Depth on Leeds Liverpool canal

[Iain]

Hi all,

 

I've seen that the min depth on the Leeds Liverpool canal is 3ft6",but would a 5ft draught boat be able to get from the Air/Calder onto the system, and get as far as (say) Rodley or Apperley bridge?

 

Reason is, I'm looking to put a sea-going vessel near Leeds as a liveaboard, and need to be able to get out down the Humber for the summer.

 

The further up the canal I can get, the more options I have for finding a permanent mooring.

 

Guess the only other question is "Does anyone know of a mooring in the area for a 32 footer?"

 

Iain

[allybsc]

Hi all,

 

I've seen that the min depth on the Leeds Liverpool canal is 3ft6",but would a 5ft draught boat be able to get from the Air/Calder onto the system, and get as far as (say) Rodley or Apperley bridge?

 

Reason is, I'm looking to put a sea-going vessel near Leeds as a liveaboard, and need to be able to get out down the Humber for the summer.

 

The further up the canal I can get, the more options I have for finding a permanent mooring.

 

Guess the only other question is "Does anyone know of a mooring in the area for a 32 footer?"

 

Iain

 

Hi Iain, Hello all,

I have been on the L&L on an old nb with a draught of 3ft and I spent a lot of time hanging off the business end of the pole!!!! there are moorings available at Low woodside farm in silsden, the number is on the BW moorings list,

Ally

PS been lurking for a while, enjoyed the posts.

[Iain]

Thanks, Ally.

 

Silsden would be a great place to be as it's rural, I can get a train to Leeds for work, and I've a mate in the area with a workshop I probably can use for a few little jobs I need doing... !

 

I'm worried that, with 5ft draft, I won't get onto the L&L. I understand the coast, where the bottom goes up and down twice a day, but don't know how tides work on canals!

 

When BW say 3'6" min draught, I presume that's at the edges ... what depth can I expect in the middle?

 

Is 5ft too deep ? Should I maybe stay on the Aire & Calder?

 

Iain.

[Richard Bustens]

At 5' i dont think you would get over the lock sills

[Alastair]

When BW say a min depth, they mean that in sections the canal will be only that deep (in the middle). Therefore if they say 3'6", that is the absolute maximum draft that you'll be able to get through - and they are often a bit generous with their measuring. I'd subtract 6" from their figures, just be on the safe side.

 

I assume you are working in Leeds - could you commute in from York? You might be able to find a mooring on the Ouse, and 5' would be fine on there. It's also quicker and easier to get to the humber from York.

[Liam]

Also, what about air draught?

[DHutch]

... I understand the coast, where the bottom goes up and down twice a day, but don't know how tides work on canals!

There are no tides one the canals!

 

 

Daniel

[GRPCruiserman]

What about the Calder & Hebble, you should get to Stanley Ferry (I think it's still technically The Aire and Calder there), but the dimensions are still big and there are cracking moorings with good local facilities and just off the motorway It's well Flood protected from the river as well.

 

I would have thought Leeds was easier than from Silsden, just up the motorway. Check with BW.

[Iain]

Thanks for so much input, Folks.

 

I've 6ft Air Draft, Liam, so should be fine as 7'6" is the lowest I've seen.

 

I thought about York, Alastair. What scares me there are the floods. I'd need a mooring within cycling distance of a train station (I spent a lot of happy years around Naburn / Acaster, but don't think they're well sevred by railways, and I guess York centre would be difficult to find somewhere.

 

I like the idea of Stanley Ferry, Cruiserman, I go to the Lakes to see my kids every couple of weeks, so the motorway would be useful. I'll check with BW today about that.

 

.... and Daniel ..... thanks, I was going to ask BW if they had tide-tables for Leeds ;-)

 

Iain

[Alastair]

I thought about York, Alastair. What scares me there are the floods. I'd need a mooring within cycling distance of a train station (I spent a lot of happy years around Naburn / Acaster, but don't think they're well sevred by railways, and I guess York centre would be difficult to find somewhere.

 

The floods can be bad - I assume you have a grp yacht - I wouldn't live on a grp boat on the ouse for fear of flood debri pucturing the hull - probably paranoid, but when you've seen a whole tree go past, pushed by a 3knot current . . . .

 

Actually, I was thinking of either Naburn marina, or the BW cut. Inside the marina is completely protected from floods. The cut is also pretty safe. The marina is cycling distance from the city centre.

 

I can't moor in the cut because they don't like large steel boats - but I'm guessing that you'd be ok.

 

Failing those, there are moorings that come up on the acaster side, just across from the cut - I know the guy who runs the diesel bowser there, he's ok, and would find somewhere protected for a grp boat - he used to live on a grp cruiser.

 

I should also add that York council are considering opening up the Foss basin to livaboards

[Iain]

Thanks, Alastair.

 

I remember Naburn marina from my childhood, it seemed a long way from there, up the river, into York (In a 12ft dinghy with a Seagull engine!). I do have a car, but would like to leave that through the week. I'm going to look on the map for the distance, I know it's fairly flat over there, so might be a possibility. (I'm not one of these "super-keen" cyclists!)

 

The Yacht is steel, 37ft, so, although I don't relish fending-off trees, I guess she'd cope a lot better than a plastic boat. That said, I still would prefer to be off the river itself.

 

Other benefits there would be acces to the Humber, I'd probably be able to keep the mast up, good depth for the draught I have, and the chance to re-live my childhood with trips into York!

 

Definately worth a few calls tomorrow.

 

Thanks

 

Iain

[Iain]

They reckon 4 miles to York, and the trains are only 1/2 hr into Leeds, at times that suit the hours I do ... Facilities look OK, there's no mention of costs, but this could be a go-er.

 

Do you know if they allow liveaboards there? I know that sometimes a "face - to - face" question gets a different answer from cold-calling, if they do, then I fancy a drive there this week to take a look.

 

I assume that by "the cut", you mean the river by Naburn Lock? I guess it would be a bit sheltered, as most of the debris would go over the weir. Only poss drawbacks I can see there, is lack of facilities, and a bit further to travel into York.

 

I called BW moorings about the Calder & Hebble, grpcruiserman, all seem full, I'm afraid, but very helpful, and were in agreement regarding suficient draught. They're sending an application form, and I can go on the waiting list with them.

 

Planning to move the boat up from Plymouth at Easter, so I really appreciate all your advice.

[Alastair]

Yeah, I meant by the lock. There isn't an electric hookup, but you are right near a BW waterpoint, showers and toilets. Could be worse.

 

I don't know whether naburn allow livaboards. They are bit of an odd bunch - don't tell them your yacht is steel, just say the size.

 

If she's a steel boat, don't get to hung up about the floods - the main thing is to make sure you have a good pontoon, and can get to the pontoon when the river comes up. Anyone who's used to tying up a yacht properly will have no problems securing their boat against the floods.

 

At boat cruising speeds it is nearly an hour from Naburn into York centre. But once in, there are plenty of visitor moorings, you can go out for a night and not worry about the journey home.

[Iain]

I spoke to Naburn Marina this morning, I'd got pretty excited (a rare occourrence these days!) about trips up the river ....

 

... bad news was no liveaboards, either there or at the Cut, and the marina said they would struggle with my 1.5mtr draught .....

 

Oh well, nice whilst it lasted ... back to BW's waiting lists, I guess .......

[Alastair]

That's a shame.

 

My fiance asked the owner of naburn marina about livaboards, he was willing to let her moor on the riverbank. Of course, being 5'5" with a 34" inside leg and long hair might have influenced his decision.

 

WRT the cut - the current patrol officer is a right little facist.

[GRPCruiserman]

That's a shame.

 

My fiance asked the owner of naburn marina about livaboards, he was willing to let her moor on the riverbank. Of course, being 5'5" with a 34" inside leg and long hair might have influenced his decision.

 

WRT the cut - the current patrol officer is a right little facist.

 

Re the patrol officer, we used to have one like that on The Lancaster (enforcement officer). He had a mooring ring removed that had been their forever because it encouraged people to be 2 inches too near to the bridge at Galgate under current regulations. (No one had ever had any problems!!). We now use a pin to moor there!! What a waste of BW money.

 

If a boat was left unattended for more than one night, he immediately telephoned the owner to ask how long it would be there and read the riot act about the fourteen day rule to the owner.

 

Most people's reaction was then to deliberately leave their boat there for more than the fourteen days, even though they hadn't intended doing. That got him wound up .

 

I know of at least one boat owner who sold their newly bought boat because they bought it to relax, not to be policed, and I moved off the Lancaster for a while until he'd been moved on. You can do without it!!

 

I heard he got sent to Yorkshire, so perhaps I'll avoid cruising that way this year!!

 

Do you know his name? The guy over here got complained about, don't know if that's why they moved him? BW? Perhaps he used to be a traffic warden or something.

Edited February 24, 2006 by GRPCruiserman

[John Orentas]

Re the patrol officer, we used to have one like that on The Lancaster (enforcement officer). He had a mooring ring removed that had been their forever because it encouraged people to be 2 inches too near to the bridge at Galgate under current regulations. (No one had ever had any problems!!). We now use a pin to moor there!! What a waste of BW money.

 

If a boat was left unattended for more than one night, he immediately telephoned the owner to ask how long it would be there and read the riot act about the fourteen day rule to the owner.

 

Most people's reaction was then to deliberately leave their boat there for more than the fourteen days, even though they hadn't intended doing. That got him wound up .

 

I know of at least one boat owner who sold their newly bought boat because they bought it to relax, not to be policed, and I moved off the Lancaster for a while until he'd been moved on. You can do without it!!

 

I heard he got sent to Yorkshire, so perhaps I'll avoid cruising that way this year!!

 

Do you know his name? The guy over here got complained about, don't know if that's why they moved him? BW? Perhaps he used to be a traffic warden or something.

 

But aren't there two sides to most of these stories, my boat spent two or three months on the Lancaster a couple of years ago and it travelled up and down the canal several times.

 

I remember that mooring next to the bridge, opposite the old marina and close to the Plough Pub it is very convenient for visitors and changes of crew, and one of the few places that you can get a car anywhere near the boat for loading belongings, that is to say it would have been but for one tatty boat had not been moored there for the entire summer.

 

One persons freedom to moor is another's unreasonable restriction, every time different friends visited the boat we had to make a 400 yard trek passed a line of of permanently moored boats all on that length of towpath, a 14 day mooring, we did notice that many did not move for the whole time we spent on the canal.

 

I would like to know the name and address of that patrol officer too, I would put him on my Christmas card list, at least he tried.

Edited February 24, 2006 by John Orentas