mooring options

[shellfishb5]

hi

i am a little confused by alll the different mooring options available, i was hoping to get a mooring with nb but because of finance i cant afford the one i was looking at. so i will have to settle for just buying the boat and sort out moorings later. so i get my boat, how long can i stay on the towpath, i want to liveaboard do you have to pay, ive heard about winter moorings how do i find out about those and what do they cost. my long term goal is to live onboard all the time. could someone explain in plain english the different moorings and if possible costs

 

andrew

[bottle]

Hi Andrew

 

If you do not have a mooring you have to declare as a 'Continuous cruiser', to comply with the 'rules'

you must be on a continuous journey on the majority of the system.

 

As a CCer (the same as everyone else) you may stay a maximum of fourteen days (unless signs state otherwise) in any one area. This presents a problem if you are working as it will be almost impossible to comply.

 

Marina moorings are very rarely 'residential'

 

Online moorings (towpath) are available but these are not always residential either.

 

Costs for all these vary depending on facilities and where in the country they are.

 

Winter moorings contact your local BW office.

[bottle]

Andrew

 

Here is a link to British waterways marina ltd

They have their prices listed here for their marins this will give you some idea.

[DHutch]

Yeah, basicaly thats it, 14 days per area on the towpath, then you have to move on.

- I think, off the top of my head, the wording is (or was) somthing like "you must make a logical and progressive journey between atleast three places"

- Then as bottle says some areas are then signed diffrently, mainly in busyer areas, eather 2-3day moorings, 24 or 48hour moorings, and some that say "only 14days per calendar year".

 

 

What we do with Emilyanne is "continuasly cruse" all though the summer season, with varous family members moving her thought that time, and leaving her for the odd week or two on suitable bits of towpath. Or occational at a marina if we need to leave it for more than 14days or so.

- Then come winter we find a marina in the area who will have us for 3/4months. Then we start again in march.

 

 

Daniel

[Breals]

If you have a job and need to stay in one area, continuous cruising is probably not for you.

 

Winter Moorings

Winter moorings are available from BW. They will allow you to moor on a bit of towpath between October and March for around £60 a month. When I purchased my license from BW, they allowed me to put down my Winter mooring as my mooring on the form.

 

Moorings from private landowners

These can be found (with a great deal of persistence), and can be quite cheap (mine are only £40 a month).

 

BW Moorings

You can get on a waiting list for a BW mooring, which could cost between £60 and £100 a month. You could get on the waiting list in advance of getting a boat - just fill in the form with the details of the sort of boat you are thinking of.

 

Marina Berths

Marina berths are scarce and expensive - maybe up to £2,000 a year. Again, persistence is needed you will need to get on some waiting lists particularly if you are living aboard.

Edited August 1, 2006 by Breals

[shellfishb5]

If you have a job and need to stay in one area, continuous cruising is probably not for you.

 

Winter Moorings

Winter moorings are available from BW. They will allow you to moor on a bit of towpath between October and March for around £60 a month. When I purchased my license from BW, they allowed me to put down my Winter mooring as my mooring on the form.

 

Moorings from private landowners

These can be found (with a great deal of persistence), and can be quite cheap (mine are only £40 a month).

 

BW Moorings

You can get on a waiting list for a BW mooring, which could cost between £60 and £100 a month. You could get on the waiting list in advance of getting a boat - just fill in the form with the details of the sort of boat you are thinking of.

 

Marina Berths

Marina berths are scarce and expensive - maybe up to £2,000 a year. Again, persistence is needed you will need to get on some waiting lists particularly if you are living aboard.

 

breals

thanks for the information that explains a lot

[allybsc]

Hi shellfish,

If you are looking on the L&L I know of moorings available

Regards,

Ally p.

[Crazy Scheme]

breals

thanks for the information that explains a lot

 

Perhaps you need to cast your net wider - there are boats out there that come with moorings, if you look hard. We looked for almost a year but we found a boat with a mooring in London. You have to be very patient and trawl the net for hours a night (that's what we did!) and consider visiting many brokers and reading the mags and papers. Also be prepared to move very quickly. There was someone else interested in buying the boat we bought. But despite viewing it the day before us, they didn't move fast enough to place the holding deposit.

 

The occasional boat comes up on Apollo duck with transferrable mooring, also Virginia Currier Marine and The Boatshop sell boats with moorings.

 

BUT - always make sure that the mooring will be transferred to you, that its not just 'talk' from the vendor. I got it in writing from the moorings officer befroe we proceeded any further.

 

AND because boats are expensive, do everything you can to ensure you aren't buying a leaky bucket! Check that ALL paperwork is in order , confirm the true ownership of the vessel, have it surveyed etc.

 

As regards the price, some boats we looked at a year ago are still for sale, make sure you bargain with the broker, they will sometimes accept a lot less than the asking if the vessel has been sitting there for some time.

 

People will tell you it's impossible, and it kind of is. But if you are determined you will get what you want. It's the less determined ones who give up and I think a certain amount of determination is required to live on a boat, see it as 'training' . Lots of us here did it, it's not a long time sinceI was a 'wannabee' too. Here I am being mugged by cygnets for all my bread on a regular basis.

[tomandsophie]

If you have a job and need to stay in one area, continuous cruising is probably not for you.

 

Winter Moorings

Winter moorings are available from BW. They will allow you to moor on a bit of towpath between October and March for around £60 a month. When I purchased my license from BW, they allowed me to put down my Winter mooring as my mooring on the form.

 

Moorings from private landowners

These can be found (with a great deal of persistence), and can be quite cheap (mine are only £40 a month).

 

BW Moorings

You can get on a waiting list for a BW mooring, which could cost between £60 and £100 a month. You could get on the waiting list in advance of getting a boat - just fill in the form with the details of the sort of boat you are thinking of.

 

Marina Berths

Marina berths are scarce and expensive - maybe up to £2,000 a year. Again, persistence is needed you will need to get on some waiting lists particularly if you are living aboard.

 

Phew, I wish our moorings were that cheap! Around here (Bristol and Bath on a 57ft boat) you are looking at more like:

Winter Moorings - around £160 a month from BW.

Moorings from private landowners - this is what we have at £150 with no services.

BW Moorings - around £160 a month (non-residential only).

Marina Berths - around £3600 a year.

 

Maybe we should move up North!

[Michael Biggs]

I have another question about moorings--this time on the Thames.

 

Thanks to the forum, I think I understand the rules regarding continuous cruising / bridge hopping on BW canals. My question is about the equivalent rules on the Thames (specifically around Oxford).

 

A booklet from the Environment Agency states that you can moor anywhere for 24 hours. I suspect that many boats are mooring for longer than that. Would it be feasible / legitimate to tie up somewhere for a week? two weeks? (I realize that a river mooring requires more attention to changing water levels etc.)

 

Thanks for your help ...

 

Cheers,

Michael

[Sir Nibble]

I don't know about any rules, but my experience of the Thames suggests that what you will need is a mortgage!

[BlueStringPudding]

Hello,

 

I also have a mooring question.

 

If you live somewhere where two waterways meet that are run by two different boards (e.g. where the Upper Avon Navigation Trust-run River Avon meets the BW-run Stratford canal) - can you (theoretically, if not entirely honestly) moved between the two waterways every fortnight on a continuous cruising license? Could that be a way of getting the most out of the system without getting told off by either?

 

[alan_fincher]

Hello,

 

I also have a mooring question.

 

If you live somewhere where two waterways meet that are run by two different boards (e.g. where the Upper Avon Navigation Trust-run River Avon meets the BW-run Stratford canal) - can you (theoretically, if not entirely honestly) moved between the two waterways every fortnight on a continuous cruising license? Could that be a way of getting the most out of the system without getting told off by either?

 

No,

 

To be continuous cruising, you should not be regularly returning to, and spending periods at the same canalside location.

 

I don't know about the non BW bit, but when you return to a stretch of BW towpath to spend another fortnight (or whatever), having only quit it within the last few weeks, you are breaking the bounds of what's officially allowed.

 

I can't see it makes any difference in respect of that location, whether you have been on BWs waters, or somebody else's, in the meantime, does it ?

 

Alan

[BlueStringPudding]

No,

 

To be continuous cruising, you should not be regularly returning to, and spending periods at the same canalside location.

 

I don't know about the non BW bit, but when you return to a stretch of BW towpath to spend another fortnight (or whatever), having only quit it within the last few weeks, you are breaking the bounds of what's officially allowed.

 

I can't see it makes any difference in respect of that location, whether you have been on BWs waters, or somebody else's, in the meantime, does it ?

 

Alan

 

 

Hmmm...

 

Well, that's what I'm not clear about. I'd need two liscenses you see - one for the Upper Avon Navigation Trust and one for BW Stratford canal anyway - so surely I could play one off against the other - never quite breaking the rules of either?

 

However...

 

I'm not sure about this - but if you spend your allowed 14 days in one place, and can shift to another waterway for their allotted 14 days - I'd not be allowed to return for 28 days, right? (Or wrong??? Dunno!) In which case I'd still somehow need to bide my time for a further 14 days before being allowed back on the previous waterway.

 

Any thoughts, anyone?

 

Thanks.

 

[Moley]

That's bridge-hopping, and is frowned upon by just about everyone.

[alan_fincher]

Here's the BW document on the requirements.....

 

Link to Mooring Guidance to Continous Cruisers

 

This one sentence gives the spirit of what is supposed to be intended.....

 

"Continuous cruisers must be engaged in a genuine progressive journey (a cruise) around the network, or a significant part of it."

[BlueStringPudding]

That's bridge-hopping, and is frowned upon by just about everyone.

 

Of course... it might not be pretty but is it breaking the rules if done across more than one trust's waterway?

 

If you have a full-time job so have to remain within a limited area, but can't get your mooring without first buying a boat, then when you get your boat you have to wait YEARS for a mooring to become available... what choice is there? The system doesn't seem to work without bridge-hopping at least while waiting for a permanent mooring. And like I said, that takes years.

 

Tricky and doesn't make ya any friends in the process.

 

Any suggestions?

[Breals]

My first port of call would be to approach marina owners and riverside landowners on the Upper Avon. There seems to be less red tape than with BW owned canals, because LANT do not own the banks either side of the river. Bridgehopping on the Upper Avon would be out anyway because if its anything like the Lower Avon, moorings are 24hr only.

[Hairy-Neil]

... what choice is there?

 

Live in a house like "normal" people............

[BlueStringPudding]

Live in a house like "normal" people............

 

Thanks Hairy... not! Is this a boating forum or an estate agent's forum?!?!?!

 

 

My first port of call would be to approach marina owners and riverside landowners on the Upper Avon. There seems to be less red tape than with BW owned canals, because LANT do not own the banks either side of the river. Bridgehopping on the Upper Avon would be out anyway because if its anything like the Lower Avon, moorings are 24hr only.

 

 

Thanks Breals. I've tried the marina owners and the waiting list is literally years and years (one quoted me 8 years minimum) But I haven't tried approaching landowners - that's a very good idea.

[Crazy Scheme]

Of course... it might not be pretty but is it breaking the rules if done across more than one trust's waterway?

 

If you have a full-time job so have to remain within a limited area, but can't get your mooring without first buying a boat, then when you get your boat you have to wait YEARS for a mooring to become available... what choice is there? The system doesn't seem to work without bridge-hopping at least while waiting for a permanent mooring. And like I said, that takes years.

 

Tricky and doesn't make ya any friends in the process.

 

Any suggestions?

 

Buy a boat on a mooring. That's what we did. In some areas it does seem to be the only way to get a mooring. Get yourself down the towpath and ask around. Theres always someone selling a boat. Before you part with any money, get it in writing that the mooring will be transferred to the new boat owner. In some cases, the mooring goes to the next person on the waiting list.

 

I don't know anyone who gets any hassle from choosing to bridge hop (apart from on these forums of course!) BUT there are so many people wanting to live afloat, I fear the system will be choked with bridge hoppers before long.

 

Also have you thought about what it might actually be like to be permanently on the move, whilst holding down a full time job? It doesn't suit everyone. You'd have to ensure you had sufficient onboard power for your needs, a built in generator might not be so cheap. You can keep far less stuff than if you have a mooring (a big problem for me, I really need my shed - you need a lot of tools and other gubbins for a boat). If you are leaving the boat all day while you are at work, what about security? Can you be sure it will be safe (i.e not broken into or untied)?

[BlueStringPudding]

Buy a boat on a mooring. That's what we did. In some areas it does seem to be the only way to get a mooring. Get yourself down the towpath and ask around. Theres always someone selling a boat. Before you part with any money, get it in writing that the mooring will be transferred to the new boat owner. In some cases, the mooring goes to the next person on the waiting list.

 

I don't know anyone who gets any hassle from choosing to bridge hop (apart from on these forums of course!) BUT there are so many people wanting to live afloat, I fear the system will be choked with bridge hoppers before long.

 

Also have you thought about what it might actually be like to be permanently on the move, whilst holding down a full time job? It doesn't suit everyone. You'd have to ensure you had sufficient onboard power for your needs, a built in generator might not be so cheap. You can keep far less stuff than if you have a mooring (a big problem for me, I really need my shed - you need a lot of tools and other gubbins for a boat). If you are leaving the boat all day while you are at work, what about security? Can you be sure it will be safe (i.e not broken into or untied)?

 

 

I've thought about this a lot - not having a mooring isn't choice, more of a situation people are stuck with round Stratford - it's a bit of a holiday destination for many, so a lot of people rent the moorings permanently even if there's no-one aboard half the year.

 

Power I've thought about - a generator, good battery management system, solar panel and wind turbine are things that are high on my priority list. As for security, I'd be stuck with whatever I can get. Again not ideal.

 

I'm not wanting to flout the system, the second there's a mooring available I'll be grabbing it. But it's that wait for a mooring that's the problem.

[Hairy-Neil]

I'm not wanting to flout the system, the second there's a mooring available I'll be grabbing it. But it's that wait for a mooring that's the problem.

 

You'll have no choice but to flout the system. The fact is residential morings are rarer than rocking horse sh!t and seldom come on the market, dead mens shoes and all that. 99% of all morings both online and in marinas are non residential. They do not have planing permission for residential use. You can no more tie up your boat to the towpath permanently or bridge hop than live in a caravan on a roadside layby.

Edited September 5, 2006 by Hairy-Neil

[Maffi]

Even if you cruised up and down the length K&A all the time you would still be in contravention of the rules. The K&A being 87 miles only constitutes about 4/5% of the system and is no way 'a significant part of it'.

 

One unacceptable reason for staying in one place or locality is the need to stay within commuting distance of work.

 

Ya pays ya money ya takes ya chance!

[Hairy-Neil]

From that I take it that its impossible to get a CC license on a wide beam boat............

 

Isn't that discrimination.....