wide beam no mooring

[b0atman]

My Nicholsons is 2012 so pre CRT, I note it has a Navigation note on page 54 Grand Union Canal. This is for section from Hemel Hempstead.

3 BW request that no wide beam craft moor on line between here and Braunston.

Does this repeat in newer books ?

[roland elsdon]

When I have mentioned this in the past the vitriol got unpleasant. You are a brave man prepare to duck. Suffice to say the Guccc tried wide boats in the 30s before giving up, above berko. However the modern era has discovered they can be successfully fly moored and navigated anywhere including the northern Oxford, causing no problems.

[hounddog]

Bettie Boo would be the person to ask, they cruise extensively in this area.

 

Unfortunately, you can't.

[RLWP]

Bettie Boo would be the person to ask, they cruise extensively in this area.

 

Unfortunately, you can't.

 

Oh go on - try sending her a PM. She's a member here, just chooses not to post

 

Richard

[spadefoot]

You shouldn't have any major problems navigating all the way to Camp Hill. I've only been as far north as Cosgrove, plenty of room but my 'beamer is a mere 10'. Yeah, BB should know but if you can't reach her, try Jenlyn.

A modern widebeam is probably a lot shallower drafted than the wide workboats that were tried in past times, meaning that they can move further off-channel.

[dogless]

I have certainly seen wide beams as far north as Hatton.

 

I passed a wide beam heading south through Warwick during September this year.

 

Ian at Saltisford told me it had visited the arm, and that earlier in the summer a wide beam hotel boat also visited.

 

There are wide beams on offside private moorings at Braunston and Radford Semele.

 

C&RT would tell you authoritively of course, but I'm sure you know that.

 

Rog

[b0atman]

So to answer my question is it still repeated by Nicholsons in the latest "new" editions ? Betty Boo is alive and hopefully well as i had PM from her .

[mark99]

Yes it's in My Nicholsons which is fairly new.

[FadeToScarlet]

The "no widebeams above Berkhampstead" rule was put in place by a previous waterway manager who has now left. It never was a bylaw, but his rule made it into Nicholsons.

[RufusR]

nah cant be true , its wide beam central round ere ... every second boat moored up is a fatty bungelow

[dogless]

nah cant be true , its wide beam central round ere ... every second boat moored up is a fatty bungelow

 

But where is here please?

 

As the wide beam passed us last month, it did strike me that passage on such a boat must be tricky in places.

 

We crossed paths outside Kate Boats and Delta Marine at Warwick. There's always lots of boats moored on the offside and then visitor moorings on the towpath side. I had to find a gap and pull over to let them by. Not a problem as I could get out of the way, but in some spots it could get awkward.

 

I also thought a lot of good judgement is required by the steerer.

 

Rog

[PaddingtonBear]

The.fact that they have bought a floating bungalow might suggest that judgement was severely lacking.

[dogless]

The.fact that they have bought a floating bungalow might suggest that judgement was severely lacking.

Ooer......glad I didn't say that

 

Rog

[GUMPY]

The "no widebeams above Berkhampstead" rule was put in place by a previous waterway manager who has now left. It never was a bylaw, but his rule made it into Nicholsons.

Who was that?

Id be intersted to know.

[cereal tiller]

Who was that?

Id be intersted to know.

Was it a Mr Arbuckle? or maybe not.....

 

CT

[spadefoot]

Ha ha ha ha ha.......floating bungalow.... ha ha ha.cracks me up, every time I hear it.................sorry, nodded off for a while.

[Jrtm]

Seen far too many wide beams moored along from hemal to braunstone.

 

What i mean is there moored easly and safly i.e. not having or causing problem didnt mean there were too many about

Edited October 20, 2016 by billybobbooth

[Peter X]

You shouldn't have any major problems navigating all the way to Camp Hill. I've only been as far north as Cosgrove, plenty of room but my 'beamer is a mere 10'. Yeah, BB should know but if you can't reach her, try Jenlyn.

A modern widebeam is probably a lot shallower drafted than the wide workboats that were tried in past times, meaning that they can move further off-channel.

The GU is wide enough to get a wide beam all the way to the top of Camp Hill, but I guess few people do it. I do remember seeing one as far up as just below the Knowle locks in September. It would help if a widebeam attempting the trip were shallow, as beyond Catherine de Barnes the canal badly needs dredging. I was aboard both times this year that the we brought the loaded NBT coal boats through there, and we found progress was slow.

[IanM]

The GU is wide enough to get a wide beam all the way to the top of Camp Hill, but I guess few people do it. I do remember seeing one as far up as just below the Knowle locks in September. It would help if a widebeam attempting the trip were shallow, as beyond Catherine de Barnes the canal badly needs dredging. I was aboard both times this year that the we brought the loaded NBT coal boats through there, and we found progress was slow.

There's a pinch point at a bridge on the Stockton locks, I believe, which limits how wide the wide beam can be but yes, technically you're correct

[blackrose]

Ha ha ha ha ha.......floating bungalow.... ha ha ha.cracks me up, every time I hear it.................sorry, nodded off for a while.

 

Cracks me up too because my 12ft widebeam has seen a lot more of the waterways than many narrowboats, as well as tidal waters where so many canal boaters fear to venture.

[FadeToScarlet]

The GU is wide enough to get a wide beam all the way to the top of Camp Hill

Good luck getting anything near 14' beam through Leighton Buzzard! There's a pinch point by an old sand (?) loading wharf. It's less than 14' wide.

[ditchcrawler]

The GU is wide enough to get a wide beam all the way to the top of Camp Hill, but I guess few people do it. I do remember seeing one as far up as just below the Knowle locks in September. It would help if a widebeam attempting the trip were shallow, as beyond Catherine de Barnes the canal badly needs dredging. I was aboard both times this year that the we brought the loaded NBT coal boats through there, and we found progress was slow.

What do you define as wide, anything over 7 foot 2 inch or 14 feet?

edit

What Fadetoscarlet said, also Blue Lias

Edited October 21, 2016 by ditchcrawler

[cuthound]

I seem to recall someone trying to take a wide beam L&L working boat called "Arthur"? to Birmingham.

 

IIRC they got stuck around Stockton, despite chiselling the towpath concrete capping off several bridges. This would have been early 60's?

 

Edited to add the time period.

Edited October 22, 2016 by cuthound

[Pluto]

I seem to recall someone trying to take a wide beam L&L working boat called "Arthur"? to Birmingham.

 

IIRC they got stuck around Stockton, despite chiselling the towpath concrete capping off several bridges. This would have been early 60's?

 

Edited to add the time period.

I seem to remember it as 1969 or 1970 as I was one of the chisellers. I was in a group from Gas Street on the way to/return from the IWA Northampton Rally.

[Peter X]

To answer several people, when I said a wide beam can get to the end of the GU, I had in mind a typical wide beam of say 12 feet (I don't know exactly what will fit though the pinch point at Stockton), not the full 14 feet. All the locks will take a pair of narrow boats, I've seen and done that, but while most of the bridge holes will too, and I guess that was the objective when the Grand Union company did their works in the early 1930s, a few won't.

 

For example the first bridge above Hatton will take a pair except for two rogue coping stones at the north end which stick out. I'm not encouraging anyone to take a chisel to them without CRT approval!

 

In practice of course a pair will normally single out on much of the GU except when doing a flight of locks or mooring.