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Canalboats In Cornwall ?


Cara

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Hi new here, hello everyone

 

I am posting as wondering whether anyone here has ever moved their canalboat to a cornwall location to live.

 

Appreciate that it is on the sea but we are seriously considering whether we could do this and how difficult it could be.

 

Know it would have to be trucked there.

 

Any advice would be really appreciated 

 

 

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There was a narrowboat that was fitted out afloat above Plymouth but I suspect it was on the Devon bank.

 

Given a sheltered mooring, a water supply rubbish disposal and black water disposal I can't see why not as long as you change the anode for zinc and keep the hull well blacked.

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1 minute ago, Tony Brooks said:

There was a narrowboat that was fitted out afloat above Plymouth but I suspect it was on the Devon bank.

 

Given a sheltered mooring, a water supply rubbish disposal and black water disposal I can't see why not as long as you change the anode for zinc and keep the hull well blacked.

Thanks I was going to ask about anodes we have magnesium 

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15 minutes ago, Cara said:

Hi new here, hello everyone

 

I am posting as wondering whether anyone here has ever moved their canalboat to a cornwall location to live.

 

Appreciate that it is on the sea but we are seriously considering whether we could do this and how difficult it could be.

 

Know it would have to be trucked there.

 

Any advice would be really appreciated 

 

 

 

 

Are you thinking about in a marina ? Are you thinking about Plymouth ?

Our boat was on pontoon moorings in Plymouth, and then a swinging mooring at Torpoint but is currently on the hard at Millbrook (further up past Southdown).

 

I am not aware of any marinas or mooring in the Plymouth area that allows liveaboard. In fact the ones we looked at their T&Cs explicitly say it is not allowed.

 

Maybe some more detail of 'what and where' and we could give better advice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Torpoint Marinas.jpg

Edited by Alan de Enfield
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There was a dutch barge moored in Gweek, so maybe a possibility there?  No chance anywhere on the Fal, Camel, Gannel etc.

 

There was a narrowboat that made its way down the North Devon Coast to get to Bude, story of its departure on page 10 here  http://bude-canal.co.uk/Tub Boat 80 print.pdf

 

 

Edited by cobaltcodd
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45 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

 

Are you thinking about in a marina ? Are you thinking about Plymouth ?

Our boat was on pontoon moorings in Plymouth, and then a swinging mooring at Torpoint but is currently on the hard at Millbrook (further up past Southdown).

 

I am not aware of any marinas or mooring in the Plymouth area that allows liveaboard. In fact the ones we looked at their T&Cs explicitly say it is not allowed.

 

Maybe some more detail of 'what and where' and we could give better advice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Torpoint Marinas.jpg

Hi there we was thinking about torpoint it is too expensive in gweek and they want a lot of money upfront.

 

We are currently near London a recent fire where we arep has been a turning point and we want to just live somewhere near the sea and if possible take our boat.

 

We was also thinking of selling and moving there but love our boat as it's our home.

 

Any advice on torpoint would be really appreciated 

 

 

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2 minutes ago, Cara said:

Hi there we was thinking about torpoint it is too expensive in gweek and they want a lot of money upfront.

 

We are currently near London a recent fire where we arep has been a turning point and we want to just live somewhere near the sea and if possible take our boat.

 

We was also thinking of selling and moving there but love our boat as it's our home.

 

Any advice on torpoint would be really appreciated 

 

 

 

What size is your boat ?

 

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17 minutes ago, Cara said:

It is 65 x 12 it is a widebeam.

 

 

 

There is no way that you will fit into the 'Ballast Pond' (the yacht harbour) at Torpoint, I reckon the biggest boat in there is about 40 foot, you would not get thru the entrance and be able to turn to gt on the pontoons.

 

You would fit onto swinging moorings, but you'd need to check :

 

1) Do they allow livaboards (I'm pretty sure they don't)

2) Are their mooring chains adequate for the weight of your boat (you'd be the biggest boat on the swing moorings, and would probably need to wait for an 'end mooring' to become available as the spacing between the moorings is generally set up for 30-40 foot yachts.

 

 

Do you know what swinging moorings are ?

 

You are half a mile to one mile off shore, you have no water or electricity or toilet faciities

You need to call up the water taxi (on VHF radio)  if you want to go ashore, the taxi runs approx 9am to 6pm, or

You need your own small boat (tender) to take you ashore.

 

You are rocked about as the big Navy ships go past, as speed boats go past and need to check that the chain ferry is not going across the channel.

 

Do you have lumpy water experience ?

 

We were paying £30 per night on a pontoon in Plymouth, but annual contract price for your boat would be around £6000 - £7000 (if they allow liveaboards)

 

Torpoint swing moorings with the chain-ferry going right to left in the background and boats in the Ballast Pond (Yacht Harbour)

 

 

 

Screenshot (327).png

Screenshot (329).png

 

 

 

Sharing the swinging moorings with a 'big grey widebeam'

 

 

 

 

Screenshot (331).png

Edited by Alan de Enfield
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57 minutes ago, cobaltcodd said:

There was a dutch barge moored in Gweek, so maybe a possibility there?  No chance anywhere on the Fal, Camel, Gannel etc.

 

There was a narrowboat that made its way down the North Devon Coast to get to Bude, story of its departure on page 10 here  http://bude-canal.co.uk/Tub Boat 80 print.pdf

 

 

 

Anything at Hayle

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I live in Plymouth and have a boat here.

 

There aren't any restrictions in living aboard at most of the marinas here, I know that QAB allow it and Yacht Haven in Turnchapel have many liveaboards, mainly on 50 /60 footers.

 

As Alan said the ballast pond at Torpoint is the only sheltered mooring that side of the Tamar. Although you'd be too big to get inside the walls, they do have much larger boats around the back and on the sides, but the mooring space is limited. From memory we got called out to an incident on a houseboat a couple of years ago so they must allow liveaboards, but I would be surprised if they had a space- you'd need to phone and ask.

 

The problem with any non-marina mooring in Plymouth is the fetch up the Tamar can be pretty large, the Torpoint ferry gets knocked about by it sometimes and those ferries are huge. There's no way I'd want to be sat on a flat bottomed boat anywhere on a swinging mooring up there, it will not be comfortable.

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8 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

There is no way that you will fit into the 'Ballast Pond' (the yacht harbour) at Torpoint, I reckon the biggest boat in there is about 40 foot, you would not get thru the entrance and be able to turn to gt on the pontoons.

 

You would fit onto swinging moorings, but you'd need to check :

 

1) Do they allow livaboards (I'm pretty sure they don't)

2) Are their mooring chains adequate for the weight of your boat (you'd be the biggest boat on the swing moorings, and would probably need to wait for an 'end mooring' to become available as the spacing between the moorings is generally set up for 30-40 foot yachts.

 

 

Do you know what swinging moorings are ?

 

You are half a mile to one mile off shore, you have no water or electricity or toilet faciities

You need to call up the water taxi (on VHF radio)  if you want to go ashore, the taxi runs approx 9am to 6pm, or

You need your own small boat (tender) to take you ashore.

 

You are rocked about as the big Navy ships go past, as speed boats go past and need to check that the chain ferry is not going across the channel.

 

Do you have lumpy water experience ?

 

We were paying £30 per night on a pontoon in Plymouth, but annual contract price for your boat would be around £6000 - £7000 (if they allow liveaboards)

 

Torpoint swing moorings with the chain-ferry going right to left in the background and boats in the Ballast Pond (Yacht Harbour)

 

 

 

Screenshot (327).png

Screenshot (329).png

 

 

 

Sharing the swinging moorings with a 'big grey widebeam'

 

 

 

 

Screenshot (331).png

Nope would not want that going past on a flat bottomed boat !!!! Great advice thankyou 

8 hours ago, ditchcrawler said:

Does it have to be Cornwell or does it just sound nice. How about the chelmer or Lancaster Cornell is a big change from London

I love Cornwall and the people there but saying that dont know anything about the helmer or Lancaster and will look into it.  We want a safe quiet area with no hassle even thought of the isle of wight if we could get her there there are livaboards in bembridge 

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There was an ex Black Prince  boat (not sure of width but at least 56ft long) moored on the River Hamble , Bursledon, near Southampton until a couple of years ago. Use to see it from the M27 when passing over the river

 

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9 hours ago, ditchcrawler said:

Does it have to be Cornwell or does it just sound nice. How about the chelmer or Lancaster Cornell is a big change from London

 

Kentish Swale or Rother may be worth investigating unless its Cornwall or nothing.

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11 hours ago, Tony Brooks said:

 

Given a sheltered mooring, a water supply rubbish disposal and black water disposal I can't see why not as long as you change the anode for zinc and keep the hull well blacked.

 

Personally I'd want the hull well epoxied, not blacked. Bitumen blacking won't last long and when it starts to go around the waterline the hull will start to rust very quickly in a salty/brackish environment, even with a few zinc anodes.

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9 hours ago, gatekrash said:

As Alan said the ballast pond at Torpoint is the only sheltered mooring that side of the Tamar. Although you'd be too big to get inside the walls, they do have much larger boats around the back and on the sides, but the mooring space is limited.

 

Yes there are a couple of big boats (boat shaped boats and a Cat) outside the ballast tank walls, BUT they are drying so not ideal moorings.

 

One of the big boats is of course the toilets, showers and club house (bottom corner of the picture, at the end of the bridge / walkway)

It certainly sits on the hard when the tide is out

 

 

 

Gallery | Torpoint Yacht Harbour

Edited by Alan de Enfield
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There has been a narrow boat on the Bude Canal, the Archangel, which served as a Christian Bookshop. It was craned in and I guess craned out when it left. 

You'd have to negotiate with Cornwall Council who operate the Bude Canal, as they are also the planning authority your "liveaboard" status will come under the spotlight, even if they consent to the mooring. 

As a general rule I'd either find a more typical canal or river to go or get a different boat!

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Narrowboats and wide boats fetch up in all sorts of places. Saw a derelict narrowboat in the Colmar branch off the Rhine, must have got there via the Rhine which must have been interesting.. Mooring a 65` boat in Cornwall is going to be expensive as you know. So is getting it there (and back if you sell it)  Personally I would carry on thinking, you obviously like boats and the whole boat 'thing' so maybe continue the adventure into the world of salty water vessels, you might find you get a lot of boat for your money and could shift it from creek to creek if a different/better/cheaper mooring came up or 10 miles along the coast.

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Google shows one moored up on pontoons a Wivenhoe on the Coln in Essex. I have seen it there and t son a jetty. It is a drying berth but that should not be a problem for a flat bottom. All the Essex creeks and rivers would be worth a look and with great care you may not need road transport for some of them.

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15 hours ago, Tony Brooks said:

There was a narrowboat that was fitted out afloat above Plymouth but I suspect it was on the Devon bank.

 

Given a sheltered mooring, a water supply rubbish disposal and black water disposal I can't see why not as long as you change the anode for zinc and keep the hull well blacked.

It was indeed the Devon bank near Bere Alston and a very pleasant 18 month sojourn it turned out to be Tony! Enjoyed mixing it with the nuclear subs and other warships down at Devonport when I got bored with the fit out and felt like a bit of boating. Great way to run a diesel engine in properly pushing a good spring tide! And yes, I made the rooky mistake of specifying Mag anodes which soon disappeared. Beached it on a sandbank on a very high tide before I left to replace them, and re-blacked the bottom before floating free on the next spring.

 

Up in Scotland now, 22 years later, which is quite a contrast!

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