Canal Boat Let wanted

[Jake porro]

Im looking to let a canal boat long term whilst i save up to buy my own, to get a taste for the life. Is there anyone on the Union or Forthclyde canal who wants to make some xtra cash from their boat and would be willing to let to me? The closer the proximity to Edinburgh the better

[Athy]

Welcome to the forum.

I don't know about Scots law, but in England you would be asking people to do something illegal - unless they had taken measures such as getting commercial insurance, which probably wouldn't be the case.

[ditchcrawler]

17 minutes ago, Jake porro said:

Im looking to let a canal boat long term whilst i save up to buy my own, to get a taste for the life. Is there anyone on the Union or Forthclyde canal who wants to make some xtra cash from their boat and would be willing to let to me? The closer the proximity to Edinburgh the better

Welcome aboard, I don't know how many members we have with boats in that part of the world but there is a company called Escape the Rat Race who do long term hire https://www.etrr.co.uk/

[Alan de Enfield]

 

ETTR prices start at around £1000 per month so much cheaper than a 'standard hire' (which can be £1000 per week)

 

https://www.etrr.co.uk/

[Tim Lewis]

42 minutes ago, Jake porro said:

Im looking to let a canal boat long term whilst i save up to buy my own, to get a taste for the life. Is there anyone on the Union or Forthclyde canal who wants to make some xtra cash from their boat and would be willing to let to me? The closer the proximity to Edinburgh the better

 

This is a London centric article but still worth a read

 

(1) Facebook

 

[LadyG]

The Scottish system does not have continuous cruising. Marinas are expensive. It's not a viable business model. 

Anything cash in hand would invalidate insurance of boat owner.I don't see how you expect to save up while renting a boat? 

Edited February 15, 2021 by LadyG

[ditchcrawler]

2 minutes ago, Tim Lewis said:

 

This is a London centric article but still worth a read

 

(1) Facebook

 

Incase you dont do Facebook https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/londoner-s-horror-as-houseboat-sinks-with-all-of-her-possessions-on-board-a3509466.html

[haggis]

1 minute ago, LadyG said:

The Scottish system does not have continuous cruising. Marinas are expensive. It's not a viable business model. 

True, no continuous cruising in Scotland and almost all moorings are owned and let by Scottish Canals. We don't have many marinas ? 

 

haggis

[Hudds Lad]

30 minutes ago, haggis said:

True, no continuous cruising in Scotland and almost all moorings are owned and let by Scottish Canals. We don't have many marinas ? 

 

haggis

 

seem to recall hearing you can't singlehand in Scotland either? have to have someone with you when locking, is that right?

[doratheexplorer]

I would imagine the monthly rental would be higher than the loan repayments from buying your own boat.

[haggis]

1 hour ago, Hudds Lad said:

 

seem to recall hearing you can't singlehand in Scotland either? have to have someone with you when locking, is that right?

No problem single handed in Scotland except going through locks where Scottish Canals like you to have two people on board.  The reason is that locks are operated by Scottish canals staff or volunteers and as the locks have no ground paddles, the force of the large gate paddles can throw the boat around a bit if it is not properly held front and rear. I honestly don't know the current position but at one time if you were single handed you had to pay extra to have a member of SC staff to hold one of the ropes (this was for boats transitting the Forth and Clyde canal) . 

 

haggis

[Iain_S]

1 hour ago, Hudds Lad said:

 

seem to recall hearing you can't singlehand in Scotland either? have to have someone with you when locking, is that right?

Scottish Canals insist on a crew member when locking. A good few years ago, a chap with a centre cockpit Sea Otter  persuaded them to let him through, and, now that the locking is done by volunteers, it's not a problem. There is always one spare to travel on the boat. 

[Keeping Up]

A friend of mine went through a Scottish lock with a crew member sitting on the front of the boat holding the end of a line that passed around a lock-side bollard. When the paddles were opened, the boat was pushed back so hard that the crew member was lifted high up off the deck; they remained holding on, swinging in mid-air by the lock wall, until the boat had risen up to their level. The lock keeper thought it was hilarious (but didn't drop the paddles at all)

[Tam & Di]

I don't know why people just hang onto a line like that in a lock rather than taking a turn around something, certainly not with a relatively heavy boat. A boat owner was doing just that on the Canal de Midi in France; that's what he always did, but this turned out to be a very fierce lock - the line pulled out of his hands and the boat smashed into the top gates, got trapped there and sank. It was a constructive loss. (hopefully also an instructive happening, but some people never learn).

 

Tam

[ditchcrawler]

6 minutes ago, Tam & Di said:

I don't know why people just hang onto a line like that in a lock rather than taking a turn around something, certainly not with a relatively heavy boat. A boat owner was doing just that on the Canal de Midi in France; that's what he always did, but this turned out to be a very fierce lock - the line pulled out of his hands and the boat smashed into the top gates, got trapped there and sank. It was a constructive loss. (hopefully also an instructive happening, but some people never learn).

 

Tam

I know how to do it Di told me.

[LadyG]

34 minutes ago, Keeping Up said:

A friend of mine went through a Scottish lock with a crew member sitting on the front of the boat holding the end of a line that passed around a lock-side bollard. When the paddles were opened, the boat was pushed back so hard that the crew member was lifted high up off the deck; they remained holding on, swinging in mid-air by the lock wall, until the boat had risen up to their level. The lock keeper thought it was hilarious (but didn't drop the paddles at all)

Block on the Deck. 

[Alan de Enfield]

37 minutes ago, LadyG said:

Block on the Deck. 

 

 

"Dick on the Deck"