2025 long term boat rental 3-6 months

[davidpat]

I'm retiring the end of this year and we have dreamed about living on a narrowboat for many years. Unfortunately, due to visa restrictions, we'll only be able to stay for 6 months. Can anybody recommend a place for a long-term rental, or might know someone that only uses their boat on occasion or maybe not at all who would be interested in setting up an arrangement?  

We're hoping to set up something in 2025 for March through August, but we can be flexible.

I have found 

https://www.longtermnarrowboathire.co.uk

But I'm looking for some places to comparison shop. Thank you for any help!

[Alan de Enfield]

Escape the Rat Race (etrr.co.uk)

 

Long Term Hire at Rose Narrowboats - Rose Narrowboats (rose-narrowboats.co.uk)

 

 

Looking to hire a boat from a private owner has huge problems as it is not legal - if anything were to happen to you or the boat there would be no insurance cover.

 

To be able to be hired out a boat must have a:

 

Commercial safety certificate (more involved that a private / leisure certificate)

Commercial insurance covering 'hire'

A commercial boat licence.

An independent gas / electric certificate (as per a land lords certificate for a house)

 

Basically it is a no-no.

[davidpat]

Thank you for that info! I wasn't the way there was a law against it!!

[Alan de Enfield]

9 minutes ago, davidpat said:

Thank you for that info! I wasn't the way there was a law against it!!

 

It is not so much that there is a law against hiring your boat, it is that the law says that  to 'hire your boat' it must have certain things that a standard privately owned leaisure boat does not have.

 

 

01899187-8087-7a70-afc3-7597a96c8af8.pdf (canalrivertrust.org.uk)

 

Renting a boat to live on | Canal & River Trust (canalrivertrust.org.uk)

[davidpat]

Good info.  I thought about buying a boat and then selling it when we have to leave but since we'll only have 6 months and  I'm sure it will take at least 2 months to find a boat we like we're thinking long-term rental is probably the better way to go!

[Alan de Enfield]

2 minutes ago, davidpat said:

Good info.  I thought about buying a boat and then selling it when we have to leave but since we'll only have 6 months and  I'm sure it will take at least 2 months to find a boat we like we're thinking long-term rental is probably the better way to go!

 

That is certainly a consideration and the depreciation and costs of buying a boat and selling it 6 months later would probably be less than the GBP£1500 per month that the long term rental will cost.

 

You could put it up for sale with a broker on your day of departure and wait for them to sell it (assuming you do not need the money immediately) it will cost you about 6% of the selling price in fees.

 

There are experienced boaters who do offer a 'finding' service and give you a short list of boats that meet your requirements, you can either take a few days and come over to view or 'buy from a video and a surveyors report'.

The boat can be ready for your arrival.

The problem as a non-dom is getting insurance, and without insurance you cannot get a licence. The way around it would be for you 'finder' to insure it in their name, it could then be licenced and with you as a 'named driver' and everything would be legal.

 

There has to be a lot of trust on both sides.

[davidpat]

Would it be difficult to get insurance or just more expensive to get insurance?

[Alan de Enfield]

6 minutes ago, davidpat said:

Would it be difficult to get insurance or just more expensive to get insurance?

 

We have forum members based all over the world and many of them have said it was just impossible, I think one (maybe a New Zealander or an Aussie) said they had been able to do it.

 

Maybe some of our 'overseas members may be able to advise'

 

One of the questions on the application forms is "are you a British resident", when you 'click' no it comes up 'sorry we cannot offer you cover'

 

 

One of the most common insurers for canal boats is 'Craft Insure' their T&Cs state :

 

Craftinsure.com is directed at UK and Northern Irish residents only. Our products and services are only available to UK and Northern Irish residents. By getting a quotation you confirm that you are resident in the UK or N.Ireland and you will immediately notify us if you cease to be so resident.

The content of this site and the products and services offered comply with appropriate UK and Northern Irish legislation and regulation.

 

Edited April 22 by Alan de Enfield

[MtB]

1 hour ago, Alan de Enfield said:

One of the questions on the application forms is "are you a British resident", when you 'click' no it comes up 'sorry we cannot offer you cover'

 

Once the OP is here and living on the boat, they are "living in Britain" so might also be "a British resident" but that is a misleading and ambiguous question so I doubt that is the actual question on the web page.

 

As from time to time I point out, 'where you live' can be slippery to pin down depending on the exact phrasing of the question. 

[ditchcrawler]

1 hour ago, davidpat said:

Good info.  I thought about buying a boat and then selling it when we have to leave but since we'll only have 6 months and  I'm sure it will take at least 2 months to find a boat we like we're thinking long-term rental is probably the better way to go!

Unless you could form a syndicate with friends and all share it as co owners

[davidpat]

That's a great idea,  unfortunately I don't know anyone that would be interested in narrowboating beyondt elling me it sounds like fun!  😀 

[Stroudwater1]

There’s also canal cruising hire from Stone and possibly Union canal cruisers at Braunston that do long term hires 

 

https://www.canalcruising.co.uk/long-term-canal-boat-holiday/

 

https://unioncanalcarriers.co.uk/availability/
 

[ditchcrawler]

Another thought is if you could get some back to back shared ownership shares or even different boats, you would cover a bigger area.

 Narrowboat shares currently available (boatshare4u.co.uk) The first entry isn't built yet so you could possibly pick what you want