March of the Widebeams

[magnetman]

Sail around the world in a sloop. 

[kris88]

42 minutes ago, peterboat said:

What would you do do when it all closed down because 99% couldn't afford it?

Andrew would want it filled in and turned into cycle ways.

[ditchcrawler]

Lets hope this doesnt turn up on the North Oxford Rusty revamp! Take a look at this cargo boat transformation (msn.com)

[john6767]

We came down Knowle locks earlier today, and coming up was a large Aqualine widebeam.  I have seen that boat between Braunston and Napton, so I would expect it got to Knowle by water but how it got through Blue Lias bride I don’t how, as it looked to me to be wider than 12’ 6”, but I guess it can’t be.

 

The volunteer lock keeper did not understand when I said he’s not going far, did not know that the locks from there are narrow!

[pearley]

On 17/04/2023 at 11:31, Lady C said:

Currently, per foot, shorter boats pay more than longer boats.  Changing to charging by area should resolve this anomaly.

EA tried this on Great Ouse but added a 'standing charge' too which would have meant short, wide boats paying a lot more than long narrow ones, like narrowboats. The ensuing revolt saw them back down.

[ditchcrawler]

1 hour ago, john6767 said:

We came down Knowle locks earlier today, and coming up was a large Aqualine widebeam.  I have seen that boat between Braunston and Napton, so I would expect it got to Knowle by water but how it got through Blue Lias bride I don’t how, as it looked to me to be wider than 12’ 6”, but I guess it can’t be.

 

The volunteer lock keeper did not understand when I said he’s not going far, did not know that the locks from there are narrow!

I think Blue Lias is more than 12-6 but less than 14ft 

[john6767]

8 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

I think Blue Lias is more than 12-6 but less than 14ft 

It is supposed to be the pinch point that limits that section of the GU to 12’ 6” max, but perhaps it is in reality a bit more, although the bridge profile is also very curved.

[davem399]

13 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

I think Blue Lias is more than 12-6 but less than 14ft 

I remember sitting in the pub garden of the Blue Lias pub twenty one years ago, when two narrow boats left the lock before the bridge still rafted together for some reason.  They clouted the bridge quite severely.  So not 14’ it would seem.

 

 

[ditchcrawler]

4 minutes ago, john6767 said:

It is supposed to be the pinch point that limits that section of the GU to 12’ 6” max, but perhaps it is in reality a bit more, although the bridge profile is also very curved.

I said that as I have seen a pair of narrowboats NOT get through, like Dave, but I dont think they were 18" too tight

[john6767]

1 minute ago, ditchcrawler said:

I said that as I have seen a pair of narrowboats NOT get through, like Dave, but I dont think they were 18" too tight

We will go through there on Sunday I think, perhaps I will try and measure it!

[matty40s]

I think the concrete bridge below Warwicksfly is the pinch point, the narrowest bit is underwater, even after work last Winter.

The Blue Lias became narrower when thick rubber protection strips were added, these and the brickwork were amended.

[John Brightley]

Matty is correct - the bridge below Warwicks Fly is the pinch point (at waterline). It is supposed to be 12'6", but the bridge has subsided/moved slightly over the years so there was the incident about a year ago when a 12'6" wide boat came to it from Warwick and got stuck, before CRT worked out a way to enlarge the opening slightly to get it through. 

However the bridge by the Blue Lias is reputedly narrower at cabin height -I seem to recall that there was a boat which got through the Warwicks fly bridge but stuck at Blue Lias because of the lack of tumblehome on the cabin.

[Victor Vectis]

On 03/05/2023 at 15:34, john6767 said:

We came down Knowle locks earlier today, and coming up was a large Aqualine widebeam.  I have seen that boat between Braunston and Napton, so I would expect it got to Knowle by water but how it got through Blue Lias bride I don’t how, as it looked to me to be wider than 12’ 6”, but I guess it can’t be.

 

The volunteer lock keeper did not understand when I said he’s not going far, did not know that the locks from there are narrow!

 

I wonder if that is the one that has been knocking about in the Hatton/Knowle pound for a while. It was moored on the GU near the junction at Lapworth a fortnight ago.

 

We came across this boat at Calcutt last October. We were going up and I saw it waiting to come down and, rather rashly, said "Oh my gawd. Its a fatarse", little realising that even though she was at the other end of the lock Mrs Widebeam could hear me.

She started "You're only jealous 'cos you've only got a scruffy (the cheek of the woman!) narrowboat and can't afford a £200,000 boat like we can"

Then she came to the end of the lock where I was and asked why I didn't like widebeam, sic 'narrowboats'.

"Well, I think they are ugly and apart from that this canal wasn't designed for them" I said. That really started her off.

"You ought to study your canal history like I have mister" she ranted. "This canal was modernised in the 1930s so that wide boats could take cocoa up to the chocolate factory. I've read all the books about it and you should too. Then you would know what you're talking about"

This was all great spectator sport for the boat sharing the lock but it was directed directly at me.

We were up and leaving the lock by now when she hurled the clincher in my direction, "And we're fed up with the sh1t we keep getting from narrowboat owners".

 

Says it all, really.

Edited May 5, 2023 by Victor Vectis

[magnetman]

7 minutes ago, Victor Vectis said:

 

I wonder if that is the one that has been knocking about in the Hatton/Knowle pound for a while. It was moored on the GU near the junction at Lapworth a fortnight ago.

 

We came across this boat at Calcutt last October. We were going up and I saw it waiting to come down and, rather rashly, said "Oh my gawd. Its a fatarse", little realising that even though she was at the other end of the lock Mrs Widebeam could hear me.

She started "You're only jealous 'cos you've only got a scruffy (the cheek of the woman!) narrowboat and can't afford a £200,000 boat like we can"

Then she came to the end of the lock where I was and asked why I didn't like widebeam, sic 'narrowboats'.

"Well, I think they are ugly and apart from that this canal wasn't designed for them" I said. That really started her off.

"You ought to study your canal history like I have mister" she ranted. "This canal was modernised in the 1930s so that wide boats could take cocoa up to the chocolate factory. I've read all the books about it and you should too. Then you would know what you're talking about"

This was all great spectator sport for the boat sharing the lock but it was directed directly at me.

We were up and leaving the lock by now when she hurled the clincher in my direction, "And we're fed up with the sh1t we keep getting from narrowboat owners".

 

Says it all, really.

 

If you had a nice little heavy windlass you could have clouted her with it. 

 

 

[Pie Eater]

There were 2 new widebeams waiting to go through the locks this morning at Poolstock in Wigan heading for Crooke.

[Ray T]

1 hour ago, Victor Vectis said:

 

I wonder if that is the one that has been knocking about in the Hatton/Knowle pound for a while. It was moored on the GU near the junction at Lapworth a fortnight ago.

 

We came across this boat at Calcutt last October. We were going up and I saw it waiting to come down and, rather rashly, said "Oh my gawd. Its a fatarse", little realising that even though she was at the other end of the lock Mrs Widebeam could hear me.

She started "You're only jealous 'cos you've only got a scruffy (the cheek of the woman!) narrowboat and can't afford a £200,000 boat like we can"

Then she came to the end of the lock where I was and asked why I didn't like widebeam, sic 'narrowboats'.

"Well, I think they are ugly and apart from that this canal wasn't designed for them" I said. That really started her off.

"You ought to study your canal history like I have mister" she ranted. "This canal was modernised in the 1930s so that wide boats could take cocoa up to the chocolate factory. I've read all the books about it and you should too. Then you would know what you're talking about"

This was all great spectator sport for the boat sharing the lock but it was directed directly at me.

We were up and leaving the lock by now when she hurled the clincher in my direction, "And we're fed up with the sh1t we keep getting from narrowboat owners".

 

Says it all, really.

 

Pity they didn't meet the self-confessed "rudest man on the cut," he would certainly have blasted them with both barrels. 😁 

 

Edited May 5, 2023 by Ray T

[john6767]

2 hours ago, Victor Vectis said:

 

I wonder if that is the one that has been knocking about in the Hatton/Knowle pound for a while. It was moored on the GU near the junction at Lapworth a fortnight ago.

 

We came across this boat at Calcutt last October. We were going up and I saw it waiting to come down and, rather rashly, said "Oh my gawd. Its a fatarse", little realising that even though she was at the other end of the lock Mrs Widebeam could hear me.

She started "You're only jealous 'cos you've only got a scruffy (the cheek of the woman!) narrowboat and can't afford a £200,000 boat like we can"

Then she came to the end of the lock where I was and asked why I didn't like widebeam, sic 'narrowboats'.

"Well, I think they are ugly and apart from that this canal wasn't designed for them" I said. That really started her off.

"You ought to study your canal history like I have mister" she ranted. "This canal was modernised in the 1930s so that wide boats could take cocoa up to the chocolate factory. I've read all the books about it and you should too. Then you would know what you're talking about"

This was all great spectator sport for the boat sharing the lock but it was directed directly at me.

We were up and leaving the lock by now when she hurled the clincher in my direction, "And we're fed up with the sh1t we keep getting from narrowboat owners".

 

Says it all, really.

I suspect it is the same boat.  We met them moving last year near to bridge 100 between Braunston and Napton, which always has a lot of moored boats and I had to pull in between a couple of boats and hold the boat on the towpath while he plowed on through.  I said to him it must be a bit of a pain and his reply was, you get used to it, bet all the people having to get out of his way don't though, so no wonder they get some abuse.

 

I notice there is another widebeam moored on the offside near to the Black Boy, something to do with the ghost marina there possibly?

 

And I know the big monster moored on Leamington has already been discussed, that one certainly looks to be 14’ beam to me, comparing to the narrowboat moored in front of it, but it is shorter than the other one.  I don’t remember the discussion about it this one exactly, but presumably in was put in at Delta Marine in Warwick, and then they discovered they are stuck.

[magnetman]

I guess if the boat doesn't fit through the br

idges you are excused the need to do bona fide navigation under the 'reasonable in the circumstances' part of the 95 Act. 

[Captain Pegg]

2 minutes ago, magnetman said:

I guess if the boat doesn't fit through the br

idges you are excused the need to do bona fide navigation under the 'reasonable in the circumstances' part of the 95 Act. 

If it’s within the published craft dimensions then I would think so. But, if it’s outside them then I’d say CRT could and should take enforcement action.

 

However it is possible to be within all of the publicised dimensions and still not fit.

[Alan de Enfield]

4 minutes ago, magnetman said:

I guess if the boat doesn't fit through the br

idges you are excused the need to do bona fide navigation under the 'reasonable in the circumstances' part of the 95 Act. 

 

Is "stupidity" covered in the '95 Act ?

[peterboat]

1 hour ago, Pie Eater said:

There were 2 new widebeams waiting to go through the locks this morning at Poolstock in Wigan heading for Crooke.

I actually thought it was a canal for big boats there? Sure Wigan has the Leeds Liverpool running through it ? So it's the right canal for widebeams can't see the problem. 

[Victor Vectis]

2 hours ago, magnetman said:

 

If you had a nice little heavy windlass you could have clouted her with it. 

 

 

Yeahbut......

 

Someone outbid me on ebay.

😀

[IanD]

11 minutes ago, peterboat said:

I actually thought it was a canal for big boats there? Sure Wigan has the Leeds Liverpool running through it ? So it's the right canal for widebeams can't see the problem. 

 

But it's not widebeams on the right canals that are causing all the sh*t-flinging, it's widebeams on the wrong canals... 😉

[Guest]

Just now, IanD said:

 

But it's not widebeams on the right canals that are causing all the sh*t-flinging, it's widebeams on the wrong canals... 😉

 

I think you will find that was the precise point @peterboat was making.

[Captain Pegg]

2 minutes ago, IanD said:

 

But it's not widebeams on the right canals that are causing all the sh*t-flinging, it's widebeams on the wrong canals... 😉

And which canals do you consider to be the wrong canals?