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Is there such thing as a narrow boat/canal boat AirBNB?

Cody

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Cody Gongoozler

Cody

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Edit: Seems quite a few people assume I can handle a boat and advice me to rent/buy a boat. I don't. I just want to be driven around and maybe have my meals cooked for me. I can cook my own meals or just make sandwiches or buy my meals if the boat pass some shops or markets. So yeah I'm looking for a skippered charter and not a boat I operate myself. 

Hi all, I studied in Birmingham, Midlands looong ago and because of that I know about the canals, and often took walks along them as there were access points near my college(if memory serves my college was on Bond street).

I am now thinking of taking a vacation on a narrow boat/canal boat to explore the canals of Birmingham, see the sites, and maybe even take a leisurely cruise down to London, before returning home from there.

Any such service? Or is anyone interested to host me(and maybe a partner) for two weeks to a month?

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Jen-in-Wellies Veteran II

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Welcome to the forum.

A bit of terminology. A houseboat generally refers to a boat that is on a static permanent mooring most of the time. It is more a house than a boat and doesn't move about well, if at all.

It sounds like you are more interested in a boat that can be lived on and for the sort of trip you are looking at, a hire boat sounds the thing. Lots of canal hire boats available from a variety of companies. Be warned, hiring isn't cheap, especially in high summer.

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MtB Veteran II

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3 minutes ago, magnetman said:

"Bookings range from 3 months upward."

(etrr website says this)

 

The OP's plan to "explore the canals of Birmingham, see the sites, and maybe even take a leisurely cruise down to London, before returning home from there" whilst also going to "various parts of the UK for short trips" sounds to me like a few months at least, rather than a two week hire. 

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Tony Brooks Veteran II

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Yes, there are a few houseboat Airbnb, but as others have said they will be static, and you are very unlikely to be allowed to cruise in them. Also, as said, you need to look at hire boats. Be very wary of "renting" from a private individual, the licence may not be valid, and the insurance is likely to be invalid for hiring. If you have a major accident you could be faced with a bill for tens of thousands of pounds - insurance, if valid, normally covers for around five million pounds for third party claims.

Edited by Tony Brooks
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Cody Gongoozler

Cody

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27 minutes ago, magnetman said:

Yes it is slightly confusing. The last sentence says 2 weeks to a month .

My apologies for using the wrong terminology...I am referring to a narrowboat or a canal boat.

I have no solid plans so the duration is flexible. I know I definitely have the budget for a month's stay, but is willing to stay longer if it is required.

I traveled rather extensively throughout the UK during summer holiday by car while in Birmingham. 3 days in London(back and forth), day trip to Nottingham, weekend trip to Sheffield, Liverpool and Manchester...and the trip via canal to London takes about 10 days with stops at a leisurely pace, so I think one month may be about enough...although I can extend to 1.5 months if need be.

Like I said I don't have solid plans, it's all 'play-by-ear' after I get there.

Edit: Just saw the last reply about hiring from private individuals...

So, what are my options? The whole idea is to live on a boat that's a house that is cozy and not cramped and uncomfortable like a normal boat would be. Is that impossible since all such boats are presumably privately owned and they would not want to host strangers due to lack of insurance for such purpose?

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Tony Brooks Veteran II

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1 hour ago, Cody said:

So, what are my options? The whole idea is to live on a boat that's a house that is cozy and not cramped and uncomfortable like a normal boat would be. Is that impossible since all such boats are presumably privately owned and they would not want to host strangers due to lack of insurance for such purpose?

 

Have you actually looked at any hire boats? I have no idea where you get the idea that "normal boats are cramped and uncomfortable". Small ones probably, but you can get 50ft plus narrow hire boats set up for just two people. You can't get away from the narrow beam because it is set by the lock width on narrow canals. I have not heard of a wide bam hire boat on the Grand Union canal and in general wide beam boats can be a bit of a handful on even the broad canals, but there are wide beams hire boats on the Leeds and Liverpool canal.

 

We had a 50ft ex hire boat and it was perfectly comfortable enough to spend several/many weeks aboard during the season. I think that you need to do more research. Plenty of hire boats described online for you to look at.

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Alan de Enfield Veteran II

Alan de Enfield

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1 minute ago, Tony Brooks said:

Have you actually looked at any hire boats? I have no idea where you get the idea that "normal boats are cramped and uncomfortable".

 

In fact, I'd even suggest that a private liveaboard boat is going to appear much more cramped and confined (and full of the owners knick-knacks) in comparison, an 'austere' hire boat will seem spacious.

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Paul C Veteran II

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1 hour ago, Cody said:

My apologies for using the wrong terminology...I am referring to a narrowboat or a canal boat.

I have no solid plans so the duration is flexible. I know I definitely have the budget for a month's stay, but is willing to stay longer if it is required.

I traveled rather extensively throughout the UK during summer holiday by car while in Birmingham. 3 days in London(back and forth), day trip to Nottingham, weekend trip to Sheffield, Liverpool and Manchester...and the trip via canal to London takes about 10 days with stops at a leisurely pace, so I think one month may be about enough...although I can extend to 1.5 months if need be.

Like I said I don't have solid plans, it's all 'play-by-ear' after I get there.

Edit: Just saw the last reply about hiring from private individuals...

So, what are my options? The whole idea is to live on a boat that's a house that is cozy and not cramped and uncomfortable like a normal boat would be. Is that impossible since all such boats are presumably privately owned and they would not want to host strangers due to lack of insurance for such purpose?

 

I am assuming you're from another country, and that the idea is to combine a narrowboat holiday and exploring the UK into one trip. Might I suggest the following:

 

2 weeks of narrowboat hire, eg from Countrywide Cruisers (Brewood), or Anglo Welsh (Great Haywood) or one of many other locations a day or two from the heart of Birmingham. This would allow you to easily cruise TO Birmingham, then explore its canals, then get back.
FOLLOWED BY 2 weeks of Airbnbs around the country, either travelling by train or hiring a car. If you look at the costs in detail, they are pretty much the same for each (train/hire car).

 

I would NOT plan on "seeing the UK" by boat, it would be too slow (and at the £/week of hireboat costs, work out an expensive way of doing it).

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MtB Veteran II

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I am also concerned that the OP seems to be planning on cruising in a leisurely manner, stopping off to see interesting things on the way, or even leaving the boat for days at a time to conduct side excursions.

 

This is not the way to get long distances covered in my experience, e.g. Brum to London in the ten days or two weeks they have in mind. I've always found one has to press on and not stop repeatedly for hours at a time in various places to actually get anywhere!

 

 

Edited by MtB
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Cody Gongoozler

Cody

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25 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:

 

Have you actually looked at any hire boats?

 

I thought that's what I'm dong here, by asking people who actually knows 😅

Sorry if I am a total noob and asking noob questions, because well I'm a total noob 😆

Maybe someone would be so kind as to lay down what I need to do to make my plans a reality...or point me to somewhere where there's someone(maybe a company which can provide the service that I am looking for) who can take in all the info I provide and questions I have and give me options and possibilities...

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Cody Gongoozler

Cody

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11 minutes ago, MtB said:

I am also concerned that the OP seems to be planning on cruising in a leisurely manner, stopping off to see interesting things on the way, or even leaving the boat for days at a time to conduct side excursions.

 

This is not the way to get long distances covered in my experience, e.g. Brum to London in the ten days or two weeks they have in mind. I've always found one has to press on and not stop repeatedly for hours at a time in various places to actually get anywhere!

 

 

Oh there will not be lengthy stops during the 'leisurely cruise' from Brum to London...when I said leisurely I mean not doing it like a race and get there in the fastest possible way by moving 12 to 16 hours a day...I read that the normal time taken is 10 days at 8 hours of sailing per day. So that's the leisurely pace I'm referring to.

I'd go with whatever the boatman decide is the number of hours he wants to sail per day...I will remain on board unless the boatman decide to dock and tell me I can go ashore for x number of hours...

22 minutes ago, Paul C said:

 

I am assuming you're from another country, and that the idea is to combine a narrowboat holiday and exploring the UK into one trip. Might I suggest the following:

 

2 weeks of narrowboat hire, eg from Countrywide Cruisers (Brewood), or Anglo Welsh (Great Haywood) or one of many other locations a day or two from the heart of Birmingham. This would allow you to easily cruise TO Birmingham, then explore its canals, then get back.
FOLLOWED BY 2 weeks of Airbnbs around the country, either travelling by train or hiring a car. If you look at the costs in detail, they are pretty much the same for each (train/hire car).

 

I would NOT plan on "seeing the UK" by boat, it would be too slow (and at the £/week of hireboat costs, work out an expensive way of doing it).

Thank you. This is the kind of info I am looking for!

More suggestions please if anyone else have any.

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Cody Gongoozler

Cody

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17 minutes ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

People do this, but it takes years, not weeks!

Only wanna cruise around Brum and then down to London. I will travel to the rest of the UK by car or train.

So from the suggestions thus far, what I might do is 2 weeks on a boat in Brum, then go do my own thing around the UK, then back to Brum for my cruise down to London(in the same boat or a different boat, depending on negotiations)

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tree monkey Veteran II

tree monkey

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There was a chap on here for a while who did private charter sort of thing where he took guests for a week or however and took them boating, unfortunately can't remember his name, that might be the sort of thing the OP is looking for

4 minutes ago, MartynG said:

I don't think this kind of skippered charter  is available in the UK canals.

But there may be some hotel boats 

I wish I could remember the chaps name 

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magnetman Veteran II

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9 minutes ago, MartynG said:

I don't think this kind of skippered charter  is available in the UK canals.

But there may be some hotel boats 

 

I don't think he comes down south but NB Ellis is interesting. 

 

https://www.narrowboatellis.com/

 

Hotel narrow boat where you are one of the boaters. 

8 minutes ago, tree monkey said:

There was a chap on here for a while who did private charter sort of thing where he took guests for a week or however and took them boating, unfortunately can't remember his name, that might be the sort of thing the OP is looking for

I wish I could remember the chaps name 

Thats NB Ellis. 

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