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Birmingham to K&A - via Severn?


RoseB

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A newbie looking for advice.

Currently have a 57' boat in a marina near Birmingham. Needing to move it to the Trowbridge/Bathampton area, certainly by end of November. Canal plan says take it down the Severn.

- Is that sensible for this time of year, or should I take the long way round?

- Does anyone have any contacts for Pilots? Gloucester pilots are charging 230 and don't help with prepping the boat before. A lovely man named Roger is unavailable to do it.

(possibly a silly question but how does one go from portishead to bristol marina?)

Any advice welcome

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Where to start? It can be done, many have done it, I would never go to sea in a bath tub personaly but plenty have. The main things are ENSURE your diesel is clean, new diesel filter and take a spare. Make absolutely sure there is no water in your fuel tank as it may well stir the crap up and you are stuffed. Do not go without someone who knows what they are doing.

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I dont know about the Severn but, if you are a "newbie", it might be something to avoid until you have more time to prepare, and aren't under pressure from a deadline.

 

Canal Plan has probably given you the fastest route, rather than saying "Take it down the Severn" :)

 

YMMV but Go the long way round, enjoy the trip, and gain some experience :) 

 

 

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6 minutes ago, mrsmelly said:

Where to start? It can be done, many have done it, I would never go to sea in a bath tub personaly but plenty have. The main things are ENSURE your diesel is clean, new diesel filter and take a spare. Make absolutely sure there is no water in your fuel tank as it may well stir the crap up and you are stuffed. Do not go without someone who knows what they are doing.

 

Ideally do estuary and sea passages in a twin engine boat, but assuming you have a single engine NB, a good alternative is go in a group of other boats. Then if one suffers engine failure of any sort, a tow is immediately on hand. 

 

But as others have said, estuary passages are a recipe for trouble especially for inexperienced boaters.

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19 minutes ago, RoseB said:

(possibly a silly question but how does one go from portishead to bristol marina?)

 

You go up the River Avon. 

 

But just go the long way round.....the sooner the better before the days get very short. If you do do it in November remember to check for stoppages on your route. It probably won't be any longer anyway when you consider you could have to wait in Sharpness for a week or 10 days for a weather and tide window. 

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4 minutes ago, RoseB said:

Great, I shan’t be going via the Severn then. Glad that was easy!

 

Another approach is a crane and a lorry! 

 

I've moved my boat at least twice from Midlands to Reading this way when I haven't had the time to make the trip by canal.

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15 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

Another approach is a crane and a lorry! 

 

I've moved my boat at least twice from Midlands to Reading this way when I haven't had the time to make the trip by canal.

Can I ask how much it cost you?

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1 hour ago, Keeping Up said:

On Canal Plan, look at your Preferences page and on the Speeds tab select "Never" for Seaways and maybe Tidal Rivers too. It will then show you the alternative routes.

I tried it, and surprisingly canalplan treats Sharpness to Portishead as tidal river not seaway.  It looks and smells like the sea to me!

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3 hours ago, RoseB said:

Can I ask how much it cost you?


cant clearly remember but i think Tuckeys charged £1700 to send their crane to Kate Boats and lift onto their lorry, and drive it to Reading. The cradle crane there was £150-ish to unload into the water. 

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Personally I would go via Oxford, Thames, K&A. Its a much nicer route and even if you don't quite make the timetable you can leave it in marinas and move it at weekends. I've done both ways and would happily go Sharpness - Portishead - Bristol but I would have to be very sure that the fuel and tank was all as new. The fee for a pilot is worth it - remember he has to get back home again when he leaves you at Portishead and it is possible to get things wrong out there,  You will be going the fastest you have ever been on a narrowboat when you go under the bridges! 

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