Cruising river Thames

[Beccy loomes]

Hi all can anyone tell me what licences i need to cruise from Reading to London? I am a liverboard on a narrowboat

[Chris Williams]

If you are going from the Kennet to the Grand Union, you can get a visitor licence.

[mark99]

What part of London and how long? Is to to jump back into canal system at Brentford? Or swan about on Thames?

 

A months visitor is circa 230 quid but you could get to London in less than a week.

 

You buy the licence at the first Thames lock you pass.

Edited June 12, 2019 by mark99

[mrsmelly]

15 minutes ago, Beccy loomes said:

Hi all can anyone tell me what licences i need to cruise from Reading to London? I am a liverboard on a narrowboat

Just nip up to Brentford on a visitor licence. If you are really unlucky and have to stay in london then its best to sell the boat.

[Beccy loomes]

Thanks relly helpful ?

11 minutes ago, mark99 said:

What part of London and how long? Is to to jump back into canal system at Brentford? Or swan about on Thames?

 

A months visitor is circa 230 quid but you could get to London in less than a week.

 

You buy the licence at the first Thames lock you pass.

Its to get from Reading to the river Lee navigation. Licence rules a bit blurry on house boats is whats confusing us?

16 minutes ago, Chris Williams said:

If you are going from the Kennet to the Grand Union, you can get a visitor licence.

Thanks Chris

[OldGoat]

14 minutes ago, mrsmelly said:

Just nip up to Brentford on a visitor licence. If you are really unlucky and have to stay in london then its best to sell the boat.

Wot Tim says above and partially ignoring his last sentence (makes some sense as London is pretty full ....

 

If you go like a bat out of hell, start early you can do it on a one day licence  - which expires at midnight on the following day.

However, it can be a great experience so a week's licence is more sensible...

 

A ode day licence for you is around  £35.70 and a week's £58 (I say around 'cos EA charge by square footage and I've forgotten how they calculate NB sizes from it's length (it's more complicated than length x beam)

Edited June 12, 2019 by OldGoat

[Peter X]

To be precise, you'd need a one week EA licence to cover you comfortably for the trip from Reading to Teddington, which you would buy at the first Thames lock you pass where someone is on duty. The first EA lock you'll come to is Blake's lock in Reading, before you leave the Kennet, but that's rarely manned. It has wheels not paddles, but is otherwise a normal canal type lock. After you come out onto the Thames the next lock down is Sonning, your first powered lock. If nobody is about, you just operate the lock yourself and continue; it's fairly easy to pick up if you read the instructions and take your time.

Below Teddington you are on PLA waters, no licence is required for the tidal Thames, but it helps if you have someone aboard who has experience of it. I would especially recommend that if you intend to go down river below Brentford!

[mrsmelly]

7 minutes ago, Beccy loomes said:

Thanks relly helpful ?

Its to get from Reading to the river Lee navigation. Licence rules a bit blurry on house boats is whats confusing us?

Thanks Chris

Your narrowboat isnt a houseboat is it?

[mark99]

Best bet as Peter "King of Croydon" X wisely says is nip into canal system again at Brentford. Have a rest at Brentford past the locks... and go to Bulls Bridge turn right and up to and through London to the Lee Nav.

 

Let us know if you want suggested mooring spots on the way on the canal.

Edited June 12, 2019 by mark99

[Tony Brooks]

11 minutes ago, Beccy loomes said:

Thanks relly helpful ?

Its to get from Reading to the river Lee navigation. Licence rules a bit blurry on house boats is whats confusing us?

Thanks Chris

House Boat has a very specific meaning as far as CaRT are concerned. It is a permanently moored structure that can not move under its own power. You seem to be Live-aboards who presumably declare that you will be continuously cruising. That means you   are required to more a reasonable distance every 14 days or less if local notices say so. Probably not easy in London if you are working but not impossible.

 

Your rules are the same as for a leisure boat when it is out cruising but a leisure boat can keep visiting the same spot when they leave their mooring but you are required to be making a journey of sufficient length to satisfy CaRT.

[magnetman]

I was on the River last weekend at Cookham where I keep my motor yot and a motor cruiser off the K&A had successfully reached Cookham lock before being asked for a license. 

 

At the end of the day its June the days are long now. you can transit from Reading to Teddington out of hours on public power (all locks until Teddington are automated 24/7 and they have just fixed the dodgy systems Romney and Bell Weir I believe). 

 

So in effect you could go 5am-9am then stop. 6pm-10pm. Stop. Rinse and repeat. The only point at which you would require a license is teddington which is 24h manned. 

 

1 day visitor license. 

 

A weakness of the public power system on the River. And very few river patrol. 

 

If it were me I would do a 7 day and have a leisurely run down the worlds most beautiful river. 

 

 

[Beccy loomes]

19 minutes ago, Peter X said:

To be precise, you'd need a one week EA licence to cover you comfortably for the trip from Reading to Teddington, which you would buy at the first Thames lock you pass where someone is on duty. The first EA lock you'll come to is Blake's lock in Reading, before you leave the Kennet, but that's rarely manned. It has wheels not paddles, but is otherwise a normal canal type lock. After you come out onto the Thames the next lock down is Sonning, your first powered lock. If nobody is about, you just operate the lock yourself and continue; it's fairly easy to pick up if you read the instructions and take your time.

Below Teddington you are on PLA waters, no licence is required for the tidal Thames, but it helps if you have someone aboard who has experience of it. I would especially recommend that if you intend to go down river below Brentford!

Thanks Peter this is really helpful information, its our first time on the Thames so want to plan ahead as much as possible.

[Peter X]

As far as the EA licence is concerned, in their terminology because you have an engine you are a "launch".

In particular you are a "Visiting Launch" on a 7-day certificate (technically not a licence), charged by the square metre. For example a narrow boat might fall into the 36 to 40 sq metres category, costing £78.70 for the week; see here;

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/river-thames-boat-registration-charges/river-thames-boat-registration-charges-1-january-2019-to-31-december-2019

As magnetman says, any attempt to evade payment of this fee might well come unstuck at Teddington lock!

[Beccy loomes]

2 minutes ago, Peter X said:

As far as the EA licence is concerned, in their terminology because you have an engine you are a "launch".

In particular you are a "Visiting Launch" on a 7-day certificate (technically not a licence), charged by the square metre. For example a narrow boat might fall into the 36 to 40 sq metres category, costing £78.70 for the week; see here;

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/river-thames-boat-registration-charges/river-thames-boat-registration-charges-1-january-2019-to-31-december-2019

As magnetman says, any attempt to evade payment of this fee might well come unstuck at Teddington lock!

OOh thats quite pricey...we are just calculating our 57ft narrowboat. It seems that to fully enjoy it and not have to rush, a weeks certificate is the way forward. Thanks

 

 

5 minutes ago, Peter X said:

As far as the EA licence is concerned, in their terminology because you have an engine you are a "launch".

In particular you are a "Visiting Launch" on a 7-day certificate (technically not a licence), charged by the square metre. For example a narrow boat might fall into the 36 to 40 sq metres category, costing £78.70 for the week; see here;

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/river-thames-boat-registration-charges/river-thames-boat-registration-charges-1-january-2019-to-31-december-2019

As magnetman says, any attempt to evade payment of this fee might well come unstuck at Teddington lock!

 

11 minutes ago, magnetman said:

I was on the River last weekend at Cookham where I keep my motor yot and a motor cruiser off the K&A had successfully reached Cookham lock before being asked for a license. 

 

At the end of the day its June the days are long now. you can transit from Reading to Teddington out of hours on public power (all locks until Teddington are automated 24/7 and they have just fixed the dodgy systems Romney and Bell Weir I believe). 

 

So in effect you could go 5am-9am then stop. 6pm-10pm. Stop. Rinse and repeat. The only point at which you would require a license is teddington which is 24h manned. 

 

1 day visitor license. 

 

A weakness of the public power system on the River. And very few river patrol. 

 

If it were me I would do a 7 day and have a leisurely run down the worlds most beautiful river. 

 

 

Yes I  think definitly a weeks certificate as we are Thames virgins and want to take it slow. Thanks

[magnetman]

Technically you could go through teddington using the PRN Public Right of Navigation and declare unlicensed but then the EA will chase you. 

 

It is full time manned so effectively you will need to be licensed. 

 

All depends on how you want to play it. 

 

£11 a day for a trip down the River is pretty good value it is a lovely waterway ! 

[Beccy loomes]

21 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:

House Boat has a very specific meaning as far as CaRT are concerned. It is a permanently moored structure that can not move under its own power. You seem to be Live-aboards who presumably declare that you will be continuously cruising. That means you   are required to more a reasonable distance every 14 days or less if local notices say so. Probably not easy in London if you are working but not impossible.

 

Your rules are the same as for a leisure boat when it is out cruising but a leisure boat can keep visiting the same spot when they leave their mooring but you are required to be making a journey of sufficient length to satisfy CaRT.

Constant cruisers yes....and boy are we constantly cruising. No stopping till we get there, thanks Tony

[Peter X]

If you're looking to economise, Reading to Teddington can as Old Goat suggests be done on a one day certificate, because you get the day you buy it plus the whole of the next day. But canalplan reckons it's 17.5 hours, so to do it in daylight you couldn't hang about.

In any case you need to think about the tide times at Teddington; the lock keepers can advise you, and there's a lot of information on this forum about doing the Teddington to Brentford transit.

[Beccy loomes]

5 minutes ago, Peter X said:

If you're looking to economise, Reading to Teddington can as Old Goat suggests be done on a one day certificate, because you get the day you buy it plus the whole of the next day. But canalplan reckons it's 17.5 hours, so to do it in daylight you couldn't hang about.

In any case you need to think about the tide times at Teddington; the lock keepers can advise you, and there's a lot of information on this forum about doing the Teddington to Brentford transit.

Thanks I think we are going to take our time and enjoy the scenery. On the way back we will probably go for it on a one day cert.

14 minutes ago, magnetman said:

Technically you could go through teddington using the PRN Public Right of Navigation and declare unlicensed but then the EA will chase you. 

 

It is full time manned so effectively you will need to be licensed. 

 

All depends on how you want to play it. 

 

£11 a day for a trip down the River is pretty good value it is a lovely waterway ! 

Well worth it to just pay the money i reckon.

[mark99]

It's a great river. The best bit is the other way Reading to the end....... but loads to see Reading to Brentford.

 

We are on Thames next week.... going to Reading and past from Shepperton.

[Chris Williams]

3 hours ago, Peter X said:

As far as the EA licence is concerned, in their terminology because you have an engine you are a "launch".

When Jaguar was empty we became a 'Tug' and paid tolls for a tug.  Loaded, we paid a toll depending  on how much load we had.  Or whatever I told them - they had no idea.

Half the time the lockie didn't know where his toll tickets were and just sent us on to the next lock.  No idea what you do now there are very few lockies.

[Peter X]

The same only more so! Now you keep going until you come to a lock which is staffed by someone who knows where the toll tickets are and how to fill one in. Most of the lockies very rarely get to issue one.

[Chris Williams]

I used to wonder what the accounts dept. made of this boat that got lighter as it went along.