move to the Medway, advice needed

[terriegym]

Hi. i havent been on the forum for a while, its been a year now living on board and we love it, even with no roof for 2 months in the height of winter. things got a bit crazy, front cabin roof fell in and side deck went in with it. so been busy trying to fix it all by my little self. but thats a whole other topic.

I am needing to move down to the Medway to help my son with his new business in Tonbridge and need some advice and information.

 

non judgemental please as i dont think i can handle any more stress

[Peter X]

Are you looking for people to advise you about the trip by water (including the tricky bit of the Thames and Medway estuaries?), the trip by road haulage, moorings on the Medway near Tonbridge, or something else please?

[terriegym]

Are you looking for people to advise you about the trip by water (including the tricky bit of the Thames and Medway estuaries?), the trip by road haulage, moorings on the Medway near Tonbridge, or something else please?

Hi thanks for your response.

my boat would have to come down by lorry, we are on the Gloucester & Sharpness canal at the moment. shes a 10.6 wide wood/plastic. i need advise on moorings (cant afford much) bridges, locks (ive never done and am the only adult on board) where i can and cant go, boater communities etc etc.

[Bod]

This link is the result of just putting "medway" into the search box at the top of the page.

 

 

http://www.wanttoliveafloat.com/residential-marine/

 

No connection etc.

 

Bod

[Peter X]

The marina mentioned by Bod is at Hoo, in the Medway estuary a few miles downriver from Rochester, and I think it's not too handy for Tonbridge.

 

You'll probably want to be on the non-tidal Medway above Allington Lock, for which you'd need to register your boat with the EA. So you'd find it useful to read their general advice about navigation and facilities:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/river-medway-bridges-locks-and-facilities-for-boaters

It mentions needing a key for a lifting bridge at Yalding, and also for pumpout at Tonbridge. This presumably isn't the same as the key (often called a BW key) which opens all sorts of bridges and facilities all over CRT's network, but you'd need to find out.

 

Maybe you'd be putting your boat in at the Allington Lock slipway, and their website:

http://www.allingtonlock.co.uk/permanentmoorings.php

seems to have lots of useful information, including phone numbers for moorings at various places up the river, some in Tonbridge.

 

The limit of navigation for narrow boats is just above Tonbridge, and I reckon yours will fit because the locks on the Medway are wide. But do check bridge heights; one or two in the document seem quite low, but I'm not sure where those are.

If you want someone to help you move your boat once you've worked out where and when, just ask on Crew Swap and someone (probably me or Ian "The Boater" in this neck of the woods) who's operated a few locks before will volunteer. I haven't boated on the Medway before, but have some experience of non tidal rivers, and at 10 locks and not too many miles one long day should be enough.

[terriegym]

This link is the result of just putting "medway" into the search box at the top of the page.

 

 

http://www.wanttoliveafloat.com/residential-marine/

 

No connection etc.

 

Bod

hi thanks. i cant afford a marina, plus i have 3 dogs and two lively boys. i need to find places near somewhere to park the van but away enough not to annoy other people.

[Naughty Cal]

Have you considered how much it is going to cost to get your boat transported?

[chubby]

Have you considered how much it is going to cost to get your boat transported?

Unlikely to have done so . Seems the OP just wants everyone else to find the answers cos he CBA ?

 

One person responding types in the word " Medway " & gets answers straight away .

 

Another gives an indepth answer about navigating to the Medway , even going so far as to offer assistance .

 

But the OP simply responds with . " i cant afford a mooring " .

 

Quite what answer theyre looking for is i don t know .

 

. But then again i dont really know what the question is either seeing as there seems to be quite a bit of detail lacking about such insignificant things like budget , boat size , time available for moving etc etc etc .

 

I expect i should work that for myself .

Edited January 30, 2017 by chubby

[I Spartacus]

I think you will find it a problem finding a mooring in Tonbridge, I might be best to go down there and see what is available

before you make any commitment. You could look at Maidstone, But I think it will have to be a marina at the end of the day.

[Peter X]

I think you will find it a problem finding a mooring in Tonbridge, I might be best to go down there and see what is available

before you make any commitment. You could look at Maidstone, But I think it will have to be a marina at the end of the day.

This sounds like good advice to me. The EA list some temporary mooring spots at the locks, but it being a river, you can't just moor to a towpath more or less anywhere like you can on canals. If you can find someone who owns a bit of spare riverbank you might be able to rent a cheaper mooring from them, but it probably wouldn't have the facilities you'd get in a marina. If you were to just potter up and down the river from one public mooring to another, I suspect the EA would take a dim view of it and it wouldn't be long before they did something about it. I think some people do it on the Thames, but the Medway's a much shorter river, you'd be noticed. Has anyone tried it?

 

Transporting the boat should be less of a problem than finding a mooring. If your boat's not very long, it should cost under £1000 all in.

[Alan de Enfield]

I am sure the OP is fully aware of the transport costs, as (if you remember) when she acquired the boat last year she paid for a 'lift-out' at Newark, road transport to the G&S Canal. and the 'lift-in'.

 

Boat is 36 x 10'6"

GRP Cruiser

I think air draft too high for many canal bridges.

[OldGoat]

The Thames forum on ybw.com has some active members who are based on the Mudway including some whose boats are vertically challenged. Try posting there.

 

I get the feeling that there are lots of boats in the canalised section and they may well not be popular amongst land based residents, so just finding 'somewhere to park' could be a challenge, especially as the EA is having problems with moored boats at the moment. Do a search on 'Trotbridge'

[Traveller]

I would suggest the Medway is probably a none starter unless you can afford to take an authorised long term mooring. If the OP cannot afford a marina could she afford to pay for a proper bank-side mooring that is safe. This surely is a major considering as she has dogs and two lively boys aboard. Does she have a budget!

Edited January 30, 2017 by Traveller

[terriegym]

Unlikely to have done so . Seems the OP just wants everyone else to find the answers cos he CBA ?

 

One person responding types in the word " Medway " & gets answers straight away .

 

Another gives an indepth answer about navigating to the Medway , even going so far as to offer assistance .

 

But the OP simply responds with . " i cant afford a mooring " .

 

Quite what answer theyre looking for is i don t know .

 

. But then again i dont really know what the question is either seeing as there seems to be quite a bit of detail lacking about such insignificant things like budget , boat size , time available for moving etc etc etc .

 

I expect i should work that for myself .

 

Hi thanks for your response.

my boat would have to come down by lorry, we are on the Gloucester & Sharpness canal at the moment. shes a 10.6 wide wood/plastic. i need advise on moorings (cant afford much) bridges, locks (ive never done and am the only adult on board) where i can and cant go, boater communities etc etc.

 

Chubby

 

i believe my response below does suggest what sort of advice i am looking for. I also did not say i could not afford a mooring i said i cannot afford 'a marina'.

 

I am well aware of the cost of road transport as my boat came down from Newark as Alan has mentioned above. and i managed to arrange most of that all by myself!! i was asking for advice on this forum as everyone has been so nice in the past and i was hoping to connect to people who have actual real time experience of being on the non-tidal Medway.

 

Now as a 'Mother' my eldest son needs me to help him make his new venture a success. driving for approx an hour each way from near the estuary to Tonbridge every day for work is really not going to be practical.

 

'She' certainly CAN be bothered to do as much research as needed, but google cant compare to people on the ground.

 

i am working from 3am til 7pm most days to raise the funds for the move and a well deserved holiday, and have 2 sons to look after also, so please excuse me if i can not respond to replies straight away.

 

thankyou for the responses with further information on bridge heights and moving the boat. i will get to each one individually, but we are celebrating having a working oven on the boat for the first time in a year, with Pizza!

I would suggest the Medway is probably a none starter unless you can afford to take an authorised long term mooring. If the OP cannot afford a marina could she afford to pay for a proper bank-side mooring that is safe. This surely is a major considering as she has dogs and two lively boys aboard. Does she have a budget!

Thank you Traveller,

I really dont have much choice needing to be near Tonbridge. i Pay £267 per month for mooring (no elec or water) and licence at the moment. im not sure how much my son can pay me to begin with so i cant really say what i can or cant pay at the moment.

[Naughty Cal]

There is a list of moorings here:

 

http://www.allingtonlock.co.uk/permanentmoorings.php

 

Might be worth ringing around and asking what availability they have.

[terriegym]

The Thames forum on ybw.com has some active members who are based on the Mudway including some whose boats are vertically challenged. Try posting there.

 

I get the feeling that there are lots of boats in the canalised section and they may well not be popular amongst land based residents, so just finding 'somewhere to park' could be a challenge, especially as the EA is having problems with moored boats at the moment. Do a search on 'Trotbridge'

Thankyou OldGoat.

I never saw that one when i looked at YBW earlier i'll go back and have another look.

There is a list of moorings here:

 

http://www.allingtonlock.co.uk/permanentmoorings.php

 

Might be worth ringing around and asking what availability they have.

Thankyou ill save that one and look later

[terriegym]

The marina mentioned by Bod is at Hoo, in the Medway estuary a few miles downriver from Rochester, and I think it's not too handy for Tonbridge.

 

You'll probably want to be on the non-tidal Medway above Allington Lock, for which you'd need to register your boat with the EA. So you'd find it useful to read their general advice about navigation and facilities:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/river-medway-bridges-locks-and-facilities-for-boaters

It mentions needing a key for a lifting bridge at Yalding, and also for pumpout at Tonbridge. This presumably isn't the same as the key (often called a BW key) which opens all sorts of bridges and facilities all over CRT's network, but you'd need to find out.

 

Maybe you'd be putting your boat in at the Allington Lock slipway, and their website:

http://www.allingtonlock.co.uk/permanentmoorings.php

seems to have lots of useful information, including phone numbers for moorings at various places up the river, some in Tonbridge.

 

The limit of navigation for narrow boats is just above Tonbridge, and I reckon yours will fit because the locks on the Medway are wide. But do check bridge heights; one or two in the document seem quite low, but I'm not sure where those are.

If you want someone to help you move your boat once you've worked out where and when, just ask on Crew Swap and someone (probably me or Ian "The Boater" in this neck of the woods) who's operated a few locks before will volunteer. I haven't boated on the Medway before, but have some experience of non tidal rivers, and at 10 locks and not too many miles one long day should be enough.

Thankyou Peter

 

I really would love some help when the time comes, as im not experienced i would not feel safe trying to get my boy to help as he's still only 9. he'll throw and catch lines but thats about it at the moment, good info on the keys thanks i havent read about that yet, as their are bridge keepers here i never thought about it either

[ditchcrawler]

 

 

Chubby

 

i believe my response below does suggest what sort of advice i am looking for. I also did not say i could not afford a mooring i said i cannot afford 'a marina'.

 

I am well aware of the cost of road transport as my boat came down from Newark as Alan has mentioned above. and i managed to arrange most of that all by myself!! i was asking for advice on this forum as everyone has been so nice in the past and i was hoping to connect to people who have actual real time experience of being on the non-tidal Medway.

 

Now as a 'Mother' my eldest son needs me to help him make his new venture a success. driving for approx an hour each way from near the estuary to Tonbridge every day for work is really not going to be practical.

 

'She' certainly CAN be bothered to do as much research as needed, but google cant compare to people on the ground.

 

i am working from 3am til 7pm most days to raise the funds for the move and a well deserved holiday, and have 2 sons to look after also, so please excuse me if i can not respond to replies straight away.

 

thankyou for the responses with further information on bridge heights and moving the boat. i will get to each one individually, but we are celebrating having a working oven on the boat for the first time in a year, with Pizza!

Thank you Traveller,

I really dont have much choice needing to be near Tonbridge. i Pay £267 per month for mooring (no elec or water) and licence at the moment. im not sure how much my son can pay me to begin with so i cant really say what i can or cant pay at the moment.

That is more than I pay for my Marina mooring

[terriegym]

I am sure the OP is fully aware of the transport costs, as (if you remember) when she acquired the boat last year she paid for a 'lift-out' at Newark, road transport to the G&S Canal. and the 'lift-in'.

 

Boat is 36 x 10'6"

GRP Cruiser

I think air draft too high for many canal bridges.

thank you Alan,

sorry we haven't been in touch. how are the Chris's doing? Ive been a bit busy re building the front cabin roof, talk about baptism of fire!

[Alan Hathaway]

You won't really get a residential marina berth on the non tidal bit of the medway, there's not many places to stop on the river either even for short overnighting and you will probably be moved on pretty quickly. The tidal section you are more likely to find a berth and it's not much more than what you are paying now.. The trains from Strood also go to tonbridge so it's not too bad... Obviously only a couple do residential berths but you can always enquire.