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Ripon Canal


Cheryl  M

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50 minutes ago, Cheryl M said:

Hj rveryonf.

 

Was just wondering  we have a 60ft narrowboat and were wondering if it will fit in the locks.  Has anyone been through with a 60ft boat. 

Yes you can get a 60ft boat up to Ripon but it's extremely tight especially in Westwick and Rhodesfield locks. Some years ago now Jim MacDonald managed all but Rhodesfield Lock in NB Elizabeth 63ft.

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This exact question was asked several years ago, and received approximately the same responses, including an identical reply by Ryeland.   https://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?/topic/48878-ripon-canal-is-it-ok-for-60ft-boat/

But both the IWA site and Canalplan give a maximum length of 61ft 4ins, which seems to be incorrect.  CRT say 57ft, and Wiki  58ft.

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1 hour ago, Mac of Cygnet said:

This exact question was asked several years ago, and received approximately the same responses, including an identical reply by Ryeland.   https://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?/topic/48878-ripon-canal-is-it-ok-for-60ft-boat/

But both the IWA site and Canalplan give a maximum length of 61ft 4ins, which seems to be incorrect.  CRT say 57ft, and Wiki  58ft.

There is some confusion regarding the length of boat that can get through Rhodesfield Lock. I remember when I helped Jim McDonald, despite having a folding rudder Elizabeth was about six inches too long to clear the bottom gates. He mentioned that he had previously been though so couldn't understand the situation. When Julie the lockie arrived by chance, she informed us that the lock had been shortened slightly when a new top cill had been installed she also mentioned the published max length of 57ft. Several 59ft boats from in Ripon marina occasionally went up diagonally and relatively stress free.

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There’s no absolute answer to the question of whether any particular length of boat will fit through a lock. It’s a three dimensional problem that can’t be defined in one dimension. You can only really find out by trial and error.

 

Just because say one particular 61’ 3” boat won’t fit doesn’t mean no 61’ 4” boat could ever fit.

 

CRT quote dimensions for the Ripon Canal of 56’ 11” length x 14’ 1” beam x 3’ 4” draught. What I’d like to think that means is that if I were to navigate the canal in the proverbial brick shaped boat of those exact dimensions, i.e. a literal cuboid below the waterline, then it would fit in every lock behind the full width of the cill, clear of the complete sweep of all gates and clear of any taper in the walls to a water depth equal to the published draught. I wouldn’t bet more than a fiver that would be the case though.

 

The moment you start narrowing the width, reducing the draught, tapering the bow, raking the stem or curving the stern of a boat then the maximum length that can be accommodated changes but in a way that is unique to the particular shape that is created.

 

In reality I suspect none of the published dimensions - including CRTs - are particularly accurate because to keep a truly accurate up to date geometrical model of all locks on the system is a far harder task than most would imagine, even with state of the art technology.

 

I suspect most of the published information is produced on an anecdotal or as needs must basis and clearly it doesn’t represent the same mathematical model otherwise there wouldn’t be such large discrepancies.

 

JP

 

 

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We went up in 2019, 59’ plus fenders. I seem to recall we didn’t need to lift the fenders, it didn’t seem particularly close. The lock near Dewsbury on the Calder and a Hebble was much tighter. But as said, it can depend eg on bow shape. We have a fairly slanted bow so near the waterline, we are shorter. May the bow can protrude over the cill. But we didn’t have a problem going down either. I would be fairly confident that you will be fine at 60’.

Edited by nicknorman
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7 minutes ago, Nightwatch said:

It’s a long way to go to find out you can’t go ‘all the way’. But given the comment above, I’d give it a go. Sez he with a 55’ er.

You know that you will be able to get to below Linton lock, so even that was it I would say that it is worth doing even it that is as far as you can get.

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1 hour ago, john6767 said:

You know that you will be able to get to below Linton lock, so even that was it I would say that it is worth doing even it that is as far as you can get.

If I remember rightly, Linton Lock is a right so and so to work. Even had to get off the boat to assist my lock wheeler.

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17 minutes ago, Nightwatch said:

If I remember rightly, Linton Lock is a right so and so to work. Even had to get off the boat to assist my lock wheeler.

It was a pig summer before last, although it has a new winch mechanism for opening the bottom gates, which probably helps massively from how it was.

 

The top gates leaked very badly And the 57ft boat that we came down with (we are 50ft) got 18in of water in their engine bay from the torrent of water falling on the rear deck that they could not get away from.  I was just able to keep forward from the worst of it.

 

Also the lock is very deep with very uneaven and roughwalls.

 

Above York is very enjoyable cruising and well worth it.  Didn’t much like the moorings in York though, an underwater shelf that you get smashed on to by the wash if the big trip boats.

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10 minutes ago, john6767 said:

It was a pig summer before last, although it has a new winch mechanism for opening the bottom gates, which probably helps massively from how it was.

 

The top gates leaked very badly And the 57ft boat that we came down with (we are 50ft) got 18in of water in their engine bay from the torrent of water falling on the rear deck that they could not get away from.  I was just able to keep forward from the worst of it.

 

Also the lock is very deep with very uneaven and roughwalls.

 

Above York is very enjoyable cruising and well worth it.  Didn’t much like the moorings in York though, an underwater shelf that you get smashed on to by the wash if the big trip boats.

We moored up just below the main rail bridge. To be honest can’t remember a ledge though.

It was the height of summer, busy and sand, yes sand, all over the lower level adjacent to the mooring. One day was a bit breezy and you can guess where most of the sand ended up.

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14 minutes ago, Nightwatch said:

We moored up just below the main rail bridge. To be honest can’t remember a ledge though.

It was the height of summer, busy and sand, yes sand, all over the lower level adjacent to the mooring. One day was a bit breezy and you can guess where most of the sand ended up.

Yes it was covered in sand when we were there, I had forgotten that.

 

I think you are referring to Museum Gardens where the main visitor moorings are, which is where we moored.  It was June 2018 when we had the long period of hot weather, so I suspect the river level was low.  The ledge (made of the concrete sandbag things) was about a foot under the water, so a bit higher water level and it would have gone under the boat.

 

Photos of the mooring in York and in the bottom of Linton lock.  Looking through the photos is making me want to go back!


 

4EAA37C2-676B-4198-AEBF-5327F943484D.jpeg

07D69E3F-DAB6-4ECB-B31B-FDD3B6DEF5E8.jpeg

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4 hours ago, Nightwatch said:

If I remember rightly, Linton Lock is a right so and so to work. Even had to get off the boat to assist my lock wheeler.

 

It was indeed one of the hardest locks I had to work singlehanded last year.  And rather a curious notice - there's paddles and slackers and sluices, etc., but 'clout' was a new one on me.

Linton Lock.jpg

Linton Lock2.jpg

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6 hours ago, Mac of Cygnet said:

 

It was indeed one of the hardest locks I had to work singlehanded last year.  And rather a curious notice - there's paddles and slackers and sluices, etc., but 'clout' was a new one on me.

Linton Lock.jpg

Linton Lock2.jpg

Beware of the Linton tattoo

Edited by Midnight
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