Boat length for canals

[Kevsco]

Hi everyone

My first post as I am new to the sport of narrow boats!

I am actively looking for a boat and considering buying a 60 foot trad stern.

My concern is will this boat be able to cruise the whole network or will it be to long for many cant locks?

Thanks for your help.

Kevsco

[Paul C]

It will be too long for some locks. It might be that the areas it won't fit, aren't important to you.

[Scholar Gypsy]

You may find this useful. http://www.jim-shead.com/waterways/mwp.php?wpage=CraftSize.htm

 

As it says there, 57' will pretty much go anywhere (with the exception of Brandon Lock on the Little Ouse which is about 40').

 

There are various tales of how to get a 60' boat through a 57' lock - at an angle, with some wiggling, going downhill backwards etc.

Edited September 14, 2015 by Scholar Gypsy

[by'eck]

Hi everyone

My first post as I am new to the sport of narrow boats!

I am actively looking for a boat and considering buying a 60 foot trad stern.

My concern is will this boat be able to cruise the whole network or will it be to long for many cant locks?

Thanks for your help.

Kevsco

 

Its the length of nb I have. Have cruised a large part of the network and haven't been beaten yet, including recently the nominal 57 foot locks of the Calder and Hebble.

[Kevsco]

Many thanks to you guys. The link from Scholar Gypsy is particularly useful containing a wealth of information.

By' eck your post gives me confidence that this length of boat is not over long and should have sufficient internal space for extended cruising.

It is great to find a forum like this with so many good people willing to help beginners by imparting their knowledge and experiences. Looking forward to completing our purchase and getting afloat!

[cuthound]

Before buying my own 60 foot boat, I had shares in two 58 foot boats. Between them they covered almost every inch of thethe navigable UK canal system.

 

They also had more "usable" room than my present 60 foot boat. Interior space is also determined by design as well as length.

 

If you intend to travel the entire system, then I would go for a 57-58 foot boat, to minimise the risk of getting the boat caught up in any of the shorter locks. A well designed one will have as much "usable" space as many 60 footers.

[OldGoat]

I wet through the agonies of that decision many years ago and concluded that for the sake of juggling on some 57ft. locks and of no access to a very few far flung locks - both of which we were never likely to cruise (we're Darn Sarf), it wasn't worth sacrificing those three feet, especially as a decent length front deck an larger stern elliptical deck were 'required'.

[Murflynn]

My first post as I am new to the sport of narrow boats!

 

there is much sporting fun to be had on the canals.

in order to derive maximum satisfaction you will need to understand the rules of the sport, so that you can cheat a little and wind up other players regarding certain modes of play, including:

- limited allowable contact with other players

- disturbing other non-players or resting players (noise and wash)

- forcing other players into difficulties, aground or into obstruction like bridge abutments

- acceptable clothing

- awareness that girly buttons if fitted should never be used

- mooring at winding holes and on water points

- in the case of heterosexual couples only the male partner is qualified to pilot the vessel through locks

- use of fake rivets and other controversial attachments

[ditchcrawler]

I may pay to try it before you buy one

Edited September 16, 2015 by ditchcrawler

[Scholar Gypsy]

there is much sporting fun to be had on the canals.

in order to derive maximum satisfaction you will need to understand the rules of the sport, so that you can cheat a little and wind up other players regarding certain modes of play, including:

- limited allowable contact with other players

- disturbing other non-players or resting players (noise and wash)

- forcing other players into difficulties, aground or into obstruction like bridge abutments

- acceptable clothing

- awareness that girly buttons if fitted should never be used

- mooring at winding holes and on water points

- in the case of heterosexual couples only the male partner is qualified to pilot the vessel through locks

- use of fake rivets and other controversial attachments

I would add:

• the use of excessively bright lights in tunnels to dazzle other players
• sledging, in particular on the subject of the best toilet technology to deploy.

[dccruiser]

 

Its the length of nb I have. Have cruised a large part of the network and haven't been beaten yet, including recently the nominal 57 foot locks of the Calder and Hebble.

+1

I also opted for a 60' boat and never had a problem, having been on many 57' boats the extra 3' does make a difference especially with a cruiser stern.

 

Rick

[BGA]

there is much sporting fun to be had on the canals.

in order to derive maximum satisfaction you will need to understand the rules of the sport, so that you can cheat a little and wind up other players regarding certain modes of play, including:

- limited allowable contact with other players

- disturbing other non-players or resting players (noise and wash)

- forcing other players into difficulties, aground or into obstruction like bridge abutments

- acceptable clothing

- awareness that girly buttons if fitted should never be used

- mooring at winding holes and on water points

- in the case of heterosexual couples only the male partner is qualified to pilot the vessel through locks

- use of fake rivets and other controversial attachments

Don't forget the mandatory "Captains" hat

[dccruiser]

Don't forget the mandatory "Captains" hat

And the "old guys rule T shirt" .... oh bugger i have one of them! .... it was a present though ... honest!!!

 

Rick

[Murflynn]

Don't forget the mandatory "Captains" hat

my baseball hat says 'Ancient Mariner' - that says it all

[dccruiser]

my baseball hat says 'Ancient Mariner' - that says it all

Funnily enough i got one of those along with the T shirt!

 

Rick

[by'eck]

Before buying my own 60 foot boat, I had shares in two 58 foot boats. Between them they covered almost every inch of thethe navigable UK canal system.

 

They also had more "usable" room than my present 60 foot boat. Interior space is also determined by design as well as length.

 

If you intend to travel the entire system, then I would go for a 57-58 foot boat, to minimise the risk of getting the boat caught up in any of the shorter locks. A well designed one will have as much "usable" space as many 60 footers.

 

But by that token a well designed 60 foot boat will offer yet more space than equivalent design 57/58 foot TBH I couldn't have had the layout I wanted with less than 60 foot, and as I mentioned haven't found any absolute limitations yet other than having to plan ascending rather than descending short locks.

 

my baseball hat says 'Ancient Mariner' - that says it all

 

I had one of those but it wore out several years ago - scary

[Murflynn]

 

 

I had one of those but it wore out several years ago - scary

I hope you do a risk assessment before you get out of bed in the morning.

[by'eck]

I hope you do a risk assessment before you get out of bed in the morning.

 

Like we did as youngsters you mean before stepping onto dodgy rafts made with old oil drums and punting across disused gravel pits filled to great depths with rain water and toxic waste

[ditchcrawler]

 

Like we did as youngsters you mean before stepping onto dodgy rafts made with old oil drums and punting across disused gravel pits filled to great depths with rain water and toxic waste

I don't remember playing with you, were you in the next village or something?

[Murflynn]

I had a deprived childhood - there was no open water or streams anywhere near us so I had to make do with sliding down a chalk slide (no doubt created by generations of kids) down the escarpment of the North Downs sitting on a tin tray, with brambles and a barbed wire fence at the bottom.

Alternatively racing down a narrow lane on a bike near the same location with no chance of stopping if a car came up the hill.

[Kevsco]

Thank all for your input. Greatly appreciated. We are taking the prospective new boat for a spin with the present owner and will make our decision after we see how the boat performs.

Getting excited but trying to keep sensible hat on at the same time!

[blackrose]

I wonder how many new boaters buy their first boat with the intention of "cruising the entire system" but end up just chugging up and down the same stretches of canal near their home mooring?

 

Not saying you won't cruise the entire system, but many who thought they would don't.

Edited September 19, 2015 by blackrose

[Murflynn]

I wonder how many new boaters buy their first boat with the intention of "cruising the entire system" but end up just chugging up and down the same stretches of canal near their home mooring?

 

 

That's the main reason why I sold my narrowboat and bought a trailerable yoghurt pot.

This season I've done 40 miles of the K&A, the Mon and Brec, and 50 miles of the Thames.

 

Last year I did 40 miles of the Thames and the whole of the Warwickshire Avon.

[adolf2]

I think the boat lenth for canals is 72 full lenth.Because Modern boats tend to be all-steel, although older ones may have GRP or wood superstructures. Their facilities tend to be better than cruisers, with full-standing headroom, heating, hot water, showers and bigger galleys. Very few narrowboats are less than £10,000 second hand, but they do keep their value much better.

[Graham Davis]

I think the boat lenth for canals is 72 full lenth. (1) Because Modern boats tend to be all-steel, although older ones may have GRP or wood superstructures (2). Their facilities tend to be better than cruisers, with full-standing headroom, heating, hot water, showers and bigger galleys. Very few narrowboats are less than £10,000 (3) second hand, but they do keep their value much better.

(1) A much too generalised comment. The maximum length of a canal boat depends on the canal on which it is or intends on being used. A 72' boat would not fit on many of the Northern canals.

(2) Historically the first boats were generally made of wood and then steel. It is only since the late 50's have GRP boats existed.

(3) Are you sure about that? There have been several mentioned on this Forum lately that have been less than that.