Huddersfield broad

[dor]

Can anyone confirm what the maximum length of boat that will go through the H. Wide. BW say 57ft 6" but I'm sure I've seen people say they can get through with 61 or 62 ft by going diagonally without fenders.

 

Thanks in anticipation.

[Dominic M]

Can anyone confirm what the maximum length of boat that will go through the H. Wide. BW say 57ft 6" but I'm sure I've seen people say they can get through with 61 or 62 ft by going diagonally without fenders.

 

Thanks in anticipation.

I was at Aspley Basin where the Broad joins the Narrow a few months ago and there were a couple of 60 footers there that had made it up the Broad. Don't knw about longer than that, apparently they have to do a couple of locks backwards to manage it. Try it, and see what happens. It would be very interesting to know.

[MartinClark]

Can anyone confirm what the maximum length of boat that will go through the H. Wide.

 

57ft 6in maximum for a wide beam boat. 60ft maximum for a narrowboat.

See this page for more information about the locks on the Huddersfield Broad and the Calder & Hebble:

http://www.penninewaterways.co.uk/calder/locks.htm

[dor]

Many thanks for the information. The Pennine Waterways information is excellent.

[Scooby]

Many thanks for the information. The Pennine Waterways information is excellent.

 

been up many times with our 58ft narrowboat without lifting fenders no probs at all..i would have though 62 would be the limit though..

[bargemast]

I'm not going there (by boat) , but I enjoyed the web-site that's really very informative, and a must to read for them that are planning to go there with a boat of 60'.

 

Peter.

[MartinClark]

been up many times with our 58ft narrowboat without lifting fenders no probs at all..i would have though 62 would be the limit though..

Above 60 ft and you won't be able to shut the bottom gate on some of the locks (or open them if going downhill).

[DHutch]

Emilyanne is about 59ft ish any there was room for more, but not much. main limitation appeared to be the walkways on the bottom gates.

[MartinClark]

Emilyanne is about 59ft ish any there was room for more, but not much. main limitation appeared to be the walkways on the bottom gates.

No, it's not. The swing of the gate is greater than the space taken up with the walkway. Yes, you have got to keep an eye on the walkway as the boat rises, and keep it sufficiently forward to avoid parting the boat from its rams head/swan neck, but the limiting factor is once you have got the boat in through one gate, getting the other gate shut.

 

I have been through the C & H locks with one boat that was just on the 60 ft limit and we had a real struggle to close the bottom gate on one particular lock. At no point was the boat too close to the overhanging walkway - once the boat is in and the gate is shut there is a little bit of room to play with.

 

Going downhill with a 60 ft boat it is critical to keep the stern off the cill while keeping the bow away from the walkway. The curved shape of these cills means keeping the rudder in the centre of the cill area while the bow is in the corner behind one of the bottom gates. Again, there is a little bit of room to play with. If there wasn't (i.e. if you tried coming down from Sowerby Bridge or Huddersfield with a boat over 60 ft) you would be able to empty the lock but not open the bottom gate!