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8:18 pm
Friday,19 August, 2011
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Hello all, we are Ben and Paula Evers.
We live in San Diego, California, are 65 years old and are experienced narrowboaters. We’re not ready to pack it in, unload our assets and buy a boat to live aboard yet, but we want to take an extended vacation on a narrowboat next year while we continue our boat-buying research.
Does anyone know if a boat hire marina would be willing to discount their weekly rates if we booked a boat for 2 or 3 months? The longest hire period we are seeing online is 3 weeks, and that is rare. We are flexible on the time of year, which will depend somewhat on what we need to pay for use of the boat; we realize rates are higher at peak times and seasons. We are prepared to rent from a marina or a private party and there will be just the two of us. We are accustomed to handling boats in the 60+ foot length, but we’re definitely flexible about length and amenities. We need a sound boat, but we don’t need frills. We are mature adults and turn in “our” boats in spotless condition. We’re also good navigators and take pride in not damaging the exterior and in treating the engine carefully. We’re willing to communicate directly with any number of boat hire marinas, but thought we’d first ask if anyone knows if boat hire rates are negotiable for a guarantee of an extended hire period.
Sincere thanks to any of you who can advise us.
1:17 pm
Friday,19 February, 2010
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Hi Paula,
There are only two companies in the UK that I am aware of who offer narrowboats for hire for extended periods. They are..
- Escape The Rat Race – I don’t know much about them other than that they appear to have about half a dozen boats in their fleet. I emailed the company asking for more information, but didn’t receive a reply.
- Sheffield Narrowboats – Good boats but quite expensive and very popular. They are currently booked up until some time in 2014
Most hire companies don’t want to hire their boats out for extended periods. The people who want to hire their boats for long periods usually want to do so in the warmer months when the hire companies can book out their boats at premium rates. There are also logistical hurdles to overcome regarding servicing and breakdowns. A company operating from Bath doesn’t want to travel to Lancaster to service one of their long term hire boats. There is also the worry that hirers who have their boats for a long time might not be entirely honest and have plenty of time to repaint/resell/remodel their hire boat and that they’ll never see it again.
Hope this helps.
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3:20 pm
Friday,19 August, 2011
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Thank you for your kind reply, Paul. This is just what we needed and we’re pouring over these two sites as we speak. It’s encouraging to know that longer term hire is actually possible, especially if we’re willing to do this at the least appealing time of year weather-wise.
8:24 pm
Wednesday,4 May, 2011
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Paula Evers said
Hello all, we are Ben and Paula Evers.We live in San Diego, California, are 65 years old and are experienced narrowboaters. We’re not ready to pack it in, unload our assets and buy a boat to live aboard yet, but we want to take an extended vacation on a narrowboat next year while we continue our boat-buying research.
Does anyone know if a boat hire marina would be willing to discount their weekly rates if we booked a boat for 2 or 3 months? The longest hire period we are seeing online is 3 weeks, and that is rare. We are flexible on the time of year, which will depend somewhat on what we need to pay for use of the boat; we realize rates are higher at peak times and seasons. We are prepared to rent from a marina or a private party and there will be just the two of us. We are accustomed to handling boats in the 60+ foot length, but we’re definitely flexible about length and amenities. We need a sound boat, but we don’t need frills. We are mature adults and turn in “our” boats in spotless condition. We’re also good navigators and take pride in not damaging the exterior and in treating the engine carefully. We’re willing to communicate directly with any number of boat hire marinas, but thought we’d first ask if anyone knows if boat hire rates are negotiable for a guarantee of an extended hire period.
Sincere thanks to any of you who can advise us.
Have you considered shared ownership. A 1/6th share should get you 8 weeks a year – if you negotiated with the syndicate you might be able to get these weeks together especially if you agree to take then off-peak.
Paula Evers said
Hello all, we are Ben and Paula Evers.We live in San Diego, California, are 65 years old and are experienced narrowboaters. We’re not ready to pack it in, unload our assets and buy a boat to live aboard yet, but we want to take an extended vacation on a narrowboat next year while we continue our boat-buying research.
Does anyone know if a boat hire marina would be willing to discount their weekly rates if we booked a boat for 2 or 3 months? The longest hire period we are seeing online is 3 weeks, and that is rare. We are flexible on the time of year, which will depend somewhat on what we need to pay for use of the boat; we realize rates are higher at peak times and seasons. We are prepared to rent from a marina or a private party and there will be just the two of us. We are accustomed to handling boats in the 60+ foot length, but we’re definitely flexible about length and amenities. We need a sound boat, but we don’t need frills. We are mature adults and turn in “our” boats in spotless condition. We’re also good navigators and take pride in not damaging the exterior and in treating the engine carefully. We’re willing to communicate directly with any number of boat hire marinas, but thought we’d first ask if anyone knows if boat hire rates are negotiable for a guarantee of an extended hire period.
Sincere thanks to any of you who can advise us.
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