[quote=Edchris177]Dennis I would stop beforehand & do some recce on the lock as it fills & empties. I've done them in powerboats, & could get into the Great Lakes and/or Georgian Bay in 3 locks from my dock. We use vertical cables that are attached to the lock walls. You just loop a line loosely around the cable, & let it slide upwards as the water rises. Tie no knots, just loop & hand hold. One or two fenders will be adequate, but wear gloves & be prepared to fend off by hand. Going up just scrapes the fenders, but when you come down they tend to get pushed up above the sides of the boat unless you constantly fend off a bit by hand to let them fall back down. By observing the lock beforehand you can see where the turbulent sections are, & avoid them if possible.
The next problem is moving out after the lock opens. The easiest way would be to borrow, or buy a $100 electric trolling motor. When I picked my 5.7 up it had to be moved 4 miles across a lake to the only launch around. I just took an 8' 2x6 & nailed a piece of 2x4 vertically to one edge. I then secured the plank across the sterns with a couple of those mini herc straps, & secured the motor to the short piece of 2x4. One charged battery was good for a full power motor to the other side of the lake, with lots of juice to spare.[/quote]
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