Boat&Bikes Posted February 10, 2018 Report Share Posted February 10, 2018 As we begin to think of our cruising route for this year I have a question regarding the Standedge tunnel. If we take our 58 foot NB through what are the chances of damaging the boat? Ian. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rusty69 Posted February 10, 2018 Report Share Posted February 10, 2018 Depends whether you have a kayak on the roof Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBiscuits Posted February 10, 2018 Report Share Posted February 10, 2018 Depends on the shape of your cabin. You are more likely to scratch the paint on the top corners than cause any real damage. The chaperones that go through the tunnel with you will warn you where the pinch points are. If you are nice to them rather than a grumpy sod they will even suggest where to speed up a bit and slow down a bit. We would recommend doing it - and you get to do both sides of the Huddersfield Narrow which is beautiful in more places than not. Even if it does go into Yorkshire Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Señor Chris Posted February 10, 2018 Report Share Posted February 10, 2018 Fairly high - quite difficult to avoid scratching the paintwork. The secret is to keep the power on - ease off and you lose steerage. I was doing fine until we got to the 'awkward bit', slowed down and the boat wandered off course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kendorr Posted February 10, 2018 Report Share Posted February 10, 2018 14 minutes ago, TheBiscuits said: Even if it does go into Yorkshire Actually, it comes out of Yorkshire and lets these less fortunate than us come in Back to the point, everyone should do the Huddersfield, lovely canal with some excellent views. I got Halcyon through with no damage, but she is only 36 foot in length. Try to arrive with a full diesel tank, then fill up the water tank before you set off and remove everything possible from the outside. Then, smile and enjoy it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wanderer Vagabond Posted February 10, 2018 Report Share Posted February 10, 2018 35 minutes ago, ianali said: As we begin to think of our cruising route for this year I have a question regarding the Standedge tunnel. If we take our 58 foot NB through what are the chances of damaging the boat? Ian. How good are you at steering? We took our 60 footer through last summer and the only damage we sustained was one of the 'poppers' that hold the cratch cover was scuffed off. We took the precautions of removing the nav lights and cratch cover but at the end of the day we only scuffed the tunnel wall once (sod's law came into play and it just happened to be where the popper was rivetted). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boat&Bikes Posted February 10, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2018 Thanks for replies.. edging towards going through but don't want to spend the rest of the year repairing damage. It does look great fun. Ian. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kendorr Posted February 10, 2018 Report Share Posted February 10, 2018 Your boat will be measured very carefully before setting off, if the CRT people think there is any chance of you not getting through, they won't let you set off. Check this out. https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/places-to-visit/standedge-tunnel-and-visitor-centre/boating-through-standedge-tunnel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nebulae Posted February 10, 2018 Report Share Posted February 10, 2018 Keep your speed down and ask for plenty of warning before stopping at the adits ( to report to control) .I have scraped the front corner of the roof a couple of times. My favorit canal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magictime Posted February 10, 2018 Report Share Posted February 10, 2018 I wouldn't want to put anyone off doing the Huddersfield Narrow - it really is an exceptionally scenic route. And the Standedge isn't as low as you might think from some of the hype - our (raised, tilting) solar panels were never in any danger. (They were in more danger from the ludicrously low bridges in Slaithwaite, in fact - now THAT was close!) However... ...I'm glad we were already planning to cut off the tractor seats on our boat; as you can see, one of them didn't survive being scraped along the tunnel wall. Nor did two or three of the fittings for our pram hood, which has left it out of commission until we get round to investigating the cost/simplicity of replacing them. We were also advised to remove our navigation lights before going through. Basically anything that sticks out seems to be at risk; if nothing does on your boat, scratches and scrapes are probably the worst you can expect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NB Esk Posted February 10, 2018 Report Share Posted February 10, 2018 This is what I did, using some old fenders I had in the rope locker. I was told I would touch but didn't (although was very close) obviously down to skill, lol. 55'.00" long, although according to Crt 54 feet 12 inches, lol. Also, note the line of 56lb weights temporarily brought forward. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mac of Cygnet Posted February 10, 2018 Report Share Posted February 10, 2018 The OP's Question is of course impossible to answer, although several have tried. The only precaution I take these days is to tape thick wodges of newspaper to the top front of the roof rails. Having said that, the most scratching I've had has been on the back (cruiser deck) rails. The most bumps I've had was when Fred Carter, the chief 'pilot' drove Cygnet through as part of the trials before self-drive was introduced - I just stood inside and gritted my teeth. Some of the worst pinch points have been removed in recent years. Far more damage was done when we were dragged through in convoy - extreme protective measures were needed then! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keeping Up Posted February 10, 2018 Report Share Posted February 10, 2018 The only damage we suffered to our 67ft boat was a tiny bit of paint being scratched off the top rear corner of the cabin on one way through, after our 'Pilot' said "OK get ready we're coming to the S-bend now" and when I asked "which way does it bend?" he replied "Both ways of course it's an S-bend" so I went the wrong way! On the way back we didn't touch at all. See our report here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Victor Vectis Posted February 10, 2018 Report Share Posted February 10, 2018 5 hours ago, Kev's Halcyon said: Actually, it comes out of Yorkshire and lets these less fortunate than us come in Back to the point, everyone should do the Huddersfield, lovely canal with some excellent views. I got Halcyon through with no damage, but she is only 36 foot in length. Try to arrive with a full diesel tank, then fill up the water tank before you set off and remove everything possible from the outside. Then, smile and enjoy it. Sounds like good advice. We're planning to go through from west to east later this year. Where are the last places to fill up? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alway Swilby Posted February 10, 2018 Report Share Posted February 10, 2018 (edited) I got a couple of cheap head torches and strapped one to each front top corner of the cabin sides. This gave a really good indication of where the roof and cabin sides were in relation to each other. I removed the cratch and pram covers just to be safe. Came through in our 60' without a scrape. Great experience, well worth doing. The CRT chappie was really knowlageble and helpful. It was wierd seeing a train through one of the side passages. Edited February 10, 2018 by Alway Swilby Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kendorr Posted February 10, 2018 Report Share Posted February 10, 2018 If I remember right, the last diesel was on the Peak Forest, or the Ashton. From memory there's no place to fill up on the Huddersfield, but somebody may know better than me. Water is easier, there's plenty and the last tap is at the tunnel entrance. Don't put things back on your roof after you exit the tunnel, there's a couple of bridges which are lower than the tunnel, the lowest being at Slaithwaite. Be prepared also for the lack of mooring places, at times it is very shallow. I went up in 2 days, 1 day for the tunnel, then 2 days down, good fun when you're single handed!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nbfiresprite Posted February 10, 2018 Report Share Posted February 10, 2018 36 minutes ago, Alway Swilby said: I got a couple of cheap head torches and strapped one to each front top corner of the cabin sides. This gave a really good indication of where the roof and cabin sides were in relation to each other. I removed the cratch and pram covers just to be safe. Came through in our 60' without a scrape. Great experience, well worth doing. The CRT chappie was really knowlageble and helpful. It was wierd seeing a train through one of the side passages. Nav lights do just as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chevron Posted February 10, 2018 Report Share Posted February 10, 2018 My boats quite near the size limit also has sides which are quite straight up rather than angled in got to the last couple of hundred yards and caught the front corner my mistake took a good chunk of rock with me.I was told to not fight the tunnels self steer and just keep a steady speed with gentle steering got carried away when the end of the tunnel was insight.the chap who goes through with you brings a good light on board which goes on the roof and lights the tunnel well.I also had a couple of the 210ltr plastic drums on the front deck which I filled with water to bring the front down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen-in-Wellies Posted February 10, 2018 Report Share Posted February 10, 2018 Every time you scrape the boat your are also removing a little bit of the sticky out tunnel wall, doing your part to help future boaters. I lost a little paint on the cabin corners. Hardest thing is keeping the concentration going for the entire tunnel traverse. It doesn't really let up. Excellent trip though. The entire canal is well worth doing. Jen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mac of Cygnet Posted February 10, 2018 Report Share Posted February 10, 2018 Regarding the very low bridges in Slaithwaite, you can lower the water level at the lock in the village centre if you find them too low - there's a reasonable depth of water to give a 1ft leeway if required. But also be aware that there are a couple of very narrow locks on the east side - I've seen a couple of boats stuck in them, including a dredger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alway Swilby Posted February 10, 2018 Report Share Posted February 10, 2018 3 hours ago, nbfiresprite said: Nav lights do just as well. True, but I think I took them off! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midnight Posted February 11, 2018 Report Share Posted February 11, 2018 A lot depends on the height and shape of your boat and the water level on the top pound. My boat is quite high so I usually come out with a scrape or two on the front and rear of the hand rails. I got through only once without slight cabin damage and that was when the top pound was really low. Having said that I bend a fender eye on the gunwale that time. IMO it's unlikely for boats to suffer serious damage although I expect someone will have a different opinion. In the past CaRT handed out really powerful head torches which fitted the hard hats but this year the chaperone only had a Led placed on the rear hatch. I used my own head torch but lost it when I caught one of the low bits - ironically a few feet before the brick-lined Yorkshire end. I recommend using one of those Led work lights from Screwfix. Placed on the front of the roof it will provide a bit better lighting than what CaRT provide now. BTW I would remove any navigation lights or risk the tunnel removing them for you. I've been through quite a few times now and although I made a mental note last year not to do it again I probably will. I would recommend anyone who hasn't had the experience to do so. The scenery is brilliant and worth a few scrapes, low pounds and self-closing gates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBiscuits Posted February 11, 2018 Report Share Posted February 11, 2018 30 minutes ago, Midnight said: A lot depends on the height and shape of your boat and the water level on the top pound. My boat is quite high so I usually come out with a scrape or two on the front and rear of the hand rails. I got through only once without slight cabin damage and that was when the top pound was really low. Having said that I bend a fender eye on the gunwale that time. IMO it's unlikely for boats to suffer serious damage although I expect someone will have a different opinion. In the past CaRT handed out really powerful head torches which fitted the hard hats but this year the chaperone only had a Led placed on the rear hatch. I used my own head torch but lost it when I caught one of the low bits - ironically a few feet before the brick-lined Yorkshire end. I recommend using one of those Led work lights from Screwfix. Placed on the front of the roof it will provide a bit better lighting than what CaRT provide now. BTW I would remove any navigation lights or risk the tunnel removing them for you. I've been through quite a few times now and although I made a mental note last year not to do it again I probably will. I would recommend anyone who hasn't had the experience to do so. The scenery is brilliant and worth a few scrapes, low pounds and self-closing gates. We did it in September last year and CRT had just got a new batch of superbright LED worklights. With one on the front and one at the back you can see all the interesting bits in the tunnel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midnight Posted February 11, 2018 Report Share Posted February 11, 2018 1 hour ago, TheBiscuits said: We did it in September last year and CRT had just got a new batch of superbright LED worklights. With one on the front and one at the back you can see all the interesting bits in the tunnel. Yes they had them when I came through in August but only one was available for me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mac of Cygnet Posted February 11, 2018 Report Share Posted February 11, 2018 I once had to stop at one of the adits and change my headlight. Fortunately I had a spare. No superbright LEDs in those days! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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