Mick in Bangkok

There is a maximum speed that any displacement hull can travel through water due to the resistance of water. After this it may plain if properly designed but it would take a far greater force to achieve. I would imagine that 10mph may be the maximum speed of a displacement hull as a narrow boat is not designed to plain and a horse would likely as not produce sufficient force at sufficient speed.

Have you considered joint ownership of a boat, I see part shares for sale on Apollo Duck all the time and all the owners split their summer and spring months between them. There are a very large number of empty boats on winter moorings awaiting the warmer weather when they will be used again. Your unique situation of only wanting a boat over the winter would give you a lot of scope to look for a partner to joint own a boat with. Such cooperation would mean 50% investment in the boat and no over winter (or summer) mooring fees. Cheers Mick

Thanks for the reassurance, this is a learning curve for me

Hi Ken, I am a UK citizen living in Asia and have the same retirement plan as yourself, 6 to 9 months in UK on a Narrowboat and 6 to 3 months (winters) in Asia. Although I have no experience on the canals to speak of I have been asking the same question on the form and also during a hands on boat holiday last year. Most boaters recommended a winter mooring where the boat could be left afloat in a marina but this concerns me should there be flooding, leakage or heavy rain while I was away. One boater in Banbury told me of a Marina that offered out of water storage including lift out and lift in by crane, the Marina name is “Aqua Marina” I googled this name and found there web page with prices and other information. There is also several threads here relating to what needs to be done/prepared on a boat before laying up for a prolonged period but nothing I could see that would be overly difficult. Cheers Mick

We were on a hire boat last September and my stepfather was sure he saw a black mink in the canal, are there many around in this location.

I’m also a looking to be boater considering what boat type and interiors are available, I use “yahoo images” or “Google images” and type in “narrow boat interiors” or Narrow boat engine room” to see what is out there and come up with quite a few pictures ideal for inspiration and decoration ideas. Cheers Mick

Thanks for all the suggestions, I will look into a couple of marinas with boats that look interesting and also at a later date do a more in depth look by car. Cheers Mick

Hi everyone, I am just in the planning stages of my hire boat trip on the Warwickshire Ring and am interested in learning of boats and brokers on or around the ring that can be accessed while cruising. The holiday is to get a feel for boats prior to a canal retirement plan so also interested in viewing some boats for sale at the same time. Cheers Michael

We will be flying in from Bangkok then train to hire base so not a lot of time to arrange hire cars etc. taxi or online shopping sound like good ideas so will request this when inquiring with boat companies. I'm making a list of pros and cons and hire firms now so appreciate all of the advice. Cheers Mick

Just narrowing down my options for hire boat companies and looking for some tips, from my prior post of a few days ago I have opted for the Warwickshire ring, I have looked on the internet and found “Black Prince” and “ABC/Viking” boat hire located in this region but also looking for any recommendations of other hire companies that I may be available, can anybody suggest other options? Also as far as starting points I am considering Rugby, Alvechurch and Napton with Rugby being recommended as the most convenient for arriving by train, any suggestions for other starting points would also be appreciated. Cheers Mick

Yes I just realised after reading Dr. Bobs first reply that it was called the Warwickshire ring. I plan to hire for 14 days so plenty of time to get around and a few days to spare that I will spend exploring some of the canals leading onto the ring. I would like to see some urban canals as well as rural but also have read some posts in the past saying to head straight for the city centre and not to linger around the suburbs and was wondering how big an issue this was and if this concern is warranted. Also the starting point is optional depending on where the hire boat companies are, I just picked Rugby as I assumed there would be a couple there, I will start exploring hire boat options now as well so also open to advice on which companies are best.

Just looking for advice on my next hire boat cruise, Myself and family did a two week cruise on the South Oxford last year starting at lower Heyford and traveling on to the Grand Union as far as Gayton Junction then back on the same route. This year I would like to try a ring route and looking at the canal maps and am considering starting around Rugby and traveling up the North Oxford and Coventry Canal to Birmingham and onto the Grand Union back to Rugby. Can anyone give advice of traveling through Birmingham and Coventry, are moorings difficult to come by and is city cruising as bad as some have suggested. Also open to suggestions of other ring routs elseward for a two week cruising period. Cheers Mick

Thank you for all of the feed back, I will spend some time looking at these suggestions and see if I can come up with a plan

is there any such thing as AirB&B boat hire for narrow boats?

Last September I enjoyed my first two week narrow boat holiday on the South Oxford with the Oxford Narrow Boat hire fleet, had a great time with my family and now considering my second trip this summer. My overall plan is to come away with enough experience behind me to consider buying a boat for retirement in the coming years. For this purpose I would like my next trip to be on a more traditional boat with a trad stern and if possible an engine room and back cabin or anything close to this that is available for hire. Can anyone point me in the direction of where to look for such a boat, full size if possible. Also I am not committed to go school holidays this year so what is a good time for best hire prices but still good weather. Thanks for any advice.