The first and most basic steering tip for beginners is to push the right rudder to go left and push the left rudder to go right. This “opposing advice” never worked for me. The only problem is that no one has told you how to drive a narrow speedboat, there's no driving test for boats, no aptitude test, or even required to be told anything, so you're on your own. Driving a narrow boat through the Canal normally has a rudder steering, which is quite simple, however, you must remember that if you push to the right, the boat will turn to the left and vice versa.
Learning to drive a narrow boat doesn't have to be overwhelming or scary, it's a really fun way to pass the time and it's easy once you get the hang of it. When someone asks me what it's like to drive a narrow boat, my first answer is: “Great. It sounds simple and is a good starting point when you're trying to learn how to drive a narrow boat, but it's sure to take some getting used to. Just like driving a narrow boat, keep an eye on the boat, the shores and the water, because if you're distracted and don't pay attention, you could end up floating out of course or crashing with an obstacle.
It has been said that driving a narrow boat is like trying to drive a long chain of shopping carts.
