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8:25 pm
Monday,1 July, 2013
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I am one of many it seems that want to live on a narrowboat but with no brand new (as far as i know) canals being built or ever likely to be built will there come a time when the canals are so congested with boats that navigating the waterways becomes far from the idyll that most want when they choose to cruise the canal system.
Has anyone conducted a survey of how many new boats are launched onto the canal and rivers of the UK each year? or how many are scrapped to make way for these new boats or are the powers that be just rubbing their hands at the extra revenue new boats bring to their coffers.
I don`t want this thread to become political it`s just a thought of mine that someday near or far, just trying to make progress along the canals and rivers could become very difficult without some form of regulation/restriction on the use of our waterways……..just look at the state of the roads!
Just saying.
BTW i`m numerically challenged and find it hard to make this post……..math required….what is the sum of 12+6? 
10:01 pm
Friday,19 February, 2010
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I can’t remember the exact figures but I believe that there has been a slight drop in the number of boats on the network in the last year. There has been a downturn in the new boat market and the same number as usual being scrapped. There are currently about 35,000 boats on over 2,000 miles of waterway. I think that the network is a long way from being overcrowded.
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10:18 pm
Friday,15 February, 2013
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Paul Smith said
I can’t remember the exact figures but I believe that there has been a slight drop in the number of boats on the network in the last year. There has been a downturn in the new boat market and the same number as usual being scrapped. There are currently about 35,000 boats on over 2,000 miles of waterway. I think that the network is a long way from being overcrowded.
I wonder how many working boats were on the canals when they were at their peak, I imagine many more than there are boats now?
9:56 am
Thursday,12 January, 2012
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ChristopherMiles said
Paul Smith said I can’t remember the exact figures but I believe that there has been a slight drop in the number of boats on the network in the last year. There has been a downturn in the new boat market and the same number as usual being scrapped. There are currently about 35,000 boats on over 2,000 miles of waterway. I think that the network is a long way from being overcrowded.
I wonder how many working boats were on the canals when they were at their peak, I imagine many more than there are boats now?
I don’t think so. I’m sure I’ve read that there are many more leisure boats now than there were ever trading boats.
As Paul has said, there are definitely less boats cruising at present. I wouldn’t want to be a hire boat operator this year. And wherever you cruise you see boats with posters in the window advertising them as for sale.
Regards
Pete
Living retirement in the slow lane.
20 years hiring, 6 years of shared ownership and a Continuous Cruiser since 2007 but still learning!
10:48 am
Friday,19 February, 2010
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pearley said
As Paul has said, there are definitely less boats cruising at present. I wouldn’t want to be a hire boat operator this year. And wherever you cruise you see boats with posters in the window advertising them as for sale.
Regards
Pete
I agree. I’ve read somewhere that there are more boats using the network now than there were at the height of the industrial revolution. There were also many more miles of canal navigable then than there are now. Given that there are an estimated 2,200 miles of navigable canals and rivers now (the figures seem to vary) and 35,000 boats on them, that’s roughly 16 boats for every mile. However, the vast majority are moored either in marinas or online moorings at any one time so in reality there’s very little traffic.
Even though there are more boats on the network these days, there were probably more boats moving at the same time when the canals were first built because they were all working boats and if they weren’t moving, they weren’t earning money.
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7:50 pm
Monday,1 July, 2013
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ChristopherMiles said
Paul Smith said
I can’t remember the exact figures but I believe that there has been a slight drop in the number of boats on the network in the last year. There has been a downturn in the new boat market and the same number as usual being scrapped. There are currently about 35,000 boats on over 2,000 miles of waterway. I think that the network is a long way from being overcrowded.I wonder how many working boats were on the canals when they were at their peak, I imagine many more than there are boats now?
Good point.
8:09 am
Sunday,31 March, 2019
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Hi, this thread is some 5 or so years old now, If anyone sees this is there an update to the information? I am seriously exploring joining the canal community, but having not so long ago had a week on a hire boat on the K&A, our nearest canal as we live near Taunton, on a nice week weather wise in Summer it was very busy, we gave up trying to go through Bath, also dismayed at the number of decrepid I think they are called incl? along with their associated piles of rubbish along the tow path plus incessant cyclists hurtling along ‘spoil’ the wonderful dog walk experience, what are your views on this in 2019 folks?
Rgds Mike
10:55 am
Thursday,12 January, 2012
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MikePeace said
Hi, this thread is some 5 or so years old now, If anyone sees this is there an update to the information? I am seriously exploring joining the canal community, but having not so long ago had a week on a hire boat on the K&A, our nearest canal as we live near Taunton, on a nice week weather wise in Summer it was very busy, we gave up trying to go through Bath, also dismayed at the number of decrepid I think they are called incl? along with their associated piles of rubbish along the tow path plus incessant cyclists hurtling along ‘spoil’ the wonderful dog walk experience, what are your views on this in 2019 folks?Rgds Mike
Mike, unfortunately you’ve picked one of the sections of canal that is crowded with those boaters who don’t really want to boat. Along with most of the canals within the M25, around Milton Keynes and, to a lesser extent a lot of other city centre canals. However, don’t let that put you off. We’ve cruised all those areas more than once and have never failed to find a mooring. And outside of them there are miles and miles of canal where you might not see another boat all day.
Living retirement in the slow lane.
20 years hiring, 6 years of shared ownership and a Continuous Cruiser since 2007 but still learning!
6:49 am
Friday,19 February, 2010
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I second what Pete said. I am in the Midlands on the Grand Union canal close to Napton junction. There are 2,000 narrowboats moored within ten miles of me. However, 90% spend most of their time on marina berths. Even though this is a very popular section of the network there is no problem mooring at all. In fact, there are canals within a few hours of my home mooring where I’m rarely bothered by a passing boat.
Click here to get a FREE copy of “Living On A Narrowboat:101 Essential Narrowboat Articles”
5:08 pm
Sunday,31 March, 2019
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Hi Both, Thanks for your response, it didn’t actually answer the question about ‘overcrowding’ in as much as the prev post some years ago indicated a reduction in the number of ‘presumably’ registered boats but we were in a recession then. Purportedly that recession is now sort of over has the number of boats risen?
Yes unfortunately I live in a canal desert here in West Buckland, a few miles South of Taunton, if only the Bridgwater was connected!!!!. My background is in mining and tunnelling so I was taken by the Somerset Coal Canal and Brassknocker basin, drove up there last weekend, it was both amusing and frustrating watching the antics at that end of the Dundas aqueduct! I was advised don’t have a boat here ‘too many grockles’ go Devises, now I worked for 20 years based in Rugby with obviously a massive choice of routes, a 70′ in Paul’s marina some £2,500, K&A between £3,500-£4,500/ year or more on the K&A .with limited choice of where to go (I don’t see ourselves as CC at this time but I see us as week here and there plus weekends(we are retired but madam has horse and pigs for pets) well dogs as well of course but they go wherever we go! Moreover moorings at brassknocker are dead men’s shoes, hmmm live is a challenge, I just didn’t want to spend hours on the motorway getting to a boat. HEYHO check out Hilperton next week!
Best regards
Mike.
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