Canal narrowboat
A canal narrowboat is a long, slender vessel designed for navigating the narrow canals of the United Kingdom.
Also known as: narrowboat, canal boat
How big is it?
17.7 m long
Also 58.07 ft
Defined hull length · defined specimen
Typical recorded range: 15 m to 21.95 m.
A little perspective
About the same scale as Volleyball court.
Volleyball court: A volleyball court is the marked rectangular playing surface divided by a net for the team sport of volleyball.
Measurements, assumptions & sources +
Canal narrowboat
A defined 17.7 m cruising narrowboat displacing 18 tonnes and travelling at 1.8 m/s. Bow-to-stern hull length excludes removable fenders; fit-out, loading and waterway dimensions vary.
Canal & River Trust — Boats and boating
The marked defined hull length is calibrated. Unmeasured illustration details are representative.
Volleyball court
18 × 9 m playing surface. Excludes surrounding space.
WA Government — volleyball dimensions
The marked length is calibrated. Unmeasured illustration details are representative.
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Why this measurement?
Why we use 17.7 m
For comparison, this page uses defined hull length. This is labelled defined specimen: an explicit comparison model rather than a claim that every example has the same value. The recorded range is 15 m to 21.95 m.
A defined 17.7 m cruising narrowboat displacing 18 tonnes and travelling at 1.8 m/s. Bow-to-stern hull length excludes removable fenders; fit-out, loading and waterway dimensions vary.
The marked horizontal span follows the named feature; transparent margins and unmeasured details do not alter it. How calibrated comparisons work →
Recorded properties
Canal narrowboat dimensions and measurements
| Property | Selected value | Recorded range | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17.7 m | 15 m to 21.95 m | defined specimen | |
| 18 t | 14 t to 22 t | defined specimen | |
| 1.8 m/s | 1 m/s to 2.2 m/s | defined specimen |
Around this scale
Go smaller. Go bigger.
These links use compatible length records, ordered around the selected value.
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Want to check the number?
The source records and measurement method remain available for inspection.
- Canal & River Trust — Boats and boatingWaterway craft context and dimensional constraints; the atlas uses an explicitly defined cruising narrowboat specimen.
There’s always another scale
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