Does anyone know how much it costs to run a Canal Barge with say a Thorneycroft engine and its 15 feet long?

Question

I can't say when it rolled off the slipway.

Answer 1

Thats either a very large engine or a very small barge.

Answer 2

Almost everything to do with boats is "so much per foot, per annum"

Our 30' foot boat, moored in a Marina on the Trent & Mersey canal, costs in the region of £1,500 per year to moor, insure, Waterways License, maintenance and fuel - the latter is the most insignificant part of the costs.

On to that you will need to add your "MOT" every four years and having her out of the water periodically (say every 3 years) to have the rust scraped off the bottom and have her reblacked - both jobs you can do yourself but you will need time and somewhere to do it.  You will have to pay to have her hauled out.  Pump outs are another ongoing cost unless you have cassette toilet (some marinas charge for emptying these if they do not have mains sewage connection).

You can be a "continuous cruiser" - moving your boat every couple of weeks, a couple of miles, to a fresh mooring.

If you plan to be a livaboard, you will be subject to Council Tax (it is assumed that you will come off your boat to use shore-based facilities - to go shopping, libraries, street lighting, etc.)  This will be the lowest band for the area in which you live.  For more info see the booklet produced by the Residential Boaters Association and contact them for any queries.  "Google" them.

Good moorings are becoming increasingly difficult to find - the closer you are to London, the higher the cost.

British Waterways have moorings to let - contact them for details.  You may also find a farmer who lets moorings at the bottom of his fields (probably the cheapest option, but little in the way of facilities).  Look in the back of canal magazines for advertised moorings.

At the moment, you can used red diesel to run your boat, (it is an off-road vehicle) but the EU are putting pressure on the UK to remove this "perk".

Answer 3

they reckon you would use around three to five litre's of fuel per hour,depending on currents,mooring charges are about £10.00 per foot in length

Answer 4

Can`t say how much mooring fees would be as they vary from

arear to area and the facilities available on the marina. The cheapest way is to join a club, their fees are usually cheaper, but dependant on the input you can give to the club, timewise.

We had a 30 ft narrowboat on the Bridgewater canal, which is owned by Peel Holdings and with the club fees, waterway licence and insurance cost about £300 per year. The only downside to being on the Bridgewater is if you are cruising onto BW waters you need a seperate licence after 3 days, but this is only about £30 for upto 2 weeks cruising.

Private moorings are a different matter and can run into the thousand mark.

Fuel wise we did 3 weeks cruising on about £40 diesel.

If you are buying the boat, you will need an inspection by a marine engineer which 7 years ago cost £280, plus £70 for lifting from the water and a Boat safety certificate, which lasts I think 3 years and again can cost about £100 plus any work required to bring it upto spec.

On the whole, it is a pretty cheap way of getting away for the weekend and for holidays

Good luck and happy cruising.

Answer 5

You don't have engines on barges, they are in tow behind or abreast  a narrowboat

Pedandic, but Ive been cruising the system for thirty years,

Old "f@rt"