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

[Higgs]

14 minutes ago, DanielBiggin said:

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

 

The more secure marina will probably have no access without a fob activated gate or padlock. Some marinas are withing spitting distance of the cut and probably won't be able to offer as much security. You will tend to build up relationships with other moorers who will (might) keep an eye ( not guaranteed) on your boat. Other than that - make sure your boat is well secured. 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 28, 2020 by Higgs

[Alan de Enfield]

10 minutes ago, DanielBiggin said:

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

Lack of security / break ins are unfortunately a fact of life, BUT, are not that frequent in the 'boat world' so it is not a real issue - just be sensible when leaving the boat.

 

Don't leave computers or valuables on view.

Make you boat reasonably secure but not 'stupidly so' as it shows you may have something to hide.

Make you boat mores secure than the boat next to you so the opportunist looking for a bottle of Scotch goes there first.

Do not use a padlock on the outside - it advertises the boat in uninhabited (use a 'Yale' type lock)

[DanielBiggin]

12 minutes ago, Onewheeler said:

 

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

Well, really the location isn't HUGELY important for me in practical terms with regards to me still being able to work. When I go away we fly out and we have members of the band and crew that fly in and out from everywhere so aside from being close-ish (a half hour or so taxi ride away) to a town with a train or coach station then I don't mind.

 

We have guys that fly from Manchester, Birmingham/East Midlands or Bristol airports and then often all fly in from those outer airports to Heathrow before heading off proper so if I can jump on a train or end up close to a regional airport then I am fine.

As for preference I do like to be somewhere peaceful and quiet and love nature more than cities.

[DanielBiggin]

I certainly wouldn't leave valuables in open view but I think its really interesting what you say about not making it look TOO secure 

2 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Make you boat reasonably secure but not 'stupidly so' as it shows you may have something to hide.

Make you boat mores secure than the boat next to you so the opportunist looking for a bottle of Scotch goes there first.

Do not use a padlock on the outside - it advertises the boat in uninhabited (use a 'Yale' type lock)

We used to use these very expensive cases for some of our musical gear on tour and they were solid as a rock, the only problem is people quickly cottoned onto the fact that if you have a £500 case then what's inside it must REALLY be worth stealing. 
I use a strong but very tatty case these days and it never gets a second look.

 

[Higgs]

1 minute ago, DanielBiggin said:

I certainly wouldn't leave valuables in open view but I think its really interesting what you say about not making it look TOO secure 

We used to use these very expensive cases for some of our musical gear on tour and they were solid as a rock, the only problem is people quickly cottoned onto the fact that if you have a £500 case then what's inside it must REALLY be worth stealing. 
I use a strong but very tatty case these days and it never gets a second look.

 

 

In relative terms, what you need is a rust bucket of a boat. ?

 

 

 

[Jen-in-Wellies]

5 minutes ago, Higgs said:

In relative terms, what you need is a rust bucket of a boat. ?

Shed boat on the outside

Palace on the inside. This is a wide beam obviously

[Higgs]

3 minutes ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

Shed boat on the outside

Palace on the inside. This is a wide beam obviously

 

 

Perfect! With just a bit of a list. 

 

 

[captain birdseye]

We moor on the upper peak in Furness Vale marina. It is secure with a fob to open the gates, TW marine on site so handy for parts and any problems that should occur. nice local cruising range and a train station with regular service to Manchester and a train from there sees you at the airport in no time, or on an inter city train to the north or south. 

 

In the same area is New Mills with a great selection of shops on the doorstep and really good amenity block

 

As has been said, when we leave the boat all security is on the inside so it doesn't look any different than when we are on the boat. There are some boats there that seem not to move but we regularly see people on the boats and we have never been asked how long we have been on board if we don't go out when we are there, but to be honest we usually potter off to Bugsworth, stopping at Tesco on the way or to Marple or Bollington and Macclesfield if we only have a few days between work, or down Bosley and a bit further if we have more time.

Edited August 28, 2020 by captain birdseye

[Onewheeler]

44 minutes ago, DanielBiggin said:

We have guys that fly from Manchester, Birmingham/East Midlands or Bristol airports and then often all fly in from those outer airports to Heathrow before heading off proper so if I can jump on a train or end up close to a regional airport then I am fine.

Bristol is difficult. Saul Junction marina was welcoming when I moored there, a few people spending a lot of time on their boats and not too expensive as marinas go. ~6 km from two main line stations (on different lines) and rural.

[DanielBiggin]

I just want to say thank you to everyone for all the help and opinions and advice. I have really started to get a grasp on what I need and am going to have a look at a few moorings.
I have found what I think may be the boat for me (pending the survey) and a couple of others in the back of my mind.

 

Hopefully I will be joining you all in the narrowboat community this year.

Thanks again and I hope to get to know more of you in the future.

 

[Arthur Marshall]

Farm moorings are fairly secure, especially if people are living on their boats there. But there's no real security on a boat, they're easy to break into though it's still a rare occurrence. On farms, I've been broken into twice in thirty years, both times by a tramp (prob not the same one!)looking for somewhere to sleep and doing very little damage and no theft, though there was booze and money on the boat. He did eat a pot noodle though, pooor sod, so he must have been desperate. And I had a genny nicked many years ago.

A friend of mine had his engine stolen though!

[Mark Dexter]

Thanks for raising this topic Daniel. I'm an expat living in Christchurch New Zealand and drive a cruise ship for a living. Well I will do again when Covid is over. 

We want to split our time on a narrowboat in the UK and our home in NZ when we can, living for 6 months on a narrowboat and 6 months at home in NZ. Questions as to where to keep an unoccupied boat for periods when we are out of the UK are relevant to us as well. Still deciding whether to buy or take long term rentals especially as the plan is to return to the UK when I retire in around 5 years but really want our own boat.

[mrsmelly]

4 hours ago, Mark Dexter said:

Thanks for raising this topic Daniel. I'm an expat living in Christchurch New Zealand and drive a cruise ship for a living. Well I will do again when Covid is over. 

We want to split our time on a narrowboat in the UK and our home in NZ when we can, living for 6 months on a narrowboat and 6 months at home in NZ. Questions as to where to keep an unoccupied boat for periods when we are out of the UK are relevant to us as well. Still deciding whether to buy or take long term rentals especially as the plan is to return to the UK when I retire in around 5 years but really want our own boat.

If you are not coming home for five years personaly I would rent in the meantime. Boats at the moment are very expensive and will have dived down by then and moorings, licence and upkeep for five years will be far more than several rentals.

[Tracy D'arth]

5 hours ago, Mark Dexter said:

Thanks for raising this topic Daniel. I'm an expat living in Christchurch New Zealand and drive a cruise ship for a living. Well I will do again when Covid is over. 

We want to split our time on a narrowboat in the UK and our home in NZ when we can, living for 6 months on a narrowboat and 6 months at home in NZ. Questions as to where to keep an unoccupied boat for periods when we are out of the UK are relevant to us as well. Still deciding whether to buy or take long term rentals especially as the plan is to return to the UK when I retire in around 5 years but really want our own boat.

How long term rental would you want?  It would be very expensive to rent a boat for 6 months, I know of nowhere that do anyway.

A secure mooring in a marina in the north would be far less expensive than any south of Birmingham. A boat properly mothballed would not deteriorate significantly in 6 months even including winter. You would have little problem in finding someone in a marina who would keep an eye on it.

[Alan de Enfield]

31 minutes ago, Tracy D'arth said:

How long term rental would you want?  It would be very expensive to rent a boat for 6 months, I know of nowhere that do anyway.

 

It costs about £1000 per month.

There are several companies who do it quite legally and above board.

 

One of them :

 

Escape the Rat Race (etrr.co.uk)

 

Escape the Rat Race

We have been enabling clients to 'liveaboard' narrowboats long term now for 14 years. We have a diverse fleet of boats available, at a far lower cost than long term holiday hire. We were the first to specialise in long term canal boat breaks and pride ourselves on our expert service.

Our service is fully legal, and all of our boats are properly insured and licensed, as well as being professionally prepared and maintained. We provide you with everything you need to enjoy your cruise and our fee covers this care.

Whether you are looking for a longer term Narrowboat holiday, or to live on a narrowboat permanently, we can serve you. Bookings range from 3 months upward.

• Perhaps you're visiting Great Britain for a few months, newly retired, or would like to try things out while deciding whether to 'liveaboard' permanently.
• Perhaps you want to live on a narrow boat but without the hassle of maintaining or investing in a boat of your own.
• Perhaps you've enjoyed narrowboat rental holidays in the past, but would like to spend time enjoying Britain's huge canal network over a number of months.
• Maybe you have a narrowboat of your own but would like to invest this with our management service.

Escape The Rat Race supports you while providing maintenance as required. You are simply responsible for what you use in the form of gas, diesel and logs etc.

[David Mack]

1 hour ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

It costs about £1000 per month.

There are several companies who do it quite legally and above board.

 

One of them :

 

Escape the Rat Race (etrr.co.uk)

 

"Several companies" are mentioned every time this topic comes up, but the only one that ever gets named is ETRR. Which are the others?

[Alan de Enfield]

13 minutes ago, David Mack said:

 

"Several companies" are mentioned every time this topic comes up, but the only one that ever gets named is ETRR. Which are the others?

 

Google is your friend , I stopped after the first 5 different companies ..................

 

Here is another one for you.

 

Long Term Hire - Rose Narrowboats (rose-narrowboats.co.uk)

 

Long Term Hire

Want to explore the UK canal system more?

See England and Wales from a different angle!

 

As well as our usual holiday hire periods, we can offer much longer term rentals of up to six months enabling you to explore the UK canal system more extensively with the peace of mind of 24/7 assistance and back-up from our boat yard.

Edited January 22, 2021 by Alan de Enfield

[mrsmelly]

20 minutes ago, David Mack said:

 

"Several companies" are mentioned every time this topic comes up, but the only one that ever gets named is ETRR. Which are the others?

Dave Dare has a few long term rentals, I was with him yesterday and hes just bought two more both already rented out for 9 months a pop, its a very popular business these days.

" Long Term Narrowboat Hire "

Edited January 22, 2021 by mrsmelly

[ditchcrawler]

3 hours ago, Tracy D'arth said:

How long term rental would you want?  It would be very expensive to rent a boat for 6 months, I know of nowhere that do anyway.

A secure mooring in a marina in the north would be far less expensive than any south of Birmingham. A boat properly mothballed would not deteriorate significantly in 6 months even including winter. You would have little problem in finding someone in a marina who would keep an eye on it.

I have met a couple of I think it was @Rose Narrowboats  who were on long term hire. 

[Mark Dexter]

13 hours ago, mrsmelly said:

Boats at the moment are very expensive and will have dived down by then and moorings, licence and upkeep for five years will be far more than several rentals.

Why do you think boats are more expensive at the moment?

[Mark Dexter]

12 hours ago, Tracy D'arth said:

How long term rental would you want?  It would be very expensive to rent a boat for 6 months, I know of nowhere that do anyway.

A secure mooring in a marina in the north would be far less expensive than any south of Birmingham. A boat properly mothballed would not deteriorate significantly in 6 months even including winter. You would have little problem in finding someone in a marina who would keep an eye on it.

Hi Tracy, My current leave pattern is 10 weeks on my ship 10 weeks off at home so we would be looking to work around that to start. When I retire if we stay in NZ then we would spend the summers in the UK and then back to NZ for their summer. So the boat would be moored up over winter. That was the plan until COVID caused a rethink whether we retire back to the UK. 

[Mark Dexter]

11 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

It costs about £1000 per month.

There are several companies who do it quite legally and above board.

 

One of them :

 

Escape the Rat Race (etrr.co.uk)

Thanks Alan. This looks like a good start. Initially we would be looking at spending a 10 week period of my leave onboard a boat. I have spent my whole life on boats, albeit rather larger than a narrowboat. But its time to slow down now and my wife needs a little more time to convince herself that living onboard is the way to go.

 

[Alan de Enfield]

13 minutes ago, Mark Dexter said:

Why do you think boats are more expensive at the moment?

 

It is not just 'at the moment'.

It has been a sellers market for the last 5+ years,

People keep seeing 'good life stories' in the newspapers and think they'll have "some of that".

Many folks have never had so much disposable income as they have had over the last few years (you can take early retirement and get lump sums)

Folks are 'downsizing' and freeing up capital, banks are paying bo interest so they spend it on having fun.

Youngsters cannot afford to get on the housing ladder and see a boat as their first step of affordable independence away from their parents.

Low paid workers in the cities (cleaners, bar staff, etc etc) cannot afford to rent a flat at £2000 per month so buy a boat to live on.

People can no longer travel to far-flung places for holidays, so for the price of a couple of 'good holidays' can buy a boat

 

 

Its almost like the 'perfect storm' in the last few years so many things have come together at the same time.

I'd even go so far as to suggest that a £30k boat 5 years ago would be £40k today.

 

A good boat priced at a 'fair' price will sell the day it is put up for sale - in many cases before it is even advertised as brokers have lists of waiting buyers. The ones that don;t sell immediately are either drastically operpriced or 'wrecks'.

 

 

 

[Mark Dexter]

3 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Its almost like the 'perfect storm' in the last few years so many things have come together at the same time.

I'd even go so far as to suggest that a £30k boat 5 years ago would be £40k today.

 

So how do you feel that has affected the price of new builds?

 

 

 

 

[LadyG]

9 hours ago, Mark Dexter said:

Why do you think boats are more expensive at the moment?

It's difficult to be sure, market forces, the demand from folks who have been saving for a house, and realising they are still years from own home. According to legend the waterways of London are bow to stern with aged Springers and wide beams in various states of completion

There is another option for you, requires some inconvenience and a bit of risk. You could buy an older boat by good builder, use it for a few months, decide how you would like it alterered, and have it upgraded while you are away. 

 

Edited January 23, 2021 by LadyG