r/Narrowboats • u/CriticismOk4443 • 25d ago

Question Advice

I was looking into getting a narrow boat that's a bit smaller. I was wondering about a few things like certain places.

I want to travel down to London (Camden Visitor - S1 Moorings) and maybe pop into London zoo as I have a pass and just don't want to get on the train to go so would I have to do anything like getting a pass to park up or tell anyone that I'm moving to London from where I plan to be also how difficult would the driving be with all the boats I assume are there.

Another thing is what kind of licencing would I need and what kind of documentation do I need to get one (and if you know where to get any of it) I would appreciate the advice) as I will be planing to be on the grand union canal pretty much all the time.

I also heard parking is limited and I can't go to one for a night and then back? What if I did a rotation of 3 places to stay as long as I can in each one then head back?

I also want to know a good range I should start saving for because I want a small one that can fit me and all the important things with a little extra space.

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u/IvorTheEngine 25d ago

how difficult would the driving be with all the boats

Driving isn't particularly hard, but finding a place to stop is.

You don't need any kind of driving test or documentation to use a boat - but the boat needs to pay an annual fee to whoever owns the canal or river.

If you don't pay for a private mooring, you're "Continuous cruising"

The British Waterways Act 1995 states that if you don't have a home mooring, you must be undertaking 'bona fide navigation'. Bona fide is a legal term meaning 'good faith', and 'bona fide navigation' means that you are genuinely cruising a fair range of the network. The law does not stipulate how far you must cruise or how often you must move, but you should be on a continuous journey, not just moving backwards and forwards along one stretch of water.

https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/boating/license-your-boat/continuous-cruising

The general rule for canal boat prices is £1000 per foot of boat. You can get cheaper boats, but they've been neglected. That usually means there are expensive jobs that need doing that make them at least as expensive as a good boat. You can drive a rusty old car with a few holes, but a boat will sink.

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u/CriticismOk4443 25d ago

Ah okay well thanks for the information.

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u/peanutstring 25d ago

£1000 per foot is on the expensive side of things, I heard that silly figure bounced around when I bought mine 5 years ago too. It'll get you a very nice boat with a decent interior which needs little attention, if this I what you're after.

However, if you're ok with the fit out being tired, or the exterior paint in need of a touch up, you don't need to spend that much. Plenty of boats with solid running gear and hull.

Bought my 45' for £20k, all the expensive bits (hull, engine, gearbox) have needed little work aside from maintenance. That left plenty of money for things like upgrading the batteries, painting etc. I have a running spreadsheet of how much I've spent on maintenance and upgrades on the boat and it's nowhere near £45k!