length restrictions

[RickH]

Hi all .

As far as I'm aware there is a max length of 57'6" on only two canals , the Calder &Hebble and the Huddersfield Broad . I've heard that you can actually take a 60ft through these locks if you either put the boat at an angle or in fact go in backwards , bow to cill . Is this true ?

Thanks !

[Neil2]

I asked this question a while ago, someone has definitely done the Huddersfield in a 60 footer but it won't be much fun. AFAIK some of the Calder & Hebble locks do necessitate a reverse approach but, again, it can be done.

 

Just found the link http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=61041&hl=

[FadeToScarlet]

Depends if it's a "long" 60' or a "short" 60', I believe from posts on here- worth accurately measuring the boat beforehand.

[RickH]

Depends if it's a "long" 60' or a "short" 60', I believe from posts on here- worth accurately measuring the boat beforehand.

Well that brings up another question . I had a 25ft sailboat in California which had to be measured for a slip , they measured from the fathest point forward to the farthest point aft including anything underwater , my boat ended up being 27'6" ! So are the measurements to be taken the same on a NB ? Fore and aft buttons can be lifted obviously .

[Paul's Nulife4-2]

Don't forget the Rudder !.

[FadeToScarlet]

Don't forget the Rudder !.

I think you can for this kind of thing, you can take the tiller bar off and turn the rudder to 90 degrees to go through shorter locks.

[Paul's Nulife4-2]

Oh right, that makes sense.

,I've only got 35° of Rudder movement Each way.

[Keeping Up]

And it gets complicated because the overhang of the bow MAY mean that you can go backwards down a lock where you won't fit forwards, by having the top of the stem post above the cill

[Naughty Cal]

Well that brings up another question . I had a 25ft sailboat in California which had to be measured for a slip , they measured from the fathest point forward to the farthest point aft including anything underwater , my boat ended up being 27'6" ! So are the measurements to be taken the same on a NB ? Fore and aft buttons can be lifted obviously .

Our 23ft boat is tip to tip 25ft!

 

Obviously it's 23 when it comes to paying harbour dues but its 25 if a passer by asks

[Paul's Nulife4-2]

When I use my Bow & Stern Thrusters for Propulsion, im Only 11ft long, but 41ft Wide !. Worth trying !,,Do you reckon I will get away with that !.

Edited March 30, 2014 by Paul's Nulife4-2

[Neil2]

I doubt there's a boat on the network that is any shorter than what it says on the licence... so if you haven't done it I would measure the length as accurately as you can.

[Naughty Cal]

I doubt there's a boat on the network that is any shorter than what it says on the licence... so if you haven't done it I would measure the length as accurately as you can.

Ours is actually a bracket higher than it should be!

[RickH]

Thanks all , all good advice .

[Ca Jon]

Ahhh, my boat is registered as 60'. Today north of bugbrook, it was at least a couple of hundred feet !!!!

[nebulae]

Never been to Well Creek myself,but I thought there was a length restriction of 45ft?I think there may have been a post recently,but I cant find it.

[FadeToScarlet]

Never been to Well Creek myself,but I thought there was a length restriction of 45ft?I think there may have been a post recently,but I cant find it.

Brandon lock at the end of Brandon creek nearby has a nominally 45' lock, but we've taken our 72' boat through Well Creek with no problems.

[magpie patrick]

The Middle Level locks are various lengths, but if you have a really old map Stanground Sluice is shown as 46 feet: it has since been lengthened.

 

By and large I'd say Bradshaws 1904 is accurate for maximum sizes without pushing the boundaries except inf a few instances where locks ahve subsequently been enlarged, or even added. It's useless on the Nene and the upper Thames for example. However, CRT's suggestion that the maximum length on the Calder and Hebble is 54 feet is badly out, it's at least 57 feet. Taking boats longer than this is something really only to try if you happen to own a longer boat. I wouldn't buy a longer boat in the hopes it will be alright.

 

I can categorically state that 62 feet will NOT fit down the Huddersfield Broad Canal!

[Keeping Up]

Back when it was only boats under 20m that needed to use VHF radio on the Thames I often used to find that our 67ft boat shrank by 2ft when it passed through Limehouse lock. Must have been the cold river water that did it

 

But it definitely wouldn't go through Brandon lock. A helpful but mistaken man from the EA told me it could go through but after 10 minutes of trying including looking for any way to open the gates at both ends because there was actually no difference in level across it, that was when I saw the sign saying the guillotine would descend automatically after 15 minutes. I reversed back out rather rapidly!

[DHutch]

We are a nominal 58ft, slightly less at the waterline, slightly more tip to tip, although I don't have the measurements on hand and didn't really seek to record how close we where, we had no issues on the Huddersfield Broad and up to Mirfield to the old Ledgard Bridge, Heron Boats yard.

 

 

Daniel

[Hawkmoth]

I believe that the locks north of York, up to Ripon are only 57' 6".

We were once told by a marina operator on the Calder & Hebble that he'd managed to get a 62 footer through to his location. I wouldn't want to try it!

Bob

Edit to make more sense

Edited March 31, 2014 by lyraboat

[FadeToScarlet]

Back when it was only boats under 20m that needed to use VHF radio on the Thames I often used to find that our 67ft boat shrank by 2ft when it passed through Limehouse lock. Must have been the cold river water that did it

 

But it definitely wouldn't go through Brandon lock. A helpful but mistaken man from the EA told me it could go through but after 10 minutes of trying including looking for any way to open the gates at both ends because there was actually no difference in level across it, that was when I saw the sign saying the guillotine would descend automatically after 15 minutes. I reversed back out rather rapidly!

Do you mean Upware Lock? Brandon has V doors at the lower end but Upwaed Lock onto the lodes has guillotines both end.

You can get 48 feet through the nominal 45' Brandon lock, and could probably get a 50' through with care.

[Keeping Up]

Do you mean Upware Lock? Brandon has V doors at the lower end but Upwaed Lock onto the lodes has guillotines both end.

You can get 48 feet through the nominal 45' Brandon lock, and could probably get a 50' through with care.

 

Yes, you are right, I was confusing Brandon Lock with Upware Lock.

 

I was in too much of a hurry to take any pictures at Upware, but this shows how far we couldn't get into Brandon.

 

[David Mack]

 

Yes, you are right, I was confusing Brandon Lock with Upware Lock.

 

I was in too much of a hurry to take any pictures at Upware, but this shows how far we couldn't get into Brandon.

 

 

But Upware isn't 70 ft. This is how far we got in:

[Keeping Up]

But Upware isn't 70 ft. This is how far we got in:

 

Yes that's where we were when I spotted the sign that the guillotine would descend automatically.

[magnetman]

Surely it would not go down if there was a boat in the way.