This quiz challenges your knowledge about the types of boat in the Museum collection
There are 8 questions - when you have a correct answer, click the arrow below for the next question. How many can you get correct?
CANAL BOATS
The traditional boats working the canals of Britain were 21 metres long and 2.1 metres wide. They are known as
Longboats
Tall ships
Narrowboats
WIDEBOATS
Although most canals were narrow, some were cut wider so larger river boats could also use them. These wideboats did the same jobs as narrowboats, but they could carry much more cargo. They were mostly used for
Transporting large amounts of food quickly from farms to markets
Transporting large amounts of heavy cargo like coal quickly to meet the needs of industry
Transporting large amounts of heavy cargo like coal slowly but regularly
ICE BOATS
Ice boats were special boats used to
Break ice in winter to stop children skating dangerously on the canals
Break ice in winter to allow the boats to move their cargo in cold weather
Carry fish from coastal ports to inland towns before it started to smell
TUG BOATS
After the invention of the steam engine, tug boats with engines were introduced to pull several engine-less boats together. They replaced horses as the main method of pulling the boats because
They could pull more boats than horses
They were better at pulling the boats uphill
It was expensive to keep horses
DREDGERS
Boats called dredgers are used to scoop mud and rubbish from the bottom of canals and rivers to keep them clear. Why do they do this?
To make the water safe for fishes and other wildlife
To keep the canals clear for boats to travel without interruption
To recycle all the rubbish like bicycles and supermarket trolleys thrown into the canals
PLEASURE BOATS
Right from the start of the canal age people have used the canals for pleasure - for example, for rowing boats, day trips or longer holidays to explore the canal system. Which type of boat do you think is more common on Britain's canals and rivers today?
Narrowboats and wideboats carrying cargo
Houseboats
Pleasure boats
MAINTENANCE BOATS
Boats were also used to help workers with specialist equipment reach remote parts of canals and rivers. These boats helped workers repair and maintain the towpaths, canal banks, tunnels, and locks. Which of the jobs below was NOT a real job for the crews of the maintenance boats?
Sweeping soot from the roofs of tunnels, like a chimney sweep cleans chimneys
Bricklaying
Exploring the bottom of canals in a submarine
WRECKS
Many of the boats brought to the Museum are in poor condition after a long and hard working life. What do you think the Museum plans to do with these decaying boats or wrecks?
The Museum plans to rebuild all the wrecked boats so they look like new
The Museum plans to conserve as many of its boats as possible to prevent them from further decay
The Museum plans to restore all the boats to full working condition