Tub boat

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The tub boat (in German roughly: tub boat) was a kind of lighter , i.e. a cargo boat without its own drive , which was used for inland navigation in the former British canals .

The British tub boats were usually 6 m (19.7 ft) long and 2 m (6.6 ft) wide and could typically hold 3 to 5 British tons of cargo, although some with greater drafts could hold up to 8 British tons Had payload.

The main advantage of tub boats was their flexibility. They could be pulled in formations of three to ten or more boats, first with horses or later with steam tugs , the number of boats in the formation differing depending on the type of cargo.

They could be lifted better than large boats and ship lifts and inclined lifts have been developed as an alternative to lock systems , particularly in or near collieries or similar industrial works. In a lock or a lift, the association could easily be broken up and then put back together again.

Due to their small size, relatively small canals could also be built. This saved such considerable costs in times when there were no mechanical excavators .

The first use of tub boats in England was in the Bridgewater Canal . Further missions took place in the Shropshire Union Canal and in the Bude Canal .

Two tub boats can be viewed at the Blists Hill Victorian Town open-air museum , a division of the Ironbridge museum complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site .

In later years, larger versions of the tub boats, called tom puddings , were used on the Aire and Calder navigation route.