Canoe to Work?

[cotswoldsman]

Canoe to work? An alternative way to commute in London

 

http://gu.com/p/4vv87

[blackrose]

I used to go to work on a 12ft aluminium punt with a 4hp outboard. It was only about half a mile down the river but I really used to enjoy that commute to work. Not sure if I'd enjoy canoeing along a filthy canal.

[cotswoldsman]

Not sure I would go through a tunnel myself

[Phil Ambrose]

Both my wife and myself used to go to work by boat, she had a 21ft cabin cruiser (so she was in the dry) and I had a 12ft ex eel boat.

Phil

[Wanted]

Living in Brentford and working in a building right near a slipway in Putney I often wonder if a little rib might be the best way to get to work.

Would be fun

[bizzard]

Living in Brentford and working in a building right near a slipway in Putney I often wonder if a little rib might be the best way to get to work.

Would be fun

Yanking it up that ramp at Putney you would need a spare rib in case you bust one. Tripping over on it can give you a really painful Putknee too.

Edited July 15, 2014 by bizzard

[WJM]

Technically, canoeing through the London tunnels is illegal. The Maida Vale tunnel is fine though, you just take a run at it and hope a broad boat doesn't come towards you. But the Islington tunnel, no chance I wouldn't paddle a canoe through that, it is too long to be safe, and I have paddled a few tunnels!

[Mrs Trackman]

Mr trackman had a meeting in sandiacre last week so we went by boat on the erewash.

[NickF]

Looks great, I have done Bruce Tunnel a couple of times in a canoe before the K and A was restored and I think that's about 500yds, I am not sure if you would be allowed to now. I had no light but just kept going towards the end portal, There were four canoes in our group so we could have helped each other out if anyone had a problem. An interesting experience but way better than carrying a boat over the top.

 

As for the inflatable canoe I am amazed he didn't have a skeg fitted, I have one of those and if I forget to put the skeg on it is just about impossible to keep it going in a straight line. They are actually great on a narrow boat because you can roll it up and keep it inside or just keep it deflated on the roof. They are a little bulky but much easier to store than a normal canoe.

One more thought on this subject,.......why canoe to work it would be quicker to walk along the towpath!

[WJM]

The Bruce (Savernake) Tunnel on the K&A is raced through by the Devizes to Westminster Canoe Race, and some of the build-up Waterside Series of canoe races. It is quire an easy tunnel to paddle through because it is very wide and the sides remain vertical to a higher point than many others. And it is only waist deep.

 

The Welsh tunnels are fun to paddle through too, and while you are at it you can paddle the Aqueduct. It is an interesting experience sitting in a canoe with a 120 foot drop directly under your elbow!

[mattlad]

One more thought on this subject,.......why canoe to work it would be quicker to walk along the towpath!

You can carry a fair amount of weight in a canoe.

[Robbo]

I would take my boat to work (work overlooks the canal), but it's a 2 day trip where it's only 15 minutes on the train.

[WJM]

 

One more thought on this subject,.......why canoe to work it would be quicker to walk along the towpath!

A proper racing or fast touring canoe/kayak is way faster than walking.

[Jim Batty]

Nice film and wonderfully alternative perspective on London.

 

I used to use an inflatable kayak for taking photos on the Thames, River Wey, River Mole and various backwaters. Not speedy, but relatively stable. The brilliant thing was that the whole kit (boat, collapsible paddles, buoyancy jacket, lunch, etc.) could be placed on a folding luggage trolley and taken by train to whatever station happened to be handy to the river. I'd pump the kayak up on the bank, bungee the luggage trolley and other stuff onto the back, then head off downstream. Towards the end of the day I'd navigate to another rail station town or village, deflate it, load everything onto the trolley ... and head back home.

 

It was largely my experiences on the kayak and meeting so many friendly boaters that began our search for a liveaboard narrowboat.

 

I wrote a couple of articles about some of this, if anyone's interested.

 

Kayak photography: http://www.jimbatty.com/articles/kayakphoto.html

 

Red board kayaking: http://www.jimbatty.com/articles/redboardkayaking.html

[Guest]

A proper racing or fast touring canoe/kayak is way faster than walking.

Not if I'm paddling it

[Pykebird]

Two friends of mine canoe every day to work on the soar, obviously one way is quicker than the other!

[Felshampo]

The Bruce (Savernake) Tunnel on the K&A is raced through by the Devizes to Westminster Canoe Race, and some of the build-up Waterside Series of canoe races. It is quire an easy tunnel to paddle through because it is very wide and the sides remain vertical to a higher point than many others. And it is only waist deep.

 

The Welsh tunnels are fun to paddle through too, and while you are at it you can paddle the Aqueduct. It is an interesting experience sitting in a canoe with a 120 foot drop directly under your elbow!

Did the Leeds Liverpool marathon when I was young and went through all the tunnels. At night with no light at the end of the tunnel to head for is very scary, especially in an unstable racing kayak. Bouncing off the walls was particularly memorable. Didn't think twice about it then, wouldn't do it now!

[Peter X]

Nice film, but somehow I don't think our hero will be commuting that way regularly because it must have taken a while to do that distance.

The canal may be polluted, but is still going to be a more pleasant environment than the Tube in the rush hour. 20 years ago when I was commuting from Beckenham to Reading and later Maidenhead via London, I often walked from Victoria to Paddington via Hyde Park if the weather was OK, because it was so much nicer than doing it by Tube or bus, and only took slightly longer.

 

I've never done canoeing, but wouldn't fancy being on a canal in even a short tunnel in any kind of canoe, for fear of not being seen in the dark by a boater and getting run down. With a light and a horn, OK, but even then not in a tunnel of more than say 50 yards. A punt would feel safer, because at least then you're standing up and waving a pole about, but then using a pole in a tunnel would be difficult.

[blackrose]

Living in Brentford and working in a building right near a slipway in Putney I often wonder if a little rib might be the best way to get to work.

Would be fun

You'd probably spend a fair bit of time waiting to get out and back in at Brentford. At some low tides it would probably even be a struggle to get a rib in and out.

 

Have you been out there on your boat yet? The Brentford - Limehouse trip is good if you have the power to turn against the tide. Otherwise do it the other way around.

[Dave_P]

I was out on my inflatable kayak last night, exploring the unnavigable end of the Montgomery Canal between bridges 32 and 34. They're perfect for having on a narrowboat.

[NickF]

You can carry a fair amount of weight in a canoe.

Fair point Matlad and it's much more fun afloat!

I was out on my inflatable kayak last night, exploring the unnavigable end of the Montgomery Canal between bridges 32 and 34. They're perfect for having on a narrowboat.

I have to agree Dave_P, I bought one at the London Boat show this year and have used it loads. Took it on a hire boat this year, just ideal on a narrowboat.

[NickF]

You do get a slightly different view of the world when you are so close to the water.

 

 

[Ricco1]

I keep a kayak on the roof of my boat. I use it most days, an hour and a half, 6 miles or so. I do it for fitness and keeping in shape, and because I enjoy it. I also use it to take full toilet cassettes to the disposal point. Have to be careful doing this, the extra weight up front leads to a pretty low bow!