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March of the Widebeams

cuthound

By cuthound
in General Boating

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DerekB Explorer

DerekB

Posted
Posted
6 minutes ago, frangar said:

I’m referring to the lock flight at Watford (gap) on the Leicester line of the GU….they are narrow locks….you may be thinking of Watford, Herts which the GU mainline skirts round…

I am indeed thinking of Watford, Herts 🙂 

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frangar Veteran II

frangar

Posted
Posted
25 minutes ago, roland elsdon said:

We left our mooring just south of watford ( rickmansworth) in 1987 because it was getting too crowded then.

Anywhere below cosgrove is now no go .

The more that go down there suits me…keeps the midlands less crowded. 

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ditchcrawler Veteran II

ditchcrawlerDonate to Canal World

Posted
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1 hour ago, MtB said:

 

I've never seen the midlands so crowded as when I cruised south from Alvecote down to Cropredy back in the summer.

We considered moving moorings to Dunchurch Pools this year, after a trip from Alvecote to Banbury we went back to Alvecote and paid for another 12 months. I have a feeling we met you with an oilcan in your hand at the locks.

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David Mack Veteran II

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Posted
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18 hours ago, waterworks said:

When did the already well known historical term "wideboats" ( and narrowboats) change to " widebeams" and why ?

Because somebody decided to dress them up as "widebeam narrowboats". No doubt because the term "narrowboat" has become associated with canal craft in the minds of the wider public.

Might be better to use the term "barges" but that seems to generate a lot of tut-tutting from the (newly arrived) cognoscenti! 

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Old Janner Gongoozler

Old Janner

Posted
Posted

Only just returned to this thread and noticed the comments and old photos of Progress. I knew some of its history and when i spotted it on the GU and I managed to get a picture of the stern. That was in 1972! A bit blurred I am afraid, but the colours are still correct. My goodness, nearly half a century ago.Progress Easter 1972

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ditchcrawler Veteran II

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Bod Experienced

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Posted
Posted

We meet a w/beam earlier in the year, fitted with lorry mirrors.

These were mounted either side, but arranged to look forward, down the boats sides, from the helm position.

Allowing the helm to see where each side was, without running from side to side all the time.

Genius idea, should be standard on all w/beams.

 

Bod.

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IanD Veteran II

IanDDonate to Canal World

Posted
Posted
16 minutes ago, Bod said:

We meet a w/beam earlier in the year, fitted with lorry mirrors.

These were mounted either side, but arranged to look forward, down the boats sides, from the helm position.

Allowing the helm to see where each side was, without running from side to side all the time.

Genius idea, should be standard on all w/beams.

 

Bod.

Do the mirrors get broken off by close encounters with stationary objects, or does the boat not move often enough that this is a problem?

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zenataomm Veteran

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Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, ditchcrawler said:

Top of the Aylesbury flight

  

image.png

 

Could be worse.

It could have been the bottom of the Aylesbury flight.

At least where it is, it can be untied and pushed out of the way ... diabolical liberty either way!

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