Any where on the system a 60ft x 6ft10 x 6ft 2 x 2ft 8 boat not fit.?

[DandV]

We have taken our 58ft Whio up to the Chesterfield to the end. Water draught was the defining problem. Up to Ripon one lock on the Ure was very tight coming down. Up to Sheffield where on the Tinsley CART supervised flight 60ft is the max accepted. Now on the Calder nominally 57ft for a full width boat but according to advice a 60ft narrow boat will fit the locks without sharing. Now off to the Standedge tunnel where it appears we will fit especially once I have filled the water tank plus all three buckets to be stowed in the gas locker in the extreme bow. Did not try the Froghall tunnel though. Air draught the problem.

Don and Val

[gaggle]

link in one of this weeks threads with info re all the canals , sorry don't know which one but recent

[DandV]

I think the recent post referenced back to the CART pdf of maximum dimensions which does not make allowances that if the craft is narrower then the maximum allowed width then then an additional length can be added. Whio could not proceed up to Ripon or on the Calder and Hebble and I beleive on on the Leeds and Liverpool according to that publication but all have accomplished as well as the Lancaster. I am not sure what an addition of another 2ft of length would make however.

Don

[tillergirl]

We're 60 foot and have got from Wigan to Skipton with only nominal leg wetting in a couple of locks. Even shared some with no issues.

[Maffi]

_{"Extreme bow" is that in front of the normal bow?}

Edited July 30, 2015 by Maffi

[Athy]

_{"Extreme bow" is that in front of the normal bow?}

Or perhaps the style of that Polish "Dutch barge" recently advertised for sale?

[Tony Brooks]

Probably too high for the Baisingstoke at normal or high levels. Doubt it will go through Froghall tunnel.

[bargemast]

Or perhaps the style of that Polish "Dutch barge" recently advertised for sale?

 

Be very careful Athy, if you go on like that you may find yourself in front of a judge soon

 

Peter.

[PD1964]

We have taken our 58ft Whio up to the Chesterfield to the end. Water draught was the defining problem. Up to Ripon one lock on the Ure was very tight coming down. Up to Sheffield where on the Tinsley CART supervised flight 60ft is the max accepted. Now on the Calder nominally 57ft for a full width boat but according to advice a 60ft narrow boat will fit the locks without sharing. Now off to the Standedge tunnel where it appears we will fit especially once I have filled the water tank plus all three buckets to be stowed in the gas locker in the extreme bow. Did not try the Froghall tunnel though. Air draught the problem.

Don and Val

Sheffield & Tinsley is 61ft 6" not 60ft,

[GUMPY]

Probably too high for the Baisingstoke at normal or high levels. Doubt it will go through Froghall tunnel.

Basy is 5ft10 so definitely to high

that's the only one I couldn't do down south with the barge which was 6ft4.

[DandV]

Up to Sheffield on the Tinsley flight a month ago, which is a Cart booked and supervised passage we were advised that Cart did not accept craft over 60ft. Perhaps they are risk averse. We shared locks with a 60footer. Just a little juggling sideways to get the gates open. Two 60footers would not be able to share locks however.

Don

[Giant]

Up to Sheffield on the Tinsley flight a month ago, which is a Cart booked and supervised passage we were advised that Cart did not accept craft over 60ft. Perhaps they are risk averse. We shared locks with a 60footer. Just a little juggling sideways to get the gates open. Two 60footers would not be able to share locks however.

Don

 

So a Sheffield size boat can no longer go to Sheffield?

[DandV]

Here at Huddesfield a Lass has a 60footer. Says the locks are a real struggle to get into.

 

The purpose of this thread is to help define the maximum dimensions of a "go anywhere boat" based on actual experiences not publications that may not make allowances for the width reduction in a narrowboat from the maximum allowed craft

Don

[Tony Brooks]

Basy is 5ft10 so definitely to high

that's the only one I couldn't do down south with the barge which was 6ft4.

 

I am not sure that is not the BCA covering their backs for higher than normal levels. I did my bets to measure JennyB's air draft and came out at about 6ft 1in and with the canal summit down by 60mm (from their office) I could just creep through with maybe 10mm to spare.

[GUMPY]

your figures make it 5ft11" at normal levels so still to low unless the pound is down. SM was 5'9 and we had about an inch spare.

[PD1964]

Up to Sheffield on the Tinsley flight a month ago, which is a Cart booked and supervised passage we were advised that Cart did not accept craft over 60ft. Perhaps they are risk averse. We shared locks with a 60footer. Just a little juggling sideways to get the gates open. Two 60footers would not be able to share locks however.

Don

I think your wrong there as I have a 61ft 6" at Sheffield and have had no problems on the flight, as one poster says that is the Sheffield keel length.

[alan_fincher]

This prompts much disagreement, but I would not want to try getting a truly 60 foot long narrow boat through the shortest locks on the Calder & Hebble. (From memory I think the shortest are at Salterhebble, but guess someone will say otherwise!).

 

Someone has assured me they got a 59 foot though tackling some locks backwards, but we saw cases where two (claimed) 57 foot boats had shared a lock, and neither exit gate could then be opened. (They had had to re-empty the lock, reverse one boat out, then take both through singly).

 

I'm not saying 60 feet is impossible, and things like bow shape or stern shape might subtly change the geometry, but I certainly wouldn't even try!

[BilgePump]

We are 60ft dead (plus bow and stern fenders). The C&H is quite close but wouldn't try to take her up there. 57-58ft imho would be the limit for relatively stress free transit. I've heard the '60 is possible singly' line but never met anyone who has done it. Have met a few experienced owners who said that they struggled with 56 and 57.

[David Mack]

This prompts much disagreement, but I would not want to try getting a truly 60 foot long narrow boat through the shortest locks on the Calder & Hebble. (From memory I think the shortest are at Salterhebble, but guess someone will say otherwise!).

 

Someone has assured me they got a 59 foot though tackling some locks backwards, but we saw cases where two (claimed) 57 foot boats had shared a lock, and neither exit gate could then be opened. (They had had to re-empty the lock, reverse one boat out, then take both through singly).

 

I'm not saying 60 feet is impossible, and things like bow shape or stern shape might subtly change the geometry, but I certainly wouldn't even try!

See http://www.penninewaterways.co.uk/calder/locks.htm

[DandV]

Whio traversed the Calder and Hebble Rochdale under her previous owners. I Think at the published max lengths you can get a narrowboat through using only one gate. We have had to to juggle with both gates opened with our extra foot.

Be good to clear the actual Sheffield situation up. I would hate to have put anybody off a worthwhile journey.

Don

[Ray T]

You may have problems on the Cromford Canal.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cromford_Canal

[DHutch]

We have done froghall, its bigger then the sign says, if not huge.

 

 

Daniel

[Mick Poyser]

Alan is correct when he says bow and stern shape will make difference.

I've taken Millbury up and down the C & H several time over the 35yrs I've owned her. She is exactly 60' not including the rudder (measured with plumb line and laser). She has very fine bows and elliptical counter, which is an advantage, but her bows are deep in the water, which is a disadvantage as they will not go over the cill at low water level (the reason why some boat have to come down some locks backwards).

Took Millbury up the C & H this year with James Woolcock (Marquis 54') and shared all but two locks, once Millbury was behind one gate Marquis came in beside her, it wasn't tight after the gates were closed and the locks were filled at a normal pace.

The two locks that we decided it would be prudent to single out at was the top one and one about 6 down from the top, the latter has a wide walkway mounted on the bottom gates which is over the lock chamber when the gates are closed. The top one is definitely the shortest, we got Millbury lying on one side with the gate closed, but the counter was touching the bottom gate and with modern gate building practice of having bolts sticking out of all the fitting on the inside, we thought it best to move her bow to the centre of curved cill giving more room at the counter end.

[NickF]

We're 60 foot and have got from Wigan to Skipton with only nominal leg wetting in a couple of locks. Even shared some with no issues.

I am curious as to how your legs got wet .......... was it leaky gates or your response to the fear of leaky gates?

[fanshaft]

Alan is correct when he says bow and stern shape will make difference.

I've taken Millbury up and down the C & H several time over the 35yrs I've owned her. She is exactly 60' not including the rudder (measured with plumb line and laser). She has very fine bows and elliptical counter, which is an advantage, but her bows are deep in the water, which is a disadvantage as they will not go over the cill at low water level (the reason why some boat have to come down some locks backwards).

Took Millbury up the C & H this year with James Woolcock (Marquis 54') and shared all but two locks, once Millbury was behind one gate Marquis came in beside her, it wasn't tight after the gates were closed and the locks were filled at a normal pace.

The two locks that we decided it would be prudent to single out at was the top one and one about 6 down from the top, the latter has a wide walkway mounted on the bottom gates which is over the lock chamber when the gates are closed. The top one is definitely the shortest, we got Millbury lying on one side with the gate closed, but the counter was touching the bottom gate and with modern gate building practice of having bolts sticking out of all the fitting on the inside, we thought it best to move her bow to the centre of curved cill giving more room at the counter end.

 

I ran a 60ft narrow boat trip boat on the C&H in the 1970s (mainly due to water shortage on the L&L, but I did move the boats aroiund a bit) and don't recall any problems o note.

 

Regards

 

David L