Brandy Pad on the move

• On the move

This is the first time Brandypad has moved into the daylight.   It is a short journey of just a few yards, but a journey none the less.  Notice there is already someone on the helm! (Click on the photo for a larger view).

The previous blog shows what it looks like once all the oxidisation, marks and other detritus is removed from the steel.  In this photo you can see how grey and dull the steel looks.  After the shotblasting, the hull will be blacked and the exterior cabin and roof will be sprayed with primer.  We don’t need to commit to the final colour scheme until almost the last moment.

On another note, I am getting well used to having to explain to people that this is NOT a longboat.  Well, actually, it is a long boat, but not a longboat.  That term usually refers to something the Vikings used to travel the oceans.  Brandypad is, of course, a NARROWBOAT.  It is also a canal boat – which can either be a narrowboat, or a wide-beam. (There are a few other variations, but these are the most generic terms.)  It is not a barge, which would be a bulk goods carrier – i.e. mainly storage for coal/ore or whatever.  A barge may have a small cabin at the back, or may have no power of its own, but would be towed by another, powered boat – or horse.

The term “narrowboat” really refers to the fact that it is narrow enough (6’10”) to get into the narrow locks that exist on a lot of the Northern canals.  A wide-beam cannot do this, which is why we decided on a narrowboat rather than a wide-beam (with a lot more living space) in the first place.  Many other canals and rivers, however, have wider locks that a wide-beam, or two narrowboats side-by-side can enter.  Hence we will be able to travel on any of the canals.  This is also because we chose the length of 58ft precisely because it is the longest length that can go into all locks.  Not all locks are the same length. Many can take boats up to 72ft, but also many cannot.

Clear now?

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