Quant pole
Encyclopedia
A quant is a pole
used to propel a barge
(barge pole) or punt
through water. A barge quant often has a cap at the top and a prong
at the bottom to stop it from sinking into the mud. On the Norfolk Broads these are called a Bott and a Shoe respectively. A quant used with a punt is about 4 metres long and made from either wood or a hollow metal, so that in either case it floats if left in the water.
On the Norfolk Broads a quant is used to propel yachts, especially those lacking an engine, when the wind does not suit. Large sailing wherries employed a quant pole at least 8 metres in length.
A quant is used not only to propel such craft, but also to steer them by acting as a rudder
. The operator of the quant can stick the quant behind the barge or punt to determine the direction
of travel.
There is also a popular saying: "I wouldn't touch that thing with a barge pole!" (sometimes rendered as "10 foot pole").
The operator stands at the front of the barge or, for a punt, normally on the rear flat deck. The angle at which the quant is held depends on the depth of the water and the desired speed of travel. A steeper angle is required for deeper water (the bottom of the quant must be able to reach the bed of the river or canal) and a shallower angle required for speed. The operator drives the quant downward and slightly backward to push the craft forwards. The operator then walks down the side of the boat, facing aft and braced against the quant pole, the boat being propelled forward at the speed he walks. To reverse, the quant can be pushed forwards. The quant is then pulled out of the water by placing hand over hand on it and pulling upwards (as if one were climbing down a pole).
When punting, such as for Oxford May week, the 'punter' stands stationary on the rear platform and slides the quant into the water at an angle forwards. As the punt glides forwards the loosely held quant becomes increasingly vertical. When the quant is just past vertical i.e. sloping downwards from front to back of the punt, the 'punter' pushes on the quant to propel the punt forwards. At the end of the pushing stroke the quant is twisted with a downward roll of the wrists to break it free from the bottom, and then retrieved by being thrown forwards hand-over-hand in readiness for the next stroke. A rhythmic and smooth style is usually considered to be 'good form'. Disaster may strike if one looses one's grip on the quant while attempting to extract it from the bottom, and the quant is left 'stuck in the mud' at an increasing distance behind the punt. This is not 'good form'.
2. Steering
By dragging the quant at angle behind the barge or punt upon the water, the craft can be made to turn. The craft will slow on the side on which the quant is in the water, so the craft will move into that direction. The greater the angle made between the quant and the barge or punt, the greater the turning angle. This effect can be enhanced (greater turning force) by pushing the quant forward through the water on desired direction side of the craft. Alternatively, placing the quant such that there is an angle between the direction of motion and the line of the quant itself will push the rear of the craft away from the planted end of the quant, and so enable changes of direction. This method allows for corrections and steering to be accomplished without significantly slowing the craft, although generally requires a greater degree of skill.
Oar
An oar is an implement used for water-borne propulsion. Oars have a flat blade at one end. Oarsmen grasp the oar at the other end. The difference between oars and paddles are that paddles are held by the paddler, and are not connected with the vessel. Oars generally are connected to the vessel by...
used to propel a barge
Barge
A barge is a flat-bottomed boat, built mainly for river and canal transport of heavy goods. Some barges are not self-propelled and need to be towed by tugboats or pushed by towboats...
(barge pole) or punt
Punt (boat)
A punt is a flat-bottomed boat with a square-cut bow, designed for use in small rivers or other shallow water. Punting refers to boating in a punt. The punter generally propels the punt by pushing against the river bed with a pole...
through water. A barge quant often has a cap at the top and a prong
Prong
Prong is an American heavy metal band formed in 1986. Prong had two independent releases, Primitive Origins and Force Fed. The albums attracted the attention of Epic Records, who signed the trio in 1989. The group disbanded in 1997 after the Rude Awakening tour, but re-formed in 2002...
at the bottom to stop it from sinking into the mud. On the Norfolk Broads these are called a Bott and a Shoe respectively. A quant used with a punt is about 4 metres long and made from either wood or a hollow metal, so that in either case it floats if left in the water.
On the Norfolk Broads a quant is used to propel yachts, especially those lacking an engine, when the wind does not suit. Large sailing wherries employed a quant pole at least 8 metres in length.
A quant is used not only to propel such craft, but also to steer them by acting as a rudder
Rudder
A rudder is a device used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft or other conveyance that moves through a medium . On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to counter adverse yaw and p-factor and is not the primary control used to turn the airplane...
. The operator of the quant can stick the quant behind the barge or punt to determine the direction
Boxing the compass
Boxing the compass is the action of naming all thirty-two points of the compass in clockwise order. Such names are formed by the initials of the cardinal directions and their intermediate ordinal directions, and are very handy to refer to a heading in a general or colloquial fashion, without...
of travel.
There is also a popular saying: "I wouldn't touch that thing with a barge pole!" (sometimes rendered as "10 foot pole").
Using a quant
1. PropulsionThe operator stands at the front of the barge or, for a punt, normally on the rear flat deck. The angle at which the quant is held depends on the depth of the water and the desired speed of travel. A steeper angle is required for deeper water (the bottom of the quant must be able to reach the bed of the river or canal) and a shallower angle required for speed. The operator drives the quant downward and slightly backward to push the craft forwards. The operator then walks down the side of the boat, facing aft and braced against the quant pole, the boat being propelled forward at the speed he walks. To reverse, the quant can be pushed forwards. The quant is then pulled out of the water by placing hand over hand on it and pulling upwards (as if one were climbing down a pole).
When punting, such as for Oxford May week, the 'punter' stands stationary on the rear platform and slides the quant into the water at an angle forwards. As the punt glides forwards the loosely held quant becomes increasingly vertical. When the quant is just past vertical i.e. sloping downwards from front to back of the punt, the 'punter' pushes on the quant to propel the punt forwards. At the end of the pushing stroke the quant is twisted with a downward roll of the wrists to break it free from the bottom, and then retrieved by being thrown forwards hand-over-hand in readiness for the next stroke. A rhythmic and smooth style is usually considered to be 'good form'. Disaster may strike if one looses one's grip on the quant while attempting to extract it from the bottom, and the quant is left 'stuck in the mud' at an increasing distance behind the punt. This is not 'good form'.
2. Steering
By dragging the quant at angle behind the barge or punt upon the water, the craft can be made to turn. The craft will slow on the side on which the quant is in the water, so the craft will move into that direction. The greater the angle made between the quant and the barge or punt, the greater the turning angle. This effect can be enhanced (greater turning force) by pushing the quant forward through the water on desired direction side of the craft. Alternatively, placing the quant such that there is an angle between the direction of motion and the line of the quant itself will push the rear of the craft away from the planted end of the quant, and so enable changes of direction. This method allows for corrections and steering to be accomplished without significantly slowing the craft, although generally requires a greater degree of skill.