Professional Boat Movers?

[Liz E]

Hi everyone.

I'm new to this site and new to narrowboating!

We've just bought a boat which is moored on a canal so keen to move it into a marina asap for safety reasons.

Because of work commitments neither my husband or I are free to make the 4 /5 day cruise to our marina of choice.

We are on the Grand Union near Watford and need to get to Northampton.

Can anyone recommend a professional boat mover that would have all the relevant insurance to do this.

Thanks in advance.

Liz

[Pie Eater]

If you use the search function it will bring up a few similar requests for you to read.

 

Ps welcome to the forum

Edited March 22 by Pie Eater
Correction

[mrsmelly]

Try @matty40s he used to do it but I am not sure if he still does.

[ditchcrawler]

@Cwboatmover gets good reports if Matt is busy 

[David Mack]

5 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

@Cwboatmover gets good reports if Matt is busy 

@nigel carton also moves boats.

 

I always find it a bit sad that someone has bought a boat, presumably to go boating on, yet they can't find the time to move the boat to their new home mooring. Especially as we are about to have a four day weekend which would be enough for most of the trip. And no reason not to leave the boat moored to the towpath for a week or two if the trip can't be completed in one go.

[magnetman]

If its going to Northampton in the sense of the Nene its worth keeping a sharp eye on the river status. 

 

It has been a very wet winter and in a lot of areas even a small amount of rain will trigger strong stream alerts due to the groundwater levels. 

 

Of course Northampton might just mean Gayton marina in which case not a problem. 

[MtB]

 

 

 

2 hours ago, Liz E said:

We've just bought a boat which is moored on a canal so keen to move it into a marina asap for safety reasons.

 

 

Welcome to the forum Liz E.

 

As a tangential observation, I'd have thought the Grand Union canal near Watford was a far safer stretch of waterway than the River Nene at Northampton.

 

Even in the Nene marinas boats occasionally sink, due to widely fluctuating water levels and boats being tied to fixed pontoons. It happened to the member here called "Tree" IIRC, about ten years ago in Billing Aquadrome Marina, again IIRC.

 

 

 

 

3 hours ago, Liz E said:

Can anyone recommend a professional boat mover that would have all the relevant insurance to do this.

 

But to answer your question I believe noddyboater here fits the bill. 

 

https://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?/profile/28452-noddyboater/

 

And I think Captain Pegg too, but I'm not so sure. 

 

https://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?/profile/25558-captain-pegg/

 

[matty40s]

Paul J, Captain Pegg , Nigel Carton and another Paul(Noddyboater) are all known to me as professional, fully insured boat movers on the forum.

No, I no longer manage to fit any in between paint jobs.

[Captain Pegg]

Thanks for the mentions @matty40s and @MtB.

 

I’m currently recovering from eye surgery so may not be able to help in the timescales but I have PMed @Liz E with a few pointers of what she should be looking for in terms of price and insurance.

 

A couple of my customers at the back end of last year told me they’d had quotes from elsewhere that were broadly double what I charged them. And my rates are comparable with a couple of other boat movers I know.

[blackrose]

14 hours ago, David Mack said:

@nigel carton also moves boats.

 

I always find it a bit sad that someone has bought a boat, presumably to go boating on, yet they can't find the time to move the boat to their new home mooring. Especially as we are about to have a four day weekend which would be enough for most of the trip. And no reason not to leave the boat moored to the towpath for a week or two if the trip can't be completed in one go.

 

I don't find it sad at all as I don't know the OP's personal circumstances or their previous commitments for the Easter weekend. For all we know they may be working; visiting a relative in hospital with terminal illnesses or a child in suicide prevention or drug rehabilitation centre. I sincerely hope that's not the case by the way, however the point is I prefer not to judge people I know nothing about.

 

When it comes to leaving a boat on the towpath unattended for a week or two it can be a bit hit and miss. Whether it will be safe depends on several factors including where you leave it and how secure the doors and hatches are, but I can completely understand why the OP might not want to do that with a boat that's new to them.

Edited March 23 by blackrose

[BoatinglifeupNorth]

12 hours ago, Captain Pegg said:

Thanks for the mentions @matty40s and @MtB.

 

I’m currently recovering from eye surgery so may not be able to help in the timescales but I have PMed @Liz E with a few pointers of what she should be looking for in terms of price and insurance.

 

A couple of my customers at the back end of last year told me they’d had quotes from elsewhere that were broadly double what I charged them. And my rates are comparable with a couple of other boat movers I know.

An old woman who I spoke to who had her new buy boat moved from West Stockwith to Thorne, said she was charged £600 by a professional boatmover, the journey at the time of year and Trent tides could be done in a day/2 days most. Which I thought was ridiculously high.

 

[Captain Pegg]

22 minutes ago, BoatinglifeupNorth said:

An old woman who I spoke to who had her new buy boat moved from West Stockwith to Thorne, said she was charged £600 by a professional boatmover, the journey at the time of year and Trent tides could be done in a day/2 days most. Which I thought was ridiculously high.

 

That move is very unlikely to be able to be completed in one day by a boat mover.

 

They’d have to travel from home and back again on a day with a very favourable tide and having had suitable time to ensure the boat is prepared and ready for a tidal passage.

 

I’d guess that price reflects two people for two days. I think the reason some folk tell tales of inflated prices is because moves are priced for two people which is absolutely unnecessary on the canal network but if you don’t know a particular stretch of tidal water taking along someone that does is arguably a wise thing to do.

 

On my website I say I don’t offer any service on tidal waters. While not strictly true because I have done some it’s simply because for some passages I’m not the best person for the job. You want someone that knows the water for certain jobs.

 

I don’t think you can complain too much about anyone willing to take full commercial accountability for your craft on the tidal Trent for a three figure sum.

[tree monkey]

13 hours ago, Captain Pegg said:

Thanks for the mentions @matty40s and @MtB.

 

I’m currently recovering from eye surgery so may not be able to help in the timescales but I have PMed @Liz E with a few pointers of what she should be looking for in terms of price and insurance.

 

A couple of my customers at the back end of last year told me they’d had quotes from elsewhere that were broadly double what I charged them. And my rates are comparable with a couple of other boat movers I know.

Just the thought of eye surgery makes me shudder, hope the recovery goes well

[PaulJ]

15 hours ago, David Mack said:

@nigel carton also moves boats.

 

I always find it a bit sad that someone has bought a boat, presumably to go boating on, yet they can't find the time to move the boat to their new home mooring. Especially as we are about to have a four day weekend which would be enough for most of the trip. And no reason not to leave the boat moored to the towpath for a week or two if the trip can't be completed in one go.

Ive just finished moving a narrowboat- the new owners run their own business and have a young daughter at school so time is somewhat short and they need their new home quickly.

Monday I collect a widebeam for the newish owner that has had heart problems and is unable to do anything strenuos.

After that Im over to Wigan to move a boat down the Flight for a single and relatively inexperienced single lady boater. Could give you several more quite understandable reasons why people do although I do still chuckle at the widebeam I once had to move off the mooring , turn it round and put it back on the opposite way.

I dont find it sad at all- I really appreciate it 😀

[tree monkey]

59 minutes ago, BoatinglifeupNorth said:

An old woman who I spoke to who had her new buy boat moved from West Stockwith to Thorne, said she was charged £600 by a professional boatmover, the journey at the time of year and Trent tides could be done in a day/2 days most. Which I thought was ridiculously high.

 

2 days plus travel to and from the boat,  including professional insurance, sounds reasonable to me

[Alan de Enfield]

1 hour ago, BoatinglifeupNorth said:

An old woman who I spoke to who had her new buy boat moved from West Stockwith to Thorne, said she was charged £600 by a professional boatmover, the journey at the time of year and Trent tides could be done in a day/2 days most. Which I thought was ridiculously high.

 

 

 

I have just had some work done on the car (an independent garage, non-franchised). Their labour rates are £102 per hour (VAT inclusive)

 

Unfortunately It was not something I wanted to entertain doing myself as it was a potential recipe for ending up with being unable to use the car. Several local independents I spoke with wouldn't do it either.

 

You pay for knowledge !

 

I know my Solicitor charges £300+ VAT per hour, but I was obviously well behind the times for mechanics rates.

[MtB]

41 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

 

I have just had some work done on the car (an independent garage, non-franchised). Their labour rates are £102 per hour (VAT inclusive)

 

Unfortunately It was not something I wanted to entertain doing myself as it was a potential recipe for ending up with being unable to use the car. Several local independents I spoke with wouldn't do it either.

 

You pay for knowledge !

 

I know my Solicitor charges £300+ VAT per hour, but I was obviously well behind the times for mechanics rates.

 

 

You also pay for the capital investment in the premises. A warm, dry, well-equipped motor repair workshop doesn't come cheap to buy (£1m perhaps?) and doesn't run itself. Heating, insurance, Business rates, commercial waste disposal etc all have to be paid for out of that £102 per hour. 

 

[ditchcrawler]

How much do heating engineers charge or worse get a plumber out

[Arthur Marshall]

2 hours ago, BoatinglifeupNorth said:

An old woman who I spoke to who had her new buy boat moved from West Stockwith to Thorne, said she was charged £600 by a professional boatmover, the journey at the time of year and Trent tides could be done in a day/2 days most. Which I thought was ridiculously high.

 

We did a house gig for a surgeon once who complained about being charge £500. I said, "Five people , four hours work here, over an hour travelling time each, that's 25 hours not counting rehearsal time, petrol, insurance and instrument costs. What would you charge for that?"

[Laurie Booth]

2 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

 

I have just had some work done on the car (an independent garage, non-franchised). Their labour rates are £102 per hour (VAT inclusive)

 

Unfortunately It was not something I wanted to entertain doing myself as it was a potential recipe for ending up with being unable to use the car. Several local independents I spoke with wouldn't do it either.

 

You pay for knowledge !

 

 

Have you considered selling your Rolls Royce

[BoatinglifeupNorth]

52 minutes ago, Arthur Marshall said:

We did a house gig for a surgeon once who complained about being charge £500. I said, "Five people , four hours work here, over an hour travelling time each, that's 25 hours not counting rehearsal time, petrol, insurance and instrument costs. What would you charge for that?"

How much would you you get for playing in a pub for an evening? £500???

Edited March 23 by BoatinglifeupNorth

[Peanut]

10 minutes ago, Laurie Booth said:

Have you considered selling your Rolls Royce

Most main dealers are up there nowadays, some even higher. Maserati prices are stratospheric.

[BoatinglifeupNorth]

2 minutes ago, Peanut said:

Most main dealers are up there nowadays, some even higher. Maserati prices are stratospheric.

You want to see how much Lamborghini charge for a service, on another planet compared to Maserati 🏎🏎

[Arthur Marshall]

39 minutes ago, BoatinglifeupNorth said:

How much would you you get for playing in a pub for an evening? £500???

Which is why big bands don't play pubs. The duo I play with gets £180 for pubs. You obviously limit the fee to the max you think a venue can pay. I did play for years with a zydeco band in pubs, which was fun but counted as a hobby not a business, although the financial loss looked good on tax returns. It broke up as we just couldn't afford to keep doing it and still eat.

[BoatinglifeupNorth]

3 minutes ago, Arthur Marshall said:

Which is why big bands don't play pubs. The duo I play with gets £180 for pubs. You obviously limit the fee to the max you think a venue can pay. I did play for years with a zydeco band in pubs, which was fun but counted as a hobby not a business, although the financial loss looked good on tax returns. It broke up as we just couldn't afford to keep doing it and still eat.

I was chatting to the landlady of my local, as she has stopped putting bands on as the cost was not recouped on the night or profitable, as people were not coming in to listen too them and the groupies the band brought just didn’t drink and often sat with a pint most of the night as they drove in just for the band. You can see why live music venues are struggling. Shame really.