What is the difference between a canal boat and a narrowboat

Best sailing watches. Best canal boat holidays. Buying a narrowboat. Yachting ropes explained. Propeller cavitation and ventilation explained. Boat angling Explained. The eccentric school of thought for boat design was further explored with the "Ailona". This is a catamaran powered by a hidden outboard motor. It is usually based at Middlewich and is obviously designed to be transported by road on a trailer. Another unusual craft recently seen on the Bridgewater Canal was this pedello.

Usually found in boating lakes and the sea I must say that this is the ultimate in dinghies with a green propulsion system. Being pedal powered like a bicycle means that the peddler can see where he or she is going, unlike when using oars. The also require less skill to propel correctly.

Normally found in boating lakes or the sea, the Pedello is the ultimate "green" dinghy. Pedal power t aken a step further is the amphibious camping boat shown below. On land the boat is more of a trailer tent towed behind a mountain bicycle but on water pedal power remains the means of propulsion. It is not shown what happens to the bike when the boat is on water though. Maybe it is stowed on the roof! Pedal powered amphibious camping boat on dry land Photograph - Daniel Dumin Whilst on the subject of propulsion, motive power in canal craft has varied over the years just as it has with larger craft.

Narrowboats and barges were originally hauled by horses or in some cases by men and sometimes even possessed sails. Although steam powered craft had been used on the Bridgewater Canal for many years previously, around the turn of the Nineteenth and Twentieth centuries were becoming popular.

Stem propulsion in narrowboats did not last very long and existing units were being replaced by semi-Diesel engines. Many ex-working boats still possess their original Bolinder, National, Russell-Newbury or Lister engines. Whilst looking after them and starting some types may be a labour of love the exhaust note that they produce is an audible reward and one of the most emotive sounds found on the inland waterways system.

The icebreaker tug "Sharpness" Twin to "Worcester". Outwardly it is very faithful to the original design but the enthusiastic boat spotter aka the rivet counter may find many differences between the two. I suspect that the replica does not possess the compound steam engine and 36inch propeller of the original Bridgewater design.

It is usually moored on the Shropshire Union Canal at Stretton. Photograph - Manchester Ship Canal Company. Photograph - Oliver Savage. I often wonder what has happened to some of the boats that we encountered over the years. It is coincidental that quite a few of the craft mentioned end up on the Bridgewater Canal This boat is 29ft long by 9ft beam and is now at the Lorenz Boatyard in Leigh awaiting restoration. Possibly the remains of "Marco Polo" being broken up at Stretford in Another Walton Cruiser "Heart of Oak" A couple of weeks later we saw "Heart of Oak's" sister The Little Ship "Lady Aron" during her heyday in the s Photograph - Lymm Cruising Club Archive.

The above are also Dutch Barge replicas. The one on the left is a wide-beam replica whilst the one on the right is a narrow beam, steam powered replica. Both are fitted with collapsible wheelhouses for passing beneath low bridges. This, however is the real McCoy This unusual craft is reminiscent of a Tjalk Modern narrowboats come in four basic types The Cruiser Stern as its name suggests possesses a stern that is open, usually housing the engine beneath the floor and has a large space for sitting out whilst cruising.

There is a growing trend for a canopy and windscreen to be fitted to make all-weather cruising a more pleasant experience. I know of one resourceful boat owner who has fitted a radiator complete with circulation fan heated from the engine's cooling system to warm the rear deck area when covered in cold weather. Some enterprising owners fit unusual rear deck wheelhouses colloquially known as "sheds" to their cruiser stern narrowboats.

The narrowboat "Isychia" features a Land Rover "Defender" hard top complete with spare wheel although I personally think that a life belt would be more appropriate. The spacious cruiser stern of a Hancock and Lane "Norseman 40". The Traditional Stern is copied from the working narrowboats that used to carry cargo around the canal system. This type of stern is usually deemed anti-social due to the fact that only a couple of people can keep the steerer company at any given time due to the small size of the rear deck.

Many traditional style craft have a replica "Boatman's' Cabin" at the stern and an engine room as well. To compliment the traditional stern a "Josher" bow should be fitted. This type of bow has a shapely double curve to promote good "swimming". There is a modern trend for dummy rivets to be welded onto the boat's hull and in some cases even the superstructure to simulate the look of the old working boats. They are mockingly known as "Washer Joshers".

I dislike this practice as it leads people to believe that the boat is something that it is not As with the "Cruiser Stern", some craft have a small canopy to protect the steerer in unpleasant weather whilst others rely on waterproof clothing and hats or umbrellas.

The Semi-Trad Stern is a hybrid of the Cruiser and Trad sterns giving the functionality and space of the "Cruiser" with the look and protection of the "Traditional" stern provided that the back doors are closed. Due to higher manufacturing costs this design is not as popular as the other two but more and more examples are finding their way onto the market and option lists of many boatbuilders. An unusual hybrid of the semi-trad and cruiser stern is illustrated here in this Bronowski built narrowboat.

It features a fixed wheelhouse over the semi-trad rear deck with an under cover wheel steering position for inclement weather and also has a short rear deck with a conventional tiller. A Bronowski narrowboat with a fixed wheelhouse. This unusual stylish cruiser was built by Arkright Fabrications of Corby possibly known as a "Sunseeker". The final type is the Tug Replica. This is a modern reincarnation of the B. N Birmingham Canal Navigations tug although similar designs were used on other canals.

These are usually deep-drafted craft with a large front deck with storage, ballast or even an additional bed beneath. The standard length is 48 feet long although they could be and are constructed to any length. A large classic-type engine such as a Russell Newbury, National, Gardner or big Lister usually lives in its own engine room. As with a traditional stern boat dummy, rivets may be fitted to replicate the look of genuine ex-working boats.

Dummy rivets adorn many replica working boats can look very convincing This particular boat is an S M Hudson There is a fifth type but is not technically a narrowboat. This is the Wide-Beam narrowboat, the name of which itself is a contradiction of terminology.

These boats are basically a narrowboat design but with a wider beam. The beam of the craft are anything from 10 feet to 14 feet. Not every canal can accommodate this type of craft, consequently, the canals that they can be used on or reach is limited. They are also considerably more expensive than their narrow beam counterparts but currently pay the same licence fee as a narrow beam boat of the same length.

Becoming more popular on broad canals is the Wide-beam Narrowboat. Another type of broad beam cruiser not normally seen on the canal network but worthy of mention here is the Broads Cruiser.

Normally seen on the Norfolk Broads and rivers such as the Thames they can be used successfully on broad canals but unfortunately their cruising range does not include the narrow canals of the North and Midlands of England or the Welsh canals. She is 39ft long by 12ft beam and was one of the first "forward control" cruisers.

Environmental considerations may cause diesel engines to be replaced by more environmentally friendly power sources. I think that, once the technology has been perfected, the future lies with high efficiency solar cells charging the domestic batteries and fuel cells driving an electric propulsion motor.

This system is already being experimented with by some major car manufacturers and at least one boat builder. British Waterways also have a prototype workboat being evaluated that runs off a fuel cell. But, we will have to wait and see if my prophecy actually happens. I don't think that it will occur in my lifetime though! So there you have it It has been said that today's leisure narrowboats lack the character and diversity of design that cruisers possessed fifty years ago when I started canal cruising with my parents.

This may be true but every so often a boat comes along that dispels this view. However, many locks in the north of England can only accommodate craft with a maximum length of 60 feet.

From a modern perspective a narrowboat also has an engine, which means it can move under its own power. Modern construction is steel; previously hulls have been constructed from wood, glass-fibre, wrought iron and ferro-cement. Insurance for narrowboats can be obtained from number of specialist marine and boat insurance providers.

Policies can be sourced direct from an insurer or from a specialist marine and boat insurance broker. A broker should also be able to provide advice and support in the event of a claim being made on the policy. Narrowboat insurance premiums may vary widely from provider to provider. You can identify a canal boat easily as it will be fairly long and somewhat narrow compared to its length and will have a flat bottom hull design with a shallow draft.

As I mentioned previously narrowboats were initially designed to navigate narrow shallow canals in Britain. They have a width no greater than 7 ft and range in length from 30 ft to 72 ft. Canals in the USA and parts of Europe tend to be much wider than those found in Britain and so non-British canal boats often tend be much wider and have slightly different designs from the traditional narrowboat. Modern canal boats come in a range of sizes and widths. Canal barges can be as long as ft and have a beam exceeding 35 ft.

When you compare them you will see both the similarities and the differences between a traditional narrowboat and the other canal boat types. A canal boat is sometimes called a narrowboat or a barge. However, these terms are not altogether accurate. A narrowboat is a specific type of canal boat native to Britain and a barge is usually a large commercial freight carrier, though recreational barges do exist. A narrowboat is a long and narrow flat-bottomed vessel that has been designed to fit into very narrow channels along the British canal system.

A barge is a large flat-bottomed, usually commercial, vessel designed to navigate large shallow canals and rivers. Larger and wider flat-bottomed vessels that navigate larger canals in Europe and the USA are unsuitable for navigating British canals. These vessels are not narrowboats but they are still canal boats. As I already stated above, a narrowboat is a canal boat but a canal boat is not necessarily a narrowboat. For further explanation about the differences between a traditional narrowboat and other types of canal boats see this section above.

Setting up home on a canal boat is becoming very popular especially in the UK where it is becoming more difficult for first-time-home-buyers to get a mortgage. Although it may seem the smart way to become a homeowner setting up house on a boat does not come without its disadvantages and it can carry some nasty hidden costs.

Buying a canal boat to live on is often the only option open to buyers in the UK due to ridiculously high house prices and a reluctance of British banks to approve mortgage applications. As a boat is not covered under UK mortgage agreements the only way to finance the purchase is either through full payment or a personal loan.