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Scottish canals - a widebeam?


Donna

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As I live in Scotland and would quite like to stay, I was wondering how much of the canal system here would actually take a widebeam, which I am thinking of getting.

 

If it was just the two of us we would probably get a narrowboat but we have a little boy and looking ahead to the future I can't imagine him enjoying living in such a cramped space with his parents when he is older and a widebeam gives us a little more breathing space. Does anyone on here know how much of the Scottish canals are wide enough?

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https://www.scottishcanals.co.uk/activities/boating/skippers-guides/

 

The hard limit is the Union Canal / the Falkirk Wheel at a maximum beam (width) of 11 feet 6 inches

 

Forth & Clyde:

Max. Boat Length: 19.20m (63ft)

Width / Beam: 6.00m (19ft 8in)

Channel Depth: 1.83m (6ft)

Maximum Headroom 3.00m (9ft 10in)

*Slightly longer vessels, depending on their hull

shape, may be accommodated. Contact 0845

676 6000 when planning passage.

 

 

Forth & Clyde Canal, Glasgow Branch:

Max. Boat Length: 24.2m (79ft)

Width / Beam: 5.02m (16ft 6in)

Channel Depth: 1.4m (4ft 6in)

Maximum Headroom: 3.00m (9ft 10in)

 

 

Union Canal & The Falkirk Wheel:

Lock Length: 21.3m (70ft)

Width: 3.5m (11ft 6in)

Channel Depth: 1.07m (3ft 6in)

Maximum Headroom: 2.7m (8ft 11in)

 

 

The Falkirk Wheel Locks

Channel Depth 1.5m (5ft)

Maximum Headroom: 2.74m (8ft 10in)

Golden Jubilee Lock: (Lock 3: F&C into basin)

Length: 21.30m (70ft)

Width / Beam: 3.83m (12ft 6in)

Channel Depth: 1.50m (5ft)

Max headroom: 2.74m (9ft)

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without looking it up i am sure they are all designed for big boats

 

On the other hand, I'm not sure I would want to take a boat designed for English canals from the Caledonian Canal to the Crinan Canal icecream.gif

 

Richard

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As I live in Scotland and would quite like to stay, I was wondering how much of the canal system here would actually take a widebeam, which I am thinking of getting.

 

If it was just the two of us we would probably get a narrowboat but we have a little boy and looking ahead to the future I can't imagine him enjoying living in such a cramped space with his parents when he is older and a widebeam gives us a little more breathing space. Does anyone on here know how much of the Scottish canals are wide enough?

 

Hi Donna

 

Its realy a no brainer and think yourself lucky you wish to remain in Jockland. The term " Widebeam " is a bit of a misnomer anyway and realy only refers to boats over 7 feet wide because of the orrible canal system we av down here in England. The facts are that no one in their right mind today would honestly specify a boat the width of a narrowboat to live on its just that in order to use the majority of the English system we have to. No narrowboat will ever be as comfy to live on than boats of a more sensible girth so yes go ahead and buy one a narrowbeam boat up there would be unnecesary and indeed silly.

A few peeps also have them on the European waterways which to me just beggars belief.

 

Tim

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Hi Donna

 

Its realy a no brainer and think yourself lucky you wish to remain in Jockland. The term " Widebeam " is a bit of a misnomer anyway and realy only refers to boats over 7 feet wide because of the orrible canal system we av down here in England. The facts are that no one in their right mind today would honestly specify a boat the width of a narrowboat to live on its just that in order to use the majority of the English system we have to. No narrowboat will ever be as comfy to live on than boats of a more sensible girth so yes go ahead and buy one a narrowbeam boat up there would be unnecesary and indeed silly.

A few peeps also have them on the European waterways which to me just beggars belief.

 

Tim

some of us are alright my canal is lovely and wide and so are the locks. for me their is no contest, i love the space of my widebeam and having lived on a narrowboat for 6 years would be hard pushed to give it up

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The late Roger Lorenz in Neptune found that a band of shotcrete in the tunnel near the Falkirk wheel was the narrowest point. A crane was involved.

Tim

yes, I remember that! He was on his way to the World canal conference in Edinburgh and Neptune got stuck in the tunnel. Apparently there was rock sticking out below the water level and the straight sides of Neptune caught on it. BW Scotland, as it was then, craned the boat out and put it in beyond the tunnel.

 

haggis

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Hey Donna, there are lots of widebeams on both lowland canals. The Forth n Clyde would be a doddle in a widebeam, it's a really wide canal.

 

The Union Canal is a bit more of a challenge, but still there are lots of widebeams moving about. It's quite silted up so passing another widebeam coming the other way would be a bit hairy! But most of the trip boats are widebeams and they seem to cope.

 

Hope it works out for you, we're at Auchinstarry on the Forth n Clyde.

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