Where are all the boaters?

[Lily Rose]

1 hour ago, Arthur Marshall said:

I use hire boat charges to work out whether it's worth keeping my boat. So my usual 12 weeks cruising each year would cost... hmmm... probably keep the boat , then.

I can remember people saying it was cheaper to hire than own, and I suppose if you only get a couple of weeks a year it still is, just.

 

I do that as well. I think I need to update the weekly hire price assumed by my spreadsheet though, it's probably well out of date going by some of the posts above. 

[Ronaldo47]

We were looking at boat hire prices recently, and they do seem to be on the high side.

 

Don't forget that Portsmouth now has a ULEZ zone that you have to enter to get to the IOW  ferry terminals. 

[Naughty Cal]

1 hour ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

Just looked at a static caravan, 5 people, end of July, 7 nights, Devon, £2289

Yes it isn't just boating holidays that are overly expensive in the UK.

 

Little wonder that people are heading back abroad again!

[MtB]

"Where are all the boaters?"

 

I'd say they are all moored up for free on the public towpath. 

 

Given that CRT appears to have ceased all enforcement activity.

[Naughty Cal]

11 minutes ago, Ronaldo47 said:

We were looking at boat hire prices recently, and they do seem to be on the high side.

 

Don't forget that Portsmouth now has a ULEZ zone that you have to enter to get to the IOW  ferry terminals. 

Our van is compliant with the Portsmouth ULEZ requirements so that won't cost us anything.

 

Ferry cost has come out at £160 return with the Caravan and Motorhome Club discount and I have booked us on sites for 3 nights out of the 7 we will be on the island. 2 nights at Stoats Farm which is fully serviced at £37 a night and 1 night at Kite Hill Farm which is £20 but not a serviced pitch just a spot in a field which is fine for the last night and it's near the ferry terminal. The other nights we will just find park ups and pubs to use.

 

Leaves a lot in the fuel, food and beer fund to match the hire boat price!!

Edited April 24 by Naughty Cal

[IanD]

10 minutes ago, Naughty Cal said:

Our van is compliant with the Portsmouth ULEZ requirements so that won't cost us anything.

 

Ferry cost has come out at £160 return with the Caravan and Motorhome Club discount and I have booked us on sites for 3 nights out of the 7 we will be on the island. 2 nights at Stoats Farm which is fully serviced at £37 a night and 1 night at Kite Hill Farm which is £20 but not a serviced pitch just a spot in a field which is fine for the last night and it's near the ferry terminal. The other nights we will just find park ups and pubs to use.

 

Leaves a lot in the fuel, food and beer fund to match the hire boat price!!

 

Though of course if you had to hire the campervan the gap would be rather smaller... 😉 

[Naughty Cal]

8 minutes ago, IanD said:

 

Though of course if you had to hire the campervan the gap would be rather smaller... 😉 

Just had a very quick Google for something vaguely similar to ours and for the same dates (1st week in July) we could get something for £80 per night, so £720 for the 9 nights we will be out.

 

https://www.leisurerentalsdirect.com/motorhome-hire-doncaster/17311

 

Still considerably cheaper than a boat hire!

 

(Was surprised to find availability for this summer so easily. Looks like van bookings are slow this year as well)

Edited April 24 by Naughty Cal

[Jon57]

On 23/04/2024 at 11:16, TheBiscuits said:

 

Nah, Rochdale summit.

 

There's sometimes as many as two boats a month moving ...

Or the Huddersfield narrow. Only seen one boat in 7 days which had come from Diggle and moored up at the time. 

[IanD]

19 minutes ago, Jon57 said:

Or the Huddersfield narrow. Only seen one boat in 7 days which had come from Diggle and moored up at the time. 

When we've gone over the HNC, any day which had even one boat coming the other way was a busy one... 😉 

 

22 minutes ago, Naughty Cal said:

Just had a very quick Google for something vaguely similar to ours and for the same dates (1st week in July) we could get something for £80 per night, so £720 for the 9 nights we will be out.

 

https://www.leisurerentalsdirect.com/motorhome-hire-doncaster/17311

 

Still considerably cheaper than a boat hire!

 

(Was surprised to find availability for this summer so easily. Looks like van bookings are slow this year as well)

Given that such motorhomes cost about a third of what a typical hired narrowboat does to buy -- and the hirer doesn't have to pay commercial license fees -- it shouldn't come as any surprise that they're also a lot cheaper to hire. A cargo bike with a tent on the back would be much cheaper still... 🙂 

 

I'm sure if you hired one of those massive American truck-sized RVs that cost the same as a boat (and are similarly large inside), the hire fees would be similar too... 😉 

 

(just checked -- £300+ per night...)

Edited April 24 by IanD

[Jon57]

3 minutes ago, IanD said:

When we've gone over the HNC, any day which had even one boat coming the other way was a busy one... 😉 

Well all this this talk about shutting the Huddersfield narrow seems unlikely as they are installing a new communication system in the tunnel. Simalar to what network rail use on their network by the same contractors? It's supposed to tell them where the boat is at all times and the chaporens are. Been informed by the very knowledgeable chaperone that the cost is in the region of £800000 don't know if that cost is true but a total waste of money as the present system works OK for the maximum 6 boats a week if fully booked. 😡

[IanD]

5 minutes ago, Jon57 said:

Well all this this talk about shutting the Huddersfield narrow seems unlikely as they are installing a new communication system in the tunnel. Simalar to what network rail use on their network by the same contractors? It's supposed to tell them where the boat is at all times and the chaporens are. Been informed by the very knowledgeable chaperone that the cost is in the region of £800000 don't know if that cost is true but a total waste of money as the present system works OK for the maximum 6 boats a week if fully booked. 😡

 

As the thread about this made clear, closing the HNC is extremely unlikely because it would probably cost CART something over £30M in penalties to the bodies which funded its reopening, plus millions more to close off and make the canal safe.

 

And that came from a poster who was actually involved in the funding negotiations and knows what he's talking about, not a scaremongering armchair lawyer... 😉 

Edited April 24 by IanD

[Jon57]

44 minutes ago, IanD said:

 

As the thread about this made clear, closing the HNC is extremely unlikely because it would probably cost CART something over £30M in penalties to the bodies which funded its reopening, plus millions more to close off and make the canal safe.

 

And that came from a poster who was actually involved in the funding negotiations and knows what he's talking about, not a scaremongering armchair lawyer... 😉 

Not saying they will close it. But spending a large amount of money on a new all singing and dancing comunication system is not the best way to spend crt funds.

[IanD]

6 minutes ago, Jon57 said:

Not saying they will close it. But spending a large amount of money on a new all singing and dancing comunication system is not the best way to spend crt funds.

On the face of it that's true, but does anyone know *why* they spent this? Did they have to in order to keep the tunnel open for navigation? Elf'n'safety? (which remember, stops people being injured or dying at work, it's not just a whipping-boy for the Daily Wail) Increasing capacity? (should more boats ever choose to brave Standedge, obviously...)

 

It seems unlikely that they'd have done this just because someone fancied it, given the CART budget shortfall...

Edited April 24 by IanD

[ditchcrawler]

2 minutes ago, IanD said:

On the face of it that's true, but does anyone know *why* they spent this? Did they have to in order to keep the tunnel open for navigation? Elf'n'safety? (which remember, stops people being injured or dying at work, it's not just a whipping-boy for the Daily Wail)

 

Following the death in Harecastle tunnel they were supposed to have communication through there but as I recall it failed to work, they installed aerials each end just inside the tunnel I assume as repeaters for mobile phone signal.

[Jon57]

1 minute ago, IanD said:

On the face of it that's true, but does anyone know *why* they spent this? Did they have to in order to keep the tunnel open for navigation? Elf'n'safety? (which remember, stops people being injured or dying at work, it's not just a whipping-boy for the Daily Wail)

 

It seems unlikely that they'd have done this just because someone fancied it, given the CART budget shortfall...

Might be the railway mentally of the CEO who knows. I'm past caring. Was told yesterday that they might be a delay with my passage because the service vehicle had a puncture. Crt staff aren't allowed to change it. They had to get a outside company to change the spare over due to health and safety 🤣🤣. Then on the other hand they let volanteers operate tidle locks. Wtf. The world's gone mad. 

[Victor Vectis]

1 hour ago, Naughty Cal said:

Our van is compliant with the Portsmouth ULEZ requirements so that won't cost us anything.

 

Ferry cost has come out at £160 return with the Caravan and Motorhome Club discount and I have booked us on sites for 3 nights out of the 7 we will be on the island. 2 nights at Stoats Farm which is fully serviced at £37 a night and 1 night at Kite Hill Farm which is £20 but not a serviced pitch just a spot in a field which is fine for the last night and it's near the ferry terminal. The other nights we will just find park ups and pubs to use.

Ooooo!

West Wight.

Be careful.

They eat their young the other side of Newport.

😀

[IanD]

2 minutes ago, Jon57 said:

Might be the railway mentally of the CEO who knows. I'm past caring. Was told yesterday that they might be a delay with my passage because the service vehicle had a puncture. Crt staff aren't allowed to change it. They had to get a outside company to change the spare over due to health and safety 🤣🤣. Then on the other hand they let volanteers operate tidle locks. Wtf. The world's gone mad. 

In other words you don't know or care why they're installing it, you just want to have a good old whinge about CART...

[Jon57]

1 minute ago, IanD said:

In other words you don't know or care why they're installing it, you just want to have a good old whinge about CART...

I'm allowed to have an opinion just like you. Apparently the risk assessment suggested that they put signs on the wall as to how far and what direction the nearest escape route was. That was untill someone with more than 1 brain cell told them they would probably be dead before they got their due to the distance and cold. The system they used now with the chaporone safety procedures would work hell of a lot better in the event of a accident of saving someone life. 

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

26 minutes ago, Jon57 said:

Not saying they will close it. But spending a large amount of money on a new all singing and dancing comunication system is not the best way to spend crt funds.

It’s nothing compared to what keeps getting chucked at that there Anderton Lift

 

2 minutes ago, Jon57 said:

I'm allowed to have an opinion just like you.

..just don’t mention Blue Signs 

[IanD]

13 minutes ago, Jon57 said:

I'm allowed to have an opinion just like you. Apparently the risk assessment suggested that they put signs on the wall as to how far and what direction the nearest escape route was. That was untill someone with more than 1 brain cell told them they would probably be dead before they got their due to the distance and cold. The system they used now with the chaporone safety procedures would work hell of a lot better in the event of a accident of saving someone life. 

Sure you can have an opinion, but it carries more weight if you back it up with some actual facts.

 

What have CART installed, how much did it actually cost, and what was the reason for doing it? Facts not hearsay, speculation or whinging... 😉 

 

If the existing system worked fine and the new one is no better and was a vanity project for no good reason, then I'll agree with you that it was a waste of money.

 

But I doubt that this is actually the case, CART have far better things to spend scarce cash on...

Edited April 24 by IanD

[David Mack]

1 hour ago, Jon57 said:

Well all this this talk about shutting the Huddersfield narrow seems unlikely as they are installing a new communication system in the tunnel. Simalar to what network rail use on their network by the same contractors? It's supposed to tell them where the boat is at all times and the chaporens are. Been informed by the very knowledgeable chaperone that the cost is in the region of £800000 don't know if that cost is true but a total waste of money as the present system works OK for the maximum 6 boats a week if fully booked. 😡

At present the CRT staff follow the boat using one of the parallel disused railway tunnels. I have heard that as part of the Transpennine Upgrade rail services might be reinstated in one or both tunnels, which could prevent the current arrangement. So having an alternative means of communication and monitoring in place might be a necessity.

24 minutes ago, Jon57 said:

Apparently the risk assessment suggested that they put signs on the wall as to how far and what direction the nearest escape route was.

Every canal tunnel I have been through in the last few years has had luminous arrows pointing towards the nearest portal, along with distance markers. I would be surprised if Standedge didn't have them fitted as part of the restoration.

[Jon57]

10 minutes ago, IanD said:

Sure you can have an opinion, but it carries more weight if you back it up with some actual facts.

 

What have CART installed, how much did it actually cost, and what was the reason for doing it? Facts not hearsay, speculation or whinging... 😉 

 

If the existing system worked fine and the new one is no better and was a vanity project for no good reason, then I'll agree with you that it was a waste of money.

 

But I doubt that this is actually the case, CART have far better things to spend scarce cash on...

Don't know the answers. But if it needs to be addressed. Surely they need people to be able to get their to use it. Priority on how and when they spend the money as to be taken into account. Just look at the hoops you have to go through just to get to the tunnel east to West. That's before the lack of water and the abuse from local moorers in the short pounds telling you that you shouldn't be coming on here if your deep drafted having to run water down just to get into the locks. We are not new at this. The Huddersfield is great done it 3 times on our present boat. But it will be the last I'm afraid. 

[IanD]

Just now, Jon57 said:

Don't know the answers. But if it needs to be addressed. Surely they need people to be able to get their to use it. Priority on how and when they spend the money as to be taken into account. Just look at the hoops you have to go through just to get to the tunnel east to West. That's before the lack of water and the abuse from local moorers in the short pounds telling you that you shouldn't be coming on here if your deep drafted having to run water down just to get into the locks. We are not new at this. The Huddersfield is great done it 3 times on our present boat. But it will be the last I'm afraid. 

 

I know all that, I've been across the HNC and through Standedge several times.

 

But none of it justifies your moan about whatever new comms system CART is installing at Standedge, which is basically you saying that it's a total waste of money -- but without actually knowing anything about it, or why it's being installed... 😉 

[Ray T]

For the couple of hours I was at Sutton Stop this lunch time not one boat went through.

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

3 minutes ago, Ray T said:

For the couple of hours I was at Sutton Stop this lunch time not one boat went through.

did you go for a pint?

If you did how is the pub under new management?