March of the Widebeams

[Chris John]

That boat went down the Braunston flight this morning accompanied by 4 volunteers 🤷🏻‍♂️

[peterboat]

6 hours ago, IanD said:

Doesn't change the fact that a wideboat makes the problems caused by an incompetent steerer much worse though, does it? 😉 

I have seen the incompetent narrowboat steerer block a canal  it happens its hardly life threatening or the end of the world fuss you are making about it

[IanD]

27 minutes ago, peterboat said:

I have seen the incompetent narrowboat steerer block a canal  it happens its hardly life threatening or the end of the world fuss you are making about it

Maybe not, but it is nevertheless a problem with widebeams which you're denying exists. I wonder why? 😉

Edited September 25, 2024 by IanD

[peterboat]

5 minutes ago, IanD said:

Maybe not, but it is nevertheless a problem with widebeams which you're denying exists. I wonder why? 😉

You are blaming just widebeams for this problem, however if a canal authority allows widebeams then the problem lies with them. I use my boat on waterways designed for proper boats sonics not an issue is it

[IanD]

1 minute ago, peterboat said:

You are blaming just widebeams for this problem, however if a canal authority allows widebeams then the problem lies with them. I use my boat on waterways designed for proper boats sonics not an issue is it

You really seem unable to read what is written.

 

I said that *if* you have an incompetent steerer in a widebeam where there isn't much space -- like in the photos -- it'll be a bigger problem -- literally! -- than the same pillock in a narrowboat.

 

If you're claiming that's not true, you're just ignoring reality. No change from normal, then...

[MtB]

6 minutes ago, peterboat said:

You are blaming just widebeams for this problem, however if a canal authority allows widebeams then the problem lies with them.

 

 

Oh I SEE!!!! 

 

Its CRT's fault that the idiot on the blue boat cant steer it....

 

 

 

Makes perfect sense now you've explained it....

 

🤔

[IanD]

16 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

Oh I SEE!!!! 

 

Its CRT's fault that the idiot on the blue boat cant steer it....

 

Makes perfect sense now you've explained it....

 

🤔

You forget, in Peter's mind widebeams are never to blame for anything, even when it's blindingly obvious to everyone else... 😉

[cuthound]

23 hours ago, adam1uk said:

This could be the one we passed on Saturday in the narrow bit between Bugbrooke and Heyford Fields. It was taking three people to steer — one on the bow with a walkie talkie, one on the stern with a walkie talkie who also leapt back and forth looking down each side, and one on the actual tiller. No-one appeared to be enjoying themselves. 
 

 

 

Makes you wonder what would have happened if he had met a similarly sized boat with a similarly unskilled skipper coming the other way instead of you...

[dogless]

He's right ... the ability of the helmsman/ woman is the difference rather than the size of the boat.

 

Chaos can be caused in any  size boat and I think we've all seen it  😊

 

Rog

[Victor Vectis]

2 hours ago, cuthound said:

 

Makes you wonder what would have happened if he had met a similarly sized boat with a similarly unskilled skipper coming the other way instead of you...

I was thinking that too.

[5239]

41 minutes ago, Victor Vectis said:

I was thinking that too.

 they look like they’re living the dream,

is what I thought,

🤓

 

[David Mack]

2 hours ago, dogless said:

He's right ... the ability of the helmsman/ woman is the difference rather than the size of the boat.

It can be both. Many of those wide beans are built for space inside rather than good boating performance, and have short swims and very poor flow of water into the prop. Which makes them a pig to steer, even in competent hands, and much worse for the inexperienced. Add in that from the steering position you have a much worse view forward than on a narrow boat, and it is little wonder that some widebeams are badly handled.

[MtB]

17 minutes ago, David Mack said:

Add in that from the steering position you have a much worse view forward than on a narrow boat,

 

Also something I constantly notice but never gets mentions on here, the roofline of a fattie is usually 12" or 18" higher than a NB, making it far more difficult to see over when one moors bang opposite you so blocks off the view far more than a narrowboat does.

 

And probably harder to see over the top when steering it, too. 

Edited September 25, 2024 by MtB

[Jon57]

8 hours ago, MtB said:

 

Also something I constantly notice but never gets mentions on here, the roofline of a fattie is usually 12" or 18" higher than a NB, making it far more difficult to see over when one moors bang opposite you so blocks off the view far more than a narrowboat does.

 

And probably harder to see over the top when steering it, too. 

Not to mention the damage to bridges 😞

[dogless]

9 hours ago, David Mack said:

It can be both. Many of those wide beans are built for space inside rather than good boating performance, and have short swims and very poor flow of water into the prop. Which makes them a pig to steer, even in competent hands, and much worse for the inexperienced. Add in that from the steering position you have a much worse view forward than on a narrow boat, and it is little wonder that some widebeams are badly handled.

Have to agree.

 

I was talking to a professional boat mover who said he hated moving them on the canals ... very stressful to be on a big boat on little water.

 

Taking a narrow boat through Braunston during a busy summer can be a challenge, never mind a wide beam.

 

But the ability of the steerer helps considerably (or not) whatever boat it is.

 

Rog

Edited September 26, 2024 by dogless

[matty40s]

1 hour ago, dogless said:

 

I was talking to a professional boat mover who said he hated moving them on the canals ... very stressful to be on a big boat on little water.

I moved a few widebeams when I was moving boats, but eventually just turned the work down. It was not pleasurable, seemed to be double the work, invariably cruiser stern so awful in Winter...and most of all...the dirty looks I was getting ...

[IanD]

1 hour ago, dogless said:

Have to agree.

 

I was talking to a professional boat mover who said he hated moving them on the canals ... very stressful to be on a big boat on little water.

 

Taking a narrow boat through Braunston during a busy summer can be a challenge, never mind a wide beam.

 

But the ability of the steerer helps considerably (or not) whatever boat it is.

 

Rog

And a widebeam does the opposite, whoever is steering, as mentioned in posts by boatmovers.

 

There's no point pretending otherwise; a crap steerer is bad for other boaters, but worse in a widebeam. Even a good steerer is worse for other boaters in a widebeam than a narrowboat.

 

To anticipate @peterboat -- except on massively wide canals where none of this matters because there's loads of room. But these are a tiny part of the UK canals, and most widebeams nowadays aren't on them... 😉 

[peterboat]

52 minutes ago, IanD said:

And a widebeam does the opposite, whoever is steering, as mentioned in posts by boatmovers.

 

There's no point pretending otherwise; a crap steerer is bad for other boaters, but worse in a widebeam. Even a good steerer is worse for other boaters in a widebeam than a narrowboat.

 

To anticipate @peterboat -- except on massively wide canals where none of this matters because there's loads of room. But these are a tiny part of the UK canals, and most widebeams nowadays aren't on them... 😉 

Yawn

15 hours ago, IanD said:

You forget, in Peter's mind widebeams are never to blame for anything, even when it's blindingly obvious to everyone else... 😉

And yet it's always you that are having a go at widebeams, so who is the Bigot? I couldn't careless if narrowboats clutter up our wide waterways up north. More often than not the problem is caused by restricted room through lack of maintenance, ie trees not being cut back reducing a 60 foot wide waterway to 8 foot!

[MtB]

1 hour ago, matty40s said:

I moved a few widebeams when I was moving boats, but eventually just turned the work down. It was not pleasurable, seemed to be double the work, invariably cruiser stern so awful in Winter...and most of all...the dirty looks I was getting ...

 

Its a curious thing but to buy a fattie one needs to be a little thick-skinned and self-centred I reckon, firstly in order to fail to notice this widespread mild disapproval of them you noticed and are commenting on, and secondly to ignore it even once noticed.

 

Or maybe a self-centered person on a fattie just stands out more than the same person on a thinnie! 

 

 

 

 

[haggis]

Just now, MtB said:

 

Its a curious thing but to buy a fattie one needs to be a little thick-skinned and self-centred I reckon, firstly in order to fail to notice this widespread mild disapproval of them you noticed and are commenting on, and secondly to ignore it even once noticed.

 

Or maybe a self-centered person on a fattie just stands out more than the same person on a thinnie! 

 

 

 

 

Unless they buy a fattie, put it in a marina and never plan to move. It gives a much better living space than a narrowboat in the same type of use.

 

[IanD]

Just now, haggis said:

Unless they buy a fattie, put it in a marina and never plan to move. It gives a much better living space than a narrowboat in the same type of use.

 

Indeed, which is why a lot of people do this -- and perfectly valid, because they're not a sewer tube. It's if/when they leave the marina that the problems start... 😉 

[MtB]

6 minutes ago, haggis said:

Unless they buy a fattie, put it in a marina and never plan to move. It gives a much better living space than a narrowboat in the same type of use.

 

 

 

True. I based my comments only on the fatties I've encountered out there on the cut. 

 

 

I've certainly encountered a "My boat's bigger than yours so YOU need to get out of MY way, NOW" kind of attitude. It was even commented on by an observer!

[David Mack]

1 hour ago, peterboat said:

More often than not the problem is caused by restricted room through lack of maintenance, ie trees not being cut back reducing a 60 foot wide waterway to 8 foot!

Most of the canals were never anywhere near 60 feet wide!

[IanD]

22 minutes ago, David Mack said:

Most of the canals were never anywhere near 60 feet wide!

But the one Peter's on was, so widebeams obviously don't cause any problems... 😉 

[peterboat]

1 hour ago, David Mack said:

Most of the canals were never anywhere near 60 feet wide!

Strange proper canals are, the canal question was probably wider on the way to Tinsley, but unfortunately Willow trees had completely blocked it! Even a narrowboat couldn't get through, Ian will have gone through after it was cut back and that was half a job as always. 

My mooring 57 foot boT can be turned around on ropes