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

[LadyG]

38 minutes ago, Cody said:

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...

Maybe you need to understand that hiring a boat, a narrowboat is expensive, so , best bet might be to hire a small boat, after all in summer you will not be inside very often. 

AND hire a boat that you can start at one hire centre and drop of at another.

 

[Alan de Enfield]

38 minutes ago, Cody said:

I'd go with whatever the boatman decide is the number of hours he wants to sail per day

 

So it is not just a boat you want to hire, you want someone to drive it as well (&maybe cook your meals a well ?)

I'm not aware of any such arrangement except for 'hotel boats' that cruise a short route where you go where they want to go.

[magnetman]

Uber narrow boats. 

[truckcab79]

Might be  smaller space and more work than you originally planned but if I were doing this I’d be inclined to buy a cheap fibreglass boat, and sell it on at the end of the trip. You might be a few grand down to shift it quickly but probably less than the duration of your equivalent hire.  Who knows.  Taking it to London you might even sell

it for more.   

[Cody]

57 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

So it is not just a boat you want to hire, you want someone to drive it as well (&maybe cook your meals a well ?)

I'm not aware of any such arrangement except for 'hotel boats' that cruise a short route where you go where they want to go.

Yes exactly...I have no knowledge on how to operate a boat or how to navigate the canals or get around the many locks. I'd probably crash the boat and sink it very very fast  😅

1 minute ago, truckcab79 said:

Might be  smaller space and more work than you originally planned but if I were doing this I’d be inclined to buy a cheap fibreglass boat, and sell it on at the end of the trip. You might be a few grand down to shift it quickly but probably less than the duration of your equivalent hire.  Who knows.  Taking it to London you might even sell

it for more.   

I'd have to pick up a whole new skill of boating and maybe even have to get certified?

Not something I wanna do just for a holiday hahaha

[Tony Brooks]

5 minutes ago, Cody said:

Yes exactly...I have no knowledge on how to operate a boat or how to navigate the canals or get around the many locks. I'd probably crash the boat and sink it very very fast  😅

I'd have to pick up a whole new skill of boating and maybe even have to get certified?

Not something I wanna do just for a holiday hahaha

 

Unless you are a complete numpty, canal boating is probably safer than driving. Most hire boat companies will instruct you on how to transit locks. That could be accompanying you through the first lock or using a DVD presentation.  No certification is required, not even for taking your own boat to sea. You may find hire companies won't hire to single handers.

[Alan de Enfield]

10 minutes ago, Cody said:

I'd have to pick up a whole new skill of boating and maybe even have to get certified?

 

The UK is one of the few countries in the world where you do not need any qualifications to skipper a boat.

 

Buy it and cruise off into the blue yonder (inland or on the lumpy-water)

Edited December 10, 2023 by Alan de Enfield

[john6767]

I would say the OP the think about what he really wants to do, going between Birmingham and London by boat is not a small undertaking, say 2 weeks each way, when it is basically 2 hours on the train.

 

You could hire a boat close to Birmingham, say from ABC at Alvechurch https://www.abcboathire.com or from Anglo Welsh at Tardebigge https://www.anglowelsh.co.uk, and do a bit of the canals in that area.  If you hired for a couple of weeks you could take in Birmingham, and also do one of the rings, there will be some details on the hire companies web sites of the various rings, and lots more for out there on the internet.  Thousands of people hire who have no experience, as long as you are reasonably physically able, and of course there is at least two adults in your party, you will have no problems.

 

As to London, if you don't fly into there anyway you can just get a train there and stay in a hotel, or Airbnb if that’s your bag, for a week so so and do the tourist thing there.

 

 

[Paul C]

The other thing he'll (probably) need is a companion - hire firms are often unable, due to insurance limitations, to hire to a single hander. There are exceptions but there might not be near Birmingham.

 

The driving of a boat is part of the fun and part of the holiday, loads of people do it, don't fear it. Hence why there is hardly any call for skippered boats.

 

Tardebigge is a terrible place to start a trip to Brum, unless you like locks - a lot.

[davem399]

6 minutes ago, Paul C said:

The other thing he'll (probably) need is a companion - hire firms are often unable, due to insurance limitations, to hire to a single hander. There are exceptions but there might not be near Birmingham.

 

The driving of a boat is part of the fun and part of the holiday, loads of people do it, don't fear it. Hence why there is hardly any call for skippered boats.

 

Tardebigge is a terrible place to start a trip to Brum, unless you like locks - a lot.

The Anglo Welsh base at Tardebigge is at the top of the flight, so lock free into Birmingham.

[Paul C]

31 minutes ago, davem399 said:

The Anglo Welsh base at Tardebigge is at the top of the flight, so lock free into Birmingham.

 

Apologies - I think I got it muddled with the Black Prince one, that's in the middle??

[truckcab79]

7 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

The UK is one of the few countries in the world where you do not need any qualifications to skipper a boat.

 

Buy it and cruise off into the blue yonder (inland or on the lumpy-water)

 

Exactly this. Life’s short.  Buy a boat.  Get insured, enjoy the adventure and crack on.  You’re travelling Birmingham to London, not going to the arctic.  What could possibly go wrong. 👍

[Tony Brooks]

6 minutes ago, truckcab79 said:

 

Exactly this. Life’s short.  Buy a boat.  Get insured, enjoy the adventure and crack on.  You’re travelling Birmingham to London, not going to the arctic.  What could possibly go wrong. 👍

 

Only half joking, but I suspect finding a mooring in London might be one thing that goes wrong. Probably better to moor around Rickmansworth or perhaps Uxbridge and go in by train.

[Graham Davis]

4 hours ago, Cody said:

Yes exactly...I have no knowledge on how to operate a boat or how to navigate the canals or get around the many locks. I'd probably crash the boat and sink it very very fast 

I'd have to pick up a whole new skill of boating and maybe even have to get certified?

Not something I wanna do just for a holiday hahaha

Hire boaters take boats out for the first time thousands of times a year and very few of them mange to sink them, so I don't see why you would be any different.
There is no certification!

If you are in Birmingham and don't have a car, catch the train to Alvechurch and walk up to the marina and talk to ABC there. They will give you some facts.

Edited December 10, 2023 by Graham Davis

[magnetman]

Just don't buy a boat with a lavatory contents holding tank. 

[Peanut]

4 minutes ago, magnetman said:

Just don't buy a boat with a lavatory contents holding tank. 

A not holding, holding tank.

[davem399]

3 hours ago, Paul C said:

 

Apologies - I think I got it muddled with the Black Prince one, that's in the middle??

Yes the Black Prince base is further towards Worcester, in fact, it’s beyond the bottom of the Tardebigge flight, so lots of locks to get to Brum.

[ditchcrawler]

9 hours ago, Cody said:

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?

Have a look at https://www.narrowboatellis.com/ it may just offer what you want 

[Sue68]

If you buy a boat and haven't got a uk address you won't get insurance.

[ditchcrawler]

2 minutes ago, Sue68 said:

If you buy a boat and haven't got a uk address you won't get insurance.

Not 100% true, but it wont be easy 

[MtB]

4 minutes ago, Sue68 said:

If you buy a boat and haven't got a uk address you won't get insurance.

 

What if your address is the boat? 

 

 

[David Mack]

Nobody seems to have provided a simple list of the options open to you:

 

Airbnb or similar

These are static craft, so good for exploring a single location, but not very different from holiday let houses, cottages, apartments etc (except a lot smaller).

Self drive hire boat

Rent a boat for a long weekend, week or longer and travel as much or as little as you choose. No previous experience required - instruction given at the beginning of the trip. Boats accommodate anything from 2 to 12 people. Will not usually hire to single individuals. Tends to be expensive, especially if you want a longer trip.

Long Term Boat Hire

Similar to self drive hire, but for longer periods. Cheaper on a per week basis but still expensive. ETRR is the company usually recommended.

Hotel Boat

As it says. You book a cabin and travel as a guest (along with other guests). Crew steer the boat, work locks etc. and provide meals. You can help at locks if you wish. Work to a fixed itinerary but usually with time for some local sightseeing. Not as many now in operation as there used to be.

Private charter

Some people will either take guests on their own boat, or hire out the boat on a self-drive basis. If any money changes hands this is a commercial operation requiring the boat to have a business licence, business insurance, an agreed operating base and a higher standard boat safety certificate. If it doesn't have all these things the operation is probably illegal, and you will have little protection if anything goes wrong.

Buy your own boat

And sell it at the end of the trip. Potentially a big commitment and requiring a bigger initial cash outlay, but you should get much of that back at the end. You will be responsible for everything to do with the boat - licence, insurance, fuel and water supply, toilet emptying, maintenance and repairs if necessary as well as driving the boat. But you can go where you like (as long as the boat fits through the locks), go at your own pace, moor to the towpath for free for up to 14 days in any one place.

Probably the cheapest option if you want a long trip (several months), but final cost won't be known until you have sold up at the end.

 

 

[DandV]

21 minutes ago, David Mack said:

..............

Buy your own boat

And sell it at the end of the trip. Potentially a big commitment and requiring a bigger initial cash outlay, but you should get much of that back at the end. You will be responsible for everything to do with the boat - licence, insurance, fuel and water supply, toilet emptying, maintenance and repairs if necessary as well as driving the boat. But you can go where you like (as long as the boat fits through the locks), go at your own pace, moor to the towpath for free for up to 14 days in any one place.

Probably the cheapest option if you want a long trip (several months), but final cost won't be known until you have sold up at the end.

 

 

And as a variation of buy your own boat that we knew of one person who did this. 

 

A sell and buy back agreement.

The seller agrees to buy the boat back after a predefined period and at a pre agreed  price.

The difference between the two prices being effectively the hire fee for the period.

Whether this included an arrangement when the seller also acted as a  financier I do not know. 

But the mooring stayed with the boat for the duration. 

 

[Sue68]

21 hours ago, David Mack said:

Nobody seems to have provided a simple list of the options open to you:

 

Airbnb or similar

These are static craft, so good for exploring a single location, but not very different from holiday let houses, cottages, apartments etc (except a lot smaller).

Self drive hire boat

Rent a boat for a long weekend, week or longer and travel as much or as little as you choose. No previous experience required - instruction given at the beginning of the trip. Boats accommodate anything from 2 to 12 people. Will not usually hire to single individuals. Tends to be expensive, especially if you want a longer trip.

Long Term Boat Hire

Similar to self drive hire, but for longer periods. Cheaper on a per week basis but still expensive. ETRR is the company usually recommended.

Hotel Boat

As it says. You book a cabin and travel as a guest (along with other guests). Crew steer the boat, work locks etc. and provide meals. You can help at locks if you wish. Work to a fixed itinerary but usually with time for some local sightseeing. Not as many now in operation as there used to be.

Private charter

Some people will either take guests on their own boat, or hire out the boat on a self-drive basis. If any money changes hands this is a commercial operation requiring the boat to have a business licence, business insurance, an agreed operating base and a higher standard boat safety certificate. If it doesn't have all these things the operation is probably illegal, and you will have little protection if anything goes wrong.

Buy your own boat

And sell it at the end of the trip. Potentially a big commitment and requiring a bigger initial cash outlay, but you should get much of that back at the end. You will be responsible for everything to do with the boat - licence, insurance, fuel and water supply, toilet emptying, maintenance and repairs if necessary as well as driving the boat. But you can go where you like (as long as the boat fits through the locks), go at your own pace, moor to the towpath for free for up to 14 days in any one place.

Probably the cheapest option if you want a long trip (several months), but final cost won't be known until you have sold up at the end.

 

 

You don't mention problems with getting insurance in the last example. Several people, on here, have had problems if they aren't uk citizens

[Alan de Enfield]

1 minute ago, Sue68 said:

You don't mention problems with getting insurance in the last example. Several people, on here, have had problems if they aren't uk citizens

 

Amazingly enough a poster called Sue68 mentioned several posts ago.