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boat draft...0.91m...avoid canals or not????


philandiz

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Hi.its us again....you can call us the numpties......so, we just got this enormous vessel that was by all accounts a bargain. However it is pretty big at 70´X 12´ with a draft of 0.91 m. Is it best that we avoid canals considering the draft. We have researched which canals can take the beam and length but the draft?????

please help before we have a panic attack almost as big as the boat.

Edited by philandiz
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First post, so sorry for answering your question with a question.

 

I am looking for a boat of similiar size, dutch barge prefereably. Just curious what is the air draft of your boat? Some of the boats I like the look of have air drafts of 3 m or greater. I live in Nottingham at the moment so the Trent will become my regular stomping ground. Do you happen to have a pic or your boat that you can post.

 

Thanks

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I don't know if I have missed something but what shape is the hull? A rounded or even better a V hull will make better progress than a slab sided flat base plate. We managed to get across the L and L and back again with our barge which is flat for 8 of the 12' beam with the remainder chined at 45 degrees. Drawing 39" we found it desperately hard work and a reading over 2mph on the GPS brought cheers which rarely lasted long as we would have to stop to clear the propeller of all the rubbish that had been dragged off the bottom as we scraped the channel - four full bin liners on the day through Burnley and Nelson which started with us struggling to get into the tunnel at Burnley having bottomed on all the rubbish at its entrance. We met a simillarly sized Barge whith no weedhatch and they had been having to go into the water several times a day so,if you go onto the canals, it is well worth having an easily accessed weedhatch. We made it through but were lucky with good water levels , we would have stood no chance at normal summer levels. We were met by friends on the return trip and they have a round hull 14' beam which made better use of the avilable water than our hull despite a similar draft.

 

 

That was our experience on the L an d L but we would do it again but with less ballast and the comfort of knowing it can be done. Ask specifically about the canals you intend to have a go at and be ready for the nay sayers and the baffled owners of expensive shiny narrowboats who fail to understand that it is impossible for you to be anywhere other than in the middle and that they should be grateful for the rubbish removal that you are facilitating that will ease there passage once passed. It is good fun in an edgy sort of way but we also had the benefit of a 27 horsepower hydrulic bow thruster that proved priceless on the canals, as it allowed the stern to be kept in the channel when getting someone ashore for locks and swing bridges, as well as handy when run aground!

 

As I said before, we enjoyed it but it is dammed hard work.

 

Giles

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Thanks. Thinking of the Kennet and Avon specifically.Then again, might just sell the boat and look for another. Seems we were massively ill informed about a couple of things by a mate that lives on the water.Told we could get it on the Rochdale from the River Ouse....Wrong, told it would be fine on the canals....wrong. Told it was a good price.........hopefully not wrong. Talk about a roller coaster of emotions. This time last week absolutely happy as a pig in........now a bit unsure! hmmm. As for the hull, its not V shaped, but flat bottomed. Sounds similar to yours really.Will find out exactly at the weekend when we officially become owners!!!Never thought i would become a used boat salesman but its looking more and more like it be the sensible option..

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I don't know if I have missed something but what shape is the hull? A rounded or even better a V hull will make better progress than a slab sided flat base plate.

 

I'm not sure I agree with you. Certainly a chined or V hull might make mooring easier, but if two boats of the same displacement have flat & a V hulls then the one with the flate baseplate will draw less along the centre. My 30 tonne slab-sided 12' widebeam only draws 24".

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Seems we were massively ill informed about a couple of things by a mate that lives on the water.Told we could get it on the Rochdale from the River Ouse....Wrong, told it would be fine on the canals....wrong. Told it was a good price.........hopefully not wrong. Talk about a roller coaster of emotions. This time last week absolutely happy as a pig in........now a bit unsure! hmmm. As for the hull, its not V shaped, but flat bottomed. Sounds similar to yours really.Will find out exactly at the weekend when we officially become owners!!!Never thought i would become a used boat salesman but its looking more and more like it be the sensible option..

 

Unfortunately what you're discovering is that there's a high proportion of boat owners out there who like to think they know what they're talking about. The problem is that many of them simply don't. My suggestion to any new owner or anyone interested in boats is never to take the advice or opinion of the first boater who offers it. Ask around, get some other opinions - this forum is very good for that - and then you'll be in a position to make your own mind up.

Edited by blackrose
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As someone who runs a largish boat I can give you some definate figures for the south.

Air draft

The lowest points are up the river Lea at 2.1 and Broadford bridge on the river Wey at 1.96m

However provided that you are around 2.1m then all of the rest is available to you

I have ignored the Basingstoke canal as that is 1.75m at Fleet road and even some narrowboats struggle there.

 

As for draft .91 should be OK most places you will struggle on the K&A especially on the western end.

Parglena draws .86m and we spend a lot of time at tickover as we just cant go any quicker.

 

Moorings, if the hull is chined and not box shaped then you should have few problems there are places that I can moor Parglena where I would never have been able to get Idleness even near to the bank and Idleness had 2" less draft.

 

 

Julian

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Unfortunately what you're discovering is that there's a high proportion of boat owners out there who like to think they know what they're talking about. The problem is that many of them simply don't. My suggestion to any new owner or anyone interested in boats is never to take the advice or opinion of the first boater who offers it. Ask around, get some other opinions - this forum is very good for that - and then you'll be in a position to make your own mind up.

 

 

Erm...yes.quite. And yet here i am seeking advice from other people and i still seem to be getting differences of opinion. Hmmm.....

 

Very confused!!!(scratches head)

 

:rolleyes:

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Erm...yes.quite. And yet here i am seeking advice from other people and i still seem to be getting differences of opinion. Hmmm.....

 

Very confused!!!(scratches head)

 

:rolleyes:

You'll always get differences of opinion, especially here.

 

What Blackrose says is correct, a v, or round bottomed, boat will draw more than a flat bottomed one displacing the same tonnage but we already know that yours draws 3', so the displacement is irrelevant. A round or v shaped hull, drawing 3', is more usable in canals than a flat bottomed boat, drawing 3'.

 

My lifeboat draws 4' but I bet there are places on the canal that I could moor up (if I could get it on a canal) where I couldn't with my flat bottomed narrowboat, drawing 3'.

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One other consideration.

 

You do not say what the hull is made of, it sounds like steel if it has a flat bottom but if not then you will be in trouble with all the "extras" you will find at the bottom of canals. Even in a steel boat I get worried at times when we come to a shuddering stop or ride over something unseen.

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One other consideration.

 

You do not say what the hull is made of, it sounds like steel if it has a flat bottom but if not then you will be in trouble with all the "extras" you will find at the bottom of canals. Even in a steel boat I get worried at times when we come to a shuddering stop or ride over something unseen.

Then again, I'd rather ride over something with 3 inches of elm underneath the boat than 10mm or less of steel.

 

And, if the bottoms should be holed, I know I can fix the elm one, in the water, before she sinks and get safely to dry dock, for a permanent repair.

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Erm...yes.quite. And yet here i am seeking advice from other people and i still seem to be getting differences of opinion. Hmmm.....

 

Very confused!!!(scratches head)

 

:rolleyes:

 

Exactly my point. Tempted as I was I didn't offer any opinions as to whether you can get your boat where you want because I don't know.

 

Others have given their advice - some know what they are talking about while others might need to get some more information themselves before they begin disseminating it. Keep following the thread and it may become apparent which is which and who is whom (if indeed that is the correct grammar).

 

For some reason owning a boat makes you believe you know more than you actually do - it happens to me sometimes and it will probably happen to you too if you keep your barge. We all end up like that Harry Enfield character "Don't do it that way, do it this way!" Look, I'm even doing it now :rolleyes:

 

Anyway, use your judgement to look for the ones who know what they are talking about.

Edited by blackrose
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Phil.

 

The major issue for your boat is not so much the draft but the length, or at least the combination of the two, there are few canals that will accommodate 70ft length boats, as mentioned the most important being the Rochdale and the Kennet & Avon.. If you are thinking in terms of a cruising boat you will have real problems moving it around even a small part of the system and of course the two waterways mentioned are not accessible one to another.

 

Sounds to me more of a candidate for being a nice houseboat spending the rest of it's days maturing like a fine wine in a quiet backwater somewhere.

Edited by John Orentas
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70ft by 12ft may be a bit restricted in the North West however down south you have:Grand Union from Birmingham down to London, this connects to the River Lea and Stort and then back across the GU Via Brentford to the River Thames from where you can get to the River Wey, the first bit of the Basingstoke and the Kennet and Avon. If you are then well prepared and the boat is up to it you can take the tidal hop to the River Severn from Bristol or from the River Lea make the trip down to the Medway.Apart from the Thames it will be hard work and it will be slow but it is all possible.Julian

Phil.The major issue for your boat is not so much the draft but the length, or at least the combination of the two, there are few canals that will accommodate 70ft wide boats,
I cant think of any canals that will take 70ft wide boats :rolleyes: 70ft long by 12ft wide easily, but not 70ft wide

 

Julian

Edited by idleness
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Thanks. Thinking of the Kennet and Avon specifically.Then again, might just sell the boat and look for another. Seems we were massively ill informed about a couple of things by a mate that lives on the water.Told we could get it on the Rochdale from the River Ouse....Wrong, told it would be fine on the canals....wrong. Told it was a good price.........hopefully not wrong. Talk about a roller coaster of emotions. This time last week absolutely happy as a pig in........now a bit unsure! hmmm. As for the hull, its not V shaped, but flat bottomed. Sounds similar to yours really.Will find out exactly at the weekend when we officially become owners!!!Never thought i would become a used boat salesman but its looking more and more like it be the sensible option..

Oops. Sorry to hear that. We always advise friends who are thinking of life on the water or buying a boat to do their research very very carefully and spend a lot of time boat hunting before committing their hard earned cash.

 

BW do actually do a very good guide to buying a boat for the first time in conjunction with the boat building trade/marine federation lot. If you call 01923 201120 )their main customer services number which you seem to be able to use for everything) and ask for a starter pack you get a whole load of useful stuff sent to you. All the navigation dimensions and stuff are also available at www.waterscape.com and loads of useful downloads too.

 

Also very useful and highly recommended are www.nabo.org.uk, and the RBOA's site. Some useful stuff on the main IWA site too.

 

Personally I think the disadvantage of a wide beam is that it's much harder to comply with the CC regs as your cruising is much more limited. HTH

D

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Thanks. Thinking of the Kennet and Avon specifically.Then again, might just sell the boat and look for another. Seems we were massively ill informed about a couple of things by a mate that lives on the water.Told we could get it on the Rochdale from the River Ouse....Wrong, told it would be fine on the canals....wrong. Told it was a good price.........hopefully not wrong. Talk about a roller coaster of emotions. This time last week absolutely happy as a pig in........now a bit unsure! hmmm. As for the hull, its not V shaped, but flat bottomed. Sounds similar to yours really.Will find out exactly at the weekend when we officially become owners!!!Never thought i would become a used boat salesman but its looking more and more like it be the sensible option..

 

 

Sorry to hear that you arre going through hell with your new boat but I think you will find that you are far from alone in feeling despair at some point; we also went through doubting times - its part of the vulnerability felt at the time of huge decisions. I would hope that things will seem brighter once afloat where you want to be (then you can enjoy that vast space!) but it is not until you use the barge that you will find both its limitations and your own. An early test if you are coming off the Ouse is the run up the Selby canal which takes us twice the time that a friends barge of similar hull shape but drawing only 24" - fir us it is another 2mph run. As others have stated your biggest limitation is length so you will have to see how you go on the water available to you, then you can decide on what is best for you. It is a good sized barge for residential use so you should always be be able to sell it.

 

 

The point I made about hull shape refers to how it fills the saucer shaped channel of a canal with obvious consequences on the availability of water at the prop.

 

Good luck with the boat, all may yet turn up roses.

Giles

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