In the early days the canal was lit by gas lights at night, enabling boats to negotiate the locks at any time of day.

The inland waterway incorporated a series of sandstone locks that enabled boats to climb differences in elevation along the Continental Divide.

With daylight, the Spray would be in the cavern, and the high tide would enable small boats to drift in through the cove.

This enabled boats to come to Ringkøbing again from the North Sea.

Kulleseidkanalen was a canal built in the 1800s which enabled boats to journey between the east and west sides of Bømlo.

There are locks on the lower Severn to enable seagoing boats to reach as far as Stourport.

Lock sizes were increased several times, as was the depth of water, to enable larger boats to use the system.

It crossed French Creek by aqueduct at Shaw's Landing, where locks enabled boats to transfer between the canal and the creek.

Silt had created a sand bar at its principal mouth, such that dredging was required as early as 1873 to enable larger boats to venture farther upstream.

This was completed in 1810 and, enabling narrow boats to work through to London.