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Llangollen draught


Bewildered

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We were thinking of doing the Llangollen this year.

According to the Nicholson guide the draught for the Llangollen canal is

Hurleston to Pontcysylite 2'3"

Pontcysylite to Llangollen 2'

I have some information on my boat written out by one of the previous owners stating that the draught at the skeg is 28 inches with the boat fully laden

Questions

Is this the actual draught of my boat?

Where exactly is the skeg?

If this is the actual draught then I am over the stated draught of 27 inches, will I be able to get to Pontcysylite or should I abandon my plans?

Would I manage it if I did the journey with a half empty fuel tank and a full water tank, therefore hopefully levelling the boat a bit more?

How do I measure the draught?

I assume the last section is far to shallow for me.

Edited by Bewildered
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Ex working boats with a static draught of at least 2; 10" have made it all the way to Llangollen on lots of occasions, so certainly those figures are pessimistic.

I understand it is quite hard work when you are that deep draughted. I am sure it is regularly done by boats with your kind of 2' 4" draught.

 

Anyway the skeg is the bar that goes bavk from the back of the baseplate to support the rudder, and typically sits an inch or two lower than the base plate. It is just one point at the middle of the boat, (and by implication the deepest bit never gets within half a boat's width of the bank). Sounds like your static draft ignoring the skeg is no more than about 2' 3". This really should not be a problem, I believe.

 

I have never done this canal, (amd probably cam't as our boat is almost certainly to wide to get through Hurleston locks), but you need to be aware that it has a strong flow from Llangollen to Hurleston, as it acts as a feed of water from one to the other. It is widely acknowledged that going to Llangollen needs a lot more engine to push against that flow, than is the case coming back the other way.

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We are 28" and have done the Llangollen many times, but not since 2014.

 

The flow against you will be more noticeable the further you travel towards Llangollen, particularly in tunnels (Chirk and Whitehouse).

 

We have met fellow boaters much deeper draughted than us, who have also done the full length.

 

We usually diesel up at Nantwich before travelling onto the Llangollen, as the prices up there can be creative!

 

I have therefore never worried about diesel and water tanks being empty.

 

A lovely canal, but accept it's busy.

 

Rog

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Thanks Alan that helps, however I am even more confused because I just looked up my boat on canal plans index search and it states that the draught is 2 feet.

Obviously the draught changes as the boat is laden down but what is the correct way to measure it?

I assume the difference of 4 inches would just be due to loading the boat with fuel, water and possessions?

To hijack slightly, how busy early season? I'm thinking of heading up early March for a month or two...

We were thinking of May/June to miss the school holiday season

We are 28" and have done the Llangollen many times, but not since 2014.

The flow against you will be more noticeable the further you travel towards Llangollen, particularly in tunnels (Chirk and Whitehouse).

We have met fellow boaters much deeper draughted than us, who have also done the full length.

We usually diesel up at Nantwich before travelling onto the Llangollen, as the prices up there can be creative!

I have therefore never worried about diesel and water tanks being empty.

A lovely canal, but accept it's busy.

Rog

So the guide book stating that the last section is only 2 feet is a bit misleading then?
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The thing about the Llangollen is, that there are lots of hire boats.

 

If you are time restricted, you have to join the queues and the race up and back.

 

If you're just on your own pace, there isn't a problem. You don't have to queue, just moor up and travel when it suits.

 

Rog

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We were thinking of May/June to miss the school holiday season

So the guide book stating that the last section is only 2 feet is a bit misleading then?

Is the holiday season the main draw then, personally I need to rectify the fact that a Pontcysyllte plaque is on the boat, therefore boat and previous owner made the journey but I've only done it on foot!

The thing about the Llangollen is, that there are lots of hire boats.

 

If you are time restricted, you have to join the queues and the race up and back.

 

If you're just on your own pace, there isn't a problem. You don't have to queue, just moor up and travel when it suits.

 

Rog

Cheers Rog,

 

Sounds like I'll be fine. Own pace suits me. Moor for a couple of days to fit and as I said planning on a good couple of months. I prefer early morning / late afternoon / evening cruising anyway.

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Is the holiday season the main draw then, personally I need to rectify the fact that a Pontcysyllte plaque is on the boat, therefore boat and previous owner made the journey but I've only done it on foot!

Holiday season isn't the main reason, we would like to see it in fairly good weather though. Last year we passed the entrance to the Llangollen but it was the first week of the school holidays and we just thought bugger that!

We just want the weather nice enough to be a pleasant trip but not overflowing with unruly kids.

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Holiday season isn't the main reason, we would like to see it in fairly good weather though. Last year we passed the entrance to the Llangollen but it was the first week of the school holidays and we just thought bugger that!

We just want the weather nice enough to be a pleasant trip but not overflowing with unruly kids.

Sincere apologies for the confusion, I meant main draw in general not necessarily why you were asking... I've got to stop hijacking threads, it always leads to this ;)

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Been up to Llagollen a couple of times. The canal has a significant flow from Llangollen to Hurleston, you will notice it at the down stream lock by-washes that will push you across as you enter the lock, you will need to go in at a reasonable speed and compenste by steering into the flow. The tunnels and bridges will also slow you down, and the feeder channel fron Trevor to Llangollen which is both narrow and shallow will make it slow going even in a shallow drafted boat. We waited at the top of the narrows for a Hudson to come up that drew close on 3ft, they were very slow but they did make it ok.

 

My top tip if you are there when there are a lot of hire boats is to time it so you have Sat/Sun or Sun/Mon in Llangollen as most of the hire boats turn round on Fri or Sat and arrive in Llangollen Tues or Wed. Even in August the basin was less than half full if you time it right, at least that was our experience.

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Sincere apologies for the confusion, I meant main draw in general not necessarily why you were asking... I've got to stop hijacking threads, it always leads to this ;)

The main draw is that it is supposed to be one of the most scenic canals on the network, can't do L&L, to long for locks. Also want to see the aqueduct to admire the engineering that went in to it. Nothing to do with sheep, honestly.

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Thanks Alan that helps, however I am even more confused because I just looked up my boat on canal plans index search and it states that the draught is 2 feet.

 

Dont go by that it is not accurate and relies on information given to BW some time in the past. Just look at the HP of some of the engines.

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We were nearly put off going all the way to Llangollen due to the depth quoted in Nicholsons, it is wrong. We draw at least 31 inches and made it to the end. You will bump along in places and we found the final stretch painfully slow, but it was worth it.

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We did the Llangollen at Christmas and draw 2' 4" Winter is the best time of the year for views as the leaves are off the trees and you can see much better.

I would like to see it in the winter but I think I need to see it in the summer first, mainly due to needing to check out facilities such as shopping etc just in case we get iced in. Apart from really cold or wet days I quite like winter cruising mostly have the cut to yourself; right up until an oncoming boat surprises you because you have gotten complacent about no other boats moving.

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32.5" and we made it to Llangollen, though it was a bit of a struggle in places after Trevor.

 

To measure your draft, stick a tape measure down the weedhatch, hook it under the skeg, and read off at the waterline. That is the static draft. When underway with power, the back will sink down a bit and thus increase the draft, but at low power (tickover) this effect is fairly small.

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I would like to see it in the winter but I think I need to see it in the summer first, mainly due to needing to check out facilities such as shopping etc just in case we get iced in. Apart from really cold or wet days I quite like winter cruising mostly have the cut to yourself; right up until an oncoming boat surprises you because you have gotten complacent about no other boats moving.

The Llan rarely freezes, the flow is enough to keep it clear in all bu the worst winters.

In fact the only time it seriously froze was when CRT reduced the flow during maintenance

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32.5" and we made it to Llangollen, though it was a bit of a struggle in places after Trevor.

To measure your draft, stick a tape measure down the weedhatch, hook it under the skeg, and read off at the waterline. That is the static draft. When underway with power, the back will sink down a bit and thus increase the draft, but at low power (tickover) this effect is fairly small.

Thanks for the explanation, I think for now I will trust that the previous owner knew what he was doing and check it myself next time I need to access the weed hatch.
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The main draw is that it is supposed to be one of the most scenic canals on the network, can't do L&L, to long for locks. Also want to see the aqueduct to admire the engineering that went in to it. Nothing to do with sheep, honestly.

 

In my opinion much of the Llangollen is nothing special, just a rural canal, and bits of the K&A, Macc, Peak Forest and the L&L towards Liverpool (the bit that 70 footers can do) are all more scenic. But, the last few miles are truly spectacular.

We did it about 6 years ago and had no real problems at about 32 inches deep, the only issue was the flow through bridge 'oles, the tunnel and the aqueducts slowed us down to almost a standstill.

 

Do NOT miss the steam railway, its wonderful.

 

...........Dave

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Well, we love the Llangollen, even in the depths of summer. You just need to take your time. The hire boaters are happy, they are on holiday. You may have to queue at locks, but it does give you the time to engage.

 

The flow can be challenging in such a narrow waterway, especially through bridge holes, tunnels and aqueducts. But fun! The bywashes are fierce.

 

Never had any problem mooring. But always arrived in Llangollen for the weekend..

 

Ex working boats regularly make passage through, so depth is not a great issue. You will bump along above Trevor, don't we all, but make it you will. But Timing is all.

 

Truly, one of the gems of the waterways.

 

Enjoy.

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Another vote here for getting a reasonably deep draughted boat up to Llangollen, there were slow bits but, as others have said, that is down to the water flow. Just as a suggestion, when you do the bit between Trevor and Llangollen adjust your engine speed to the most effective for forward speed, you will find that it wont be full throttle or anywhere near. Whilst waiting for a Canaltime boat coming up (we were returning from Llangollen) the helm was giving it the beans and the boat was almost stationary in the water (I could probably have gone faster on my hands and knees). The boat after her was running at what sounded to be almost a fast tickover and was doing at least twice the speed.

 

Probably the most challenging part of the Llangollen is the Hurleston lock flight since they are very narrow and one of them (I think is it the second one up) isn't straight. Some boats have been known to have to go through backwards since if their boats are anything other than arrow straight they find that they can pass through one way but can't get through in the other direction. It was explained to me that it was like putting a banana shaped boat through a banana shaped gap, one way it is fine, the other way it wont go.

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