so to speak; one teeny weeny crit ... would have been useful to have had a voice over explaining exactly what was going on and why sort of thing. Got a bit lost at times where the rope was coming from or going to and why it was wrapped around this that or another. Particularly that excellent wheeze of looping the rope so as to shut the gate, would have liked a bit of a micro lecturette on that. I note the lock furniture took a bit more of a bashing at times compared to "ordinary "usage but suppose that in yesteryear the bashing about was probably a lot worse as in "time-is-money". Lock gates are replaced a great deal more regularly than 100 years ... plus it is after all a "heritage trade" so can't see that being killed off. Ref the usage of water ... presumably if CRT took exception to this issue they would let you know? That said "you" are doing the "heritage" thing so CRT might be obliged to do the balance thing. Lastly, one very real concern I would have is the amount of smoke/particulates blasting out the exhaust. That sort of thing comes under the local authorities being obliged to implement HMG policy as in clean air acts and smokeless zones. Plus what with DEFRA involved with scrutinising log burners, amongst the rest of their remit, makes me think the clean air policies are here to stay and will be policed more rigorously than hitherto. However, said policy might need a few exclusions as if "they" objected to a single smokey chimney on a working narrowboat then events such as steam traction rallies or preserved steam railways could equally be under threat. This could extend also to events such as Crofton Engine (to name but one) steam days. I would predict that "heritage" activities or practices as portrayed in the video would continue but under some sort of licence as a display. It could follow that CRT may be obliged not only to supervise the waterways but police the entire environment including the air quality surrounding the canals system. At the time of commenting HMG are now in receipt of evidence that at times of high air pollution there's a corresponding spike in heart attacks and strokes. I think we should expect rather more scrutiny in what narrowboaters produce on the way of pollution ... and old working narrowboats confined to very rural marinas or yards except when "licenced" to give a "heritage" exhibition ... well away from the snowflakes.

[@mykaskin]

Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed the video. The black smoke is only due to full power being used as the boat was grounded, I don't think there will be any issue with regulations for boats as there are far too few to cause any issue. The rope never closes any gates, but it has to be put around the back of posts to stop it getting in the way of the operation of the gate and getting trapped. The bit I think you are thinking off, is where I start the gate, but the flow of water from the raising of the paddles help close it. It's important to get the lock ready in time for the butty to arrive. As to bumping into the gates, they are designed for a certain amount of this - hence the steel plates spreading the loading across a larger area. It's important not only to document these practices, but to ensure they are still practiced as there is a lot more that can be easily shown in a video.

[@t1n4444]

@@mykaskin Have to say, I don't share your optimism ref not enough boats to worry about. I have the suspicion the "pollution police" will be looking everywhere, even the leisure sector, as in steam railways, traction engine rallys, and, us. My guess is HMG will gradually tighten up the particulate emissions and nasty gases thing and then start policing it with more diligence. We know there are levies on polluting vehicles in city centres, so might be narrowboats next, and in "yes you can cruise through Birmingham, say, but we will impose a charge", even if we have ultra clean diesels. Urban linear moorings or marinas might get a levy because of wood burners or multi fuel stoves kicking out all sorts. Might even find linear moorings get dismantled and permanent moorings exist only in a rural marina??? Pointless claiming wood is carbon neutral because it still produces waste gases and fumes locally. Speculating further, activities such as yours will, hopefully be classed as some sort of "heritage" activity and the local authorities will grant a short term licence to do the display at an event. However, you might have to do a risk assessment against "your" pollution from your engine. (I understand some very old road vehicles which used leaded petrol can still be permitted as these vehicles are labeled "characteristic". Leaded petrol available from licensed garages who are members of a vintage vehicle organisation. Basically "you" may be able to argue a case if push became shove." Might be that CRT are obliged to police the canal systems for pollution hot spots when the licence wardens do their routes. Who can say?

[@michaelwemyss8032]

Having watched this, it is a bit rich when hire boaters are blamed for damage to lock gates & paddles. These people should know better & set an example.

[@mykaskin]

No damage being caused here. All the gates are designed for this sort of use, with rubbing strips, and wooden frames that take up knocks. Hire boats pull the gates out of their sockets due to poor understanding of the safety issues.

[@applecounty]

I presume you understand little of the historical side of practical canal boating.

[@iantabron]

Completely disagree with "no damage being done here" and, worse still - the OP is demonstrating a more important point. You are seen as "experienced" by hire boaters... if they see you doing this they'll accept it as normal and even advised... and thus damage gets done much quicker and ends up costing everyone more in licence fees. Do everyone a favour and treat the equipment with the respect it deserves - if you're trying to keep the canals alive best to make them last longer... no?

[@aliasdeputydog]

mykaskin. A very interesting display, but what happens when there is a boat waiting to go down a lock after the motor-boat has passed up it: and before the butty arrives. Under normal operations that waiting boat has the right of way to use the lock before it is emptied to take in the butty.

[@mykaskin]

Normally we ask nicely if a boat would wait - it doesn’t normally take too long to get both boats by, but if they didn’t want to wait then a lot of bow hauling would need to be done.

[@aliasdeputydog]

mykaskin. What a waste of water, draining and refilling a lock twice when the proper thing to do would have been allowing the waiting boat to use an already full lock. I have lost count of the number of times I have had words with other `boaters` messing with a lock that I had already prepared for my use as a single boater. Unbelievable.

[@mykaskin]

@@aliasdeputydog Unless there is a serious shortage of water, this is not usually a problem as often water is flowing around the by-washes. In fact often caused by boaters not locking ahead properly.

[@aliasdeputydog]

@@mykaskins both your vessel`s appear to be laden with goods, I take it that you are a licensed `Trader`. I used to work on the BCN canals many years ago it was expected by BW that water wastage was kept to the very minimum by ALL boaters be they Working boats or `Pleasure users`. In my day it was accepted practice that any vessel waiting at a lock was given precedence over another working pair where the butty was unable to double up along side its motor. The only exception to the `rule` were Fly Boats and in that case the water usage was acceptable. If it was our bad luck to get caught up in that situation where we had to hand-haul, we may have cursed quietly under the breath but it was all part of the job.

[@Wolverine7441]

ok what is the purpose of this excatly ?

[@andrewhill8213]

Really? Working narrow boats started to be fitted with engines around 1905. It was found that a motor boat could easily pull an dumb boat (called a butty) however locking two boats was long and tedious (the boat people got paid on results ) practices where developed to speed up the stop times. This method meant that a pair could work through a set of locks with each boat stopped and moving at the same time. Of course it would get a bit complicated if there was also a pair using long lines in the opposite direction

[@stephenlittle7534]

Boy that's a lot of work. But why is she smiling when she went over she never moved the line in the first place that's why it snagged. But we'll done to everyone.

[@zhidong5780]

Niceeeeeee

[@pauljohnson4270]

I appreciate keeping tradition alive, but at the expense of crashing paddles and gates, running at lock side, jumping gates....NO. Safety is paramount.

[@mykaskin]

Jumping gates isn't dangerous - not actually known or heard anyone actually fall from doing this - and is easy if done correctly. Running at lock sides is obviously a dangerous past-time, and normally a practiced crew would be in the correct place at the correct time. I always run away from the lock side when I do need to so if I trip I'm not going to fall in. The ground paddles on this flight are designed to be dropped, and the gate paddles are let down by hand under control - far better than winding them down and have the windlass come off and the paddle crashes down uncontrollably. The gates are also designed to take a certain amount of pushing by the boat, obviously there is a fine line between too much and a safe amount.

[@pauljohnson4270]

@@mykaskin i appreciate you're reply, thanks. However we are using a navigation system which is hundreds of years old, with infrastructure which is in constant need of repair or replacement, CRT inherited a logistical nightmare which was underfunded previously and is still. Licence payers begrudge paying their fees if they see no improvements, therefore if the infrastructure is looked after by all users then this is to tbe benifit of all. Crashing paddles, both ground and gates is unacceptable, this shows a lack of respect for the historic system we use. They were not designed for crashing, this has only become a practice by working boats of the past due to a requirment for speed. Today boaters have no need to rush, 'working boats' of today should be respecting the history and system. Thanks for making me watch it again as I was able to spot a further issue of open ing ground paddles before the bottom gate was anywhere near being closed, again slaming the gate, really unnecessary abuse of the gates. With all these issues you would be the first to complain if a 'hire boater' caused a stoppage through a failure of the gates or paddles ...... I enjoyed the demonstration of long lining but was disappointed with the way it was undertaken.

[@Daikenboy]

Seemed rough on the gates to me.

[@YellowPinkie]

Yes. Because one pair of boats doing this once in the lifetime of a set of gates is a massive problem. I'm happy to see these skills kept alive.

[@ramseybarber8312]

Hi The gates are built for it.

[@nutsmcflurry3737]

@@ramseybarber8312 sure, a hundred years ago.

[@dbeierl]

@@nutsmcflurry3737 I don't think any of the gates in the system are 100 years old. They are replaced with new ones when necessary. kzbin.info/www/bejne/qnWYqKeaaJuBfsU

[@pauljohnson4270]

Yes I agree, unnecessary abuse of the infrastructure. CRT are cash strapped enough without this behaviour. Historical behaviour, unnecessary in the present.