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Launching a 12' with outboard - rules ?


Paul Freeman

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Hi all,

I've just bought a very nice 12' GRP with outboard (pictured) and I'm struggling to find the rules and typical practice relating to launching it.

I live near the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal and know it reasonably well through walking, cycling etc., and I can see car parks and other access points along it where I could probably manhandle it into the water (I'd class it as "portable" in the official terminology), but am I restricted to only launching this thing at a slipway ?

thanks for any help,

Paul

Boat.JPG

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Unless you are very strong, or won't be launching it alone, I think anything other than a slipway will be difficult to launch from. 

Anything is possible though. I used to manhandle a fireball dinghy 16ft, 80kg on my own, but it weren't easy. 

You may well be able to lower it in the water at a seawall or pontoon, but still have to retrieve it, the outboard, fuel, oars and all your kit. 

Nice boat btw

 

Edited by rusty69
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48 minutes ago, Paul Freeman said:

Hi all,

I've just bought a very nice 12' GRP with outboard (pictured) and I'm struggling to find the rules and typical practice relating to launching it.

I live near the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal and know it reasonably well through walking, cycling etc., and I can see car parks and other access points along it where I could probably manhandle it into the water (I'd class it as "portable" in the official terminology), but am I restricted to only launching this thing at a slipway ?

thanks for any help,

Paul

Boat.JPG

Irrespective of being able to launch it - you do still need to register, licence and insure it - BUT - you don't need a BSSC

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41 minutes ago, Paul Freeman said:

Hi all,

I've just bought a very nice 12' GRP with outboard (pictured) and I'm struggling to find the rules and typical practice relating to launching it.

I live near the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal and know it reasonably well through walking, cycling etc., and I can see car parks and other access points along it where I could probably manhandle it into the water (I'd class it as "portable" in the official terminology), but am I restricted to only launching this thing at a slipway ?

thanks for any help,

Paul

 

I am assuming  that you are new to boating so you may not know that you will need a licence & insurance to go on a CaRT canal or river. You would be exempt from a boat safety certificate.   https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/enjoy-the-waterways/boating/licensing-your-boat/choosing-and-buying-your-licence

I think Saul Marina has a slipway.

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Thanks for the tips. I'm practicing manhandling it in the garden and it looks like the key thing is to practice...

I've bought myself a 30 day Explorer licence, I've found that I don't need a BSS, I've requested some insurance quotes, but I've not found anything definite about "registering" it, as mentioned by Alan. Can anyone point me in the right direction ?

And are there rules about where you can launch, or is it the case that as long as you can get it to the water's edge safely, you can launch it anywhere ?

 

thanks

 

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1 minute ago, Paul Freeman said:

Thanks for the tips. I'm practicing manhandling it in the garden and it looks like the key thing is to practice...

I've bought myself a 30 day Explorer licence, I've found that I don't need a BSS, I've requested some insurance quotes, but I've not found anything definite about "registering" it, as mentioned by Alan. Can anyone point me in the right direction ?

And are there rules about where you can launch, or is it the case that as long as you can get it to the water's edge safely, you can launch it anywhere ?

 

thanks

 

Going back many years when we had a 'roof topper' you needed to apply to BW (Now C&RT) to launch - or - with the land owners permission in (say) a marina.

You need to get a 'registration number' from C&RT (£20) similar to a car number plate. It will be a self adhesive and you should apply one each side of the boat.

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So registration is not required. Easy.

I thought it odd that I could buy the licence without proving I'd got insurance. Can't remember mention of it in the application process. I'm getting it though.

I've managed to put it on & off its trailer on my own. Need to take the outboard off to do it, though it needs to come off for transport anyway, so the trailer is better balanced.

Now just need to get a better understanding of launch-from-somewhere-other-than-a-slipway. Have submitted a question to the CaRT. It would be a shame if the only place on the Glos & Sharp canal I could launch from was Saul Marina at £20 a time.

- Paul

 

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50 minutes ago, Paul Freeman said:

So registration is not required. Easy.

I thought it odd that I could buy the licence without proving I'd got insurance. Can't remember mention of it in the application process. I'm getting it though.

I've managed to put it on & off its trailer on my own. Need to take the outboard off to do it, though it needs to come off for transport anyway, so the trailer is better balanced.

Now just need to get a better understanding of launch-from-somewhere-other-than-a-slipway. Have submitted a question to the CaRT. It would be a shame if the only place on the Glos & Sharp canal I could launch from was Saul Marina at £20 a time.

- Paul

 

There are no public slipways on G & S, only at Saul marina. 

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Not sure on official policy, but we've launched similar sized boat over towpath edge in different locations. As long as you don't do any damage to bank edge or towpath, can't really see anyone complaining. 

Insurance - only really need 3rd party, we used basic boat insurance before, but might be cheaper companies around now. 

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We've spent 15 years on the G&S & I cant think of anywhere that has vehicle access that doesn't have 18 - 24 inches of steel piling except perhaps Purton a few yards above the northern of the 2 bridges on the non towpath side. There is a bit of a landing stage there they use to launch canoes. The steel piling elsewhere which mostly has a steel angle running along the top of it would be reasonably easy to slide the boat down into the water with gravity helping but it would be a bit of a bugger if not impossible to pull it back out single handed.

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50 minutes ago, Chewbacka said:

At Saul junction -on the canal, not in the marina - there is a fairly low concrete surface a bit close to the water where the local ‘posh’ school launch their canoes, not sure if you could use this when they are not using it.

If you used their car park to launch then parked in the public car park that might be ok, the model radio controlled boat club meet there Friday PM I think.

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21 hours ago, Paul Freeman said:

Now just need to get a better understanding of launch-from-somewhere-other-than-a-slipway. Have submitted a question to the CaRT. It would be a shame if the only place on the Glos & Sharp canal I could launch from was Saul Marina at £20 a time.-

Canoeists launch and recover their craft to the towpath above and below every lock. I'm sure they don't ask CRT for permission for each and every launch/recovery. Isn't it implicit in the use of a craft which is portaged around locks? So the same would apply to the OP's boat. Just do it!

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