1 Ads of Canal and River Cruise for Sale

A "Canal and River Cruiser" is the traditional canal ‘narrowboat’, a particular type of canal boat, built to fit the narrow locks of the United Kingdom. A "narrowboat" is under 7 foot wide and up to 70 foot long, as anything longer will be unable to navigate much of the British canal network, because the nominal maximum length of locks is 72 feet (21.95 m). The UK's canal system provided a nationwide transport network during the Industrial Revolution, but with the advent of the railways, commercial canal traffic gradually diminished and had virtually disappeared by 1970. From the 1970s onward narrowboats were gradually being converted into permanent residences or as holiday lettings. Modern narrowboats are used for holidays, weekend breaks, touring, or as permanent or part-time residences. Usually, they have steel hulls and a steel superstructure. Most narrowboats' steering is by a tiller on the stern.