Canal boats to be craned into marina ready for the Crick Boat Show this weekend

Nine canal boats, weighing up to 35 tonnes each, are being craned into Crick Marina on today (May 23), ready for the show.

Over 40 canal boats will be on display at the show, with more than 200 exhibitors gathering from across the canal world and beyond. The UK’s biggest inland waterways festival is expected to attract more than 26,000 visitors.

The 24th Crick Boat Show takes place over this bank holiday weekend, between May 27 and 29, at Crick Marina, near Daventry.

Monica Tuckey, from MJT Cranes, which specialises in lifting and transporting canal boats, said: “Helping with the preparations for Crick Boat Show is always one of the busiest times of the year for us.

“Ahead of the show opening, we will be transporting and craning 25 canal boats, with a combined weight of close to 500 tonnes. They range in length from 57ft to 70ft, and weigh between 15 and 35 tonnes each.”

The exhibitors travel to the show from all around the country. As the wide-beam boats cannot fit through the locks on the narrow Leicester Line of the Grand Union Canal, these have to be transported on the road.

“During the show build-up, one of the most dramatic sights is when these huge canal boats - that have arrived by road - are winched up into the air and placed onto the marina waters or onto the land in the Show’s land based marina,” said Peter Johns, publisher of Waterways World and show director.

Families can climb aboard the dozens of luxury new boats displayed. The boats showcase all the latest lifestyle extras, space-saving ideas and green technology.

“The maximum speed on our canals and rivers is just four mph, making them the perfect place to relax and slow down,” said Peter.

Visitors can take a free boat trip run by volunteers from the LNBP Community Boating, formerly known as the London Narrow Boat Project, along the Grand Union Canal. The half-hour trips run every ten minutes from 10.10am each day of the show. Visitors can book it at the Trip Boats Marquee on the Quayside.

Eight historic boats will be on display at the show, with the support of the Historic Narrow Boat Club, allowing visitors to see how the working boat families lived when canals were the transport arteries of the Industrial Revolution.

Crick Boat Show will also have a music festival, produced in association with Aquavista, hosting 15 live bands and entertainers who will be performing throughout the days in the Real Ale Bar.

Visitors can enjoy retail stalls, enter a prize draw, get expert boating advice and boat handling lessons, learn about the opportunities available on their local waterways, and discover ways to get involved to support the charity’s work.

Crick Boat Show is organised by Waterways World in partnership with the Canal & River Trust and Crick Waterside & Marina.

Entry to the show is free for children aged 16 and under. A special Trade & Preview Day will be held on Friday, May 26, for advanced ticket holders only.

For more information on the event, booking tickets, camping pitches and moorings, visit www.crickboatshow.com or call 01283 742970.