Family holidays on canals were a feature of my teenage years. My brother and I helped Dad to fit out a 40' Narrow Boat in 1972/73. Our family best for the Wolverhampton 21 is around 1h45 with the time saved being spent in the pub at the top lock.
When my Dad specified his dream narrow boat, he settled on 55' long and 2' draft so that it would be able to go anywhere he wanted to go.
If you plan to get one, make sure you have enough time - they are a money pit if you don't do the servicing and basic painting yourself. A professional re-paint and sign writing was quoted as £7k 10 years ago. Dad, at 80, did the lot himself except the sign writing which IIRC cost him around £500. He then declared that it was the last time he would be able to do it himself and the boat was sold soon afterwards.
![[Linked Image]](https://www.tm-img.com/images/2021/01/29/IMG_3726.jpg)
The boat was called Basford and he had fitted it out himself from a bare steel hull - to a very high standard.
The boat equivalent of an MOT is hard work too. Retrospective modifications can be required (Dad got very p'd off with having to drill extra holes in the boat when ventilation rules changed for example). Worth doing some serious research on this element.
