Problems with Mooring

[Chris Pink]

I've never done a poll before so bear with me. I

 

I am not interested in perception of moorings abuse by boats, simply personal difficulties in finding an overnight mooring.

 

if you can think of any other common reasons for question 2?

 

and, of course, the question that doesn't have choices;

 

How did you resolve the issue?

Edited November 27, 2009 by Chris Pink

[Naughty Cal]

Have answered No to the first question, but this is most probably because we keep our boat in an area that isnt over populated with boats (both residential and leisure)

[mykaskin]

How did you resolve the issue?

 

Sometimes I keep going until I find somewhere else, or moor in a difficult location nearby, or occasionally moor on water points, or lock landings when I know I'll be off early the next day after arriving late (well into the dark).

 

Mind you some of it's my own fault, a deep drafted and long narrowboat was asking for trouble these days! :-)

 

Cheers,

 

Mike

[sueb]

We tend to know the busy spots and where vacant moorings are likely to be. Also If we expect it to be busy we arrive early. Retired liveaboards have advantages.

Sue

[Chris Pink]

Have answered No to the first question, but this is most probably because we keep our boat in an area that isnt over populated with boats (both residential and leisure)

 

I guess a short boat helps.

 

I occasionally have trouble with 70' of pair but like Sue thinking ahead is usually the best way to ensure somewhere.

 

I did once have to go 2 miles past my desired mooring to find somewhere. Unfortunately there was no one easy to blame.

[Naughty Cal]

I guess a short boat helps.

 

Probably.

 

The only visitor mooring, near us, likely to be full is the Lincoln city centre mooring which is tiny. You can often breast up though depending on which boats are there. It would be a different story if all of the caravans boats in Burton Waters decided to move at once though

[koukouvagia]

if you can think of any other common reasons for question 2?

 

Too shallow, can't get in.

[Chertsey]

I honestly can't think of a time we have had trouble that wasn't solved by going somewhere else, so I guess that's a no. The question seems to be premised on wanting to tie up in a particular location. Sometimes we've had to carry on for another half hour or so after we'd ideally have wanted to stop, or had to use the plank, for example, but can you call that a problem with mooring?

[Smelly]

We often travel until quite late so getting a spot anywhere vaguely popular is a challenge, still a decent walk home from the pub can be sobering...

[Naughty Cal]

What counts as trouble mooring?

[NB Alnwick]

Chris,

 

I am not quite sure how to categorise this but the only time that I had difficulty finding an overnight mooring was on the River Nene - it was in 2007 when I took 'Alnwick' down to the IWA National at St. Ives and needed to boat single handed from our home mooring to Peterborough and vice-versa.

 

For the most part, on the Nene there were very few places where someone boating single handed could easily get off and tie-up and those that might have been suitable were all occupied so I disobeyed the EA rules and on a couple of nights moored at the end of a lock landing stage - up river of the lock and making sure that I set off very early the following morning so as not to cause anyone else (wanting to use the lock) inconvenience.

 

I cannot recall ever having much difficulty mooring on a canal but I have noted that the best overnight spots, especially round here, are often occupied by mid-afternoon - sometimes even by midday. So hire boats planning to cruise all day often need to tie-up with their planks out it places that might be less than ideal.

[Proper Job]

Too shallow, can't get in.

I'll second that!

[magpie patrick]

Chris, I'd like to clarify "other"

 

Macclesfield should have more than four spaces, so when we got there at around 6 in October 2007 we had to carry on to Bollington

 

Canalside (off-side) premises in Alvechurch making a fairly unpleasant case for us to moor a mile further on. Rather, it was pleasant in that "the moorings are so much better" but unpleasant as in "F off if you know what's good for you"

 

I haven't included River Severn as it's not a fair comparison although generally breasting up is okay.

 

edited to add: our cruising area now though is Severn and associated waterways, and we don't cruise in main holiday periods. We also expect to walk a little way!

 

Mum and Dad did have problems two years ago on the Staffs and Worcs, in our boat, main problem was identified as retired boaters who moored for the day at 2pm...

Edited November 27, 2009 by magpie patrick

[Lady Muck]

We often travel until quite late so getting a spot anywhere vaguely popular is a challenge, still a decent walk home from the pub can be sobering...

 

Same here - the Trent and Mersey was chocka in September, I think we managed to moor on a proper visitor mooring once, most of the rest of the time we had moor elsewhere and get the hedge clippers out. Our visit to Stone was marred somewhat by mooring at the end of the line of boats and getting covered in dog sh*t in the long grass there.

 

Some places I never expect to moor and don't bother trying or plan to moor there.

[Ange]

I chose other - we've spent most of this year on the Leeds & Liverpool and have seriously struggled to get anywhere near the bank for most of the time cos the water levels have been so low (at 2'4" draught we're a little deeper than some but not seriously deep draughted).

[sociable_hermit]

Arlewas on the T&M can be a pain. It's a nice place with shops and pubs, so it's busy, but if you can't find a mooring you're straight onto the River section (if heading towards Willington). If you want a mooring at Arlewas it pays to plan your arrival for mid-afternoon. Not only more chance of a space but if you are forced to overshoot there's still time to do the River bit in daylight and find another pub!

[cotswoldsman]

I have answered no as I never have any pre conceived idea of where I am going to moor.

Just thought I would mention I am at present on one of the best mooring spots I have been to Salthouse Dock in Liverpool, there are about 100 moorings all with electric and water, mooring is free and there are four boats here at present. Nice and close to all the sights and shops.

[Guest]

I've never done a poll before so bear with me. I

 

I am not interested in perception of moorings abuse by boats, simply personal difficulties in finding an overnight mooring.

 

if you can think of any other common reasons for question 2?

 

and, of course, the question that doesn't have choices;

 

How did you resolve the issue?

 

I've voted Chris but wonder how valid my vote is given I only boat for 4-6 weeks per year - I possibly would have answered more times problems mooring but in reality for me it's only been once or twice.

[bottle]

Too shallow, can't get in.

 

 

I'll second that!

 

 

I chose other SNIP>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> (at 2'4" draught we're a little deeper than some but not seriously deep draughted).

 

 

Ditto.

[Chris Pink]

I've voted Chris but wonder how valid my vote is given I only boat for 4-6 weeks per year - I possibly would have answered more times problems mooring but in reality for me it's only been once or twice.

 

In an ideal world one of the opinions i would be most interested in gathering would be hire boaters but they both won't be canvassed by this poll or BW's consultation as they are, mostly, there one day gone the next.

 

The hire boat companies claim it to be a major problem but i see no real evidence of this. I think, rightly, that a holiday boater would 'expect' to find a mooring at a spot they planned on and would be less well equipped to find alternatives or moor in shallow areas where a long plank is needed (I know this because i frequently help these boaters).

 

Any opinions from those on this forum involved in the hire boat industry.

[ditchcrawler]

I honestly can't think of a time we have had trouble that wasn't solved by going somewhere else, so I guess that's a no.

snip

That is true of all of us or we would still be going if we couldn't find somewhere to stop. A bit like the question, is it going to rain? answer, it will be a long drought if it doesn't

[NB Alnwick]

In an ideal world one of the opinions i would be most interested in gathering would be hire boaters but they both won't be canvassed by this poll or BW's consultation as they are, mostly, there one day gone the next.

 

The hire boat companies claim it to be a major problem but i see no real evidence of this. I think, rightly, that a holiday boater would 'expect' to find a mooring at a spot they planned on and would be less well equipped to find alternatives or moor in shallow areas where a long plank is needed (I know this because i frequently help these boaters).

 

Any opinions from those on this forum involved in the hire boat industry.

 

When we used to hire we found it a problem - mainly because we tried to do far too much in a day and were often trying to moor up late at night. Many hirers do the same thing - planning their journey well in advance and assuming that it will be possible to cruise at four miles an hour - often arranging to meet family and friends en-route so the exacting schedules need to be maintained . . .

[purplehaze]

Hi everyone

 

We hire 3/4 times a year and I think that it is probably true that hirers have more problems with mooring than boat owners, they plan their route to make the most of their limited time on the canal so often arrive at moorings later in the day, also we tend to eat out most nights (we are on holiday after all ) and most pubs are near villages/towns and therefore have popular mooring spots.

 

Having said this we now eat on board at least a couple of nights and we love it, we can moor right out in the middle of nowhere which we love too.

 

Size of boat is also a major factor, we usually hire a 65 - 70 ft boat so finding a space big enough can be a problem but havong said all that in all the years, some 30 odd, we always seem to manage to moor near where we want to be, even if we have to use the plank and wear wellies to reach the pub!!

 

Julie

[Ray]

We tend to cruise out of season and are increasingly finding that desired mooring places are given over to winter moorings - some before the stoppage season starts - and that the "official" winter moorers are then joined by their friends who take up any vacant spots that haven't been reclassified.

 

Alternatively, too many visitor morings are given over to winter mooring so that when more than one or two bona fide visitors arrive there's no room left. In March this year, because we wanted to leave the boat unattended for one day during daylight hours, we arrived early afternoon at Paddington to find no mooring space and the first viable subsequent location (and that was breasted alongside another boat) was at Victoria Park literally just as the last vestiges of daylight were vanishing, some four hours later.

 

In October this year we were unable to find overnight (visitor) mooring spots along much of the K & A, often having to cruise until darkness and then moor on lock landings - we were on a deep drafted widebeam.

[Ange]

We were hirers until last year when we were fortunate enough to buy our own boat. I can honestly say as hirers we never had any problems mooring - and we did the Llangollen in peak season - simply because we were always more than happy to moor in an isolated spot away from everyone else.

 

Unfortunately the down side of having our own boat is that we would probably just about fit the Llang and would most definitely not be able to get any where near the bank in those lovely isolated places. I have happy memories of just deciding a place looked nice and mooring there - nowadays unless there's mooring rings or pilings chances are the boat will list alarmingly about 2 feet from the bank (Dave keeps reassuriing me narrowboats are like weebles - they might wobble but they never fall down but it does trouble me!) and we'll try again a few hundred yards along with the same result, and so on and so forth.

 

I'm assuming hire boats are quite shallow draughted?

 

Edited to say - had a few glasses of happy juice tonight and hope the above makes sense

Edited November 29, 2009 by Ange