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Showing results for tags 'headroom'.
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Hi all,I'm new to this forum, and new to boating as well. I have a question that your wisdom and experience may be able to help me with.I'm planning on moving from Essex to Exeter around springtime next year to finish off my commercial pilot training. What I'd love to do is buy a liveaboard boat and sail it from the River Lea via the Regents Canal, Thames, Kennet & Avon, Bristol Channel and around Lands End into the Exeter Ship Canal. Obviously, this puts a LOT of limitations on what type of vessel I could use, especially being on a bit of a budget. I have done some fairly extensive research into this so far and found that size-wise one of the best boats would be a Birchwood 33 GT (The one with the folding windscreens for extra bridge clearance)My question is, how accurate would you say the waterways dimensions are? According to the inland waterways association the Birchwood would "just about" fit all the way. The tightest dimensions being water draft and air draft (headroom) on the K&A. The reason I ask is that if people have thrown shopping trolleys into the water etc. it might make things difficult. Also, would any of you recommend any other boats for the job? If I could dismantle the wheel house on a standard 33 that could also be an option. Anyone got any experience/thoughts about that?Cheers, Phil.
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We are planning a trip on the Middle Level next year and have been checking out a few bridge headroom’s and other things. This has produced a few anomaly’s or points of interest which could be worth some discussion. Not vital info but* I am curious. The MLC publish a LOW bridge map but it looks like it is for narrow boats as its max LOW bridge height is 2m (6’-8”) so if you have a folding screen, hood or other projection it is only partly of help. 1). The MLC map gives Whittlesey Dyke as 6’-9”, but the old NRA map (1988, but still on the web) gave the min as 7’-6” at Burnt House Br. I find it difficult to believe the headroom has gone down that much! Any suggestions? * As Islip Br on the Nene (@ 7’-2”) is to be lifted. EA table would then give a new R. Nene min level of 7’-10" @ Billing Br. MLC give 7’-0” on Kings Dyke 2). No Br heights are given on MLC map between Welches Dam Lk and White Fen Br No 48 @ 6’-4” so if one was coming from Welches Dam Lk about 13 miles (after its restoration) what would be the lowest bridge on this section? Or Welches Dam Lk access to Ramsey? So when Islip Br is lifted and if 6’-9” is in error, White Fen Br would become an even more significant restriction on the MLC access to the south (Ramsey & Chatteris areas), not to mention a good through headroom after Welches Dam Lk is re opened as part of the FWL, or would it? Any chance White Fen Br could be lifted economically???????