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Complete Newbie: What type of mooring should I look for?


DanielBiggin

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Hi Everyone and pleased to meet you all,

I am new to the forum and am looking at purchasing my first boat. Now, please bare with me as a complete newbie and beginner but I am asking this question because I was always told 'if you don't ask, you don't know' and I am struggling to find the answer online or at least a CLEAR answer. I hope you can all help. I am always ready to listen and ready to learn.

 

I have spent the last 15 years travelling non stop to every corner of the globe as part of my career and am looking at slowing down and a slight change of pace and joining the wonderful narrowboat community has been something I have been interested in for years. I have travelled all over the world and seen next to nothing of the country I live in and this seems like a perfect way to do that.

 

I have been reading and researching as much as possible and can't quite find a clear answer to my question about what type of mooring I need and should look for. What counts as residential and leisure and what's applicable with MY specific situation. I understand the principles of both but wanted to reach out to the real experts, the people who do this all the time, you men and women of the forum.

I won't be quitting my touring and musical work straight away, just slowing down. For me my average work cycle would be: Away working for 4 weeks, home for 2 weeks OR Away working for about 8 weeks, home for 4 weeks.

I am trying to work out what sort of mooring you all would suggest for someone in my situation where I would be away from the boat for one or two months but MAY be home for a month or so.

I guess the real parts of the question of mooring are about boat security and safety when away for potentially two months BUT ALSO if I am home and on the boat for 4 or 5 weeks in one go then does that mean I have to try to find a residential mooring? 

 

Again, I apologise for the questions and LONG message but I am hoping to join all of you in this community and see you all as experts.

Thank you

Danny

 

 

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There are very few proper residential moorings, I.e. moorings with full planning permission etc. for residential use. Most liveaboard  boaters are either 'continuous cruisers' without a fixed mooring or live unobtrusively on leisure moorings. Most mooring operators and navigation authorities (and local planning authorities) turn a blind eye to this, as long as it doesn't cause any problems. Only a minority of mooring operators seem to actively enforce their 'no residential use' conditions. Some have specific 'high intensity use' moorings where you can stay aboard most of the time and only have to leave the marina for something like one night a month, or one month a year.

 

Your proposed pattern of use won't satisfy the continuous cruiser requirements, so you will need paid for moorings, but an ordinary leisure mooring will be fine. You could either have a single permanent base, or you could move around the system taking a series of short term moorings in different places.

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As what @David Mack said. Your sort of usage would work well with most leisure moorings, except for a few that are heavily controlled by the owners with strict limits on overnight stays at the mooring. You'll just need a land based postl address with a friend, or relative for correspondence and the illusion that the boat is not your home. A marina mooring would give good security for the weeks you are away, compared with a towpath mooring. To the marina owner, your time away working would be indistinguishable from a boat owner with a house being at their home

There are full residential moorings out there. I have one, but they are almost as rare as hen's teeth. I've lived on leisure moorings in the past and will probably do so in the future.

Jen

Edited by Jen-in-Wellies
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I lived happily on farm leisure moorings for a few years - cheaper and more easygoing than marinas. You do get more security and services in a marina. I'd pick one central in the country so you get a decent touring range when you're home, preferably without thirty locks immediately in both directions!

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As has been said - marinas will have differing rules so it does pay to 'read the small print' before making the final decision.

 

As an example, the Marina I was in previously had both residential (proper, legal, Council tax paying) moorings, and, leisure moorings.

 

Anyone could 'buy' a residential mooring but there were two requirements to be met before you could have a leisure mooring :

 

1) You had to provide proof that you had a 'main residence' which was not your boat. This was generally accepted as being a council tax bill, in your name.

2) You (or your boat and you) had to leave the marina one night per month, you could take a B&B for a night, or move the boat just outside the marina entrance.

 

You could use (live on) the boat for 12 months of the year as long as 1-day per month you slept elsewhere.

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26 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

As has been said - marinas will have differing rules so it does pay to 'read the small print' before making the final decision.

 

As an example, the Marina I was in previously had both residential (proper, legal, Council tax paying) moorings, and, leisure moorings.

 

Anyone could 'buy' a residential mooring but there were two requirements to be met before you could have a leisure mooring :

 

1) You had to provide proof that you had a 'main residence' which was not your boat. This was generally accepted as being a council tax bill, in your name.

2) You (or your boat and you) had to leave the marina one night per month, you could take a B&B for a night, or move the boat just outside the marina entrance.

 

You could use (live on) the boat for 12 months of the year as long as 1-day per month you slept elsewhere.

 

How do CC'ers get a mooring, if they might need (want) a shorterm mooring? For some reason, they may be unable to comply with CC'ing guidelines for an extended period.  

 

 

Edited by Higgs
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12 minutes ago, Higgs said:

 

How do CC'ers get a mooring, if they might need (want) a shorterm mooring? For some reason, they may be unable to comply with CC'ing guidelines for an extended period.  

 

 

Just ask a marina or boatyard for a short term mooring, for as long as you need it. Most will be happy to take your money if they have room. 

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2 minutes ago, David Mack said:

Just ask a marina or boatyard for a short term mooring, for as long as you need it. Most will be happy to take your money if they have room. 

 

I was just wondering how it could be relative to someone without a main home, buying a boat, and being able to secure a mooring, with no other place of residence, and to go about getting what the OP is looking for. 

 

 

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4 minutes ago, Higgs said:

 

I was just wondering how it could be relative to someone without a main home, buying a boat, and being able to secure a mooring, with no other place of residence, and to go about getting what the OP is looking for. 

 

 

You can still get a short term 'visitors mooring' at £15 - £30 per night

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Just now, Higgs said:

 

I don't think that will suit the OP, who I think will want a base of sorts. 

 

 

 

Possibly not but I thought your question was more a 'general' one re CCers needing a short-term mooring :

 

36 minutes ago, Higgs said:

 

How do CC'ers get a mooring, if they might need (want) a shorterm mooring? 

 

 

 

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2 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

Possibly not but I thought your question was more a 'general' one re CCers needing a short-term mooring :

 

 

 

It was in a roundabout way of trying to find out how to accommodate the buying of a boat, having no alternative residence, and, securing a permanent mooring. 

 

 

  • Greenie 1
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Suggest you look for privately owned leisure moorings.

As has been said,some operators strictly enforce no residence,and others don't.

One I know well is leisure,but with a clause in the agreement,that you take yourself or yourself and your boat off for a few weeks holiday every year.

Some moorers do this,others don't.

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27 minutes ago, Higgs said:

 

It was in a roundabout way of trying to find out how to accommodate the buying of a boat, having no alternative residence, and, securing a permanent mooring. 

 

 

 

In which case you simply don't use marinas that have that stipulation - there are plenty of marinas about, some don't even require you to be licenced !

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To exist as any sort of functioning citizen you pretty much have to have an address somewhere that can be used to contact you. Bank account, driving license and so on. There are ways to be of no fixed abode, but it is grim and not something to do from choice. For many on boats this address is a friends, or relatives. It helps to not antagonise everyone you know! ? You then have a duty not to do something that abuses that trust like trash their credit rating, or get the police turning up looking for you too often...

As far as the marina is concerned, this is your address.

Jen

Edited by Jen-in-Wellies
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2 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

In which case you simply don't use marinas that have that stipulation - there are plenty of marinas about, some don't even require you to be licenced !

 

I seem to remember, that when I changed from one marina to another, it was a fairly routine process of deciding which of three to choose and sign on the dotted line; booking a start date for the mooring. The mooring was leisure and I had no other place of residence. Before you mentioned it, I was unaware of any prior conditions of residential proof. 

 

 

 

 

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11 minutes ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

To exist as any sort of functioning citizen you pretty much have to have an address somewhere that can be used to contact you. Bank account, driving license and so on. There are ways to be of no fixed abode, but it is grim and not something to do from choice. For many on boats this address is a friends, or relatives. It helps to not antagonise everyone you know! ? You then have a duty not to do something that abuses that trust like trash their credit rating, or get the police turning up looking for you too often...

As far as the marina is concerned, this is your address.

Jen

 

The strict adherence in the need to provide identification is usually required more when money is being paid out to you. When paying in, identification is far more likely to be less important or demanded. This is as I find it, anyhow. 

 

 

Edited by Higgs
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Daniel, as you're new to all this, I would recommend a marina mooring rather than an LT (long-term by the towpath) one. You'll have the services, help and support which you need while you're learning the "ropes". We moored our first boat at Whilton Marina, 23 years ago, and, looking back, it was a sound decision.

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Hi Everyone,

Thanks so much for all of your responses and opinions so far. I think it has helped answer a few questions and put my mind at rest a bit.
I will have a mailing address as far as bank, drivers licence etc. is concerned so that I suppose would be considered my "legal" residence and hopefully if I can find a mooring somewhere then I shouldn't be considered as needing a 'residential mooring' because I will be away for about half the time.

I think my panic started to set in because some of the mooring vacancies I read suggested that spending a month there was a big no no (one even said you could only spend the occasional weekend there which seemed a bit much if you were paying a few thousand pounds a year for the mooring which I believe in that case was £3000 or thereabouts).

 

Obviously if I am home for a month or so then I would fully intend to be cruising as much as possible and it shouldn't really be an issue. I guess my perspective is a little different this year because where I am normally away for over half the year this year and the COVID-19 has meant all the concerts, tours and festivals I do have ALL been cancelled so I haven't left the UK at all since Feb.

So once again, thank you ALL so so much. 

Just one last question I guess that I may have briefly mentioned in my original post (and I am sure this is a rabbit hole we could go down forever but) how do you all feel about security IF and when you are away from your boat for a few weeks? (I know many of you may live aboard full time so this may not be an issue).

Thanks again

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I've had two marina moorings. Both say in the small print "no residential use" but in practice don't care if people spend "a long time" on their boats. Indeed, many like to have a few people spending most of their time there as it increases the security. The only issue is that they do usually say not to use the marina office as an address for post (although neither have issues in accepting parts for a boat if you ask nicely first).

 

Tell us roughly where you might be interested and I'm sure that someone will have suggestions. (But don't mention that London!)

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