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water depth on the Nene


Alastair

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I would think that 3'3 will be fine as will the beam.

Lowest point used to be Islip foot bridge but that's been raised not sure what is lowest now. What is your air draft?

Looks like Fotheringay is now the lowest.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/river-nene-bridge-heights-locks-and-facilities#river-nene-bridge-heights

 

Edited by Loddon
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There were a few spots of shoaling (and there may be more after this winter), where you need to be quite careful which side of the river you are on. They are not always in the most obvious places. 

You might want to ask the Q on one of the Nene facebook groups, where I think you would get more advice. Maybe even good advice. Beam is no problem to Northampton, but no further of course.

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On 06/02/2020 at 15:41, Alastair said:

We are looking at a boat (not narrowboat) that requires 3'3". 

 

What is the depth of water up the Nene?

 

How about air draft and width? Would a boat of 10ft beam get up there?

A vey rare visit for me.

 

The Nene depth varies from <3’ to > 14’ how deep it is depends on where you are, mostly it is somewhere around the 5’ mark, we have an accurate depth sounder.

 

 As Simon mentioned shoaliing is an issue in certain locations - often below a lock backwater where there is invariably a sluice controlling the amount of water that bypasses the lock, a few that instantly spring to mind:-

 

Woodford

Denford

Cotterstock

Perio mill backwater

Wansford

Water Newton

Alwalton

 

10’ beam is fine.

 

2.45m air draft is not. You would basically be restricted to cruising from the city centre up to Alwalton and back

 

you need to be <2.1m to cruise the river in its entirety - even 2.1m can be a struggle at places like the road bridge on Barnwell Road just upstream from Oundle Marina, along with water newton and Yarwell lock footbridge/guilotine gate - not forgetting Fotheringhay bridge which will be a bit of a squeeze at that width and height.

 

ETA, with our canopy up we have 2.4m air draft - we can’t get through the above list with it up.

 

What boat is it?

 

 

Edited by gazza
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4 hours ago, matty40s said:

Appreciated. 

The op looks to be in danger of bringing something that can’t get all the wayup and down the river. Fine if you don’t mind being very restricted on your cruising range, not so good if you want to get out and about!

 

The bridge height chart does not take into account the amount of clearance at locks and also misses out a couple of road bridges.

 

To give a good example it need not be a particularly big boat that gets thwarted by air draft. - a Shetland 4 + 2 with a hard top based at Titchmarsh will not normally be able to cruise any further downstream  than Aldwincle road bridge near Thorpe Waterville, and up until a couple of years ago get no further than Middle  Nene Sailing Club at Thrapston, a former member found this out to their cost.

 

They are by no means the only ones to bring unsuitable (in terms of air draft)  craft onto the river, there are plenty dotted about stuck with a very small cruising range.

 

This is also before any mention of high flows/impending SSA, summer levels (what they used to be!) mean an achievable air draft of <2.1m (be that folding screens or partial dismantling of the damn boat!) is the only way to ensure you don’t get stuck/disappointed 

 

 

 

 

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12 minutes ago, Alastair said:

I have no particular interest in being able to cruise the length of the little Ouse. 

We are looking at a boat that can be a liveaboard and sailed; so considering moorings commuting distance from Cambridge, with access back to the Wash. 

Where is the boat at present or where will you have it lifted in?

When did the Little Ouse come into this, thought we were talking River Nene.......

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Just now, Alastair said:

Sorry, lost track of rivers, been looking at so many marinas. 

Boat is currently on the coast near Ipswich; we'd bring it up via the wash and kings lynn. 

From that it looks like you wont get past Water Newton near Wansford, and I believe the low bridges on the Middle Level would mean that you have to go out into the Wash and back to do that from the  Kings Lynn/Gt Ouse.

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14 minutes ago, Loddon said:

From that it looks like you wont get past Water Newton near Wansford, and I believe the low bridges on the Middle Level would mean that you have to go out into the Wash and back to do that from the  Kings Lynn/Gt Ouse.

Yes, no way you would get through the Middle Level. Low bridges at Upwell.

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30 minutes ago, Alastair said:

Sorry, lost track of rivers, been looking at so many marinas. 

Boat is currently on the coast near Ipswich; we'd bring it up via the wash and kings lynn. 

I was a bit confused for a moment there!

 

Kings Lynn and you are on the Great Ouse.

 

Nene is in at Wisbech - I wouldn’t fancy commuting to Cambridge from anywhere on the Nene, you won’t find any live aboard marina mornings Peterborough way either. Trawling up and down the A45 is about to become a nightmare at Chowns Mill so that knackers anything above Thrapston,

 

A14 commute has always been crap to be honest - jury is out if the works at Huntingdon have helped or not.

 

However If you are talking about commuting to Cambridge from the Great Ouse and its tributaries take a look at Little Ouse Moorings http://www.littleousemoorings.co.uk/ easy reach of the A10, or a short drive to Littleport and catch the train.

 

21 minutes ago, Loddon said:

From that it looks like you wont get past Water Newton near Wansford, and I believe the low bridges on the Middle Level would mean that you have to go out into the Wash and back to do that from the  Kings Lynn/Gt Ouse.

Link route is basically <1.9m

 

we can’t get under bridge 35 at the 5 Bells Upwell with the screen up (fag paper under 2m) it’s listed as 1.96m but slopes downward at the staithe side, I got in initially but needed a bit of smart reversing to stop the screen becoming matchwood and a 1000 piece glass jigsaw!

 

last but one farm bridge as you head to Salters lode is similarly tight.

Edited by gazza
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13 minutes ago, gazza said:

we can’t get under bridge 35 at the 5 Bells Upwell with the screen up (fag paper under 2m) it’s listed as 1.96m but slopes downward at the staithe side, I got in initially but needed a bit of smart reversing to stop the screen becoming matchwood and a 1000 piece glass jigsaw!

Had to do similar with Broadford Bridge on the Wey in Parglena. Fine going upstream, river up 3" overnight coming back drifted down to bridge then full throttle to duck the wheelhouse (which was down) under the bridge, scraped through with just varnish removed.

It could have gone sooo wrong ;)

 

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1 minute ago, Loddon said:

Had to do similar with Broadford Bridge on the Wey in Parglena. Fine going upstream, river up 3" overnight coming back drifted down to bridge then full throttle to duck the wheelhouse (which was down) under the bridge, scraped through with just varnish removed.

It could have gone sooo wrong ;)

 

?

 

I had my friends following in their Freeman, they hadn’t been through before, it’s a ball ache to get the screen off the freeman as it doesn’t fold, they had been fretting about whether they would clear the bridges with it up. As we are slightly taller than them with our screen up I went first, knowing they would get under everything we could

 

Il knew it would be tight through Upwell and Outwell, all our previous trips the screen was dropped at Marmonts Priory and left that way till Salters lode, no real need to push the envelope! This time I thought I’d give it a crack. Bridge 35 confirmed my suspicions!

 

I didn’t have anything like the conditions you had to deal with - there is next to bugger all flow on Well Creek anyway ?

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8 minutes ago, Alastair said:

Coming from denver sluice to Bottisham lock the lowest clearance is 3m I think. Is that correct? 

Websites don't give clearances for the guillotine locks at Bottisham and jesus lock, which is frustrating. 

 

Plenty of headroom all the way up the Great Ouse and along the Cam.

 

We cruise the main river with the canopy up all summer, nothing low until getting on for Bedford way. it has to come down in places for the tributaries though.

 

Be aware resi moorings are like hens teeth on the Cam, and unlike the canal system the concept of constant cruising is also incredibly difficult to do without flouting the law or at the very least annoying other boaters.

Edited by gazza
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I think @Alastair means Baits Bite, headroom is ample there. But any sort of mooring is hard to find on the Cam, and most of those that exist are pretty isolated (south of Upware, Horningsea, etc). I think the waiting list in Cambridge is about to be reopened, I think it was 12  years for widebeams....

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32 minutes ago, Alastair said:

Yes, scholar, you are right, I meant baits bite. 

Well, first find the boat. 

 

First find your mooring !

 

If you are looking for moorings on the Cam, then delay your boat purchase until you get a mooring.

 

https://www.cambridge.gov.uk/residential-boat-mooring-licence

 

The waiting lists for a residential boat mooring licence is currently closed due to the number of people waiting for a space. The expected waiting times are up to 10 years for a narrow-beam boat, and up to 20 years for a wide-beam boat. We’ll reopen the lists when the estimated wait is less than 18 months.

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14 minutes ago, Alastair said:

We wouldn't want to Moor (permanently) in Cambridge City Centre. Several marinas have vacancies and if we purchased the boat we've been looking at, it could stay at its current location for a bit. Needs work to get a bsc anyway. 

I believe that it is not just the city centre moorings that are 'difficult' but the whole of the Cam.

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