Question on boat draft on the Llangollen

[Sue]

I have been asked by a friend to pop a post on here to get some thoughts from the forum members.

 

He is worried that his share boat with a 31" draft will not be able to get to Llangollen since the repair of landslips.

 

I had no problem recently but I am not as deep as that..

 

Has anyone with a deep draft boat had any problems recently?

[MtB]

 

Has anyone with a deep draft boat had any problems recently?

 

I got stuck on the Walsall Canal in shallow pounds twice on the BCN Challenge the other day...

 

...that's not what you meant is it?

 

(Just bumping your thread actually!)

 

 

MtB

[nicknorman]

32" stationary draft here. We made it to Llangollen in 2012. A little bit of a struggle in places but not too bad.

[bag 'o' bones]

A chap on our mooring who owns a Hudson said that his boats draft to was too deep for the Llangollen beyond Trevor. Whether he'd actually attempted it and ran into trouble or was simply acting on advice I've no idea.

[David Mack]

A chap on our mooring who owns a Hudson said that his boats draft to was too deep for the Llangollen beyond Trevor. Whether he'd actually attempted it and ran into trouble or was simply acting on advice I've no idea.

Its a number of years since we've done it, but on Fulbourne (draught 3 ft) the section from Trevor to Llangollen was easier in terms of draught than the section from Chirk to Trevor where we did ground a bit.

[Sadelady]

Just returned hire boats were having problems Chirk to Trevor mainly lack of experience but it is very shallow in parts. Trevor on no problems except usual 4 boats meeting 4 boats in single section.

[Laurie Booth]

In the late 60's when I last went there we had to use a Z drive to get there. We saw one narrow boat !!

 

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Edited June 6, 2014 by Laurie.Booth

[NickF]

In the late 60's when I last went there we had to use a Z drive to get there. We saw one narrow boat !!

 

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That's very impressive, a steering wheel that can be fitted port or starboard! I didn't know they had that technology in the 1960s!

[Alan de Enfield]

In the late 60's when I last went there we had to use a Z drive to get there. We saw one narrow boat !!

 

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Funny isnt it - thats the sort of steering position I take going over that aqueduct, but strangely enough on the way back I lean the other way !

[Angela C]

Our boat draft is 2ft 6, had no problem last year and going again this year.

[Boredrider]

We went up the Llangollen in late September last year, I measured our draft as 32" beforehand. We got stuck going into the first lock at New Marton, and had to reverse out. We jetisoned quite a bit of ballast, and took some advice from a working boat which ploughed a nice furrow for us, so on the second attempt, with a fair old run up, we made it into the lock OK. We had also moved some of our heavier kit, i.e. toolbox and generator, up towards the bow.

 

The only other bit we had problems with was shortly after leaving Trevor, but that was in part due to oncoming traffic.

 

So I would say your friend should be OK at 31", and wish them good luck on a lovely trip.

Edited June 7, 2014 by Boredrider

[ditchcrawler]

I personally know one boater with a boat deeper than all that have been mentioned here who has done it, but don't think fast, I guess he would have been happy to make 2mph going up. I also have a friend who use to have a Hudson and he couldn't do it, so I think the driver is as important as the boat.

Edit

Forgot to add we are 2' 4" stationary and had no problems at all.

Edited June 7, 2014 by ditchcrawler

[Andy Healey]

Thanks for replies, and thanks Sue for posting. We went up to Llangollen before in NB Centurion on 3 occasions with no problem, however a member of our syndicate now says draught is now posted at 28" on the notice board at Ellesmere.

[ditchcrawler]

Thanks for replies, and thanks Sue for posting. We went up to Llangollen before in NB Centurion on 3 occasions with no problem, however a member of our syndicate now says draught is now posted at 28" on the notice board at Ellesmere.

That notice, or one like it has been there for years, nothing has changed to the waterway to my knowledge

[adam the wanderer]

I have been asked by a friend to pop a post on here to get some thoughts from the forum members.

 

He is worried that his share boat with a 31" draft will not be able to get to Llangollen since the repair of landslips.

 

I had no problem recently but I am not as deep as that..

 

Has anyone with a deep draft boat had any problems recently?

I have been their twice last week and my boat sits deep

[Mike Tee]

Just got back, and had no problems at 2'6" (apart from the quantity of hireboats!). Although it can be a bit of a struggle going through some bridge holes against the current. But then, coming back.................

[Phil Speight]

I`ve taken deep drafted boats to and from Trevor with just the occasional enbuggerance which I took as part of the adventure.

[Andy Healey]

Just returned from a fantastically hot trip to Llangollen from Wrenbury on NB Centurion with our 31" Draught. Only a couple of problems with draught, Obviously serious slow going through Chirk and Whitehouse tunnels due to draught and constant flow, we had a slight grounding by the bridge near Poachers Pocket pub. Then after turning for Llangollen at Trevor, towards the end of the first concrete lined section after bridge 62W we ground along for about 100 yards on what felt like small rocks or bricks, slight lifting of the rudder but it stayed in the skeg! Not helped here by stupid hirers who thought they would moor in the concrete lined channel!

Next problem was at Bryn Howell, pushed right over by downward boats we found the muddy sides and had a fair list on, but it soon came off. The section that worried me, in the very narrow one way working section before the Llangollen linear visitor moorings turned out OK.

A couple of words of caution, If going up the Llangollen have someone keep lookout at the bow in holiday season as the hireboats (and some private boats) fly through the bridge holes and sharp bends without slowing down. We had some near misses, if not for our caution we would have been hit quite hard.

Also when in the narrows on the Trevor to Llangollen section send someone ahead to stop boats coming up and down, despite the large CaRT signs warning of the narrows and need to send crew ahead boats still plough through without checking.

I dont like knocking hireboaters, as we have all been there as a start to our adventures, however the boats from Mid Wales narrowboats (dark blue) seem to be the worst for speed and stupid manouvers, they have no tuiton whatsoever, nor are they equipped with maps or guides, nor shown how to work a lock, we had to help a family through New Marton locks from their base at Maestermyn and they described the tuiton they received:- this is forward, this is reverse, this is left, this is right, now have a good week. It then took them 3 hours to get to New Marton locks bouncing off every bridge and bank! not good for the infrastructure.

Despite this we had a very good week.

Thanks to all those who replied to Sue's oroginal question.

Edited July 28, 2014 by Andy Healey

[Laurie Booth]

That's very impressive, a steering wheel that can be fitted port or starboard! I didn't know they had that technology in the 1960s!

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