Air draught through Nottingham

[Alway Swilby]

We have a friend with a cruiser that has an air draught in of 8'10. Does the team think he would get under the bridges in Nottingham? 

[Jen-in-Wellies]

How far through Nottingham and from which direction is your friend approaching? My Nicholson's guide says headroom from Shardlow to Meadow Lane lock is 8'. However the lowest bridge I remember is the one that takes the main road through Shardlow village across the canal. This was enough to knock an in situ stove chimney off a friends narrowboat that had been left in place. All the preceding bridges up through Nottingham and Beeston seemed to clear the chimney with plenty of space. I would guess that was around 8' from the water.

Jen

[TheBiscuits]

 

Yes at a high enough speed.

 

The boat may never be quite the same afterwards though!

 

 

[Naughty Cal]

I doubt it very much.

 

The stated max air draft is 8ft.

 

NC was 6'6" with the arch folded and a couple of the bridges felt tight with that. 

[Alway Swilby]

36 minutes ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

How far through Nottingham and from which direction is your friend approaching? My Nicholson's guide says headroom from Shardlow to Meadow Lane lock is 8'. However the lowest bridge I remember is the one that takes the main road through Shardlow village across the canal. This was enough to knock an in situ stove chimney off a friends narrowboat that had been left in place. All the preceding bridges up through Nottingham and Beeston seemed to clear the chimney with plenty of space. I would guess that was around 8' from the water.

Jen

Comming from Holme Lock side through Meadow Lane lock. He would like to travel beyond up to Shardlow.

 

[Guest]

Could he temp. remove anything to bring the air draft down??

 

Or is that it.

[Naughty Cal]

6'6" to the arch. So you are looking for over 2ft more.

 

 

 

[Alan de Enfield]

The books say 8 feet, but I think that is quite optimistic.

 

I set the TV aerial at just a tad under 8 feet thinking I could clear the bridges, but as soon as we came off the Trent at Meadow Lane one of the first bridges (it may have been the 2nd one) the aerial hit the bridge.

 

I'd not want to taking anything over 7' 6" up the Nottingham Canal without 'walking it thru' the bridges.

Edited April 5, 2022 by Alan de Enfield

[hughc]

IIRC some years ago the Derby Motor Boat Club were very keen on reopening the side lock at Beeston so as to avoid the low bridges.

[Guest]

10 minutes ago, hughc said:

IIRC some years ago the Derby Motor Boat Club were very keen on reopening the side lock at Beeston so as to avoid the low bridges.

 

I was sat here trying to work out how that would help but I see now. One would navigate both locks thus missing out the centre of Nottingham/the canal section all together.

[noddyboater]

19 minutes ago, hughc said:

IIRC some years ago the Derby Motor Boat Club were very keen on reopening the side lock at Beeston so as to avoid the low bridges.

Was that when the Commodore bought a flybridge cruiser, had it dropped in at Sawley then realised it wouldn't go through Nottingham? 

[Momac]

The size of boats that have made it through Nottingham is remarkable, including this...

(not sure how the skipper could see where he was going while going fast  , which is possibly why he sold it)

 

[Alan de Enfield]

34 minutes ago, MartynG said:

The size of boats that have made it through Nottingham is remarkable, including this...

 

Not really they were designed to be low and squat (like the modern Range Rover) they were designed for the Norfolk Broards and the French canals and their air draf was kept very low as they followed the line of 'sports crusiers'.

Nimrod had a modified (lowered) Radar Arch so it could get on waterways with even lower brige heights.