The narrowboat phenomenon is a uniquely-British innovation and very popular in Merry Olde. Many are being converted to pure battery-electric or solar-battery electric since the application is about perfect for this type of propulsion, evidenced by the fact that there are now many firms involved in the refitting of electric propulsion systems and yanking out the smokepots. There are also government sponsored programs such as Go Electric which helps to finance such conversions on a case-by-case basis through a grant scheme. Peter’s explanation below is completely accurate and many of these boats are a piece of art and show huge pride of ownership. The 6’ 10” restriction is an issue along some waterways but certainly not all.
For those interested in trying out a narrowboat in North America, there is an operator called the Erie-Champlain Canal Boat Company located in
Narrowboats are generally an expensive proposition for the average boater and the trials of storage, upkeep, etc. of a long, skinny boat is often more than the average boater is willing to take on. In the past couple of decades there has been a wellspring of interest in converting every manner of boat to electric propulsion and in the past five years in particular there has been an explosion of such activity. A small gathering of such boats for one of their regularly-scheduled weekend cruises would gather about ten such boats, the larger outings much more. The movement is gaining incredible momentum, reports of which are available through the Electric Boat Association’s Electric Boat News publication. The articles are generally less technical and more reporting of general activity and interesting conversions or original projects, although Paul Lynn’s technical discussions are second-to-none.
Very few (if any) of the boats that I have ever read about in these editions has ever reported a fossil-fueled solution to their boating needs. The members are generally e-purists who have made great strides to take oil out of the equation as much as they can and the canal-cruising application lends itself well to that mindset. There are many ideas and elegant engineering solutions reported in Electric Boat News which people all over the globe can learn from. The web site for this dynamic organization is www.electric-
Monte Gisborne
From: electricboats@
Sent: January 29, 2010 2:26 PM
To: electricboats@
Subject: RE: [Electric Boats] solar canal rambling
Whist a lot of the responses here on this thread have been very helpful, it is worth bearing in mind the unique nature of the British canal system, and the boats that use it. Canals here were built in the 19th century for "narrow boats". These are between 25 and 72 foot long and mostly have a maximum beam of just 6feet 10 inches. The maximum theoretical beam of a narrowboat is 7 feet but due to age related subsidence of the locks 6'10" is the modern accepted maximum. Due to the displacement of the traditional narrowboat design most need quite a large ballast which of course could be replaced by the batteries. The other important factor is the speed limit of 4 kts on all non flowing and non tidal inland waterways in the
When all the trees have been cut down, when all the animals have been hunted, when all the waters are polluted, when all the air is unsafe to breathe, only then will you discover you cannot eat money.
~ Cree Prophecy
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