Hay Bails and the Welland Canal

[fparry]

I am getting ready to take a 27' boat through the Welland Canal from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. In an attempt to get my boat ready for this trip I have been talking to fellow boat owners who have made the trip. One suggestion which was made to me was to get a couple of hay bails to use as fenders. I was told that no matter how big the fenders used, hay bails would be better.

I found this interesting and also informative. i was wondering if anyone out there had used these and if so how were they wrapped (if wrapped at all) and also how they were rigged.

[bljones]

If you can even find small bales still available, do you realize how big and how heavy a hay bale is? Do you also realize how much heavier they get when they get wet?

[jcalvinmarks]

I can't imagine that this would be a good idea. I regularly get the smaller rectangular hay and straw bales for my two goats, and I have a hard enough time keeping them from falling apart just carrying them from the truck to the barn. It's just two bands of twine holding the bale together, and those slip off pretty easily.

Also, are we talking hay or straw? Hay is just long grass that's been mowed and baled for use a feed, so it's pretty dense once it gets packed in and baled, and pretty heavy to-boot. Straw is the more stereotypical "hay bale," and is more of the hollow chutes of spent grain. Straw would probably be better in this application, but either one is going to seem like a bad idea if they get wet. And the first time you really use one as a bumper, it's going to fall apart and you're going to have no fender and a giant mess of wet hay/straw following your boat. I'm sure the lock operators and your fellow boaters are going to love that.

Pass on the hay, and go with the large ball-type fenders.

[fparry]

Standard sized bales are readily available in my area and yes I am aware of the weight.
At least two of the people I talked to have told me that this is the preferred method so as not to destroy your boat while navigating the canal. I was also told that the canal management suggests this method on their web site although I have not been able to find or confirm this.

I would assume that they would have to be securely wrapped in plastic and duck taped to prevent water saturation but If being used only in the canal and above the water line I wouldn't guess saturation would be a huge problem in any event.

My guess is that the bales would have to be adequately prepared for this type of use. Either by the use of plastic or additional rope and I am seeking advise from those who have used this system or have seen it used.

[killarney_sailor]

I think they were talking about hay tied in feed bags (heavy, reinforced plastic). I have been through the Canal several times and picked up these at the small vessel call-in dock once. Looked like someone had used them and left they behind. They worked fine but so did decent-sized fenders with a lock board across two of them.

There is a huge difference between going and down the locks. Going down, with the water draining out of the lock is *much* easier and requires little special care. With a 27' two people would be fine. One hint, don't try to hold the boat tight against the wall; let it ride out a bit. With two people you might want two boat hooks; with a third person this is not needed as person in the middle can push out as needed.

If the weather is really hot you might want to consider doing it at night - it is all well-lit.

[AlanBrown]

The feed bag method is also quite common on the Erie Canal. In fact, you used to be able to purchase filled bags at either end of the canal.

[bljones]

feed bags filled with hay makes more sense than bales.

[snb25]

nice 2 by 6 rub rails permently attatched to your vessel and looking skookum ....then you can raft to anythng

[mooregm5]

Originally Posted by AlanBrown

The feed bag method is also quite common on the Erie Canal. In fact, you used to be able to purchase filled bags at either end of the canal.

Supposedly the Hay Bails are no longer allowed on the New York Canal System for environmental reasons. Too much falls off if not done right, and it litters the water with the hay and its plastic and other containing parts.

I'm sure the short Welland does not have this same issue though, being much shorter.

[cormeum]

When we did it last we used those woven polypropylene bags (like a feed sack)stuffed with hay. worked fine. Rough doesn't begin to describe the lock walls.

Really, too big is probably big enough in this case.