Two narrow boats joined to change license to widebeam

[Shey]

Hi

 

I own two narrowboats, one a fully fitted and the other just the hull (empty pan) wanting to weld these or attach these together to become one widebeam as pay for a widebeam mooring.

does anyone have any info on licensing and wether this can be changed to a widebeam license ? 
 

 

[Tracy D'arth]

5 minutes ago, Shey said:

Hi

 

I own two narrowboats, one a fully fitted and the other just the hull (empty pan) wanting to weld these or attach these together to become one widebeam as pay for a widebeam mooring.

does anyone have any info on licensing and wether this can be changed to a widebeam license ? 
 

 

Madness, and the 1st of April has passed.

Whether.

Do you never intend to move them/it for blacking or maintainance?

With the stresses involved which it is not designed for you will not keep them together, you will rip the side out of one or the other.

[David Mack]

If you wanted a widebeam, why didn't you just buy a widebeam?

[Alan de Enfield]

3 minutes ago, David Mack said:

If you wanted a widebeam, why didn't you just buy a widebeam?

 

Shey : 

 

Alternatively, why did you choose a widebeam mooring if you only wanted a Narrowboat ?

 

Just because you are paying (presumably) a premium for a widebeam mooring doesn't mean you have to use it 'all'.

[TheBiscuits]

It's been done before.

 

If I remember correctly it needs to be permanently attached to claim it's one boat - welded together with a support frame, not just bolted together with a couple of 2x4s.

[Arthur Marshall]

I suppose you get the equivalentof a bungalow with an attic for storage. Albeit one with no resale value whatsoever, potential structural problems and, as it's still a boat, significant mobility challenges. But there's a place for everything...

[Shey]

Thank you.

 

i didn’t want a widebeam nor want a widebeam spot. 
this was the spot that was available.

yes I understand I do not need to use it all.

i have a pan that came up at a good price as and I intend on making this my art studio.

in order to keep it here with me I would need this to become ‘part of’ my current narrowboat as CRT have advised that this mooring space can only hold ‘one boat not two’ 

 

no wouldn’t move the boats

 

thanks

 

[David Mack]

What is the maximum permitted width of the mooring? Many widebeam moorings are restricted to 12ft or thereabouts, in which case its a non-starter. But if 14ft is permitted, then I would be minded to get the mooring conditions amended to allow you to keep 2 boats there (with a condition that the amendment is personal to you, you can't sublet the second mooring, and it wouldn't apply if you transfer the mooring to someone else). Point out that CRT would then get 2 boat licence fees from you, rather than one (with wideboat enhancement). It won't make any difference to anybody else if there are 2 7ft wide boats rather than one 14 footer on the mooring.

[LadyG]

4 minutes ago, David Mack said:

 Point out that CRT would then get 2 boat licence fees from you, rather than one (with wideboat enhancement). It won't make any difference to anybody else if there are 2 7ft wide boats rather than one 14 footer on the mooring.

Im not convinced that other folks would not complain, and while it may seem that CRT would gain financially, it would cost them to re write the contract, even if they wanted to, which seems unlikely.

Off the wall here, but is there not something about a tender , I recently saw a guy living in a small floating garden hut, would that be big enough ? Very difficult if you wanted to relocate, obviously.

[Jen-in-Wellies]

You don't say where you are. Assuming you are on a wide canal, in many places moving a 14' wide boat can be tricky, even if the lock dimensions nominally allow it. A narrow bridge hole could prevent you passing, even if the locks allow 14'. You may need to give advanced notice to CaRT, so they can stop boats coming the other way through tunnels. A lock gate may not be opening fully, stopping you entering, or leaving.

[IanM]

35 minutes ago, Shey said:

Thank you.

 

i didn’t want a widebeam nor want a widebeam spot. 
this was the spot that was available.

yes I understand I do not need to use it all.

i have a pan that came up at a good price as and I intend on making this my art studio.

in order to keep it here with me I would need this to become ‘part of’ my current narrowboat as CRT have advised that this mooring space can only hold ‘one boat not two’ 

 

no wouldn’t move the boats

 

thanks

 

 

I think this bit needs a bit more looking in to to exactly what CRT will call one boat.  Would they allow two boats to be bolted side by side or would you have to make the cabins into one?  To become one boat but a catamaran with two hulls and two cabins would you then require space between the hulls which may take you over the max dimensions for your mooring and or the navigation you're moored on?  Questions which I reckon no-one will really know the answer to and you may find you do a whole heap of work then for CRT to still say it is still two boats.

 

Edited April 30 by IanM

[MtB]

There is (or was) a pair of narrowboats this has been to on the GU, and there are photos on this forum about ten years ago. I passed them once when out cruising.

 

ISTR the point of them doing it was to pay one licence fee instead of two, rather than anything to do with mooring.

 

CRT accepted the arrangement provided the boats were securely welded together not bolted. Had to be "Not easily separable" IIRC. 

[David Mack]

2 minutes ago, MtB said:

Had to be "Not easily separable" IIRC. 

Cordless angle grinders are widely available these days...

[MtB]

1 minute ago, David Mack said:

Cordless angle grinders are widely available these days...

 

Ah but do CRT realise this?!! 

 

[ditchcrawler]

26 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

Ah but do CRT realise this?!! 

 

Probably, they use cordless strimmer's and hedge cutters a lot 

[MtB]

24 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

Probably, they use cordless strimmer's and hedge cutters a lot 

 

I thought they subbed all that stuff out! 

 

 

[dmr]

As said, this has been done before but in order to get a cheaper licence.

Another avenue to explore is to declare the second boat as a butty to the first (if you can satisfy various conditions) and then CRT just might be more flexible about the mooring.   This will also reduce the licence costs a bit.

[PeterF]

If one is empty and one is fully fitted how are you going to arrange for the welding to be done because as the empty boat will be riding much higher in the water. Then as you fit out the empty boat to be your studio it will want to sit lower. Weld them together as they currently sit and then live a lop sided life in the future or put them on the hsrd now, chock them how you would like them to end up, weld them up, refloat and live a lop sided life until you fit out the empty pan.

[IanD]

32 minutes ago, PeterF said:

If one is empty and one is fully fitted how are you going to arrange for the welding to be done because as the empty boat will be riding much higher in the water. Then as you fit out the empty boat to be your studio it will want to sit lower. Weld them together as they currently sit and then live a lop sided life in the future or put them on the hsrd now, chock them how you would like them to end up, weld them up, refloat and live a lop sided life until you fit out the empty pan.

I'm sure you could link them with some complicated mechanism involving motorised screws and levers so the relative levels of the two hulls could be changed -- perhaps Mr Heath Robinson's drawings could provide some inspiration?

[monkeyhanger]

On 30/04/2024 at 10:53, MtB said:

There is (or was) a pair of narrowboats this has been to on the GU, and there are photos on this forum about ten years ago. I passed them once when out cruising.

 

ISTR the point of them doing it was to pay one licence fee instead of two, rather than anything to do with mooring.

 

CRT accepted the arrangement provided the boats were securely welded together not bolted. Had to be "Not easily separable" IIRC. 

I am familiar with the boat(s) I think you are referring to. The two hulls were held together by wooden beams which could be removed to separate the hulls for docking. I wonder if this is the boat the OP is now referring to?