Most of our canal system was created for one primary purpose, 'Trade'. Few boats exist from before 1800 as the majority were made of wood and were towed by horse or mule. The 'modern' historic boats seen today are made of riveted iron with elm bottoms or welded steel shells. The Butties are towed by the Motors which are powered by diesel. Many are restored and owned by trust organizations.

My thanks to Douglas Maas for his 'Boat Listings' book, and the many web sites dedicated to these old boats.

Here is our collection of pictures we took as we traveled the canal system.