Different types of canal boats

There are a few different types of boat you will pass on the UK canal system. Narrowboats, widebeams, barges and GRPs (glass reenforced plastic).

I would have loved the space that a widebeam provided, but soon learnt you are limited as to where you can go in one, as with barges. They are too wide for much of the UK canal system, which was built for narrowboats.

Admittedly I didn't even consider a GRP, not sure why, but there you go,  I didn't. I have seen some lovely looking ones on the canal. They are easier to turn around as they are not so long, which has its appeal as finding a place to turn a narrowboat is not always easy - that is another blog in itself.

Narrowboats are 6 feet 10 inches wide and made of steel (older ones can be wooden).

Now on to size. I choose a 46 foot narrowboat. It works for myself and my greyhound. I have a bedroom, bathroom with shower, galley (kitchen) and saloon to chill in. For me I felt this would be easier to control solo, I have no idea if that is true, but I feel comfortable handling it. I kept hearing that any boat over 57 foot could not go on the entire canal system, this I believe is true of two places (Calder and Hebble and Leeds and Liverpool)only and doesn't limit you too much.

Lastly for today I want to explain the three types of stern. For some reason I couldn't seem to get my head around this until I viewed a few, but I'll try to explain here.

There are three types of stern. Traditional stern. Cruiser stern. Semi-traditional stern. My boat is a semi-traditional stern and that works perfectly for me. It doesn't take up as much inside space off my 46 foot, but gives me a small area at the back of the boat that I like to call my patio.

Traditional Stern

This is the smallest stern, which was the original working boat style. It gives more internal space with a short back deck of 2-3 feet.


















Cruiser Stern

This is the largest stern with a back deck of 4-8 feet. This gives quite a bit of space for a number people to be on the deck at once.

















Semi-Traditional Stern

This is a good compromise of the two above.












Please feel free to comment. Ask questions. Tell of your experiences. No judgment here and opinions always welcome. Until the next time 😃



Location: United Kingdom

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