62ft or 70ft single handed in the lock ?

[Jack48]

Planning a 62ft nb purchase for loads of reasons one being single handed in locks, is 70ft single handed in a lock an issue ?

[PaulG]

Planning a 62ft nb purchase for loads of reasons one being single handed in locks, is 70ft single handed in a lock an issue ?

It depends which waterway the lock is on.

70 ft does not fit in many locks.

[Tony Dunkley]

Planning a 62ft nb purchase for loads of reasons one being single handed in locks, is 70ft single handed in a lock an issue ?

 

I don't really understand what's behind this question, or the reason for you asking it, but if you're thinking about a 62' boat so that you can use the Leeds and Liverpool to cross the Pennines, then 70' would be major problem, no matter how well handed you are.

[Jack48]

Woops, just found the thread "Single Handed Locking started 23/02/09", maybe should have posted there, not much of a keyboard warrior, as new to computers as Narrowboats.

[Tony Dunkley]

 

70 ft does not fit in many locks.

 

That's nonsense, . . . apart from the waterways crossing the Pennines and the top end of the cut to Sheffield you can get around the majority of waterways with a 70' boat.

[DHutch]

Indeed.

 

The length of boat does not in my mind make very much difference to how it handles (once you get over about 30-40ft anyway) at which point as said the issue is not its ease but if it is possible at all.

 

If anything as long as its not within 4inchs and into 'fender lifting' territory to make it fit the longer the boat the nicer it will fit in the lock and less it can and hence will move around. A 70ft boat is already around 2ft shorter than max length.

 

Our boat is 58ft which allows a small additional number of locks to be used, such as the Huddersfield broad canal, and is also fine through 72ft locks if not as nice a fit as a full length working boat.

 

 

Daniel

Woops, just found the thread "Single Handed Locking started 23/02/09", maybe should have posted there, not much of a keyboard warrior, as new to computers as Narrowboats.

No worries at all.

 

- Its certainly no less appropriate to start a new topic than it is to restart at now 7 years old thread!

 

 

Welcome to the forum.

 

 

Daniel

[NickF]

Personally I would have thought either come down to 58ft so you can go anywhere, or go up to 70ft so have have more space. 62ft seems to be the worst of both.

[Jack48]

 

I don't really understand what's behind this question, or the reason for you asking it, but if you're thinking about a 62' boat so that you can use the Leeds and Liverpool to cross the Pennines, then 70' would be major problem, no matter how well handed you are.

Sorry if I didn't pose the question correctly, i'll try again. does handling 70ft in a lock single handed pose any issues where it would be easier with 62ft !?

i.e sills / movement etc. etc.

Sorry if I didn't pose the question correctly, i'll try again. does handling 70ft in a lock single handed pose any issues where it would be easier with 62ft !?

i.e sills / movement etc. etc.

P.S. not dragging it up the garden path or climbing a tree with it, would 70ft give me issues against 62ft.

[PaulG]

 

That's nonsense, . . . apart from the waterways crossing the Pennines and the top end of the cut to Sheffield you can get around the majority of waterways with a 70' boat.

There are "many" locks on those waterways...

[blackrose]

Sorry if I didn't pose the question correctly, i'll try again. does handling 70ft in a lock single handed pose any issues where it would be easier with 62ft !?

i.e sills / movement etc. etc.

 

It's certainly going to be easier to keep a 62ft boat away from the cill in many locks (and also away from protrusions in some lock gates) than a 70ft boat. When you're single-handing you have to operate the lock and keep a constant eye on the boat at the same time. Of course you can do this for either length of boat, but personally I think 62ft just gives you a bit more margin of error.

Edited January 28, 2016 by blackrose

[Tony Dunkley]

Sorry if I didn't pose the question correctly, i'll try again. does handling 70ft in a lock single handed pose any issues where it would be easier with 62ft !?

i.e sills / movement etc. etc.

 

No, provided that you work locks in the correct manner and don't deviate from your normal routine when doing so.

 

There is one consideration that needs thinking about more nowadays than it used to, though.

Because of the lousy maintenance standards imposed on our waterways by the present custodians, most lock gates leak very badly, so if you go for 70' you'll need a boat that can stand torrents of water falling all over both ends of it, without too much getting inside the cabin.

[nicknorman]

Sorry if I didn't pose the question correctly, i'll try again. does handling 70ft in a lock single handed pose any issues where it would be easier with 62ft !?

i.e sills / movement etc. etc.

P.S. not dragging it up the garden path or climbing a tree with it, would 70ft give me issues against 62ft.

No I think it would if anything be easier since the boat can't move much /pick up momentum. Clearly you would need to be careful about cilling going down hill but that applies to any boat.

[Jack48]

 

No worries at all.

- Its certainly no less appropriate to start a new topic than it is to restart at now 7 years old thread!

 

Welcome to the forum.

 

Daniel

That's what i'm looking for, thanks Daniel for the welcome.

Just maybe returning to the UK in spring after years away, wife has a dodgy leg hence trying to find in's and out's etc of single handed.

[Jack48]

Good feed back thank you, thinking 62ft's the way to go, that margin of error thinking is doing for me.

Slight issue is we're a bit keen on the likes of a RW Davis / Barry Hawkins. Trader, 2 or 3 LW i'sh kinda thing.

62ft are in the rocking horse poo category, hence the 70ft thinking.

[Cloudinspector]

Personally I would have thought either come down to 58ft so you can go anywhere, or go up to 70ft so have have more space. 62ft seems to be the worst of both.

 

Don't quite understand your reasoning behind this. We liveaboard a 62ft tug and being based up north this means we can cross the Pennines on the Leeds Liverpool and use the Rufford branch/ribble link/Lancaster canal. Had we gone for 58ft we would have 4ft less space.

 

That's what i'm looking for, thanks Daniel for the welcome.

Just maybe returning to the UK in spring after years away, wife has a dodgy leg hence trying to find in's and out's etc of single handed.

Personally I don't have any problem single handing our 62ft boat and I dare say 70ft would be no different. Care always needs to be taken when in locks however long your boat as recent cillings of much shorter boats proves.

[David Mack]

62 ft will just get you across the L&L, but if you want to do all the Northern waterways 60 ft is your absolute limit, with 58 ft being more practical - most 60 footers have to go backwards through Salterhebble.

[MarkHez]

What about a 60ft RW Davis?

 

http://narrowboats.apolloduck.co.uk/feature.phtml?id=442649

[Jack48]

What about a 60ft RW Davis?

 

http://narrowboats.apolloduck.co.uk/feature.phtml?id=442649

Seen it, it's been there a while with Rugby Boats, whilst that Kelvin is the bees knees I think it's way to big and heavy for 60ft,

Also well deck on a Northwich Trader don't do it for us.

We'd not be adverse to a mega refit on that shell but getting on for it's current £70,000 has more than taken all it's money. thanks anyway

[Jack48]

Don't quite understand your reasoning behind this. We liveaboard a 62ft tug and being based up north this means we can cross the Pennines on the Leeds Liverpool and use the Rufford branch/ribble link/Lancaster canal. Had we gone for 58ft we would have 4ft less space.

 

 

Personally I don't have any problem single handing our 62ft boat and I dare say 70ft would be no different. Care always needs to be taken when in locks however long your boat as recent cillings of much shorter boats proves.

Just noted NB Mervyn on your posting and it's on it's way to ticking all the boxes for us, your blog re Gardner is very good, We were running 150 & 180 Gardner's around in the late 60's early 70's in Atkinson's and E R F's, for my sins being part of the decline in the working canals, right now in retirement looking for a flat cap and jumping off this tecno plannet and listening to Gardner music.

Sorry if I drifted off subject a bit, just got a nostalgic.

Edited January 28, 2016 by Jack48

[MarkHez]

Seen it, it's been there a while with Rugby Boats, whilst that Kelvin is the bees knees I think it's way to big and heavy for 60ft,

Also well deck on a Northwich Trader don't do it for us.

We'd not be adverse to a mega refit on that shell but getting on for it's current £70,000 has more than taken all it's money. thanks anyway

 

To be honest they're my exact thoughts about Ariel as well! 60 footers don't come up all that often though (neither do the 70s for that matter!).

[blackrose]

Personally I don't have any problem single handing our 62ft boat and I dare say 70ft would be no different. Care always needs to be taken when in locks however long your boat as recent cillings of much shorter boats proves.

 

Yes, I agree that care always need to be taken in locks whatever size the boat However, I can't help thinking that even more care needs to be taken if your rudder is only 2 or 3 ft from a cill, compared to 10ft away.

Edited January 28, 2016 by blackrose

[Bewildered]

I have just bought a 70 footer; my reasoning was quite simple

I intend to live aboard and CC, I intend to do as much of the network as possible.

The 70 footer simply gives me more living space.

OK so I can't do some of the northern canals but if I really need to collect them I can always hire or borrow a shorter boat; but for the bulk of the network I have more living and storage space

[Markinaboat]

From my experience, The longer/heavier the boat the less twitchy in locks or any sided treats etc. Having been a liveaboards on various nb's for 15 yrs, we recently purchased another 70 footer with bowthrusters. Used to poo poo them but wouldn't be without now. What a difference it makes when compared to hauling in 25 tons in an offshore wind or indeed winding/negotiating very tight turns with shallows to the side. And we have a Gardner 3L2 to complete the package which is somewhat easier to live with than the Kelvin K3 was In a Northwich Trader.

 

We went to see this in October, we were very drawn to it until we found Nellie No1.

 

http://www.newandusedboat.co.uk/used-boat.php?boatID=653

Edited January 28, 2016 by Markinaboat

[mark99]

and listening to Gardner music.

Sorry if I drifted off subject a bit, just got a nostalgic.

 

 

Ahh Gardner music......

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0UsYRVb84A

[NickF]