Callum asked: > > * Question: Assuming that a 70 footer really will work and I'm not going to > sink it catching the stern on the cill on the first tight lock (is it a > cill, yes?) then can I build it 2 inches wider right up to 7 feet? I say > this because if it's going to be big, I might as well live the life of a > squeezed pencil..?
Hhmm, well as others seem to have sat on Adrian's barge idea, I think I'll just agree with them and leave it at that. On the question of beam, it depends who you get to build your hull. Firstly I would recommend a BCN style boat where the hull side plates are straight (vertical) rather than a slight inward taper towards the bottom plate. Secondly you can only squeeze the width out if you can be sure that your builder will build a *truly* straight hull (especially if you're talking 70ft, more so than a shorter hull). The reason is that not all locks are now, after all this time of their existence, absolutely straight and with consistent width across them. A 70ft boat that is built to the absolute max gauge might hang up/get stuck in one of those locks. This also tends to happen to old working boats that have spread during their life. Now I happen to know of a builder that you could guarantee would do the business with a superb hull/shell..........but he ain't cheap. Personally, I had a 59ft boat built (was originally going to be 57.5ft, but that's another story) and we've now retired to the Leeds and Liverpool so our boat is just about the max that you can use up here, maybe another foot but that's tight. Roger
