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Long term narrowboat hire anyone?


soenghei

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Greetings,

 

Does anyone have recommendations or know anyone who will rent out a narrowboat for a reasonably long period, say 3-to-6 months, for continuous cruising the network this year?

 

Seems the rental companies are only interested in short term hire and charging by the week which for an extended period is prohibitively expensive.

 

thanks!

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About the only company know to 'legally' hire you a boat (beside the usual holiday hire companies)

 

http://www.etrr.co.uk/

 

A private individual hiring their boat will be breaking the law unless they have :

 

1) A commercial safety certificate

2) A commercial boat licence

3) Commercial insurance

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Greetings,

 

Does anyone have recommendations or know anyone who will rent out a narrowboat for a reasonably long period, say 3-to-6 months, for continuous cruising the network this year?

 

Seems the rental companies are only interested in short term hire and charging by the week which for an extended period is prohibitively expensive.

 

thanks!

 

I suspect that most hire companies have some bookings already that would prevent them accepting a long term hire for this year but it may be an idea to research for summer 2018 and then get a booking in ASAP.

 

You may well be right about the larger operators but there are a number of private companies operating hire boats who may well be flexible enough to cut you a deal, especially if you took on the laundry and cleaning. They may also be more amenable if they have a boat ready to retire from the fleet. Two that spring to mind from the many are Chas Harburn & Calcutt but there are loads of others to try.

 

The other way some overseas boaters do it is to buy a boat and the n sell it at the end of the season.

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.

 

The other way some overseas boaters do it is to buy a boat and the n sell it at the end of the season.

You took the words out of my mouth.

Soenghei, if you're going to hire for even three months at, say, £1,000 a week, that's £13,000, you could buy, license and insure a scruffy but serviceable smaller narrowboat for that expenditure. If you're going to do it for six months, you could buy a quite nice n/b for the price - and of course you'd get (most of) your money back at the end when you sold the boat.

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Makes you wonder why people ask questions then do not return to either read, or acknowledge, the replies.

The initial post was made less than 48 hours ago. Not all members visit the forum assiduously several times a day.

Edited by Athy
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Depending on which months you wanted to hire , it might be worth enquiring at abc to see if they would do a deal at a couple of bases. They have boats covering a wide range of the country and may be more accommodating for that amount of time and splitting the time/ boats . Bunny .

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I remember in the past that a forum member negotiated a discount rate for extended hire of a compact boat from Canal Cruising in Stone. Might be worth asking them, as often quite a bit of their fleet doesn't seem to be out.

 

Possibly also talk to Rose Narrowboats, (who post on here sometimes), as again, they often seem not to have the whole fleet out, even at quite busy times.

 

However I doubt anybody is going to offer a massively discounted rate though on a boat that could be on regular weekly or shorter term hire, because it will still be more lucrative to not have it in rotally full time use, than for someone to have it for months at a very cheap rate, precluding any hire at a full rate.

 

As has been said, if someone has boats not in full usage, or about to be sold off, you may get lucky.

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Possibly also talk to Rose Narrowboats, (who post on here sometimes), as again, they often seem not to have the whole fleet out, even at quite busy times.

 

 

Yes, particularly on any occasion when we need to negotiate that already fairly narrow straight bit by their yard!

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Possibly also talk to Rose Narrowboats, (who post on here sometimes), as again, they often seem not to have the whole fleet out, even at quite busy times.

 

 

Yes, particularly on any occasion when we need to negotiate that already fairly narrow straight bit by their yard!

 

You need to try turning a deep draughted 71' 8" out of the Stretton Arm and to the South then, if you think just getting past the boats moored on the main line is ever a problem.

 

Also come South and sample the hire base at Leighton Buzzard, where hire boats moored up to 5 abreast happens sometimes!

 

(In fairness, last time we had to do it, someone did appear from Rose, and help by deflecting our bow away from their double breasted boats!)

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You need to try turning a deep draughted 71' 8" out of the Stretton Arm and to the South then, if you think just getting past the boats moored on the main line is ever a problem.

 

Also come South and sample the hire base at Leighton Buzzard, where hire boats moored up to 5 abreast happens sometimes!

 

(In fairness, last time we had to do it, someone did appear from Rose, and help by deflecting our bow away from their double breasted boats!)

Hmmm, I think I'll leave that to the experts! I have never steered anything longer than 47 feet.

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Sheffield narrowband only do long term hire. Booked up well ahead but worth a Google

 

Well, for a giggle, I suppose

 

http://www.sheffieldnarrowboats.com/

 

 

PLEASE NOTE

We're fully booked until 2022, sorry.

 

Richard

 

MORE: Why are all the pictures on their pages from the North Oxfrod?

Edited by RLWP
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Several are - Hawkesbury for instance

 

Richard

 

Agreed some are, but the first ones I saw were, for example, the T&M, and any pictures that involved locks and were not Hawkesbury were I think not on the Norther Oxford, (or if Hillmorton was there, I didn't look at a page that had it).

 

However it remains one of the oddest things I have seen.

 

Paraphrased....... "There is such demand for our boats, that we no longer do short hires"..... Yeah, right!

 

EDITED TO ADD:

 

Of course if all their lets are for a minimum of 7 years, (no boats available until 2024!), then getting to the Northern Oxford, or indeed any other connected waterway, in the available time should not be a problem for even their slowest hirer! :lol:

Edited by alan_fincher
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  • 1 month later...

I met a couple that took a long term hire from sheffield narrowboats and they were more than happy with both the service and the boat.

 

Maybe, but kind of irrelevant to most people if it is true the earliest they will hire you a boat isn't until 2022!

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