Barge Hire Glossary Of Terms
BARGE HIRE GLOSSARY OF TERMS
Whether you are a complete novice or an experienced “deck hand” some of the terminology used may baffle you.
Have you heard barge talk out on the cut and not had a clue what they are taking about did the chat with the lock keeper sound like a foreign language?
Then we think that the following explanation of some of the words will help you to know your windlass from your weedhatch.
A
Aqueduct – A bridge which carries a canal over a river or valley
Arm – A branch off a main canal
B
Balance or Beam – A beam which uses it weight to balance a lock gate
Barge – A boat designed for canals - also known as a narrow boat or a canal boat
Beam – Maximum width of a barge
Blow to – A warning blast on the horn
Boater – Someone who lives or works on a barge
Bollard – Posts for mooring up barges
Bow – The front of the barge
Bridge number - Each bridge that crosses the canal is numbered help you to find your position
Butty – An unpowered boat normally pulled by a barge and used as living quarters
C
Chamber – A watertight enclosure which can be sealed off from the pounds at either end of the lock
Cill – The masonry bed in the bottom of the lock gates
Cruising - The correct word for 'driving' a barge
Cut – Boaters term for the canals or waterways
D
Day boat (or Joey Boat)– A barge used for short trips or day trips
Double Lock –Locks placed side by side to speed up and increase the flow of traffic
E F
Fender – A buffer used to protect the sides and front of the barge from damage
G
Galley – The kitchen
Gang planks – Removable planks which can be placed from the barge to the canal bank
Gongoozler – A person who watches the barges from the canal bank
Guillotine Lock – A vertical lock gate resembling a guillotine blade
Gunwale – Runs around the edge and hull of the barge
H
Hatch – Covers the entry to the cabin
Hire – To rent a barge for a short time
I J K
Inside – On the same side as a tow path
L
Lock – A device which allows a barge to be raised up or down to a different water level
Lock Keepers – Where locks are complicated they are manned by Lock Keepers
M
Marina – A location on the canal where barges are moored and where boating facilities can be found
Mooring - The term for tying up a barge
Mooring Pin – A stake knocked into the canal bank when there are no mooring rings
N
Narrow Boat – A barge traditionally measuring 70 feet ling by 7 feet wide
Narrow Lock – A lock built to take one barge at a time
O
Outside – Opposite to the tow path
P
Paddle – A slat or door used to control the water flow through a lock Pound – The distance of canal between locks
Q R S
Sluice – Trapdoors which let water in or out and are situated in the lock gate or on the side wall of a lock, are also know as paddles
Staircase Lock – A flight of locks without pounds in-between so the top gate forms the bottom gate of the next lock
Stern – The back of the barge Stop Lock – A lock used to protect one water supply from another
Stoppage – A temporary closures on the waterways in order to carry out repairs
T
Tiller – A beam or pole attached to the rudder and used to steer
Tow paths – The paths that run along side the canal
U V W X Y Z
Water points – A place where a tap is located to enable you to take on water, normally operated by a British waterways key.
Weedhatch - A panel on the deck of the barge that gives access to the propeller
Wind – To turn a barge around Winding Hole/Place – A space on the canal wide enough to turn a barge around
Winding gear - The mechanism which allows the Sluice, paddles, to be lifted (opened) or lowered (closed)
Windlass – A tool (key) for opening paddle at locks gates