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Taking a widebeam through the Middle Levels

DestinyJN

By DestinyJN
in General Boating

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DestinyJN Gongoozler

DestinyJN

Posted
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We are thinking of moving from Priory Marina in Bedford to Billing Marina in Northampton. We have a 60ft Widebeam (10 foot wide) and are wondering how easy it is to navigate her through the Middle levels? has anyone had experience of doing this ? And are there any particular problems to watch out for? One of us is a good, experienced skipper. man thanks for any advice.

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Athy Veteran II

AthyDonate to Canal World

Posted
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Welcome, Mr. and Mrs. Destiny. Your only real problem would be Briggate Turn which is not only one of the sharpest turns on British waterways but is also rather narrow. Widebeams have gone round it but I don't think full length ones can. At 60 feet you may be OK, especially as your boat is not as obese as some.

Apart from that the rivers are largely straight, apart from a few little jiggles such as by Outwell church, and often wide. Don't leave anything loose on the roof though - low bridges at Nordelph and at Upwell Church especially.

Note that the only "facilities" are at March, just beyond the town bridge, and at Fox's Marina, about a mile further than that.

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Keeping Up Veteran II

Keeping UpDonate to Canal World

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I don't know the answer to your question but I do know that you definitely couldn't get a 70ft widebeam round Briggate Bend which is a perfect right-angle with sharp corners and a fairly narrow passage. A full length narrowboat will fit round with literally zero inches to spare (I believe Fulbourne, 71'3", just got round there once) so you may need to go there and make some measurements of your own; I suspect that measurements and mathematics, plus scale drawings, may be needed unless someone here has a definitive answer. I'm sure that if you ask the MLC they'd tell you it can't be done, so as to protect themselves, regardless of whether it is possible or not.

 

I believe you would need to come through Salters Lode when the tide makes a level, so that the gates can be opened at both ends for you to pass through.

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blackrose Veteran II

blackrose

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You never get your 12ft wide beam to Briggate Bend in the 1st place. Both Stanground and Ashline locks are only 11. 6 ft wide. It is the gap through the foot bridge that causes the problems.

 

I never said I could get it there - I said I could get around it.

 

I don't think I could get it onto the Middle Level Navigations in the first place without a truck for that matter, so it's all hypothetical. I was just trying to give the OP some idea whether they could do it on their boat.

 

I can't get to the Falkirk Wheel either, but as far as I know it would accommodate my boat.

Edited by blackrose
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FadeToScarlet Veteran

FadeToScarlet

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You can certainly do the Salter's Lode to March section in a 60' by 10' widebeam as a friend of mine has done that to be blacked.

 

I think you SHOULD be able to get around Brigatte Bend- we've taken our 72' narrowboat around there with no problems- but it would be very worth your while having an alternative plan and some savings in case you can't get around- i.e. A reverse back to somewhere to turn (other side of Whittlesea below Ashline, I'd guess) and head back to March for a crane out at Foxes.

 

But I do think you'd do it, as long as you take it very slowly and carefully, and once you've made 45 degrees of the turn, use e shaft to push the bows around and another to push the stern away from e hard concrete edge you can see on the inside of the corner on the photo above.

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magnetman Veteran II

magnetman

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Mike/Black rose

 

How do you judge that you could get your boat round there??

 

It is a tight bend (I did it in a 55ft Nb so no problem) I am quite impressed at your confidence just from a photo.

 

Don't forget water depth could have an effect if you have s slab sided boat with full width baseplate ;)

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magnetman Veteran II

magnetman

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Does depend on which direction you go as well because going the way fulbourne is going a wide bean might get a bit stuck in the bridge unable to begin a turn until the stern had cleared the straight bit

 

Then what if there is another wide bean :lol:

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FadeToScarlet Veteran

FadeToScarlet

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It is hard enough in that concrete channel to pass two narrowboats, and at other places, such as bits of Upwell and Outwell, it would be equally difficult- but possible.

 

Edit to add: Cardington Lock near Bedford is 10'3" according to the EA, so you may have to lift up fenders to not get caught on the "safety" chains.

Edited by FadeToScarlet
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DestinyJN Gongoozler

DestinyJN

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​Thank you everyone for all your advice. The photo and video were particularly helpful....i'll probably end up having a nightmare about that bend!! My partner is a very competent captain and he has taken the boat through Cardington Lock several times. The first time he didn't even touch the sides....think he was trying to impress me.....lol...he succeeded!! By the way, what happens if you do meet another boat on a really narrow bit?? Is it whose got the bigger boat? What's the usual etiquette?

Does anyone have any tips on the Ouse down to Denver and from Stanground Lock to Northampton.

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Guest

Guest

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​Thank you everyone for all your advice. The photo and video were particularly helpful....i'll probably end up having a nightmare about that bend!! My partner is a very competent captain and he has taken the boat through Cardington Lock several times. The first time he didn't even touch the sides....think he was trying to impress me.....lol...he succeeded!! By the way, what happens if you do meet another boat on a really narrow bit?? Is it whose got the bigger boat? What's the usual etiquette?

Does anyone have any tips on the Ouse down to Denver and from Stanground Lock to Northampton.

 

When coming to any pinch point on any part of the system I just normally back off and wait and check if anything is coming the other way.

 

It's not like the old days on the system when time was money.

 

Boating is for leisure in it???

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ditchcrawler Veteran II

ditchcrawlerDonate to Canal World

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Edit to add: Cardington Lock near Bedford is 10'3" according to the EA, so you may have to lift up fenders to not get caught on the "safety" chains.

We met a cruiser who was coming up there. It is wider at the head than the bottom, he had to lift the safety chains to get in. He then filled the lock at an inch at a time holding his boat away from the edge. I hate to think how long we had to wait for him, must have been well over an hour.

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JohnB Engager

JohnB

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Please be aware the sides of the bend are rather shallow with a few hard lumps down there. We can steer our rather deep narrowboat round but we have to be very careful to get the right line. If your boat is not too deep draughted you may be able to work a wide boat round but check below the water in your assessment of the turn. Good luck

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