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Leeds & LIverpool - maximum practical length?


bagginz

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Anyone cruised the entire length of the Leeds & Liverpool in a 62 footer?   If so, any advice?

 

On the CRT website it says the maximum length boat for the L&L is a 62'   

 

My boat's a 62 - but obviously it has fenders, which adds about another foot and a half.

   

So Is it actually practical to do the L&L in what's effectively a 63 and a half footer?

 

 

 

 

 

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4 minutes ago, bagginz said:

Anyone cruised the entire length of the Leeds & Liverpool in a 62 footer?   If so, any advice?

 

On the CRT website it says the maximum length boat for the L&L is a 62'   

 

My boat's a 62 - but obviously it has fenders, which adds about another foot and a half.

   

So Is it actually practical to do the L&L in what's effectively a 63 and a half footer?

 

 

 

 

 

Expect to get a lot of water on the stern deck going down and on the bows going up. There is a lot of water that comes through the top gates, I had to have the back doors closed on some and sealed around the lift up bit as the drains couldn't cope.

  • Greenie 1
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2 hours ago, ditchcrawler said:

Expect to get a lot of water on the stern deck going down and on the bows going up. There is a lot of water that comes through the top gates, I had to have the back doors closed on some and sealed around the lift up bit as the drains couldn't cope.

Thanks for the info ditch.   How long was your boat? 

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Beware the shape of  the cills on the majority of the locks when going down. The locks were built for wide boats which stay in the middle. If your 62' narrow boat is held to the side there is a danger of landing your stern on the cill.

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Our narrowboat was 60 ft and we had great fun trying to exit the third lock down on the Bingley five when sharing with another 60 foot boat, so much so that the lock keeper refused to let us share in the three rise. I suspect it will be possible if you remove the fenders as we had to when we did the Rippon canal which is supposed to be 57 foot maximum.

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2 hours ago, KenK said:

Our narrowboat was 60 ft and we had great fun trying to exit the third lock down on the Bingley five when sharing with another 60 foot boat, so much so that the lock keeper refused to let us share in the three rise. I suspect it will be possible if you remove the fenders as we had to when we did the Rippon canal which is supposed to be 57 foot maximum.

Thanks for the reply! 

 

How did you approach removing your fenders for the Ripon?  Did you remove them completely for the whole trip or were you able to lift them up at each lock?

5 hours ago, TimYoung said:

Beware the shape of  the cills on the majority of the locks when going down. The locks were built for wide boats which stay in the middle. If your 62' narrow boat is held to the side there is a danger of landing your stern on the cill.

Good point. Duly noted.

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1 hour ago, bagginz said:

Thanks for the reply! 

 

How did you approach removing your fenders for the Ripon?  Did you remove them completely for the whole trip or were you able to lift them up at each lock?

Good point. Duly noted.

The Rippon canal only has three locks and it was only the last one which caused the problem, a lady who worked in the local marina told us that when CRT rebuilt the cill they built it straight rather than with a curve which shortened the lock, no problem going up but we could not get the bottom gates open for love or money when going down. We'd still be there but for a very large and strong man who helped us heave the gate the wrong way so we could slide the bow clear and open it. Just took the fenders off for that lock no problem with the others.

Same problem on the Five Rise just could not get the gates past the front fenders on either boat despite being hard against the cill.

 

If you do go to Leeds try and moor outside the Royal Armouries in the basin off the river before the first river lock, there is an electricity supply and a free boat taxi to take you back to the end of the canal. Much quieter than mooring next to the railway.

Edited by KenK
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This has been well discussed before, the problem will be at Bingley and the manned locks if your over length, I did to Bingley last year in a 61’6” and they were a bit reluctant and I was tight to the cills and you will get drenched. There will be people answering soon saying you can get a 64’ across and you’ll have no probs, but with the state of the leakage on the top gates now it’s a wet process.

Edited by PD1964
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3 minutes ago, PD1964 said:

There will be people answering soon saying you can get a 64’ across and you’ll have no probs, but with the state of the leakage on the top gates now it’s a wet process.

 

You just saved me typing, thanks! :)

 

It is very wet with a big 'un as you rightly point out so a well sealed boat - using gaffer tape if necessary on engine boards or cabin doors - is a must for doing it at full or oversized.  Bingley is where you get the wettest on the L&L, but Wigan has a few seriously wet locks too.

 

Try and share with a boat under 45 feet or go on your own through Bingley.  The extra inches you can gain by being diagonal will make quite a difference.

 

The current dimensions quoted for the L&L are here, showing Greenberfield as the shortest locks.

 

https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/media/original/32433-waterway-dimensions.pdf

 

ll-dimensions.jpg.687242c8f3a9be0fcd68fe4a8d1276fe.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 28/08/2020 at 16:08, PD1964 said:

If you haven’t got a Trad Stern be prepared to take on a lot of water going down. As above make your boat as watertight as possible, it’s no joke. Which way are you planning to go?

 

Yep, Trad stern here.  Watertight prep. advice noted. Thank you.    

 

I'm still mulling options but if I go by the L&L, then it'll be  East to West.

On 28/08/2020 at 16:02, TheBiscuits said:

 

You just saved me typing, thanks! :)

 

It is very wet with a big 'un as you rightly point out so a well sealed boat - using gaffer tape if necessary on engine boards or cabin doors - is a must for doing it at full or oversized.  Bingley is where you get the wettest on the L&L, but Wigan has a few seriously wet locks too.

 

Try and share with a boat under 45 feet or go on your own through Bingley.  The extra inches you can gain by being diagonal will make quite a difference.

 

The current dimensions quoted for the L&L are here, showing Greenberfield as the shortest locks.

 

https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/media/original/32433-waterway-dimensions.pdf

 

ll-dimensions.jpg.687242c8f3a9be0fcd68fe4a8d1276fe.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the handy chart!

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