Inflatables

[Bubblebuster]

Now I am living near the idyllic Monmouth and Brecon canal I have been thinking of getting a little boat along with an electric engine to do some lazy days exploring - but should it be an inflatable, or something rigid like a conventional dinghy given that it might snag and puncture. 

[Tonka]

1 hour ago, Bubblebuster said:

Now I am living near the idyllic Monmouth and Brecon canal I have been thinking of getting a little boat along with an electric engine to do some lazy days exploring - but should it be an inflatable, or something rigid like a conventional dinghy given that it might snag and puncture. 

Or a folding boat of some description 

[Bubblebuster]

Been considering those as well.

[Tonka]

4 minutes ago, Bubblebuster said:

Been considering those as well.

Have a look on https://www.songofthepaddle.co.uk/

For reviews of inflatable and folding canoes

 

And solid canoes as well

[enigmatic]

I'm told when it comes to inflatables, the advantage of a £10 lilo from B&M is that when you hit something underwater you only lose £10. And possibly your dignity, I guess.

[rusty69]

A small hard grp dinghy will always go through the water better than an inflatable, with perhaps the exception of a rigid inflatable,and will easily take an outboard motor. 

 

Transportation of a hard dinghy may be more of a problem without road trailer or roof bars. 

 

I favour the hypalon Avon dinghies which can be picked up second hand from ebay etc. They are pretty tough, and last for decades,though the valves tend to fail eventually. 

 

Also worth considering the humble kayak or Canadian canoe. 

[Mike Todd]

and it still needs a licence!

[Tonka]

23 minutes ago, Mike Todd said:

and it still needs a licence!

But if it is an un-powered canoe you can join the BCU and the membership covers you for using the canals and 3rd party insurance

[Graham Davis]

1 hour ago, Tonka said:

But if it is an un-powered canoe you can join the BCU and the membership covers you for using the canals and 3rd party insurance

 

The OP says it would have an electric outboard!

[Tonka]

9 hours ago, Graham Davis said:

 

The OP says it would have an electric outboard!

Oops. If he lives in Wales then it is not the BCU but the Welsh Canoe Association ha needs to join for the un-powered licence. If it is going to be powered then you will need a CRT licence

[David Mack]

9 hours ago, Graham Davis said:

 

The OP says it would have an electric outboard!

And the daft thing, is that if it has an electric outboard powered by a battery in the boat it has an 'electrical system' on board, so needs a Boat Safety Certificate. But if it has a small petrol outboard with integral fuel tank, it doesn't.

[Tonka]

3 minutes ago, David Mack said:

And the daft thing, is that if it has an electric outboard powered by a battery in the boat it has an 'electrical system' on board, so needs a Boat Safety Certificate. But if it has a small petrol outboard with integral fuel tank, it doesn't.

Does it have to be 4 stroke ?

[Jimbobs]

OP, have you seen these folding boats?

https://nestawayboats.com/shop/portabote-fold-flat-boats/

 

They seem to get reasonable reviews…

[Tonka]

2 minutes ago, Jimbobs said:

OP, have you seen these folding boats?

https://nestawayboats.com/shop/portabote-fold-flat-boats/

 

They seem to get reasonable reviews…

https://www.seahopperfoldingboats.com/

Is what we used to have.

[BilgePump]

12 hours ago, Mike Todd said:

and it still needs a licence!

As there is no such licence as 'portable powered', even a little dinghy with 2hp outboard falls into the lowest size class of powered boat which is anything up to 18' long. Current short term/ visitor licence prices are (from 0m to less than 5.5m Up to 18' 0") £138.42 (30 day explorer) £110.74 (month) £35.48 (week). Add on a BSS if electric powered (AIUI), add on insurance and it starts to look a lot more expensive than just paddling a kayak on a BCU membership.

[Tonka]

2 minutes ago, BilgePump said:

As there is no such licence as 'portable powered', even a little dinghy with 2hp outboard falls into the lowest size class of powered boat which is anything up to 18' long. Current short term/ visitor licence prices are (from 0m to less than 5.5m Up to 18' 0") £138.42 (30 day explorer) £110.74 (month) £35.48 (week). Add on a BSS if electric powered (AIUI), add on insurance and it starts to look a lot more expensive than just paddling a kayak on a BCU membership.

Why is the 30 day explorer £138.42 and a month licence £110.74.

What is the difference 

[BilgePump]

1 minute ago, Tonka said:

Why is the 30 day explorer £138.42 and a month licence £110.74.

What is the difference 

You can use the thirty days whenever during the course of the year. Month is for a month of consecutive days from licence start date

[David Mack]

Our 30 day 'explorer' licence is only available to trailable boats and visitors with a home mooring on another non Canal & River Trust navigation.

Your explorer licence gives you up to 30 days use, which you can use at any time within 12 months of issue. The days do not need to be consecutive. Simply keep a record of each day your boat is on the water (we may ask to see a copy of your records). You can only buy these licences online.

https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/enjoy-the-waterways/boating/licence-your-boat/short-term-visitor-licences

[Alan de Enfield]

6 minutes ago, David Mack said:

Our 30 day 'explorer' licence is only available to trailable boats and visitors with a home mooring on another non Canal & River Trust navigation.

 

And, he will have a 'home mooring' at his home :

 

He can be a CCer :

 

the Board are satisfied that a mooring or other place where the vessel can reasonably be kept and may lawfully be left will be available for the vessel, whether on an inland waterway or elsewhere;

[Tonka]

8 minutes ago, David Mack said:

Our 30 day 'explorer' licence is only available to trailable boats and visitors with a home mooring on another non Canal & River Trust navigation.

Your explorer licence gives you up to 30 days use, which you can use at any time within 12 months of issue. The days do not need to be consecutive. Simply keep a record of each day your boat is on the water (we may ask to see a copy of your records). You can only buy these licences online.

https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/enjoy-the-waterways/boating/licence-your-boat/short-term-visitor-licences

The explorer licence states it is for trailable boats having a home mooring on another non CRT navigation. Which implies it would not cover you if you keep the boat at home

£47 a year for Welsh Canoe Association on the water membership which includes the licence and 3rd party insurance. Plus a magazine and discounts.

Just need to paddle but think of all the health benefit

Edited July 22, 2023 by Tonka
Spelling

[BilgePump]

14 minutes ago, Tonka said:

The explorer licence states it is for trailable boats having a home mooring on another non CRT navigation. Which implies it would not cover you if you keep the boat at home

On the short term licence page it states 'These licences are for small, unpowered or trailed boats and larger boats visiting our waterways for a short time from other navigations or coastal waters.'

 

That would cover a small powered dinghy lifted in for individual days and taken home, a trailboat cabin cruiser dropped in via slipway for a week's cruising or a bigger boat coming from a non CaRT waterway to cruise CaRT's waters for a month.

 

I'd forgotten that there is the option with short term licences to self-declare the safety of the vessel. An actual BSS cert isn't necessary. This is what I did when I first put my 19' boat on CaRT waters. At the time iirc there was a max of 56 days per year on short term like this but can't find a reference now. I never had to tell them where a home mooring was until I got the BSS sorted, paid for a long term licence and a towpath mooring.

[Jimbobs]

27 minutes ago, Tonka said:

The explorer licence states it is for trailable boats having a home mooring on another non CRT navigation. Which implies it would not cover you if you keep the boat at home

 

I think you might be reading that wrong - I’m reading it as a licence for EITHER trailable boats OR for boats with a non-CRT mooring. 

My understanding is that this is exactly the licence you need if you keep a boat at home. 

Edited July 22, 2023 by Jimbobs

[Tonka]

2 minutes ago, Jimbobs said:

I think you might be reading that wrong - I’m reading it as a licence for EITHER trailable boats OR for boats with a non-CRT mooring. 

My understanding is that this is exactly the licence you need if you keep a boat at home. 

I was reading it the way Dave Mack posted it. 

[David Mack]

57 minutes ago, Tonka said:

I was reading it the way Dave Mack posted it. 

And what I posted from the CRT website says "Our 30 day 'explorer' licence is only available to trailable boats and visitors with a home mooring on another non Canal & River Trust navigation."

So the 30 day explorer licence is available to 2 classes of boats:

- trailable boats

- visitors with a home mooring on another non CRT navigation

To be eligible for the licence you have to be in one of those two classes, but not necessarily both.

1 hour ago, BilgePump said:

That would cover a small powered dinghy lifted in for individual days and taken home,

But would it cover a small powered dinghy that is lifted in for individual days, but otherwise kept on the roof of the owners larger (and long-term licenced) boat?

[BilgePump]

1 hour ago, David Mack said:

But would it cover a small powered dinghy that is lifted in for individual days, but otherwise kept on the roof of the owners larger (and long-term licenced) boat?

Interesting point. I'd hope so on the basis that it is on something that is in the water but not in the water itself. It is being stored out of the water when not in use. I'm thinking along the lines of an old car being moved on a trailer behind a fully taxed, insured and MOT passed car. As long as its wheels aren't on the road the car being towed doesn't need tax or MOT itself.