How long to get a mooring?

[canalflower]

Hi there, I'm new here, hope you don't mind me jumping in..

 

We are hoping to start living aboard sometime next year (currently saving hard to make sure we don't need to borrow too much to buy a boat). The thing that's stopped me sleeping at night at the moment is finding a mooring!

 

I naively thought I'd buy the boat and then sort out a mooring, but clearly this isn't going to be the case. We're looking at trying to find one on the Grand Union or Oxfordshire Canal 10miles by car from the nearest station that's commutable to London within about 1hour. I thought I was being quite generous with my requirements but research looks like I'm being a bit specific given the shortage of residential moorings available.

 

HOw long did it take you to secure a mooring? I'm happy to have a bit of an overlap between getting something and getting our boat (if that's even possible), but we can't move out of our current home until Jan/Feb next year earliest. Am I worrying too soon? We'll be looking for a 69 footer so I guess we're even more limited..

 

So much to think about, I just want to get back to looking at pretty boats!

 

Thanks

Sarah

[Machpoint005]

It's very dependent on where the mooring is. We had no trouble at all in Cheshire two years ago, but that's no help to you!

[Liam]

I don't want to dampen your spirits but the couple who bought my parents previous narrowboat had their mooring for 2 years before finding the right boat for them.

 

The boat is up for sale at the moment on Apolloduck. £30,000 for boat and mooring, or just £15,000 for the boat. Don't forget that you'll also need to pay every year for the mooring too!

[umpire]

took me a couple of months in cheshire but that was by luck, start now and pay the fees to secure it

[sueb]

Good luck looking for a mooring but it is a bit like trying to find a car parking space in a town centre. Keep looking and it is easier to buy a boat than get a mooring. I assume you have found watercape.com and the mooring auctions.

Sue

[GUMPY]

HOw long did it take you to secure a mooring? I'm happy to have a bit of an overlap between getting something and getting our boat (if that's even possible), but we can't move out of our current home until Jan/Feb next year earliest. Am I worrying too soon? We'll be looking for a 69 footer so I guess we're even more limited..

 

for the last 12 months the mooring next to me has been being paid for by someone that hasn,t even placed the order for his boat yet.

That is how short moorings are in the south east.

[stickleback]

There look to be several linear moorings vacant on the GU near the Northampton Arm (Bridge 48 to 47 I think). It's worth driving up, walk along towpath and take a look - there's a BW number there too. Also may be one or two vacancies at Blisworth marina and Gayton Marina, I think - both within walking distance of the same bridge.

 

PS it's within 10 miles of station too.....

Edited April 17, 2009 by stickleback

[canalflower]

Thanks for your responses everyone, feel a bit cheeky just popping up and asking a question, hopefully I'll be more of a contributor over the coming months!

 

 

There look to be several linear moorings vacant on the GU near the Northampton Arm (Bridge 48 to 47 I think). It's worth driving up, walk along towpath and take a look - there's a BW number there too. Also may be one or two vacancies at Blisworth marina and Gayton Marina, I think - both within walking distance of the same bridge.

 

PS it's within 10 miles of station too.....

 

Cheers stickleback, I'll make that a mission for Sunday whilst my fiance is at work.. know any child (and mummy) friendly pubs nearby ?

[heyjude999]

We are new to this and it fast became apparent that you needed a mooring before you got the boat.

 

We looked at loads of places (we still want to work for a while) we started our search in Sept 08 and got a mooring in Jan 09 from BW using the tender system and paying way above what anyone else was paying down there.

 

Anyway we have now ordered our boat which will be ready in Nov 09 and are paying for the mooring to stand empty till then, we have spoken to people who have been paying for up to 4 years before putting a boat on their mooring.

 

I have offered the mooring to anyone who is interested for 6 months but no takers as yet.

 

Good luck. Don't be put off if you really want it, it is achievable.

[allybargie]

Oh my, you will struggle I think - You must start looking asap - Im currently permantly moored on the grand union and that was by sheer luck ! Good Luck !

[mrsmelly]

Hi there, I'm new here, hope you don't mind me jumping in..

 

We are hoping to start living aboard sometime next year (currently saving hard to make sure we don't need to borrow too much to buy a boat). The thing that's stopped me sleeping at night at the moment is finding a mooring!

 

I naively thought I'd buy the boat and then sort out a mooring, but clearly this isn't going to be the case. We're looking at trying to find one on the Grand Union or Oxfordshire Canal 10miles by car from the nearest station that's commutable to London within about 1hour. I thought I was being quite generous with my requirements but research looks like I'm being a bit specific given the shortage of residential moorings available.

 

HOw long did it take you to secure a mooring? I'm happy to have a bit of an overlap between getting something and getting our boat (if that's even possible), but we can't move out of our current home until Jan/Feb next year earliest. Am I worrying too soon? We'll be looking for a 69 footer so I guess we're even more limited..

 

So much to think about, I just want to get back to looking at pretty boats!

 

Thanks

Sarah

 

Hi

 

Dont panic there is far 2 much scaremongering about moorings I have never had any problem at all getting one, u will actualy find more people can fit a 70 foot boat in thana forty footer, just think about it. Anyway just pm me and u will find it is much more about who you know than what u know.

Regards

 

Tim

[Orca]

Hi

 

Dont panic there is far 2 much scaremongering about moorings I have never had any problem at all getting one, u will actualy find more people can fit a 70 foot boat in thana forty footer, just think about it. Anyway just pm me and u will find it is much more about who you know than what u know.

Regards

 

Tim

 

Agreed; though I think you should resign to living on a leisure mooring (like most) and forget the resi thing. Resi moorings are virtually non-existant anyway on the SOC and GUC South of Northampton. Last one at Stoke Bruerne went for £4500 I recall via the tendering system!

[Lady Muck]

Good luck looking for a mooring but it is a bit like trying to find a car parking space in a town centre. Keep looking and it is easier to buy a boat than get a mooring. I assume you have found watercape.com and the mooring auctions.

Sue

 

This is so true - a mate of mine got a private one in London this year after looking for just eight weeks! And they say there are no free moorings in London - not true - you just have to be there right place, right time and know who to ask and keep following up. We all got moorings here so it's not impossible. It took us about six months.

 

You have to be constantly researching it. If there are waiting lists (I'm not talking about BW here obviously), often there are many people on them who have changed their mind about getting a boat, so it pays to keep following up with the marina managers.

[Tiller Slave]

Have you tried the The Yacht Harbour Association berth search programme?

 

see the link http://www.BerthSearch.com/?ref=TYHA

[canalflower]

Have you tried the The Yacht Harbour Association berth search programme?see the link http://www.BerthSearch.com/?ref=TYHA

I haven't, but I will! Thanks

 

Thanks everyone for your responses, I'm feeling a little encouraged, perhaps I'll sleep tonight! I'm defintiely going to be proactive with this, seems like waiting for one to arrive isn't going to work..

 

For those with a leisure mooring who permanently liveaboard, how easy is it to 'get away' with it? My partner and I will be working more or less fulltime so we won't actually be on it much during the week (daytime)... I'm not trying to avoid taxes etc but if that has to be a solution (even if a temporary one) I just wonder how easy it is to do.

 

Thanks again,

Sarah

[Lady Muck]

I haven't, but I will! Thanks

 

Thanks everyone for your responses, I'm feeling a little encouraged, perhaps I'll sleep tonight! I'm defintiely going to be proactive with this, seems like waiting for one to arrive isn't going to work..

 

For those with a leisure mooring who permanently liveaboard, how easy is it to 'get away' with it? My partner and I will be working more or less fulltime so we won't actually be on it much during the week (daytime)... I'm not trying to avoid taxes etc but if that has to be a solution (even if a temporary one) I just wonder how easy it is to do.

 

Thanks again,

Sarah

 

It would depend on the mooring. You would have to speak to boaters on that mooring or the owners. There are many, many boaters living on non resi moorings, I read somewhere that there are 15,000 people living on boats in the UK and 500 genuine residential moorings. (Someone else please correct me if I'm wrong).

 

It's not that the marina and mooring owners don't want residentials, most of them do - it's the local authorities that grant the planning permission that don't want them.

 

IMO it will only happen more and more as leisure boating becomes even more unaffordable.

Edited April 20, 2009 by Lady Muck

[sueb]

I haven't, but I will! Thanks

 

Thanks everyone for your responses, I'm feeling a little encouraged, perhaps I'll sleep tonight! I'm defintiely going to be proactive with this, seems like waiting for one to arrive isn't going to work..

 

For those with a leisure mooring who permanently liveaboard, how easy is it to 'get away' with it? My partner and I will be working more or less fulltime so we won't actually be on it much during the week (daytime)... I'm not trying to avoid taxes etc but if that has to be a solution (even if a temporary one) I just wonder how easy it is to do.

 

Thanks again,

Sarah

At the moment on BW moorings very easy. There is a new BW consultation just out, on moorings and navigation issues, and unauthorised residency at leisure moorings is one of the topics. It could all change and remember there is no security of tenure on the canals.

Sue

[debbifiggy]

I haven't, but I will! Thanks

 

Thanks everyone for your responses, I'm feeling a little encouraged, perhaps I'll sleep tonight! I'm defintiely going to be proactive with this, seems like waiting for one to arrive isn't going to work..

 

For those with a leisure mooring who permanently liveaboard, how easy is it to 'get away' with it? My partner and I will be working more or less fulltime so we won't actually be on it much during the week (daytime)... I'm not trying to avoid taxes etc but if that has to be a solution (even if a temporary one) I just wonder how easy it is to do.

 

Thanks again,

Sarah

 

Be very careful liviing if you are planning to take up residence on a non residential mooring as the planning authorities are getting much more interested these days due to a spate of claims for housing benefit ......... Best of luck with your search but try to get a mooring first if poss, especially if looking in a very popular and busy area like the SE or London or near any ciity in England.