Wednesday 9 July 2014

And Alice Came Too

People become attached to their narrowboats so much so that when life circumstances change they are reluctant to part with their cherished boat. This adjustment is sometimes made by stretching or shortening the boat which is accomplished by cutting the boat in two and either inserting an additional section or removing a piece.  If you are stretching a boat account has to be taken of the maximum dimensions which any canal will accommodate. Crossing the Pennies, for instance, is not easy in a boat longer than 60ft.
These shorter locks are often  14ft wide but that introduces a problem elsewhere on the canal system where 7ft is the norm.
When we were in Fenny Stratford we  encountered a novel solution to this problem. 
 

Alice is a 56ft narrowboat  





 



 



Alice Too is a 14ft extension:  












On the narrow canals they become a 70 narrowhoat.


On the broad canals they become 56ft long and 14ft wide by unhitching Alice Too and breasting her up with the mother ship.

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