[AMG]

My favorite barge is the Bannenberg design Tigre d'Or or later named Tigre Rose. Here is a story about a trip on her in two parts.

http://www.marinesurveyor.com/simex/01.html

http://www.marinesurveyor.com/simex/02.html

[Laurence]

Photo is from our trip to England a few years ago, extensive canal network and charters.

[chuckb]

A few favorite links to fuel the canal barge fantasies...

The key is to get into the brokerage areas, and then select "Converted Barges" or similar... that gets to the good stuff.

http://www.h2ofrance.com/
http://www.luxe-motor.com/
http://www.bourgogne-marine.com/Home.html

I've heard of folks that have actively sailed the world retiring to this lifestyle. No fog, no navigation worries, fall overboard... just stand up and walk to the edge of the canal!

And to the comment "going no where slowly at great expense", the operational costs are dirt cheap compared to ocean going yachts. A 100' foot converted barge is typically <$10K/yr for maintenance (not counting fuel etc.).

I think canal barges are a "must" chapter for boaters... wouldn't want to spend a lifetime there, but 5 years... absolutely!

[FutureYachter]

Here's a couple that have converted a 40 foot canal boat to run on electricity as well as diesel. Supplemental power is provided by solar panels. They are taking a year-long sabbatical to ''do the loop" (at speeds as fast as 6 knots ).

www.slowboatcruise.com

[Ward]

Closer to home, I was just reading the latest Epoxyworks magazine and they had a couple articles about a 30' classic-looking diesel/solar/electric boat that will mostly be used for canal cruising in Canada and the US:

http://www.epoxyworks.com/32/index.html

And here's some more information and a ton of construction pictures on the builder's web site:

http://www.bearmountainboats.com/launch.htm

[ayachtguy]

We've done several drive-it-yourself canal barge trips in France and absolutely loved every second. We've done the Burgundy area a couple of times (on the Nivernais and Yonne Rivers) and we did the Midi Canal from the Med across to the Atlantic. Each is different: Burgundy is lush and green, with small villages (each with a free quay for you to stop), meadows, chateaus in the distance and great beauty. The Midi is drier, with rows of plane trees lining the canal edge. You'll encounter tons of yachts on the Midi, passing one way or the other so they don't have to sail around Gibralter.

Canal cruising, as some said with a hint of sarcasm, is exactly that: going slowly and getting nowhere. At the end of a week of barging, we'd gone less than a 100 miles, but every inch was new. We'd take our bicycles in the mornings and ride along the tow path to the nearest village to buy fresh chocolate croissants, we'd stop mid-day to shop in street markets for veggies and meat, and, at night, we'd stop anywhere we wanted. If we weren't at a village, which provides quays to encourage your visit, we would simply drive spikes into the bank for our mooring lines, put the gangplank to shore, and we were set.

I highly recommend two barge companies: LeBoat is a sister to The Moorings and Sunsail bareboat charter companies and they have a new electrically powered barge with bow thruster and a very pleasant interior. We've always used Locaboat, which has classic peniche-styled canal barges, and they are spotlessly clean and very comfy. Though there are only two couples, we get their 50-footer with four staterooms, which gives us space for luggage and camera gear, and we're never crowded. Easy to handle, and fun going thru the locks. Every lockkeeper, knowing you're his captive for twenty minutes, is an entrepreneur: some sell watercolors, some sell veggies, some sell pottery, but they all sell wine. We rarely spent more than two euros a bottle and I would say that 90% of it was superb (and I'm someone who knows a Sassacaia from a Red Mountain!). We laughed that we would have spent a 30-40 bucks a bottle for most of our wines in a wine shop in the U.S.

Canal barging isn't bareboating the Caribbean with sandy beaches and palms, but it's entirely wonderful. And, if you have someone who gets a little queasy at the sight of bathtub ripples, this is the ideal boating holiday: you get your boat on a millpond.

Great fun. Don't miss out. Here are some pix.

[brian eiland]

Originally Posted by FISHTIGUA

Dad can't really remember going to Ireland!!!!

How could one forget Ireland....unless they have given up drinking totally

Actually I'm ashame to admit it, but I've never been there....and I have some Irish blood.

[brian eiland]

Originally Posted by FutureYachter

Here's a couple that have converted a 40 foot canal boat to run on electricity as well as diesel. Supplemental power is provided by solar panels. They are taking a year-long sabbatical to ''do the loop" (at speeds as fast as 6 knots ).

www.slowboatcruise.com

Interesting power system. I think the various diesel-electric systems will find great application on these 'canal boats'.

I also took note of their vessel's name, Dragonfly....
"Why did you name your boat “ Dragonfly?”
Dragonflies rely on the water at all stages of their life cycle--and boats only work on the water! Also dragonflies are "solar-powered" insects—they must bask in the sun to warm up their muscles before taking flight. We thought “dragonfly” was a perfect name for a solar-powered boat."

Thanks for that contribution.
Brian

[brian eiland]

Originally Posted by Marmot

Now we are talking about the kind of cruising that really appeals to me!

Here are some pics taken on the Midi and the Rhone not too long ago. For those with more interest in the lifestyle and techniques, there is a series of books written by Bill and Laurel Cooper, an older English couple who cruised the inland waterways of Europe for years and written in amazing detail about how to do it and what it's like.

Thanks for those pics Marmot.

That second photo down is quite interesting...got any more pics of her?

[brian eiland]

Originally Posted by YachtForums

Flower Power...

Thanks Carl. That looks like something my Thai wife would do

[K1W1]

Originally Posted by brian eiland

How could one forget Ireland....unless they have given up drinking totally

Hi,

Fishes father could well be in his 80's and after many years of having to admit responsibility for fathering Fish he might be suffering a degenerative brain disease that many older folks suffer from.

[FISHTIGUA]

Originally Posted by K1W1

Hi,

Fishes father could well be in his 80's and after many years of having to admit responsibility for fathering Fish he might be suffering a degenerative brain disease that many older folks suffer from.

Just spoken to the old fart in Antigua and he vaguely remembers some pubs up the Shannon. Apparently I booked the cruise for them and I can't recall that either.

Maybe I'm the one with the brain-fade.

Befuddled of Guernsey.

[brian eiland]

Originally Posted by ayachtguy

We've done several drive-it-yourself canal barge trips in France and absolutely loved every second.
..........
Great fun. Don't miss out. Here are some pix.

Did you add those photos later...after you made the original posting? I didn't see them first time around...but they are SURELY enough compelling

[ayachtguy]

With a little help from Uncle Carl.

[brian eiland]

Here is an interesting website i ran across this morning.
http://www.euroshipservices.nl/english/


And I particularly liked this design of theirs, (scroll down their designs on the left, and click one one....you may find a number of construction photos of that model in that presentation)

Luxe Motor 2000 deksalon

A converted Luxe Motor, the ideal boat for extended periods of living aboard, long trips on the European inland waterways, yes barging in Europe and for making dreams come true, like over-wintering in the South of France.

The original boats have nearly all gone and new-build is once again becoming popular. Using original line plans and modern computer technology we have redesigned these types of boat, with modified depth and sheer to make sailing and living aboard a real pleasure.

Euroship Services have more than 20 years of ship and yacht design and building experience, we have produced boats for many leading and well known constructors. Our aim is always to build your choice of Luxe Motor but influence your choice with practical and economic sense.

Euroship can offer every scope of supply, from plate kit, to half fit or up to full fit, depending on your personal requirements.........