Welcome to the HNBC

Random boat image The Historic Narrow Boat Club was formed in 1966 and is a not-for-profit club dedicated to preserving the working heritage of UK canals, from the boats themselves to details of the waterways on which they travel.  We are passionate about working boats, traditional skills, the built heritage, and the practices and courtesies of the working boat people.
 
We are an active pressure group for navigational and waterway heritage interests and we welcome all who support our aims, whether boat owners or not.  By supporting the Club, you are helping to ensure that the UK’s canals retain their unique heritage value.  

We campaign to ensure that the waterways system is navigable for full length, deep-drafted narrow boats - because where they can go, anyone can go!

We hope you enjoy exploring this website.

Change of name for the Club

At its AGM on March 3rd, the Historic Narrow Boat Owners Club voted overwhelmingly to change its name to the Historic Narrow Boat Club. The requirement that members be owners of an historic craft was removed a few years ago, and the name now reflects this.

HNBC was founded in 1966 as The Narrow Boat Owners Club - at a time when nearly all narrow boats on the system were ex-working boats, and their needs were frequently overlooked in an era of leisure boats dominated by small cruisers. In 1989 the word Historic was added, as more and more modern narrow boats were being built.

Saturn Project receives £4,000 Grant

The Saturn Project has received a major grant of £4,000 from The Waterways Trust. The grant will be mainly used towards the Shropshire Union Fly-boat Restoration Society’s (SUFBRS) future educational programme, including visual aids, for which a Heritage Lottery grant application has recently been turned down.