Getting a boat - the basic questions.

This is just a collection of helpful notes, based on my experience over the past 3 years. At the bottom are links to sites that may help answer questions, or forums to get in touch with other boaters. Also there may be a local boat club that not only provides a friendly social activity, but will answer all those important questions, especially with regard to your area. There are plenty of basic lists around, so I will attempt to expand on these, so giving answers to the more important questions you may have.

What you need to go boating:- A Boat. A permanent mooring. A licence. Insurance. A large bank balance. Plenty of nerve.

One of the first things you learn is you usually have to travel to find the right boat. Unlike cars, they are rarely on your doorstep, although the first place to look is the local marina. Many small marinas are hidden away by the riverside, with access often along small country roads. So a ride along your local river or canal will often find a hidden source. It also makes for a nice day out. The Internet and magazines being the next place to look, and possibly the best source to find your first craft.

Now the cost. Whatever your budget, it is too small, and be prepared to double it anyway. If you go the traditional route and get a small 'starter' boat, to try it out before moving to something larger, as many do, Norman, Shetland, Microplus and Dawncraft are 4 of the more common makes of cheap boats around. A tired example; a project can be found for as little as £1000, but this is usually false economy, requiring many hours of labour, and £100s spent to get anything near a respectable and reliable boat. £3000 to £10,000 is a reasonable sum to expect to pay. This should get you afloat, without too much work, and should hold the resale value for when you 'move up'.

The cost of keeping it on the water. There are many different water authorities in the UK, all with their own rules and costs, but British Waterways cover 50% and own the main rivers and canals. To keep a boat on their river, you will need a licence, a permanent mooring, and insurance. The BW licence is the same per metre for all boats (this is just for private pleasure craft of course) A river only licence will cost in the region of £200 to £300 a year, depending on the size of boat. If moored on private, or non BW waters, this licence can be for only part of the year. A river and canal licence is almost double, but if your marina is on a river, and you wish to travel on canals (for a holiday for instance) the extra can be applied for on a weekly basis.

Mooring fees vary from your friend's bottom of the garden, to large upmarket marinas with all the relevant facilities. Depending on location, these charge around £1000 a year for a small boat.

The Basic Boat Liability Company do the minimum third party insurance for £69 for low powered craft on non tidal rivers. Specialist companies for boat insurance can be found, Craft Insure, St Margarets, but in the last few years, these appear to have changed, with many companies taking on boats, so it pays to shop around as usual. A check on the Internet boat sites is a good place to start, or your local boat club.

So, you have found your boat, and can afford the £1000 or so a year to keep it on the water. The next thing you need is to get it moved, as it is the other side of the country. Specialist boat transport companies are around. I've a link at the foot of the page, and the marina, or owner of your purchase may be able to help. Again be prepared for a bill of £700 to £1000 for transport, cranage, etc. If the boat comes with a trailer, you can hire a vehicle to move it yourself, if you own vehicle is too small, or unsuitable, so the extra cost of a boat with a trailer is often well worth paying.

While looking for a boat at a boatyard, I was told a little more money gets a lot more boat. This salesman's patter is in fact very true. Boating can be compared to two-dimensional flying, i.e. you are on a liquid, not a solid. If you breakdown, or the engine stops you have no brakes or steering, and don't be fooled into thinking the slow speed, 6mph on most rivers is any comfort. I compare it to being broken down in the fast lane of a motorway. So a newish reliable engine is the most important thing to look for. Many many people have spent as much, if not more than the boat cost on a new engine shortly after they have got it. I am one of them, and have had years of experience of engines with motorbikes and cars. Most of this extra cost will be lost when it comes to reselling in a year or twos time.

Outboard or Inboard. Ok, you want a diesel inboard, after all you can run them on cheap red diesel. Well you can for now, but EU laws are supposedly coming into force shortly meaning boats will have to use white diesel, taxed the same as petrol. An outboard is the most practical and safe method for moving smaller boats on rivers and canals. They can be taken off for repair or service, are self contained, easier to access, safer with regard to petrol storage, and pipework. Prop fouling from debris or weed is much easier to clear, and the leg will lift to avoid damage if hitting underwater obstacles. There are plenty of security devices on the market, and although theft of small outboards is known, it is not that common. The extra cost of 4 strokes will quickly be recouped from the economical running. Expect to use about 1 litre an hour for most modern 4 strokes fitted to small boats.

When you start boating, the handling, or lack of will come as a bit of a shock, but persevere, and after a few days; you will get the hang of it, and wonder what all the fuss was about. Plenty of fenders is the answer, especially at first, or you may find your days taken up with removing the scratches from docking and maneuvering.

Boats drive on the right. So when you meet another boat you pass it on the right hand side, not the left. This advice is available in the information you get when you first get your boat, or you can send for it from BW. Occasionally, if you are setting off from a lock for instance you will pass on the left. Depending where you are in the country, you will usually find you are boating with few other boats around. As a general rule of thumb, keep to the middle of the river, unless it is very wide, or you have other information of course. This is to remain in the boating channel, which is the least likely place to find those underwater hidden hazards. On bends you keep to the outside, 2/3rds to 3/4s across. This is because the river is slower on the inside, and so tends to get silted up.

Slow down for fishermen, moored boats, and any other place your wash would cause inconvenience to others. 6mph may seem slow, but above this speed the wash usually increases, which can erode riverbanks and cause rocking to other moored boats. Your wash can travel 1/4 mile in front, so the boats are still rocking when you reach them, even though you slowed down well before you got to them. Also try to give them a wide berth. Most, but not all boaters appreciate consideration. In fact I have found boaters in general to be one of the most sociable of all the people I have mixed with.

Lastly, boating is usually not as straightforward as getting in your car for the daily commute, school run or trip to the supermarket. Our waterways are full of many hazards, both natural and manmade. Be prepared for stoppages, from fouled props, rain, flood and wind. I have found the trick to happy boating is remember you are there to be on your boat, not to travel to somewhere, so the first thing to do is throw your watch away (or leave it at home/in the car)

At first it seems you have been driving for an hour, only to have gone nowhere, but after a while this becomes more like taking a walk whilst standing still. Also you have 'your house' well your bedsit with you, so where you stop doesn't matter.

I hope these few tips prove useful, answer a few of your questions and help to get you started on what for most people is a very enjoyable pastime.

You may like to have a read of my boating adventures, and misadventures.

My Boating

Helpful and friendly advice, and chat can be found at the Dawncraft forum.

Dawncraft

If you require your boat moving, these people may be able to help.

Transport