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Moorings on Lancaster Canal for 62' NB


Andy Br

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Hello,

 

I am currently looking at buying a 62 foot narrowboat. I am struggling to find any mooring availability with marinas too small or currently full. I have my name on a waiting list.

 

Does anybody know of any private moorings that may be available or where I might look to find them? 

 

I have looked on the CRT website but only small boat moorings available. 

 

Many thanks!

 

Andy 

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1 hour ago, Andy Br said:

Hello,

 

I am currently looking at buying a 62 foot narrowboat. I am struggling to find any mooring availability with marinas too small or currently full. I have my name on a waiting list.

 

Does anybody know of any private moorings that may be available or where I might look to find them? 

 

I have looked on the CRT website but only small boat moorings available. 

 

Many thanks!

 

Andy 

 

Welcome.

 

TBH if you are wanting to be on the Lancaster I'd be looking for a shorter boat. Not least because it would be easier to get it there via. the Ribble Link

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Hello, thanks for the reply. We have hired 57 footers a few times and wanted a bit more space but yes I am struggling to find a mooring anywhere! Hopefully something will turn up.

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Whilst 62ft is the max dimension for the Ribble Link, it is not going to be much fun I would have thought, and you are going to have to do the link every time you want to go anywhere.  The Lancaster is mainly populated by small cruisers for a reason.  Personally, it does not seen a great place to base a (more expensive) narrowboat, because of the limited cruising options that you have once you get fed up of going up and down the same short bit of canal with no locks!

 

Overall the Lancaster is very short of moorings, and even with a 50ft narrowboat we struggled to get a visitor mooring to leave the boat for a while on the Lancaster.  Barton Grange did manage to fit us in, and it is a very good marina, but possibly 62ft is too long for them even if they had space.  

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Thanks for the reply. We are probably happy with the Lancaster long term as we live there and would use it as a local weekender and I'm not sure I would try 62 feet in the Ribble link after having seen videos of 57 footers going through there! As you say 62 feet might be just a bit too much for the marinas. Might contact them regarding a 57 footer and not make an offer on the 62 footer. 

 

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I have a 61.5ft and could easily swap for a 57ft there is little noticeable difference internally if the space is set out correctly, hire boats are often planned out to sleep 4-6, so often not a true reflection of what can be achieved for normal use. There is a massive difference in the availability of moorings for a 62ft compared to a 57ft boat especially in Marina’s  I would go for a 57ft it saves a lot of hassle, especially with finding decent moorings.

Edited by PD1964
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2 hours ago, Andy Br said:

Hello,

 

I am currently looking at buying a 62 foot narrowboat. I am struggling to find any mooring availability with marinas too small or currently full. I have my name on a waiting list.

 

Does anybody know of any private moorings that may be available or where I might look to find them? 

 

I have looked on the CRT website but only small boat moorings available. 

 

Many thanks!

 

Andy 

Try Glasson Marina:

https://www.aquavista.com/find-a-marina/glasson-waterside-marina

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6 minutes ago, TheBiscuits said:

 

It's not.  The link is 72ft locks, but the Rufford Branch has 62ft locks.  

 

 

 

Yet CRT state 62ft max for both???

 

My understanding is that is to do with negotiating the brook?

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1 hour ago, Andy Br said:

Thanks for the reply. We are probably happy with the Lancaster long term as we live there and would use it as a local weekender and I'm not sure I would try 62 feet in the Ribble link after having seen videos of 57 footers going through there! As you say 62 feet might be just a bit too much for the marinas. Might contact them regarding a 57 footer and not make an offer on the 62 footer. 

 

Just a suggestion, but would it not be better to moor on the Leeds and Liverpool (near to Lancaster) and then you will still be able to use the boat for weekending and if you want to travel further you won't have to negotiate the Ribble link ? 

We have travelled on the Lancaster several times on narrow boats and it is true to say that it is more suited to small plastic cruisers. 

haggis

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1 hour ago, TheBiscuits said:

 

It's not.  The link is 72ft locks, but the Rufford Branch has 62ft locks.  

 

 

Yes I know that, but 62ft is the max that CRT state for the link and therefore the system is not going to let you book it if the length is greater than that, even if you can get down the Rufford branch. 
 

It is really the bends on the lower part of Savick brook that I would say make it difficult for longer boats, I thought that was hard enough with 50ft, 57ft would be much harder I think , and 62ft very difficult.  So if the plan were to be doing the link multiple times a year I think it would get tedious.

 

I may if there is availability later in the year (and we go the Liverpool), may nip over the link again to take a photo in Preston for the Silver propeller, so please don’t take my comments as negative about the Lancaster, I just think it is a bit different boating given its relative isolation.

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1 minute ago, john6767 said:

Yes I know that, but 62ft is the max that CRT state for the link and therefore the system is not going to let you book it if the length is greater than that, even if you can get down the Rufford branch. 
 

It is really the bends on the lower part of Savick brook that I would say make it difficult for longer boats, I thought that was hard enough with 50ft, 57ft would be much harder I think , and 62ft very difficult.  So if the plan were to be doing the link multiple times a year I think it would get tedious.

 

I may if there is availability later in the year (and we go the Liverpool), may nip over the link again to take a photo in Preston for the Silver propeller, so please don’t take my comments as negative about the Lancaster, I just think it is a bit different boating given its relative isolation.

 

Havent CRT also proposed/implemented that it will be/is a condition of a boats licence that their maximum dimensions should not be exceeded?

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2 minutes ago, The Happy Nomad said:

 

Havent CRT also proposed/implemented that it will be/is a condition of a boats licence that their maximum dimensions should not be exceeded?

Not withstanding the fact that they change/reduce those dimensions when it suits/cant be bothered dredging or fixing lock entrances to the proper widths.

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56 minutes ago, The Happy Nomad said:

 

Havent CRT also proposed/implemented that it will be/is a condition of a boats licence that their maximum dimensions should not be exceeded?

Possibly, but as you book online if the boat is out of spec it just will not let you book.  I don’t know if it was on here or Facebook but I remember responding to someone who said they could not book as the draft was just out of the limit.  I suggested to phone CRT and get the entry for the boat updated!

55 minutes ago, matty40s said:

Not withstanding the fact that they change/reduce those dimensions when it suits/cant be bothered dredging or fixing lock entrances to the proper widths.

I saw a post on Facebook a couple of days ago with a wide beam that had just crossed the link, it looked quite wide so perhaps Savick brook has been dredged!

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13 minutes ago, john6767 said:

 

I saw a post on Facebook a couple of days ago with a wide beam that had just crossed the link, it looked quite wide so perhaps Savick brook has been dredged!

Yes, they did it with my bow thruster, first trip over, the hired help thought it great fun to lean on the button excessively to clear the silt!! ...grrr! 

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7 minutes ago, Ianws said:

It's a lovely place but very windy. Mostly yachts and cruisers with a few narrow boats. I looked a couple of years ago and on top of the stated mooring fee was a £40 per month standing charge for the electric. Ouch!

You are right about it being very windy, we were battered there by the wind.  Fun place though, and the pub was very hospitable, but having to do the locks every time you go out is not the most convenient!

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21 minutes ago, Ianws said:

The Glasson arm, used to access the rest of the Lancaster Canal,also looked under used and overgrown. That was when we were walking it a couple of years ago, not boating.

It is right down near the bottom of the lockages figures, 117 for the bottom lock in 2020.  However to put it in content that is actually above Rushall on the BCN with 89.

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9 hours ago, john6767 said:

It is right down near the bottom of the lockages figures, 117 for the bottom lock in 2020.  However to put it in content that is actually above Rushall on the BCN with 89.

 

The telemetry at Glasson Basin is on lock 7, the one that drops you from the canal basin into the working harbour on the River Lune.

 

It's only seagoing boats that use it.

 

 

 

 

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22 minutes ago, TheBiscuits said:

 

The telemetry at Glasson Basin is on lock 7, the one that drops you from the canal basin into the working harbour on the River Lune.

 

It's only seagoing boats that use it.

 

 

 

 

You are right, but the top lock is not much more.  They are not exactly well used locks, and a bit of a pain to operate as well.

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57 minutes ago, TheBiscuits said:

 

The telemetry at Glasson Basin is on lock 7, the one that drops you from the canal basin into the working harbour on the River Lune.

 

It's only seagoing boats that use it.

 

 

 

 

The telemetry is on lock 1, Lodge Hill, at the top of the flight. There is a manual reading recorded for lock 7.

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1 minute ago, rgreg said:

The telemetry is on lock 1, Lodge Hill, at the top of the flight. There is a manual reading recorded for lock 7.

 

Oh, OK.

 

Not unreasonable as it's not a self operated lock, CRT work it for boats coming through.

 

We saw a yacht sail through it last year!  They had a broken engine so were coming into the marina for repairs and had to very delicately use mostly furled sails to get into and through the harbour and lock.

 

 

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1 minute ago, TheBiscuits said:

 

Oh, OK.

 

Not unreasonable as it's not a self operated lock, CRT work it for boats coming through.

 

We saw a yacht sail through it last year!  They had a broken engine so were coming into the marina for repairs and had to very delicately use mostly furled sails to get into and through the harbour and lock.

 

 

Lock 7, into the lower basin, is now operated by the marina staff.

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Folks, many thanks for all your replies, too many to reply to individually.

Having viewed and seen the survey I have made a very cheeky offer on the 62 foot boat which I will be happy with if they accept and willing to accept its limitations. If they don't accept I will limit my future search to 60 feet.

I am on waiting lists for two Garstang marinas and there is plenty of space at Glasson as a contingency.

If accepted we are also seriously thinking of starting off in Cheshire (where it is located) and 'doing' those canals before we bring it to the Lancaster very slowly! Hopefully by then I would have a proper mooring on the main line. 

Cheers.

Andy

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