New workboats will lighten the load

Our charity has some 224 powered workboats deployed across our canal network, tackling everything from litter picking to emergency maintenance. Unfortunately, some of our vessels are getting rather old, with the bulk of the fleet dating back more than 40 years.

As Mick Carrington, our plant and equipment manager, tells us: “Historically, we’ve got quite an ageing workboat fleet, with a lot of boats built around the seventies and mid-eighties. Since 2016, we’ve refurbished or replaced around one hundred vessels, but it’s a costly, time-consuming exercise.”

In recent years, the decision was taken to develop a new, cost-effective design, which in time will help to refresh our existing fleet. Named Bass, in honour of our long-serving project delivery manager, David Bass, the workboat unveiled at Crick Boat Show is one of two newly commissioned prototypes.

Built by Aqueduct Marina near Nantwich, the boats were constructed using a standard modular design, with one observer likening the process to completing a “Lego puzzle”. Each new build is expected to save the Trust around £10,000 on conventional construction costs, and, as the finished boats are more durable and cheaper to run, we should see even more savings moving forward.

The key innovation in the new workboats is that they come in pairs of narrow 30-foot hulls, one a powered tug, the other a hopper (a barge for carrying materials or cargo). Thanks to this unique design, the vessels are much more versatile and easier to handle.

“Because of its size and dimensions, it can travel on any part of the network,” says Mick. “The hopper and the workboat are both 30 feet long, so overall, it gives you a 60-foot boat, but obviously, when you’re travelling on the canal, you can simply uncouple it and spin yourself around without having to find a suitable winding hole. This makes them much more practical than many of the older 130 class narrow beam workboats we have in use today.”

The new workboats are also much lighter than their traditional counterparts, which means they can be easily craned out of the water, stacked on low-loader lorries and transported around our network.

“They were built with transportation in mind,” says Mick, who commissioned the new design. “Operationally, it reduces the amount of response time, allowing us to move the boats quickly, cheaply and more efficiently from one area to another, which is particularly helpful in an emergency situation, such as a landslip or a breach.”

In addition, the new craft boasts a modern cabin, complete with heating, cooking, washing and bathroom facilities. Future models may also feature stabiliser legs and small lorry loader cranes for piling and small-scale spot dredging. We’re also exploring the possibility of introducing wide beam versions.

Along with the two prototypes, we have also commissioned a third craft and hopper from Debdale Wharf, near Market Harborough. And with more to follow in the coming months and years, this is just the beginning. “In the future, the plan is to reduce the number of some of the older tugs,” says Mick, “Gradually whittling them down as more and more new boats come online.”

Our three state-of-the-art workboats will be travelling along our network throughout the summer months as we put them through their paces and gauge the reception from colleagues, volunteers and the general public. Who knows, they may even be coming to a canal or river near you.