I just bought a 46ft 13ft widebeam!

[Hailiwidebeam]

Hi everyone! So I just bought a widebeam based in Manchester area. My plan is to take her to London and surroundings. At what point travelling from Manchester will I have to stop and get crane and lorry to then what place can I get her dropped back in to cruise the rest of the way? Rough costs too? Thanks in advance :)

[PD1964]

Use the search engine above as has been asked many times before, with all roughly the same answer.

 Here’s one for a start:

The problem at the minute is the lack of water, what’s open now could be closed next week. Crane prices and transport, who can give an accurate quote with fuel prices fluctuating so much.

Did you not get any info from the person you bought it off?

  You can’t get far out of the area by canal as everything East is closed and you won’t get far South for Narrow canals, best bet is find a yard with a crane local and speak to them.

Edited September 7, 2022 by PD1964

[Alan de Enfield]

[Tracy D'arth]

Have you a mooring booked in London?  If not, are you aware of the pressure on mooring space in the capital?  Even worse with a wide beam.

[alan_fincher]

Also, if you genuinely mean a wide beam that is a full 13 feet wide, you may well find that what should be 14 foot wide locks have debris behind gates that may make the gap between gates narrower than your boat is wide.

[Hailiwidebeam]

34 minutes ago, Tracy D'arth said:

Have you a mooring booked in London?  If not, are you aware of the pressure on mooring space in the capital?  Even worse with a wide beam.

Hello! I’ve lived in London on the waterway on a 45ft narrow so yes can understand the limited space for a widey. I haven’t booked a mooring however I do spent most of my time on the Lea heading further out north. I know it may be a squeeze but I have friends doing the same thing and they seem to manage so fingers crossed! Thankyou

5 minutes ago, alan_fincher said:

Also, if you genuinely mean a wide beam that is a full 13 feet wide, you may well find that what should be 14 foot wide locks have debris behind gates that may make the gap between gates narrower than your boat is wide.

Oh thanks! This isn’t something I thought about! Okay looked her up on the canal register and it says on there she’s 12.6 wide. It was the seller who’d told me she’s 13ft. I wonder if there’s any widebeam groups I can join to see if there’s and 13fters in London. Thankyou! 

9 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Thankyou!

[Hailiwidebeam]

9 hours ago, PD1964 said:

Use the search engine above as has been asked many times before, with all roughly the same answer.

 Here’s one for a start:

The problem at the minute is the lack of water, what’s open now could be closed next week. Crane prices and transport, who can give an accurate quote with fuel prices fluctuating so much.

Did you not get any info from the person you bought it off?

  You can’t get far out of the area by canal as everything East is closed and you won’t get far South for Narrow canals, best bet is find a yard with a crane local and speak to them.

Thanks for that I’m new to the site! Will definitely use the search engine. Yeah I’m very aware of the situation. I’m in London currently on a 45ft narrow. The guy whom I’ve bought her off hasn’t done much cruising with her so not much to tell unfortunately. Ok I’ll contact some yards and see what they think too. Thankyou

[alan_fincher]

2 minutes ago, Hailiwidebeam said:

Oh thanks! This isn’t something I thought about! Okay looked her up on the canal register and it says on there she’s 12.6 wide. It was the seller who’d told me she’s 13ft. I wonder if there’s any widebeam groups I can join to see if there’s and 13fters in London. Thankyou! 

 

12' 6" in my experience would be a  far more typical "maximum" build for wide canal use.  I hope for your sake that it is, as that extra 6" could have significantly increased the chances you might have problems.

 

Good luck with your new purchase.

[Bod]

29 minutes ago, Hailiwidebeam said:

Hello! I’ve lived in London on the waterway on a 45ft narrow so yes can understand the limited space for a widey. I haven’t booked a mooring however I do spent most of my time on the Lea heading further out north. I know it may be a squeeze but I have friends doing the same thing and they seem to manage so fingers crossed! Thankyou

Oh thanks! This isn’t something I thought about! Okay looked her up on the canal register and it says on there she’s 12.6 wide. It was the seller who’d told me she’s 13ft. I wonder if there’s any widebeam groups I can join to see if there’s and 13fters in London. Thankyou! 

Thankyou!

Beware some of the River Lee and Stort locks are only 13 feet wide when built, and won't have got wider.

 

Bod

[alan_fincher]

6 minutes ago, Bod said:

Beware some of the River Lee and Stort locks are only 13 feet wide when built, and won't have got wider.

 

Bod

 

Stort generally quoted as 13' 4", I think.  12' 6" will probably fit, 13' quite possibly not.

There is no similar width restriction at any of the Lee locks.

[MtB]

10 hours ago, Hailiwidebeam said:

Hi everyone! So I just bought a widebeam based in Manchester area. My plan is to take her to London and surroundings. At what point travelling from Manchester will I have to stop and get crane and lorry to then what place can I get her dropped back in to cruise the rest of the way? Rough costs too? Thanks in advance

 

I'd suggest finding somewhere at all who can lift 13ft beam onto a lorry near you would be a Good Idea. Such lifts are not two a penny and it isn't a case of cruising to the end of a wide canal and finding a crane there.

 

Similarly down here, they can definitely put you back in at Reading on The Thames, or John Pattle's place up Watford way. Can't remember the name of it! 

 

Tuckey's boat transport charge the same to move a boat regardless of the distance,whether 1 mile or 300, as they say it still ties up the lorry for a day. 

[PD1964]

2 hours ago, Hailiwidebeam said:

Thanks for that I’m new to the site! Will definitely use the search engine. Yeah I’m very aware of the situation. I’m in London currently on a 45ft narrow. The guy whom I’ve bought her off hasn’t done much cruising with her so not much to tell unfortunately. Ok I’ll contact some yards and see what they think too. Thankyou

Length is not the issue, the guy hasn’t done much cruising probably down to the width. Once your over Narrow width 6’10” your stuck, the map is an indication of the small area your boat can move.  Your best bet is crane and transport as you can’t go East as all closed due to water and stoppages. You can’t move far. 

[merline]

1 hour ago, MtB said:

 

I'd suggest finding somewhere at all who can lift 13ft beam onto a lorry near you would be a Good Idea. Such lifts are not two a penny and it isn't a case of cruising to the end of a wide canal and finding a crane there.

 

Similarly down here, they can definitely put you back in at Reading on The Thames, or John Pattle's place up Watford way. Can't remember the name of it! 

 

Tuckey's boat transport charge the same to move a boat regardless of the distance,whether 1 mile or 300, as they say it still ties up the lorry for a day. 

P&S Marine 

[Alan de Enfield]

10 minutes ago, merline said:

P&S Marine 

 

 

Load and unload with their own Hiab (yes thay can lift 'bigish boats').

 

Edited September 8, 2022 by Alan de Enfield

[Hailiwidebeam]

Hey! Thanks so much for that. Super helpful info!!! 

[JamesFrance]

IF the boat is suitable and you have experience you could go out at Liverpool and coast hop round to the Thames.

[booke23]

56 minutes ago, JamesFrance said:

IF the boat is suitable and you have experience you could go out at Liverpool and coast hop round to the Thames.

 

Theoretically yes, but this would be the last thing I'd do even with experience. It'll likely take many weeks with weather holdups etc even though you would only have to coast hop to Bristol....you can go down the K&A/Thames from there to London. 

Edited September 8, 2022 by booke23

[Pie Eater]

Try Lymm Marina on the Bridgewater Canal. (Approximately 4 hours sail from Manchester).

 

They sell widebeams and have a hoist to lift them in and out of the water.

Edited September 8, 2022 by Pie Eater
Spelling

[Richard10002]

6 hours ago, Pie Eater said:

Try Lymm Marina on the Bridgewater Canal. (Approximately 4 hours sail from Manchester).

 

They sell widebeams and have a hoist to lift them in and out of the water.

 

They actually offer a boat lifting service:

 

http://lmbs.co.uk/boat-lifting-and-transport/

 

 

[AmericanAbroad]

would love to see a picture of the boat when you get the time

[JohnEW2912]

Our boat has been in and out of the water at Lymm Marina. As decent a price as you will find in the NW. All you need now is somewhere similar in the south east and that would be your most sensible plan.

[peterboat]

On 08/09/2022 at 08:47, Hailiwidebeam said:

Hello! I’ve lived in London on the waterway on a 45ft narrow so yes can understand the limited space for a widey. I haven’t booked a mooring however I do spent most of my time on the Lea heading further out north. I know it may be a squeeze but I have friends doing the same thing and they seem to manage so fingers crossed! Thankyou

Oh thanks! This isn’t something I thought about! Okay looked her up on the canal register and it says on there she’s 12.6 wide. It was the seller who’d told me she’s 13ft. I wonder if there’s any widebeam groups I can join to see if there’s and 13fters in London. Thankyou! 

Thankyou!

Facebook widebeam owners forum 

[captain flint]

On 08/09/2022 at 09:30, alan_fincher said:

 

Stort generally quoted as 13' 4", I think.  12' 6" will probably fit, 13' quite possibly not.

There is no similar width restriction at any of the Lee locks.

There's at least one 14ft wide boat that goes up and down the Lee, probably more, and at least one once-upon-a-time seagoing catamaran that must be 15' wide but I haven't measured it or asked. I don't think it will be an issue on the Lee at all.