h a l f b a k e r yFlaky rehab
add, search, annotate, link, view, overview, recent, by name, random
news, help, about, links, report a problem
browse anonymously,
or get an account
and write.
register,
|
|
|
Wide boat
Like a narrow boat but the other way round | |
Narrow boats on the British canal system are, typically, 7ft wide and between 30 ft and 70 ft long.
A wide boat could be 7ft long and up to 70ft wide. You then just cruise sideways through the canal system.
Please log in.
If you're not logged in,
you can see what this page
looks like, but you will
not be able to add anything.
Annotation:
|
|
[marked-for-deletion] um, stuff turned around to face a different direction. |
|
|
Why not one boat that fills the entire canal system? |
|
|
"One boat to rule them all" |
|
|
like a snake. locks and all? |
|
|
Good point normzone. My original idea was to have a boat, whose width was the length of the canal system, making it possible to walk to any destination without leaving the boat. However, this is clearly a silly idea; it doesn't allow for all the bends, bridges and locks etc. |
|
|
Well, the bends would be easy to deal with, but building the locks into the boat will represent an engineering challenge. |
|
|
Yes, an articulated wide boat is certainly an option for bends, but as soon as you make the articulated joints detachable, in order to negotiate locks etc. you're really just describing a lot of wide boats joined together, rather than one very wide boat. |
|
|
Your bluff will be called when you hit the river and have the option of going "forwards". |
|
|
I can see where you're coming from there David. The key thing is to remember that in a wide boat one always travels sideways. |
|
|
I think this is funny. I may be alone in this, but... [+] |
|
|
Hawkwind reference appreciated - thanks Ian T. |
|
|
Particular thanks also to Wagster. You're not alone; there's at least two of us. |
|
|
Murray Leinster too. "Right angles to
reality". |
|
|
Keelhauling mutineers would be a tad difficult. |
|
|
Keelhauling would certainly be a more treacherous experience (for the keelhaulee) than on a narrow boat. The space between the boat's shallow draft and the canal's limited depth (approximately 3 feet) would pose the same problem however, regardless of whether the boat were narrow or wide. The more portly mutineer would always be at risk of getting stuck. |
|
|
Believe the Chinese tried this idea but discounted it as being a load of old junk. |
|
| |