Inflatable dinghy on canals?

[labougie]

Thinking of getting an inflatable dinghy and a 4hp outboard for use on the Thames and possily the canals. I know they don't allow inflatables on the Wey Navigation - are they allowed on most UK canals? I'm thinking Kennet and Avon, River Lea, Grand Union. Also, is it possible to camp overnight on the canalside if making a longer trip? Thanks in advance.

[MtB]

Thinking of getting an inflatable dinghy and a 4hp outboard for use on the Thames and possily the canals. I know they don't allow inflatables on the Wey Navigation - are they allowed on most UK canals? I'm thinking Kennet and Avon, River Lea, Grand Union. Also, is it possible to camp overnight on the canalside if making a longer trip? Thanks in advance.

 

 

I don't know of any restrictions on inflatables specifically, but I rarely see them.

 

Bear in mind an inflatable with a 4hp motor will probably still be exceeding the 4mph speed limit on canals even on tickover! The speed limit probably takes away all the fun of an inflatable so that's prolly why few people use them.

 

Camping canalside is done occasionally. Better to get a boat you can camp in though!

[Guest User]

.... and can be done very elegantly ...

 

http://www.skiffhire.com/

 

 

LCx

Edited October 5, 2015 by Lady Cassandra

[MtB]

Lovely!!!!!

 

The antithesis of an inflatable with a 4hp honda

[Wanted]

I've seen a few inflatables up and down the Paddington Arm, they don't appear to be tenders so presumably folk just bung em in and portals off.

 

I agree with Mike, 4hp is probably too big for canals, although good for Thames.

[b0atman]

Licence ?

[alan_fincher]

Bear in mind it will still need a licence.

 

If you put it on a short term licence the rate for individual days is just over £14.

 

Or you can buy a 30 day "Explorer" licence at slightly over £100

[Naughty Cal]

On a rivers only licence, and I believe now the canal licence you are covered for a tender so long as you are in sight of the main vessel.

 

We have a 6hp on our tender and according to the GPS it does about 3mph on tickover so within the speed limits on the canal.

 

Our insurance policy for the main boat also covers the tender.

[NickF]

I regularly use my inflatable on EA and CRT waters .... but I don't have an outboard!

 

 

 

[gazza]

The EA are a quite generous on licence rates for tenders.

 

Our 3.2m inflatable with a 4hp motor is £30 odd.

 

No point in not licencing it for that small amount.

[Guest]

Thinking of getting an inflatable dinghy and a 4hp outboard for use on the Thames and possily the canals. I know they don't allow inflatables on the Wey Navigation - are they allowed on most UK canals? I'm thinking Kennet and Avon, River Lea, Grand Union. Also, is it possible to camp overnight on the canalside if making a longer trip? Thanks in advance.

If you have correct documents I see no problem. We use an Avon Redstart on the cut and have done for years. We use a 3hp Seagull outboard sometimes without problems (save for the blue smoke.)

As kids we used to moor a dinghy and camp along the cut for much of the summer holidays, and i see no difference today. We still see a small few doing this each summer, but sadly it is rare now.

On a rivers only licence, and I believe now the canal licence you are covered for a tender so long as you are in sight of the main vessel.

 

We have a 6hp on our tender and according to the GPS it does about 3mph on tickover so within the speed limits on the canal.

 

Our insurance policy for the main boat also covers the tender.

Same for us.

I have never been able to get a comprehensive answer for tender use on the cut and the licence issue. I have argued the "in sight of main vessel" and got away with it. that was BW days though.

[ditchcrawler]

 

 

I don't know of any restrictions on inflatables specifically, but I rarely see them.

 

Bear in mind an inflatable with a 4hp motor will probably still be exceeding the 4mph speed limit on canals even on tickover! The speed limit probably takes away all the fun of an inflatable so that's prolly why few people use them.

 

Camping canalside is done occasionally. Better to get a boat you can camp in though!

Here is one

[GreyLady]

I had a zodiac 3.4 M Alluminium Floor with inflatable keel / 15hp Mariner on the Canal for a few months, I had to pay for a Crt Licence and Insurance.

 

To be honest they just push a wall of water in front of them even at very low speed and not very practical for narrow canals, having a 4 stroke engine is a must, the two strokes just oil up and cut out being on tick over for too long.

 

We did have some great days out on the canals with the dinghy and a few nice stops at some pubs for dinner, great fun but that bow wave is not worth the hassle.

 

 

. :-)

Edited October 5, 2015 by grumpy146

[GreyLady]

My inflatable

Edited October 5, 2015 by grumpy146

[NickF]

Looks like fun, would you get such a big bow wave if you made sure it was trimmed correctly rather than having all the weight at the back as you often see. I suppose that's a but tricky if you're by yourself and have to sit by the engine! Put the camping gear in the bow perhaps.

 

When i have been on canals in a wayfarer dinghy we used a 2.3hp Honda air cooled outboard which goes along at slow peed very nicely, a bit on the noisy side though being air cooled.

[craftycarper]

Thinking of getting an inflatable dinghy and a 4hp outboard for use on the Thames and possily the canals. I know they don't allow inflatables on the Wey Navigation - are they allowed on most UK canals? I'm thinking Kennet and Avon, River Lea, Grand Union. Also, is it possible to camp overnight on the canalside if making a longer trip? Thanks in advance.

I have slept on the towpath most Friday nights for the last thirty years, the length of the K and A and the G and S, in all those years I have encountered one minor problem, when some out of his box crustie rode into my tent in the middle of the night, even though I was right back off the path almost in a hedge with a white bucket either side of my door, can't help with the dinghy even though I have an 8 ft one with a four horse mariner on it, it goes well enough but I only ever use it at night when the bridges are closed as it can fit underneath, so have never asked about a licence for it

[GreyLady]

Looks like fun, would you get such a big bow wave if you made sure it was trimmed correctly rather than having all the weight at the back as you often see. I suppose that's a but tricky if you're by yourself and have to sit by the engine! Put the camping gear in the bow perhaps.

 

When i have been on canals in a wayfarer dinghy we used a 2.3hp Honda air cooled outboard which goes along at slow peed very nicely, a bit on the noisy side though being air cooled.

 

I tried all sorts with Trimming it, Engine Trim and even putting two 25litre water containers in the front, it still pushed a wall of water on the canal, it was much more fun in the sea and was very quick.

 

It cost about 4k with the trailer, sorry I sold it now.

[gazza]

I had a zodiac 3.4 M Alluminium Floor with inflatable keel / 15hp Mariner on the Canal for a few months, I had to pay for a Crt Licence and Insurance.

 

To be honest they just push a wall of water in front of them even at very low speed and not very practical for narrow canals, having a 4 stroke engine is a must, the two strokes just oil up and cut out being on tick over for too long.

 

We did have some great days out on the canals with the dinghy and a few nice stops at some pubs for dinner, great fun but that bow wave is not worth the hassle.

 

 

. :-)

I've got a two stroke 4 HP Johnson, a 6 HP evinrude and an 8 HP Yamaha, all run perfectly at any engine speed - no problem with plug oiling.

I use low ash motorcycle two stroke oil 50:1 in the OMC engines and 100:1 in the yam.

NGK plugs along with correctly adjusted mixture screw and that's it.

 

Modern oils and plugs make the difference along with a correctly adjusted carb.

 

We used to have an old seagull century that had a voracious appetite for spark plugs, 10:1 mix, everything forward and trust in the lord

Edited October 5, 2015 by gazza

[Guest]

I've got a two stroke 4 HP Johnson, a 6 HP evinrude and an 8 HP Yamaha, all run perfectly at any engine speed - no problem with plug oiling.

I use low ash motorcycle two stroke oil 50:1 in the OMC engines and 100:1 in the yam.

NGK plugs along with correctly adjusted mixture screw and that's it.

 

Modern oils and plugs make the difference along with a correctly adjusted carb.

 

We used to have an old seagull century that had a voracious appetite for spark plugs, 10:1 mix, everything forward and trust in the lord

Our Seagull 40+ never seems to suffer plug problems despite its ridiculous 10:1 mix! It does however not pump much cooling water at tickover so is best kept with a bit of throttle on. As you say, I think modern plugs are much better; I had a two stroke Johnson 4 hp many years ago that used to foul plugs.

[Heffalump]

...outboard which goes along at slow peed very nicely...

 

I go along much slower when I'm peed.

[NickF]

 

I go along much slower when I'm peed.

Now you are taking the pee!

[magictime]

We've taken a tent along on a few overnight trips when the number of passengers has exceeded the number of berths on board. I can't imagine you'd have too much trouble finding somewhere to pitch a tent without drawing undue attention to yourself, although in theory I guess you'd need the permission of the (public or private) landowner.

[craftycarper]

We've taken a tent along on a few overnight trips when the number of passengers has exceeded the number of berths on board. I can't imagine you'd have too much trouble finding somewhere to pitch a tent without drawing undue attention to yourself, although in theory I guess you'd need the permission of the (public or private) landowner.

if your just staying overnight, you are normally packed up and gone before anyone can object, or even notice, as I said I have done this most weeks for 30 years, and can honestly say know one has ever objected, have been invited to stay for as long as I like,by a few farmers and I've had many a brew brought out to me by boaters, I have fished on canals since the early nineties, which is why I,ve now got a boat, so now I get to sleep in bed on the canal

[tidal]

I've slept in canoes (they are relatively easy to rig for stability) and dinghies and have camped at the sides (quite often on the offside) but I've never tried it using an inflatable.
I'm not a fan as whilst inflatables are great tenders they are remarkably vulnerable when exposed to certain elements of the canals and their surroundings

 

Still, everything has to be tried once at least, (though not by me now as I'm way too old and fragile for such exploits) so if you manage it do take photos and post them (though a waterproof camera may be an idea).

[Ricco1]

The reality of licencing and enforcement is that the data loggers are the only CRT officials who turn up at the canal. Any craft moving along the canal whether under oar, paddle or engine power is completely free to do as they wish.