Boat Hire
What a year it has been, boat hire bookings were looking good at the start of the season and then Coronavirus/COVID-19 struck and we went into lock down! We decided early on to allow customers with a hire boat booked to cancel with a full refund or move there booking to later in the year we also opened up out 2021 diary for customers who wanted to move the booking to the following year.
With the end of the summer holidays fast approaching we would normally start to see a down turn in bookings for the day boats and holiday hire boats, but with the current covid-19 situation we are still seeing booking coming through. The current situation is detailed below;
Day boat
It is currently fully booked until October and weekends until November. We are currently in a situation where only 2 households and your support bubble are allowed to be on the boat, it is classed as an indoor space. The latest government guidelines are HERE.
Holiday Boats
We are very busy at the time of writing we have the following available for the next 4 weeks;
Cheshire cat - 7th September Midweek break
Home James -31st August Midweek break
The lady who owns Cheshire Cat was due over in September to use the boat, however she has now decided to postpone until next year, therefore Cheshire Cat is now available from 18th September to 30th October except the weekend of the 2nd October. To check out availability please go to our Booking Page.
Dogs on the boats
We have always allowed you to bring your dogs on our hire boats and will continue to do so, most of our family and staff have dogs and a day out or a boating holiday would not be complete with out our furry friends! However we have noticed an increase in the work required to turn around the boats when there have been dogs on board, so from the beginning of 2021 there will be a charge for the additional cleaning, £10 for the day boat and £20 for the holiday boats, this is a one off fee for the boat not per dog! We allow a maximum of 2 dogs on the holiday boats and 4 on the Day boat, if you do need to take more please contact us to discuss.
We request, as we have always done, that dogs are not allowed on any furniture or beds and please do not leave dogs unattended in the boats.
There is an option at the time of booking to select if you are bringing pets, please also let us know how many.
Boat Hire and Alcohol
Recently we have noticed and increase in the number of people who are drinking excessive amounts whilst on the Day boat.
We will be monitoring the situation throughout the remainder of this year, next year it is looking highly likely we will be bringing in stricter rules on alcohol onboard, we are currently liaising with various parties as to exactly what should done.
It looks likely that the following will be in place next year
- Two members of the crew will have remain sober at all times whilst on they are in charge of the boat, they will be asked to sign a waiver to this effect at the beginning of the hire.
- Excessive alcohol will not be allowed on the boat.
- Anybody planning to start drinking at 9 am will not be allowed on the boat.
- If any person in a group is reported to us as been intoxicated will be asked to leave the boat for there own safety at any point of the trip.
- If we feel at any point the safety of the boat or passengers or other waterways users is compromised we will remove you from the boat
If you are the kind of people who find it necessary to start drinking at 9 am when you get on the boat please do not book with us.
If you intend to get so drunk that you have to be carried/crawl off the boat then please do not book with us.
Both of these have happened recently!
We have been running a dayboat for 23 years and have seen most things, I could write a book, we are not here to spoil anyone's fun, but alcohol and boating don't mix.
Contrary to popular myth it IS illegal to drive a boat whilst under the influence of drugs or alcohol,
https://www.narrowboatworld.com/4708-drunk-in-charge-of-a-boat-arrest
https://www.southportvisiter.co.uk/news/southport-west-lancs/drunk-man-arrested-canal-barge-11692620
https://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/18528709.jail-drunk-canal-boater-bit-police-constable/
If we believe the that the skipper and designated crew member are over the drink drive limit they will be reported to the police and the Canal Authority. This also applies to anybody who drives the boat.
We pride ourselves on out safety record and love nothing more than people enjoying a great family day out!
Boat Hire pricing for 2021
Day Boat
Our Dayboat prices remain the same for 2021, despite costs increasing, we have moved many customers from this year to next due to the covid restriction that are in place, we will be opening our diary for next year on the 1st October as usual.*
Holiday boats
Due to increase cost we will be increasing our prices next year, including a slight change of structure.*
10%Early booking discount - for holiday hire boats
We have now updated the prices for next year and bookings are now open. To help with the increases we have setup a discount code for all booking made this year for next year of 10% this is addition to any 7 or 10+ discounts. Simply enter 2021HIRE in the Promo Code box at the top of the page where you select the boat you require.
*Please see above for information about our pet charges
2021 Boat hire prices for Home James
Month | Weekend | Midweek |
---|---|---|
January | £465 | £620 |
February | £465 | £620 |
March | £585 | £780 |
April | £615 | £820 |
May | £675 | £900 |
June | £735 | £980 |
July | £735 | £980 |
August | £735 | £980 |
September | £675 | £900 |
October | £615 | £820 |
November | £585 | £780 |
December | £465 | £620 |
2021 Boat hire prices for Cheshire Cat
Month | Weekend | Midweek |
---|---|---|
January | £360 | £480 |
February | £360 | £480 |
March | £450 | £600 |
April | £480 | £640 |
May | £540 | £720 |
June | £600 | £800 |
July | £600 | £800 |
August | £600 | £800 |
September | £540 | £720 |
October | £480 | £640 |
November | £450 | £600 |
December | £360 | £480 |