Canal boat size matter

[Magic Star]

Hi guys, I wish to buy a live aboard canal boat and just wonder if there any suggestions about the minimum size for 2 people. I'm looking for 50ft minimum, up to 60-65ft, but is there any practical downside to cruise with 65ft?

there is much more space, but is the navigation/cruise more complicated or less easy than on a 45-55ft?

Thanks for your advice

 

[Leighb]

I am no expert in this field but have friends who do canal holidays, as I understand it there are 2 main types of canal locks. Short wide ones and long narrow ones. If you have a boat no longer than the short locks, and not too wide for the long ones you can go anywhere on the system.

A 65' boat will be too long for the short locks (about 40' I think) so you will be restricted in your cruising.

 

[Tranona]

Not sure that is the case. The locks take up to 70'. The constraint is beam at 7'

To the OP - length is perhaps more difficult to control, but many boats are at the maximum length. Clearly when you are limited to 7' beam extra length is the only way to get extra space so the longer the better if you can afford to buy it. 65' seems a very common size and gives you the flexibility to have dedicated sleeping and living spaces.

 

[DaveRo]

http://www.canals.com/canaldata.htm
Do you want to go on the Leeds &L'pool?

 

[Seajet]

Some canal boats - and I'd think most remaining commercial ones - are built to take up every bit of the locks, ie I worked on the French Canals on a 38metre barge which took up the 38metre locks to 2" either side and not much more fore & aft...

This lock filling max size would be best avoided even if the space aboard is attractive, as one runs into problems like avoiding the lock cill etc.

If talking narrow boats I wouldn't think there's much difference handling a 65 or 45' boat as soon as one gets the hang of it, it's a certain technique and such boats are never going to excite 007 sports boat fans !

 

[Bru]

Oh Gods, here we go again!

To answer your question, a fifty five footer is about the ideal size. It'll go anywhere and is easily handled

The standard "floating cottage" fitout works well as a liveaboard configuration for two and you'll find no shortage of examples

Now to the "oh no, not again"...

Do you have a residential mooring lined up? By that I mean a legit mooring with residential planning permission?

If not, are you planning to and prepared for the necessity of moving on every few days and not just backwards and forwards along the same stretch of the canal either

Because the Canal & River Trust are proactively and aggressively applying the letter of the byelaws relating to residential use and continuous cruising (after decades of lax or nonexistent enforcement by British Waterways)

The days when you could quietly live aboard in one place or one area by staying below the radar are pretty much over. CART are employing MORE enforcement officers and actively using the law (which like or not is on their side)

I know this "bad news" is my and others invariable response to these threads but that's because we know the reality which is that living on the canals is not an easy or simple option

 

[ProDave]

If you want to explore the whole river and canal network then 55ft is usually considered the maximum length and 6ft 10 the maximum beam. Even that excludes you from a few smaller waterways.

Some boats particularly in the Midlands may be up to 72ft long and 7ft wide. That will limit your cruising range seriously.

55ft may be snug as a liveaboard, but needs must if you want to go anywhere.

As above you need to establish are you really going to be a continuous cruiser, or do you have a residential mooring?

 

[jonjo]

Why do people post replies to specific questions they lack any expertise in???

62ft is generally considered to be the go nearly anywhere LOA on the UK canal system. Wide beam is highly restrictive for wide range cruising throughout the UK but since the OP is talking "liveaboard" there could be a great lifestyle bonus to be gained from wide beam. A 10ft wide room feels normal whereas on a classic narrow boat it is very difficult to disguise the tunnel like accommodation experience.

I reckon 47' is the minimum viable liveaboard length but if a small office and washing machine are on the musthave list then more ft are required.

 

[DaveS]

If you want to explore the whole river and canal network then 55ft is usually considered the maximum length and 6ft 10 the maximum beam. Even that excludes you from a few smaller waterways.

Some boats particularly in the Midlands may be up to 72ft long and 7ft wide. That will limit your cruising range seriously.

55ft may be snug as a liveaboard, but needs must if you want to go anywhere.

As above you need to establish are you really going to be a continuous cruiser, or do you have a residential mooring?

I would agree with the 6ft 10in beam: that has been universally adopted for new builds to cope with a degree of lock wall or bridge hole distortion. Some of the surviving 7ft beam working boats occasionally get stuck. The L&LC max. length is 57ft, though, for two boats sharing a lock, and a somewhat longer boat (60 ft?) can be got through on its own by positioning it diagonally.

 

[Leighb]

I was only incorrect about the length of the "short" locks, it seems that is 57', the overall principle was correct, so as ProDave says maximum 55' to go anywhere and the beam must be <7'.

 

[ProDave]

55ft is a comfortable length.

Yes some people have squeezed 60 ft boats through locks that are officially too short. But to do so they have to strip the bow fenders off, risk grounding the rudder on the cill and take some locks backwards.

So just buy a boat the right length rather than "prove a point"

 

[Bru]

6'10" beam is pretty well universal in respect of purpose built leisure narrowboats and has become the de facto quoted standard for narrow locks

The working boats of the South Midlands were originally built to 7'0.5" and as already mentioned it's not unknown for them to get stuck. Some conversions have even been drastically modified to reduce the beam, most just accept the scraping of the guards and carry a plentiful supply of black paint

 

[PetiteFleur]

We had a canal holiday years ago on the Montgomery canal? and the length was 60' max. as it went under a moterway and the canal was realigned with a sharp bend(when canals were on the decline) and they did'nt think that canals would be used for leisure.