In this paper, by applying rational Legendre collocation technique and relaxation method, the classical laminar boundary layer equations with the nonlinear Navier boundary conditions are investigated. The features of the flow characteristics for different values of n are discussed. Numerical approaches are used to find solutions for the cases n > 1 / 2 corresponding to the flow past a wedge and n = 1 / 2 corresponding to the flow in a convergent channel. During the comparison, the effectivity and stability of the applied methods are demonstrated. The effects of the varying slip length, index parameter, components of velocity, and tangential stress are analyzed. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.