March of the Widebeams

[Alan de Enfield]

4 hours ago, frangar said:

I think there is becoming a case for the BSC to cover things such as cabin design.

 

Might struggle with that :

 

 

The Boat Safety Scheme

The Boat Safety Scheme, or BSS, is a public safety initiative owned by the Canal & River Trust and the Environment Agency. Its purpose is to help minimise the risk of boat fires, explosions, or pollution harming visitors to the inland waterways, the waterways' workforce and any other users.

[cuthound]

14 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

Might struggle with that :

 

 

The Boat Safety Scheme

The Boat Safety Scheme, or BSS, is a public safety initiative owned by the Canal & River Trust and the Environment Agency. Its purpose is to help minimise the risk of boat fires, explosions, or pollution harming visitors to the inland waterways, the waterways' workforce and any other users.

 

Well they might be harmed if the were crossing a bridge which collapsed when of these fugly things hit it. ?

[roland elsdon]

I think like a sardine tin they would tear themselves to bits. Most are cheaply built.

[pearley]

5 hours ago, Leo No2 said:

I wonder if anyone else has noticed a slight (but significant?) design change in some wide boats recently - if you look at the image attached you can see the cabin at the front rolls outwards (the opposite of tumblehome) I assume to give slightly more space inside.  I did wonder if it was an optical illusion but I am convinced it is not and it seems that the roof line on the cabin at the front is vertically in line with the outer edge of the gunnel which, even if there is an excellent steerer, I would think puts our industrial heritage at risk especially on the lovely old accommodation bridges.

Noticed many wide beams like that especially in the western side of L & L

[matty40s]

8 minutes ago, pearley said:

Noticed many wide beams like that especially in the western side of L & L

Burscough Boats cabin shape is like that.

[TrippinAround]

 

 

Is that a feeler gauge? Asking for a friend ??

 

Edited August 19, 2019 by jakk

[matty40s]

5 minutes ago, jakk said:

 

 

Is that a feeler gauge? Asking for a friend ??

 

No  it's a flagpole

 

[zenataomm]

Imagine owning a boat that whenever you take it out you dread …

1.  Seeing a bridge ahead because you're going to have to creep your way through because you don't want to hit it …
2.  Seeing a boat coming towards you because you'll both have to squeeze past because of your girth …
3.  Seeing a line of moored boats which means as you pass you're likely to dominate the available canal over other boats approaching …
4.  Seeing a queue of  boats following close behind you, because you keep slowing down for bridges and boats coming towards you ...
5.  Seeing a lovely spot to moor but having to ignore it because with your width you'll block everybody else's passage or cause an accident …
6.  Seeing another wide boat coming the other way and realising what everybody else thinks when they see you coming ...

Then there are the restrictions that really set you out as a pariah of the inland waterways.

• Junctions allowing you only a peek into the secretive world of narrow canals, where you should not go, or you do so knowing you really are being dumb.
• Arriving at a tunnel and having to wait until night time to creep through like an outcast, and pray your doppelgänger isn't at the other end doing the same.

I'm sure there are more, but I'm starting to feel depressed about their view of canal cruising and what's in it for them.

 

[frangar]

3 minutes ago, zenataomm said:

Imagine owning a boat that whenever you take it out you dread …

1.  Seeing a bridge ahead because you're going to have to creep your way through because you don't want to hit it …
2.  Seeing a boat coming towards you because you'll both have to squeeze past because of your girth …
3.  Seeing a line of moored boats which means as you pass you're likely to dominate the available canal over other boats approaching …
4.  Seeing a queue of  boats following close behind you, because you keep slowing down for bridges and boats coming towards you ...
5.  Seeing a lovely spot to moor but having to ignore it because with your width you'll block everybody else's passage or cause an accident …
6.  Seeing another wide boat coming the other way and realising what everybody else thinks when they see you coming ...

Then there are the restrictions that really set you out as a pariah of the inland waterways.

• Junctions allowing you only a peek into the secretive world of narrow canals, where you should not go, or you do so knowing you really are being dumb.
• Arriving at a tunnel and having to wait until night time to creep through like an outcast, and pray your doppelgänger isn't at the other end doing the same.

I'm sure there are more, but I'm starting to feel depressed about their view of canal cruising and what's in it for them.

 

But in reality they sadly seem oblivious to all of the above!! 

[ditchcrawler]

9 minutes ago, zenataomm said:

Imagine owning a boat that whenever you take it out you dread …

1.  Seeing a bridge ahead because you're going to have to creep your way through because you don't want to hit it …
2.  Seeing a boat coming towards you because you'll both have to squeeze past because of your girth …
3.  Seeing a line of moored boats which means as you pass you're likely to dominate the available canal over other boats approaching …
4.  Seeing a queue of  boats following close behind you, because you keep slowing down for bridges and boats coming towards you ...
5.  Seeing a lovely spot to moor but having to ignore it because with your width you'll block everybody else's passage or cause an accident …
6.  Seeing another wide boat coming the other way and realising what everybody else thinks when they see you coming ...

Then there are the restrictions that really set you out as a pariah of the inland waterways.

• Junctions allowing you only a peek into the secretive world of narrow canals, where you should not go, or you do so knowing you really are being dumb.
• Arriving at a tunnel and having to wait until night time to creep through like an outcast, and pray your doppelgänger isn't at the other end doing the same.

I'm sure there are more, but I'm starting to feel depressed about their view of canal cruising and what's in it for them.

 

Ignore No.5

[matty40s]

5 minutes ago, frangar said:

But in reality they sadly seem oblivious to all of the above!! 

The 2nd hand widebeam market has come to a very big wall, new ones still arriving but for how long.??

[john6767]

1 minute ago, frangar said:

But in reality they sadly seem oblivious to all of the above!! 

I would agree with that there seems to be a mentality with these boats that they just don’t care.  It seems to be it is a “wide canal” so I am going the stick this wide boat on it even though it is not really suitable.  We are on the Lancaster at the moment, lots of wide boats including hire boats, and the canal in many places is maintained no wider than the North Stratford, so really not suitable for wide boats.  The only saving factor is there few moving boats at all.

[peterboat]

2 hours ago, john6767 said:

I would agree with that there seems to be a mentality with these boats that they just don’t care.  It seems to be it is a “wide canal” so I am going the stick this wide boat on it even though it is not really suitable.  We are on the Lancaster at the moment, lots of wide boats including hire boats, and the canal in many places is maintained no wider than the North Stratford, so really not suitable for wide boats.  The only saving factor is there few moving boats at all.

I think it is a canal built for wide beams lots of stuff like this on google

 

the lancaster canal - Canal & River Trust

 

https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/.../26463-welcome-to-the-lancaster-canal.pdf

 

The canal was built as a 'barge canal' and is thus a 'saucer shape'. Please be ... wide beam boats with deep draft may find it difficult to moor in open countryside.

[mrsmelly]

2 hours ago, matty40s said:

The 2nd hand widebeam market has come to a very big wall, new ones still arriving but for how long.??

I hope they keep coming. The price may then crash ready for when I go wide again 

[zenataomm]

2 hours ago, frangar said:

But in reality they sadly seem oblivious to all of the above!! 

In that instance I think three things are happening …

1.  The uneducated who are totally unaware of the intricacies in my lists. They'd never predict any of it, and the boat builder isn't going to enlighten them.
2.  The "Big Fish in a Small Pond" mentality otherwise known as "Mine is bigger than yours, therefore better" They think everyone will envy them!
3.  The selfish/thick skinned brigade. 

[john6767]

7 hours ago, peterboat said:

I think it is a canal built for wide beams lots of stuff like this on google

 

the lancaster canal - Canal & River Trust

 

https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/.../26463-welcome-to-the-lancaster-canal.pdf

 

The canal was built as a 'barge canal' and is thus a 'saucer shape'. Please be ... wide beam boats with deep draft may find it difficult to moor in open countryside.

Yes it was built for widebeam barges, but as I said I would say that today it is not maintained for widebeams in terms of the navigable channel.  Fine for 9ft beam cruisers, but not the monster steel widebeams, and I don’t think big steel widebeam hire boats is a great idea, they seem to spend most of their time aground.

[frangar]

12 minutes ago, john6767 said:

Yes it was built for widebeam barges, but as I said I would say that today it is not maintained for widebeams in terms of the navigable channel.  Fine for 9ft beam cruisers, but not the monster steel widebeams, and I don’t think big steel widebeam hire boats is a great idea, they seem to spend most of their time aground.

I’d second that!  

[MtB]

There is a fleet of 9ft widebeam hireboats on the K&A, and they seem to manage just fine. 

 

 

[MtB]

 

 

7 hours ago, zenataomm said:

 The "Big Fish in a Small Pond" mentality otherwise known as "Mine is bigger than yours, therefore better" They think everyone will envy them!

 

Yes this. I notice this too. Rarely mentioned on here but the owners of the really big monsters all seem to have this view.

 

When creating chaos they always seem to have no sense of shame, quite the opposite in fact, generally seeming puffed up with pride that theirs is so much bigger than yours, and faintly puzzled about why you seem so unimpressed. 

[Athy]

I notice that th emajority of new widebeam boats, as featured on these pages and in  magazine adverts, look like widened narrowboats and are not always aesthetically pleasing. Now, I seem to remember that about 20 years ago U.K. boatbuilders were producing widebeams which were based on Dutch barges, and which in some cases were very handsome. Why has there been a change, which some people would view as a step backwards?

[alan_fincher]

43 minutes ago, Athy said:

I notice that th emajority of new widebeam boats, as featured on these pages and in  magazine adverts, look like widened narrowboats and are not always aesthetically pleasing. Now, I seem to remember that about 20 years ago U.K. boatbuilders were producing widebeams which were based on Dutch barges, and which in some cases were very handsome. Why has there been a change, which some people would view as a step backwards?

Probably because it appears that often the objective now is to get the maximum possible internal space in every direction, (possibly with th VAT exempt thing coming in to play?).
 

Giving them more shape, wider gunwales, more tumblehome or in fact shape generally makes the resulting box inside smaller with less space for fitting out with house sized furniture.

 

Just making the ends "less pointy" or minimising on deck space, or removing it completely at the front meand your floating flat has more living space, albeit at the expense of having a navigable boat, and resulting in what can only be described as a floating brick.

Had our broad waterways been built with locks of (say) 100 feet by 20 feet, I can more or less guarantee what the average floating homed would have ended up looking like.

Edited August 20, 2019 by alan_fincher
Typo

[Athy]

That's a good explanation, Alan, thank you. Are the majority of new widebeams destined to be liveaboard craft? If so, I can see an analogy with houses: we all like our houses to look good from the outside, but we live inside them, so interior space and facilities may take precedence over aesthetics

 

As most of our cruising is on the Oxford, my knowledge and experience of such boats are limited!

[frangar]

Just now, Athy said:

As most of our cruising is on the Oxford, my knowledge and experience of such boats are limited!

No doubt someone will drop one on the summit pound soon then complain the bridges are too small and the locks need to be made bigger....

[Athy]

9 minutes ago, frangar said:

No doubt someone will drop one on the summit pound soon then complain the bridges are too small and the locks need to be made bigger....

I believe that a few have appeared in marinas on the North Oxford; I assume that these are liveaboards. Luckily for them, if they want to go for a cruise, there are no locks for many miles (about 15 from memory).

Edited August 20, 2019 by Athy

[Leo No2]

Tranquil Rose, probably the most athletically pleasing wide boat around, in my humble opinion, and with plenty of tumblehome; it does look like a wide narrowboat.  It is 12' 6" wide, it looks good and, if my memory serves me well, was built in 1973 on the T&M in the Burton-on-Trent area, when I think 'they' made things better. In the image it's just waiting for a southbound passage at Blisworth. More images of Tranquil Rose here.

 

Edited August 20, 2019 by Leo No2