Mooring in UK canal marina

[PeteThePen1]

Hi Chris

I can sympathise with your thinking about a marina + trailer. I have a little experience of this problem with Frances Ann, not least beacause her US built trailer is 1ft wider than the maximum width of our garage. Basically I need a smaller trailer if the boat is to stay at home, but that is my very latest thinking.

Initially, she went up to Coniston to have the mechanicals finished, travelling with the cabin folded down and a cover over everything. The big trailer tows well and, with everything stowed flat, there was little windage so the motorway section was fine. Of course I was scared stiff on the narrow road bits with the big trailer, but have struck lucky with no trucks coming the opposite way for every tow so far.

The plan was to keep her in Coniston for the short period while the mechanicals were sorted, then bring her home when the work was done. As ever the best laid plans tend to collapse and she was moored in the open for some months. Besides accumulating rain water, the other issue was weed growth. Having not expected a long immersion, she was not coated with anti-fouling. Later we rented a boat house which was nice, but it did have some draw backs. Being open it picked up the stormy weather if the wind was in the right direction. The boat house also had some families of swallows as well as being a Mecca for spiders and presumably flies. Thus fly blows, bird droppings and spiders webs got everywhere. The lake level was also pretty variable so sometimes one could simply step off the walkway in the boathouse into the boat, but on others it felt as if abseiling kit was required.

Coniston is a super lake and a wonderful place to steam, but getting there from home was probably 2 1/2 to 3 hrs drive. So, whilst we will go back and steam on the lake, it will not do as a 'home' for the boat. It currently lives on the drive so that I can get on with the restoration. The Coniston algae would not wash off, but needed Scotchbrite and scouring cream plus plenty of muscle. The resulting finish was not good and the boat valuer recommended she be painted with two pack to bring the finish back to standard. That was finally finished last week. She will need to be shifted back onto the building trolley in the garage next so that she does not suffer frost damage over the cold part of the winter. There are also mechanical changes I need to make so that will be best done in the garage.

So my advice would be to go for a nice small trailer that you can back into your garage. Keeping the boat at a marina sounds a good idea too if the price is right and the distance convenient. Gudmund's suggestion of a conopy is simple to implement and will dismantle easily. Some boats, such as Chantilly, have rigid canopies that can be lowered to form a cover over the cockpit thus doing away with the need for a cover in the summer. If you are thinking about a conopy, do also think about the issue of stability. Frances Ann is a Rose hull which is well known for its tenderness so I doubt if I could get away with one as well as the cabin. By comarison, Frolic 21s are broad and very stable and can easily cope.

Regards

Pete

[Audlin]

Hi Pete,

Coniston is indeed a lovely lake - we have a sailing dinghy which we tend to take up to Coniston for a week each Easter. Would definitely like to do some steaming up there as well if I can organise myself a steam boat!

I'm leaning towards the marina at the moment. This would mean the boat is within about 20 minutes drive of where I live, and should maximise the use we can make of the boat by removing the need to launch / recover each time, so making shorter trips out worthwhile. We would still have the ability tot rail the boat to other waters if we want to, and back home for the winter as well.

Cheers,

Chris.

[Dhutch]

Does anybody have experience of keeping a steamboat in a canal marina? I'm referring to a Frolic 21 style boat, rather than a steam narrowboat.

I'm in the middle of the UK and my local waters are canals, and whilst I would undoubtedly trail to different places on occasions, I'm wondering whether keeping a boat in a local marina during the summer months would allow more use of the boat on short trips.

Chris, if you can be more specific than 'the middle of the UK' might be able to give some advice on marinas near you I would approach.

Failing that, for advice on really anything at all canal related I would suggest a visit to the CanalWorld forums (link below) as a great pool of knowledge on just about anything canal related.

Somewhat biased as a few years ago I came to take over owning the site, but only did so as its such a great and well used resource.

http://www.canalworld.net/forums/


Daniel

[Audlin]

Hi Daniel,

I've added my location, I'm actually about half way between Uttoxeter and Burton.

I don't have a steam boat yet, but basing one in a marina would affect the size of boat I could reasonably manage, hence the questions in this thread!

Cheers,

Chris

[Dhutch]

I've added my location, I'm actually about half way between Uttoxeter and Burton.

I don't have a steam boat yet, but basing one in a marina would affect the size of boat I could reasonably manage, hence the questions in this thread!

Ah right, very well. I live in Uttoxeter and was in Willington marina on a family freinds (diesal) narrowboat only on Sunday, a daughter of a keen steamboater and SBA member in fact! So your very close.

If you did not know, we own and run EmilyAnne, one of around 15 steam narrowboats on the canal system.


Daniel

[Audlin]

Hi Daniel,

Yep - had come across your website as part of my general looking about on steamboats.

Cheers,

Chris.