Featured in Canal-Narrow Boats - Barges

Wide Beam and Narrow Beam Canal Boats and Barges

The Narrow Beam Canal Boat

Today the great majority are holiday cruisers custom-built for the purpose, but until the 1950's the sight of a 'pleasure boat', as the working boatman would rather quaintly call it, was still unusual. Working boats were the norm, associated with the tiring stress of work rather than the pleasure of leisure, and most of the boat population were simply bemused by the idea that their commercial working waterways would ever become the preserve of a leisure boat business.

So it has become and although a small proportion of the old carrying boats survive as reminders of those utilitarian days, thousands more have rotted into the rushes leaving nothing but memories and faded photographs. Most of these survivors have been altered or converted to some degree, with extra cabins and home comforts to suit modern sensibilities, but a significant number have been preserved or restored to their original appearance by dedicated enthusiasts.

A few even manage to earn a living delivering coal and fuel oil, and attempts are constantly being made to develop new traffics that will again prove the commercial sense of water-borne transport. But the twenty odd ton payload of a Midland canal boat is very small in modern terms, although the bigger barges / canal boats on the Humber, Thames and Severn rivers might still provide the breakthrough that the waterways need, the renaissance of canal transport.

In the meantime we can continue to admire the traditional skills of the boatbuilder in the examples that are left traveling the canals, preserved in museums or tucked away in odd corners of the waterway system. The variety of styles and sizes of the old working boats is so diverse that the uninitiated visitor, however interested, can become quickly and understandably confused. The intention here is to offer a very general introduction to what is a complicated subject with some broad subdivisions that might help your understanding and enjoyment of our extraordinary waterway history.

Looking for New and Used Dutch Barges For Sale or Hire

Dutch barges are one of the most diverse shipping and sailing boats available today. There are different types to choose from. They have different functions and qualities, too. The question now is that for the money you have right now, how will choose the one which will benefit you best?

Or perhaps be most profitable to you? Before you make rash decisions you should at least consider between new and used Dutch barges for sale or hire. For starters, if you’re feeling too unsure of what you want and not familiar with the specifics of good barges you might as well just get a newly built Dutch barges. With this you may avoid complications later on. However, this option will force you to shell out a bigger amount. But if safety and quality are primary concerns then that shouldn’t be a problem. Another plus for this is that you may ask for the builder to add specifications to your heart’s content. Watch as they customize your very own tjalk, keel, or kempenaar, among one of the several Dutch barge types.

A good thing about buying your own barge is the business opportunities it presents. If you want to gain extra, you can use the boat to offer shipping small cargo or you can open seasonal leisure cruises or hotel barges depending on the type of barge you have. If you’re the barge expert and you know what you want and how you’re going to get it, you can buy secondhand Dutch barges or you can go adventurous by refurbishing really old ones from shipyards. This option would mean bigger savings as opposed to buying brand new builds. Enthusiasts might even enjoy the secret treasures that lie inside old Dutch barges. There’s always the thrill of steering a boat with so much history.

Buying is one thing, renting is another. If you think the barge won’t be of any use to you in the long run you might as well consider renting one. There are dozens of companies offering boat rentals. The rental rates, however, may not be the same so search for offers that fit your budget. Renting won’t make you worry so much about maintenance costs and renewal of licenses. Whether it’s new or used, owning your personal boat means extra responsibilities and expenditures.

The only glitch with renting a barge is that there might be too many prohibitions and you wouldn’t be able to enjoy the rent as you would’ve expected to. There are several trusted companies that offer both new and used Dutch barges for sale or hire at fairly reasonable prices. The boat options are varied too, from smaller Aaks to bigger hotel barges for people who are planning to open businesses. Just be clear of your purpose for acquiring boat and you’re good to go. There are so many things you can do with new and used Dutch barges for sale or hire. Check out online sites to find one that would surely fit your needs.

Leeds and Liverpool short boats

The cargo boats that developed on the cross-country canal from Leeds to Liverpool are in an interesting category of their own. The canal was started in 1770 and opened in stages (although it was not properly completed for over 40 years,) but it was built to an unusual gauge, considering the areas it linked together.

The locks were only built large enough to accommodate the Yorkshire 'Keels' of the Aire, Calder and Humber rivers, about 60 foot long, and were thus too short for the average size Mersey 'Flat' from the Liverpool side, or any Midland narrow boat. It is a long navigation and climbs steeply into the hillsides of Lancashire and as water supply to the summit was always going to be difficult, it was built for vessels drawing no more than four feet. The canal barges that evolved from all these constraints were the Leeds and Liverpool 'short boats', about sixty feet long and fourteen feet wide combining styles of construction from both east and west of the Pennines.

Most short boats were carvel built wooden craft, fat but efficient with a fine graceful run aft bringing the water smoothly up to a big wooden rudder. Some were 'round sterned' with all the planks pulled in and fixed to one vertical sternpost and this was the construction favored by the later motorised short boats as well, with the wooden rudder replaced by a smaller steel one. Steel short boats were being built into the 1950's and many of these still survive, although scattered around the system. One is even near London after a coastal passage, but several are usually to be seen in or near Manchester, where the Leeds and Liverpool canal proper is joined to the Bridgewater Canal by the Leigh Branch. One restored example is the Bacup that can be visited at Ellesmere Port, and the Kennet is in full heritage operation on the Leeds and Liverpool proper. She is a 'river' class short boat built in 1947 and is owned and operated by the Leeds and Liverpool Canal Society as a complete historic community resource. (see the Kennet project website).

The westernmost section of the canal from Liverpool to Wigan and the link south to Manchester was built with long enough locks to take the bigger regional barges, the Mersey flats, and this allowed the development of yet another category of craft, the Leeds and Liverpool 'long' boats. They were open boats without covers, similar in construction to the wooden short boats but their extra length gave them extra capacity. They were mainly employed in the coal trade, from the Wigan and Leigh coal mines into Liverpool and Manchester, and along the Bridgewater canal to Runcorn. Only one now survives, the Scorpio at the National Waterways Museum. Leeds & Liverpool canal boats also developed an unusual and elaborate style of decorative paintwork, quite distinct from that of other canal craft. Pictures appeared as well but not as constrained in subject matter as the 'castle' convention of the narrow boats.

Most of all however, it was the insistent painted scrollwork that gave the short boats their special regional character, a tradition that was in grave danger of being entirely lost. The canal barges that evolved from all these constraints were the Leeds and Liverpool 'short boats', about sixty feet long and fourteen feet wide combining styles of construction from both east and west of the Pennines. She is a 'river' class short boat built in 1947 and is owned and operated by the Leeds and Liverpool Canal Society as a complete historic community resource.

The westernmost section of the canal from Liverpool to Wigan and the link south to Manchester was built with long enough locks to take the bigger regional barges, the Mersey flats, and this allowed the development of yet another category of craft, the Leeds and Liverpool 'long' boats. They were open boats without covers, similar in construction to the wooden short boats but their extra length gave them extra capacity.

Getting to Know Narrow Boats

A uniquely interesting way of spending another day under the sun would be to set sail towards islands unknown. If that proves to be a bit too much, you can just go on adventures down the town waterway with friends and family. What better way to do that than with a narrow boat of your preference. Narrow boats, as the name suggests, are long, narrow water vehicles designed to steer the gentle and consistent courses of canals and water systems in Europe.

They are boats with big capacity and are oftentimes used for shipping cargo across small bodies of water or used for leisure cruising and sight-seeing for tourists. Since its invention in the 1800’s, these boats, otherwise known as longboats, have evolved in appearance and purpose. These calm giants are products of original British genius and its elongated structure is due in part to the fact that it needs to pass through Britain’s narrow waterways with ease. To compensate for the horizontal lack of space, it was built to have longer ends to accommodate more passengers and make more room for cargo. By dimension, they are not to be more than 7 feet wide.

The maximum length should only be 70 feet to avoid getting stuck in crossings and curbs. The longboats, because of their roomy interior, have been used by some people as houses--although very rarely. Owners have the tendency to customize their boats if it is intended for personal use. They are very chill machines. These boats can only go as fast as 4mph which is equivalent to the average person speed walking. Increasing speed will produce too much ripple that might cause soil erosion on nearby banks. With narrow boats you can venture into new business. You can put them up for travel companies to rent or you can open a cruising hotel of your own.

The specifications for modern longboats vary according to the type, but usually they run with modern diesel engines. Inside the boat, the following facilities are a standard: internal bedroom, central heating, toilet and shower, small oven area, and other necessary kitchen appliances. Additional features such as wireless internet could be installed. A narrow boat is an investment on its own. You just have to think of fresh ways to utilize it.

To operate a narrow boat, however, you will need to comply with the necessary paperwork as required by the government. Like any means transportation, owners of longboats need to acquire a license for operating it. There involves several kinds of legalities. Such would include a longboat insurance, while a separate boat safety insurance is another thing. Complying with these requirements is not enough allow you to navigate through the canals of England.

Last but definitely not the least, you must apply for a British Waterways license. These are the basic things you need to know about narrow boats before you finalize your purchase. There are many boat sales website that offer more information brand new and second hand boats.