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March of the Widebeams

cuthound

By cuthound
in General Boating

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peterboat Veteran II

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Posted
Posted
8 hours ago, Captain Pegg said:

 

You have a very polarised view of boaters. Most people do not buy a narrowboat so they can cruise the system. They buy one because it is what fits on the canals near them or is otherwise readily available and affordable. Comparatively few boats - including narrowboats - ever cruise more than a limited proportion of the system.

 

There will never be an entirely fair way of pricing and as much as anything the approach since the abolition of tolls is likely largely based on the fact that until recently broad beam craft have been comparatively few in number.

 

So it's not unreasonable to change that approach and as is the nature of NGOs CRT are a little slow in responding. But why get so worked up about it? You seem desperate to prove a point to the extent that you forward some poor arguments, such as broad craft taking up twice as much mooring space when London liveaboards aside narrow boaters generally hate breasting up and are as likely as anyone to leave git gaps. Pay your way and enjoy your boating and don't make enemies of other boaters. Hopefully you'll soon start to understand the human side of canals that isn't generally evident to gongoozlers and hire boaters, and is clearly not a consideration in the way you have previously described "proper boaters" on this forum.

 

 

^^^^^^^^^^^^ exactly this

5 hours ago, M_JG said:

 

Problem with that is that there are CRT waterways where even huge widebeams can cruise and moor with no problems what so ever.

 

 

New junction.JPG

Yes boats that this size cruise on Martin 

Screenshot_20230413-193537_Gallery.jpg

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LadyG Veteran II

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Posted
Posted
On 01/05/2018 at 14:46, Athy said:

Is it not a matter of price, in the same way that the lumpy shape of a Kia is no match for the flowing lines of a Jaguar? Not everyone can afford the Jag option, and I suspect that it's similar with boats.

I think some people have no concept of style, they will buy a box, others could not live with a box, they will buy something with style.

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Captain Pegg Veteran

Captain Pegg

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, Tacet said:

I can think of lots of things that are not within the definition of a narrow boat but are certainly not widebeams either.

 

1 hour ago, magnetman said:

The term "widebeam" is a little bit like the term "continuous cruiser". It doesn't exist but most people know what it means.

 

Logically a "widebeam" boat when talking about canals would be one which is too wide to go through a narrow lock but at the end of the day the term is usually applied to a boat which looks like a generic narrow boat from the side and you can't tell how wide it is.

 

A 9ft wide gentleman's launch would not be a widebeam even though it is wider than a narrow boat. 

 

It isn't a narrow boat either. 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, the term widebeam is a modern thing. There was a time when canals were described as being narrow or broad. @Alan de Enfield is correct in what he says regarding the definition of a narrow boat but everything outwith has a broad beam which I think is a better term than a widebeam.

 

Not that I entirely buy the notion that you can really be anti-widebeam but not broad beam craft.

 

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MtB Veteran II

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Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, Captain Pegg said:

but everything outwith has a broad beam which I think is a better term than a widebeam.

 

And an even better term is a broad bean. 

 

I think MM coined that, but he forgot it and now says wide bean. 

 

I think I might have inspired him though, with my own long term use of the term "human bean".

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Athy Veteran II

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Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, LadyG said:

I think some people have no concept of style, they will buy a box, others could not live with a box, they will buy something with style.

As it has taken you almost five e years to come up with that reply, obviously I respect it.

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Guest

Guest

Posted
Posted
Just now, Athy said:

Thank you for the coat-hangers. Is something baffling you?

 

No not baffled.

 

I simply didnt understand the reference to five years.

 

Untill I checked back to the date of the post you quoted.

 

Quite bizarre.

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Athy Veteran II

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Posted
Posted
9 hours ago, M_JG said:

 

No not baffled.

 

I simply didnt understand the reference to five years.

 

Untill I checked back to the date of the post you quoted.

 

Quite bizarre.

Baffling in fact.

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MtB Veteran II

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Posted
Posted
31 minutes ago, magnetman said:

It seems odd that the two terms are narrow boat and widebeam.

 

Why is it not just narrow boat and wide boat? 

 

Explained previously, because the term "widebeam" is a contraction or abbreviation of what they were originally called when some bright spark first built a narrowboat wider than 7ft.  People (in their horror at how fugly it was) naturally referred to it a "widebeam narrowboat" to distinguish it from proper wide boats. 

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magnetman Veteran II

magnetman

Posted
Posted (edited)
30 minutes ago, Rambling Boater said:

The action group do call them wide boats.

 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/233961380673444/?locale=en_GB

Interesting reading. 

 

Thank you for adding that link. I don't use fb so can't see all of it but the letter from parry is interesting as is the response from the nbta geyser. 

 

"...using their incredibly leading survey to justify their actions, we will be taking action to show them that we are more hassle than it's worth."

 

------------------

 

What are we talking about here? Mass non payment of licence/certificates? Blockading of vital routes? 

Pile of lavatory compost on someone's doorstep? Pitchforks?

 

At the end of the day people will have to pay what the Trust asks them to pay or they will probably get moved off. 

Edited by magnetman
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IanD Veteran II

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Posted
Posted (edited)
9 minutes ago, peterboat said:

Well they seem to have the measure of the consultation!

 

Indeed, all the expected responses in response to Parry's letter explaining why the license fees are going up -- basically saying "We don't want to pay more, it's not fair!!!"...

 

Now I expect a predictable response from you in response to my predictable comment on your predictable response... 😉

 

(we've been over all this a thousand times, so let's not do it again 🙂

Edited by IanD
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magnetman Veteran II

magnetman

Posted
Posted

I am intrigued to see what the outcome is. Will the CRT pussy-foot around and do gradual phased increases or will they go for the jugular and hit hard. 

 

Interesting that someone is claiming it is unlawful. Presumably this can be tested if needed. 

 

 

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MtB Veteran II

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Posted
Posted
1 minute ago, IanD said:

 

Indeed, all the expected responses in response to Parry's letter explaining why the license fees are going up -- basically saying "We don't want to pay more, it's not fair!!!"...

 

Now I expect a predictable response from you... 😉

 

(we've been over all this a thousand times, so let's not do it again 🙂

 

 

I'm sure we will though. We've not been through it all for several days now....

 

I'll go first! I think it is fair for bigger boats to pay more than smaller boats. Anyone here disagree?

 

 

 

 

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peterboat Veteran II

peterboatDonate to Canal World

Posted
Posted
5 minutes ago, IanD said:

 

Indeed, all the expected responses in response to Parry's letter explaining why the license fees are going up -- basically saying "We don't want to pay more, it's not fair!!!"...

 

Now I expect a predictable response from you in response to my predictable comment on your predictable response... 😉

 

(we've been over all this a thousand times, so let's not do it again 🙂

I think we should all pay the same % rise whatever the boat is, if they bring in a CC license so be it

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magnetman Veteran II

magnetman

Posted
Posted
1 minute ago, MtB said:

 

 

I'm sure we will though. We've not been through it all for several days now....

 

I'll go first! I think it is fair for bigger boats to pay more than smaller boats. Anyone here disagree?

 

 

 

 

I'm not into fairness but it makes sense to charge by area. Both of my boats are wider than narrow boats but one of them is on the Thames where we already pay by area anyway. 

 

It just makes sense. 

 

The limited cruising range argument is  a red herring. 

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