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hi widebeam or narrowboat ?

colin1325

By colin1325
in Living Afloat

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Alan de Enfield Veteran II

Alan de Enfield

Posted
Posted (edited)

Maybe you'd like to provide a little more info about your intended use so people can comment on their individual benefits (or otherwise)

 

Budget

New or Secondhand

Where do you intend to cruise / moor

Liveaboard or Holiday cruiser

 

etc etc

Edited by Alan de Enfield
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matty40s Veteran II

matty40s

Posted
Posted

Maybe you'd like to provide a little more info about your intended use so people can comment on their individual benefits (or otherwise)

 

Budget

New or Secondhand

Where do you intend to cruise / moor

Liveaboard or Holiday cruiser

 

etc etc

OP didn't mention they wanted one, just wanted an argument about it.icecream.gif

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Neil2 Veteran

Neil2

Posted
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There are some pug ugly narrowboats but I've never seen any widebeam that was pleasing to the eye. That's enough to put me off, but on a practical level, a widebeam can't realistically navigate the broad canal network they are just too heavy and the canals are too shallow.

 

So ok if you don't care about aesthetics and don't plan to do much cruising.

 

 

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Bettie Boo Experienced

Bettie Boo

Posted
Posted

As others have already stated, depends on your personal circumstances and what's important to you.

 

Big investment in a WB to use it as a wkend cruiser for 2, but then again, trying to raise a young family of 3 little ones on a 40ft NB isn't something I'd relish.

 

Tell us a little about yourself and we'll give you some things to consider.

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Tam & Di Influencer

Tam & Di

Posted
Posted

As others have already stated, depends on your personal circumstances and what's important to you.

 

........

 

Tell us a little about yourself and we'll give you some things to consider.

 

The topic "dla benefits and carers allowance" Colin started a couple of days ago does this http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=86120#entry1854423

 

He says he is looking to base himself and disabled wife on the K&A

 

Tam

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Neil2 Veteran

Neil2

Posted
Posted

The K&A is one canal I will never visit again at least not until CRT have sorted out the malaise of liveaboards clogging it up and if there is one canal that isn't suitable for a widebeam this is it. We followed one of these things down the cut from Newbury a few years ago (when the channel was deeper than it is now) at 1.5mph. Another coming the opposite direction was creating such a huge wash it was swamping the towpath.

 

 

 

 

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spadefoot Proficient

spadefoot

Posted
Posted

There are some pug ugly narrowboats but I've never seen any widebeam that was pleasing to the eye. That's enough to put me off, but on a practical level, a widebeam can't realistically navigate the broad canal network they are just too heavy and the canals are too shallow.

 

So ok if you don't care about aesthetics and don't plan to do much cruising.

 

 

 

The K&A is one canal I will never visit again at least not until CRT have sorted out the malaise of liveaboards clogging it up and if there is one canal that isn't suitable for a widebeam this is it. We followed one of these things down the cut from Newbury a few years ago (when the channel was deeper than it is now) at 1.5mph. Another coming the opposite direction was creating such a huge wash it was swamping the towpath.

 

 

 

 

That's got to be the biggest load of nonsense written on this forum for weeks.

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Dave Payne Influencer

Dave Payne

Posted
Posted

I have decided to tackle this problem head on, i am going to buy two fat boats, i shall moor one in the south, the other in the north, then my skinny boat will be moored in the midlands, i can then hop between them in the midlands.

 

Can someone lend me a few thousand pounds to bring this plan to action.

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FadeToScarlet Veteran

FadeToScarlet

Posted
Posted

I have decided to tackle this problem head on, i am going to buy two fat boats, i shall moor one in the south, the other in the north, then my skinny boat will be moored in the midlands, i can then hop between them in the midlands.

 

Can someone lend me a few thousand pounds to bring this plan to action.

And miss out on the broad rivers to the East?

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Bettie Boo Experienced

Bettie Boo

Posted
Posted

Narrowboat because a widebeam will always be a pain in the ass if you actually want to move.

 

That sounds like a very confident statement made by someone with loads of experience on both the tillers of NB's & WB's - can you confirm your experience please? And what exactly do you find to be a PITA

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dmr Veteran II

dmr

Posted
Posted

Narrowboat because a widebeam will always be a pain in the ass if you actually want to move.

 

My own observations (on the K&A) are that some widebeams manage to cruise over a limited (but acceptable) range but that almost none actually go anywhere (Thames/Grand Union etc). A fair few become static or almost static. The Western End is very beautiful but has a couple of narrow bits and bends with moored boats (on long term moorings) and is not easy or pleasant for widebeams unless the steerers are skilled and confident.

In general widebeams are are for people who want to live on the canal whilst narrows are for people who want to go boating, but there are many many exceptions to this generalisation.

 

.................Dave

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