Renting a narrow boat privately

[spacecactus]

How easy it it to do this?

 

Diffrent insurance?

Ways of safe gaurding your boat?

Are there agencies out there which could be used??

 

Any help would be good.

 

cheers

[Leonie]

I rented privately for six months when I first moved to the waterways. I was unable to obatin insurance at all so made arrangements with the owner of the boat to cover my contents on their policy in the worst case scenario of a break in. I'm almost sure agencies would exist these days but would charge a hefty sum. I found my private hire boat on the internet so do a search. It was advertised along with boats for sale but specified that the owner was going away for six months wanted to lease to the right person etc.

 

Good luck.

[zenataomm]

How easy it it to do this?

 

Diffrent insurance?

Ways of safe gaurding your boat?

Are there agencies out there which could be used??

 

Any help would be good.

 

cheers

 

This one crops up regularly, the issues that immediately spring to mind apart from the insurance that you mention are: -

 

A much more stringent Safety Certificate than the standard BSS

A hire boat licence which is several shillings more than the one we all enjoy paying as it is

The fact that few boatyards allow you to rent your boat out from your home mooring with them

 

I'm sure others will join in and direct you to existing threads on this subject and/or highlight other day to day issues that stop this being the plan to print money that some think it is.

 

Good luck

[CheshireTaff]

Do you mean renting your own boat out?

[Leonie]

Do you mean renting your own boat out?

 

I think OP wants to rent someone elses boat.

[sueb]

I rented privately for six months when I first moved to the waterways. I was unable to obatin insurance at all so made arrangements with the owner of the boat to cover my contents on their policy in the worst case scenario of a break in. I'm almost sure agencies would exist these days but would charge a hefty sum. I found my private hire boat on the internet so do a search. It was advertised along with boats for sale but specified that the owner was going away for six months wanted to lease to the right person etc.

 

Good luck.

I would have thought 'worse case scenario' would be sinking and would you or the owner have been insured?

Sue

[Lady Muck]

This happened to someone earlier this year, the boat didn't have a commercial license meaning the (privately owned only) insurance for the boat (that the owner had) was void, meaning they couldn't claim for their damaged boat and the person renting the boat couldn't get any compensation for their ruined belongings either.

 

To cap all of this off, the so-called agent, who rented this boat out on behalf of the owner and lied about it being legal, ran off with the rent and deposit money.

 

It is going to court soon.

 

So in a nutshell, be careful who you rent from.

Edited October 11, 2009 by Lady Muck

[mayalld]

How easy it it to do this?

 

Diffrent insurance?

Ways of safe gaurding your boat?

Are there agencies out there which could be used??

 

Any help would be good.

 

cheers

 

Well, after your last set of questions, which ended up with us discovering that you didn't so much want to understand the rules as want to understand what you could get away with, you now launch another similar thread.

 

Hiring boats privately is pretty much a non-starter for most people. Now, do you want to know what is allowed, or whether you will get away with breaking the rules?

[Leonie]

I would have thought 'worse case scenario' would be sinking and would you or the owner have been insured?

Sue

 

'I doubt it' would be my answer to that. You're right, sinking probably would have been a worse case scenario but like many things in life, we both risked it, we both survived and some of us even had fun.

Edited October 12, 2009 by Leonie

[Lady Muck]

I think Sue is referring to the same incident as me and only wanting to prevent the same horrible incident happening to another boater.

Edited October 12, 2009 by Lady Muck

[zenataomm]

Despite good advice and direct questions as to whether he intends to rent somebody else's boat or is trying to run a business by hiring out his own OP has gone quiet.

[Leonie]

I think Sue is referring to the same incident as me and only wanting to prevent the same horrible incident happening to another boater.

 

Quite possibly and the incident DOES sound horrendous. Having owned my own boat for a few years now, there is NO way I'd 'privately hire' it/trust a virtual stranger with it, and simply can't believe someone trusted me with theirs. Really, the transaction only a small deposit, no insurance and nothing much other than good wishes on both sides.

 

I'm very grateful though as that experience provided me with the knowledge that I couldn't go back to a small studio apartment in London again once I'd tasted the freedom of the high canals

[sueb]

I received a phone call about hiring out a private motorhome. I asked about them being stolen and was told 'it doesn't happen'. I explained that it did with boats.

Sue

[debbifiggy]

I think Sue is referring to the same incident as me and only wanting to prevent the same horrible incident happening to another boater.

 

The incident referred to by Lady Muck and SueB is sadly not an isolated incident. The same person who is alleged to be responsible for the sinking etc (I am having to be careful here as there are on going court cases) is also alleged to be responsible for a number of inicidents where a boat was being rented out sort of privately but sort of through a "business" and totally without the correct insurance, boat safety, landlord gas checks, business licence etc. The pain is not over for some of those owners who thought their boats were going to be looked after and that they would get a contribution to their costs of boating. Other owners who used the same "company" for boat "maintenance" and in one very sad case the fitting out of a brand new sailaway have had to spend a lot of money putting right the damage that is alleged to have been caused is I what I have heard. You may wish to check out threads on this forum between 12 - 6 months ago as well in other places such as boat for rent on the Regents Canal (handy for muslims) and continuous cruising on Granny Buttons.com

 

Whatever you do, do your research properly and it you are not sure just don't do it. Better safe than sorry.

 

D

[Rob@BSSOffice]

I would have thought 'worse case scenario' would be sinking and would you or the owner have been insured?

Sue

 

If only that were true Sue. Here's a story from last week that should prompt anyone to reflect on the wider subject of lanlord's responsibilities http://www.thisiswiltshire.co.uk/news/4667..._Longleat_home/.

 

Notwithstsanding that this was a solid fuel appliance, if there is gas on the 'rented boat', annual landlords certificates issued by a Gas Safe registered engineer will also be needed - and should be asked for by any potential tenant before taking up occupancy.

 

Best wishes

Rob@BSSOffice

[spacecactus]

Well, after your last set of questions, which ended up with us discovering that you didn't so much want to understand the rules as want to understand what you could get away with, you now launch another similar thread.

 

 

No that is not the case... I am trying to understand a system that I have no undertsanding of. Far from it I want to undertsand how the rules work so that I can try and go about my day to day life without causing probels. Believe me I would be the first one moving off if moorings were full and I had been arou nd a while, I would also be the first one off my boat telling the arsehole who is trying the break into your boat to go piss off. I would also be the first one to offer you a cup of tea. But you wouldnt known any of that, because you done known me. Which im verfy pleased about. Whatever happens you have no worry about me overstayng on any site near you. As I would just move off to fresh pasture just to advoid the bad vibe.

 

Your very judgemental , as as for my spelling and gramma yes its very poor. I didnt go to Oxford unfortunatly, but I did go to university. Its a shame you didnt manage neither as you might not have have turned out such an igronant git.

 

 

 

 

Anyway...

 

Thanks for the info people, im concidering maybe renting a bot for 6 months to get an idea of what I need and want.

 

 

Ive bought live in vans before you see, and its not to you actully live in erm till you realise what you need/want...

Edited October 13, 2009 by spacecactus

[Allan(nb Albert)]

I went to the University of Life after a very good school (I'm told it was approved!) so I will try and answer the OP's question.

 

You can -

 

• Hire your boat out. Read BW's guidance. You need, in particular, to check if the MCA hire boat code is in force yet. I would urge you to read it anyway.
  
• Turn your boat into a sponsored boat by placing it in a hire fleet. You may have difficulty finding a fleet operator to do this as they prefer to build boats themselves and then offer to sell them for sponsored ownership. In this scenario, you are the owner of the boat, but it is placed in a hire fleet and you get a cut of the proceeds. You normally have the right to use the boat yourself at certain times and the deal usually has a time limit.
  
• Use a company to hire the boat out for you and take over responsibility for running it.
  
• Use STO - short term ownership. Under this sort of arrangement you sell a share in the boat to another party who then sells the share back to you at the end of the hire period. It needs a very good agreement but circumvents many of the problems with hire. I guess it is more suitable for long term than short term.
  
• If its a case of mounting costs and not having the time to make full use of the boat you might want to consider private shared ownership or discuss with companies that manage shared boats.
  

Hope this is of some use.

Edited October 14, 2009 by NB Alnwick
Reference to removed post deleted.

[sueb]

No that is not the case... I am trying to understand a system that I have no undertsanding of. Far from it I want to undertsand how the rules work so that I can try and go about my day to day life without causing probels. Believe me I would be the first one moving off if moorings were full and I had been arou nd a while, I would also be the first one off my boat telling the arsehole who is trying the break into your boat to go piss off. I would also be the first one to offer you a cup of tea. But you wouldnt known any of that, because you done known me. Which im verfy pleased about. Whatever happens you have no worry about me overstayng on any site near you. As I would just move off to fresh pasture just to advoid the bad vibe.

 

Your very judgemental , as as for my spelling and gramma yes its very poor. I didnt go to Oxford unfortunatly, but I did go to university. Its a shame you didnt manage neither as you might not have have turned out such an igronant git.

 

 

 

 

Anyway...

 

Thanks for the info people, im concidering maybe renting a bot for 6 months to get an idea of what I need and want.

 

 

Ive bought live in vans before you see, and its not to you actully live in erm till you realise what you need/want...

It is a pity more people don't understand the sentiments of your last sentence. It would stop so many unsuitable boats coming on to the market.

Sue

[debbifiggy]

I went to the University of Life after a very good school (I'm told it was approved!) so I will try and answer the OP's question.

 

You can -

 

• Hire your boat out. Read BW's guidance. You need, in particular, to check if the MCA hire boat code is in force yet. I would urge you to read it anyway.
  
• Turn your boat into a sponsored boat by placing it in a hire fleet. You may have difficulty finding a fleet operator to do this as they prefer to build boats themselves and then offer to sell them for sponsored ownership. In this scenario, you are the owner of the boat, but it is placed in a hire fleet and you get a cut of the proceeds. You normally have the right to use the boat yourself at certain times and the deal usually has a time limit.
  
• Use a company to hire the boat out for you and take over responsibility for running it.
  
• Use STO - short term ownership. Under this sort of arrangement you sell a share in the boat to another party who then sells the share back to you at the end of the hire period. It needs a very good agreement but circumvents many of the problems with hire. I guess it is more suitable for long term than short term.
  
• If its a case of mounting costs and not having the time to make full use of the boat you might want to consider private shared ownership or discuss with companies that manage shared boats.
  

Hope this is of some use.

 

This is good advice

D

[alan_fincher]

One comment I would make though is that questions like this have been comprehensively answered in other fairly recent threads.

 

OK, I know there is strong resistance to people giving the "use the search facility before you ask a question" response, but I'd argue that often the poster would get a more comprehensive answer in many cases.

 

That said, it does seem to me that this is an area fraught with natural dangers.

 

Although there are undoubtedly a few good long term rental type outfits, I'm guessing that far more of such arrangements take place in a way where some or all of the legalities are ignored.

 

It doesn't take too much Googling and forum searching to reveal that the operator of one of the so called "rental" businesses, (also "marine engineer" and "man with a van") posted on this forum advertising himself, (and is still a member), despite having caused great heart ache.

 

Take care out there, (particularly if you are even considering being a "renter").

 

Remember, if it looks too good to be true, it probably isn't.

[tomsk]

No that is not the case... I am trying to understand a system that I have no undertsanding of. Far from it I want to undertsand how the rules work so that I can try and go about my day to day life without causing probels. Believe me I would be the first one moving off if moorings were full and I had been arou nd a while, I would also be the first one off my boat telling the arsehole who is trying the break into your boat to go piss off. I would also be the first one to offer you a cup of tea. But you wouldnt known any of that, because you done known me. Which im verfy pleased about. Whatever happens you have no worry about me overstayng on any site near you. As I would just move off to fresh pasture just to advoid the bad vibe.

 

Your very judgemental , as as for my spelling and gramma yes its very poor. I didnt go to Oxford unfortunatly, but I did go to university. Its a shame you didnt manage neither as you might not have have turned out such an igronant git.

 

 

 

 

Anyway...

 

Thanks for the info people, im concidering maybe renting a bot for 6 months to get an idea of what I need and want.

 

 

Ive bought live in vans before you see, and its not to you actully live in erm till you realise what you need/want...

 

 

I started highlighting the good bits, but looking at it, the sentiment of the entire post is to be applauded, perhaps the choice of language could be modified, but otherwise Mr Cactus would be welcome to moor next to me on the basis of this post... And before anyone starts posting the odd occasion where he's got out of his pram under provocation, I've seen 'em thanks.

[Lady Muck]

I think this thread has run it's course.

[NB Alnwick]

I agree that this thread has run its course. Nevertheless, and for clarity, I have removed the posts that may be seen more as an administrative argument relating to forum attitudes. These posts have not been deleted; they are stored in the archive for the time being.