Day Boat Hire – Difficult times but a great new offer!

Posted on 25th September 202025th September 2020 by admin

Our Day Boat hire has had to change due to the current local restrictions!

What a year it has been! Covid has certainly made a mess of our calendar, canceled bookings, rescheduling bookings to next year, now Local Restrictions!

Autumn is a great time to visit the canals calm crisp days, the foliage on the trees starting to turn, less traffic, it is one of our favorite times of the year.

The Day Boat usually take 12 people, but as Warrington now has local restrictions we can only accommodate One Household, plus support bubble on the boat. The majority of our bookings for October were for groups of people so sadly we have had no option but to cancel or reschedule their bookings, but we have decided to create a great new offer to attract single households (see below).

There seems to be a lot of confusion around support bubbles, so or clarity a support bubble is where a household with one adult joins with another household (on an exclusive basis), the number of people in the household (plus support bubble) does not matter. We have taken the decision to exclude people who live in shared accomodation (HMO, student, etc) from this as it will cause us negative comments form our customers and will lead to calls to us and officials.

You can face a £100 fine for breaching the new rules and we can face a £10,000 fine for allowing it to happen.

Please do not think you will be able to pick up friends down the canal as many of the boats you pass are our customer and they will ring us and inform us if you are breaking the rules. We know of at least one occurrence of where the police have been called to a group (not on our boat) and they were removed from the boat and all fined £100.

If you want to hire the Day Boat but are unsure of what this all means please give us a call 01925 265129.

Due to the above we have devised a great Day Boat hire offer for single households during October*;

You can hire the Day Boat for a single household (plus support bubble) for £120** for the day, any day.

Terms and conditions

Standard Terms and Conditions apply.
Family groups only, from a single household (plus support bubble).
Day hire is now 9AM until 4PM.
We do not have Tuesdays and Wednesdays available.
If you need to cancel please let us know before 5pm the day before.
If any of your party needs to isolate, please let us know as soon as possible.
If you do not show and do not let us know we still require full payment!
If you do not meet the government guidelines for local restriction when you arrive we will not let you go and full payment is still due.
Face masks must be worn whilst we are on the boat, we will do the same.
We will need your full detail for track and trace purposes, QR code available.
Please follow government guidelines on hand washing etc whilst on the boat.
This offer is available until the 31st of october and reserve the write extended or suspended it as needed.

To book please call 01925 265129

*Offer is valid for the rest of September as well

**The usual price is £180/£200 for the day.

Boat Hire 2020 and 2021

Posted on 27th August 202013th December 2020 by admin

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.

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!

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

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

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

Thorn Marine Covid-19 (corona virus) June 2020

Posted on 5th June 202012th June 2020 by admin

We believe that the impact of COVID-19 is the biggest threat to our business in the 28 years we have been running Thorn Marine. We also believe the sectors that are going to be hit the hardest are retail, leisure and travel. These are our main areas of business!!!

A lot of things have Changed since our last update in April.

Below we have detailed what we are currently doing with in each area of our business.

This page was updated 5th June 2020

The Day boat can now go out!

Social distancing at its best what better way than cruising down the middle of the canal! However groups are limited to members of the same household and those within your family bubble. We have had several cancellations due to the face it was groups of people so we do still have availability throughout the summer.

We will be contacting all the people who have bookings for the next few months to see what they want to do and can either moved them to a new date or refunded them, this will be on a rolling program as things change frequently. We have taken the unusual step of opening up next years diary so we can move your booking to 2021, this is only for existing booking. If you wish to contact us to reschedule the please call us on 01925 265129.

In the 23 years Thorn Marine have operated a Day boat we have never seen anything like this before, even during foot and mouth and CJD!

Overnight hire, hopefully from, July.

Hire boats that you sleep over night on are still not allowed to operate! We believe that is restriction will be lifted on 4th July along with B&B's, Hotels, Caravan Parks, etc. It is highly likely that initially it will be restricted to members of the same household!

If you have boat booked with Thorn Marine we will contact you as and when we have more information, we will either reschedule you trip for later in the year or next year, or we can cancel and refund your deposit. If you wish to contact us to reschedule the please call us on 01925 265129.

We have launched a no deposit booking scheme for and new bookings, this allows you to book with confidence and you will be able to cancel at any point up to 14 days before hire, see here for more information.

Back open 7 Days!

Again let me assure you your welfare is our priority, we have updated our cleaning policies and are regularly sanitising all contact points, door handles, card machine, worktops, etc

The shop now back open 7 Days a week. We will monitor this and comply with any government advice. We believe diesel, coal, water, gas, pump out, elsan, etc have and are all essential supplies and services. We are still getting supplies from all our suppliers and can order any special items in for you.

The Thorn Marine phone number has been on divert to Nigel's mobile whilst we have been closed this will now return to normal from this week.

Boat Safety Scheme back open!

Boat Safety Scheme Certificates was temporarily suspended but we a re now back doing them, if yours has lapsed you have until 31st July 2020 to get it done. If your BSSC is due, please get in touch with us NOW as we are trying to get through the waiting list but more are added every day, we will add you to the list and get to you as soon as we can. PLEASE read the following from the Boat Safety Scheme office as to the best practice during these difficult times;

http://www.boatsafetyscheme.org/boat-examination-and-certification/arranging-the-examination/preparing-for-examination/covid-19-bss-examinations/

Repairs and Maintenance

It is very much business as usual, we are booking in boats for maintenance and blacking so if you need work to be done please contact us.

Also if you are stuck or need supplies, etc then please get in touch and we will do what we can to help!

No new BBQ gas sales, plenty of exchanges

We have been inundated with new LPG BBQ gas customers, Thank you. Unfortunately our supplier has run out of new bottles, so we are unable to supply any new bottles we have exchange bottles in stock, but need to maintain this supply. A new shipment of bottles was ordered in April and are due to be shipped any time now and be with our supplier by the middle of June.

The cost of the new bottles has increased and therefor what our supplier charges us, so we have had no choice to increase the bottle charge to £30.

Thanks for your help and understanding during these difficult times, the customers we have seen have been most supportive and we wouldn’t be hear with out you, as and when we know more we will update the site and Facebook, if you are unsure about anything, please give us a call and we will see what we can sort for you.

All the above is based on the latest information we can find, there is a severe lack of it for our industry and it can change weekly! Please remember if the Virus starts to spread again restrictions could be reinstated. We are a small Family run business without the huge turnovers and credit facilities of the larger higher companies and retail shops. Wherever you shop, for whatever please try to shop local and support small businesses, it will have a dramatic effect on there families.

Please keep up to date and see the latest statements below form Canal and river trust and The Bridgewater Canal Co.

https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/enjoy-the-waterways/safety-on-our-waterways/coronavirus

http://www.bridgewatercanal.co.uk/news/article.aspx?ID=288

Keep Safe and Well

Margaret, Brian, Nigel and Dan

Thorn Marine

New electrics and inverter for Home James

Posted on 6th May 20206th May 2020 by admin

Since we bought Home James we have never been entirely happy with the electrics and the inverter.

So during Lockdown we decided to give it an upgrade, luckily Sandra and Jimmy from A.C.E. Electrics came to get fuel and water as there was no access to their own mooring and they had no work due to the lock down so I asked them to sort the electrics and the inverter. Time to pay it forward! They sent me a list of things they needed and they came back later in the week to carry out the work. Social distancing maintained and no one was on the boat the week before or the week after.

They did a great job!

New Isolators and wiring installed including a link switch to link both sets of batteries together in case of emergency.

New inverter is now 2.5 KW pure sign wave inverter and charger.

Earthing replaced

Home James has never been so sorted!

Good News for boat hire booking in 2020

Posted on 6th April 202013th April 2020 by admin

Risk free booking for your 2020 holiday.

It’s a difficult time in the Boat Hire business for us and our customers, we have no idea what the future holds and let’s face it no one has a crystal ball, the experts don’t know when we are going to be back to normal following this pandemic! We still have plenty of bookings for later in the year but new booking have stopped due to the uncertainty. The situation will get better, Many people will be looking to have staycation rather than to risk going abroad, so once we get the all clear we think bookings will increase dramatically.

So what can we do to help you with you holiday plans for the rest of 2020, we hope the following will help:

To give you confidence that you can book with us without any risk, we are offering deposit free bookings for all short break boat hire, just simply book online and the system will ask you for your credit/debit card details but WILL NOT take a deposit or any future payments automatically, or you can give us a call and we can book you in over the phone. The deposit is normally £100.
You can reschedule or cancel your trip any time without penalty, upto 14 days before hire, after 14 days, you can still reschedule if the Covid-19 situation requires it.
The cost of your holiday will not need to be paid for until 14 days before you go, we will not ask for payment of the balance of the lockdown/ restrictions are still place, normally balances are due 28 days before hire.
We will also deduct £50 from the total price as a thank you for booking during these uncertain times. Please enter the code COVID19 at check out. We would appreciate it if you would put this to wards a meal in one of the pubs/cafes/shops along the canal whilst on your holiday, I am sure they will be grateful.

Autumn is a stunning time of year to holiday on the canals, with the leaves on the trees changing colour and the abundance of wild fruits etc on the canal bank.

For more information on short break boat hire from Thorn Marine please select one of the boats below;

Cheshire Cat

Home James

Please see the terms and conditions below;

We reserve the right to alter or remove these offers without notice.
Valid until 31st May or when the lockdown ends, whichever is the soonest.
Valid only for booking during 2020.
If not canceled or rescheduled before 14 days prior to departure the full amount is payable, unless lockdown is still in places or other coronavirus issues prevent it.

Thorn Marine Covid-19 (corona virus) latest APRIL 2020 (updated)

Posted on 4th April 202012th April 2020 by admin

With the current movement restrictions in place all non essential travel is banned this also applies to canals, whilst this order is in place we have no option but to cancel all Day Boat trips. We have contacted all the people who have bookings for April and have either moved them to a new date or refunded them. We have taken the unusual step of opening up next years diary so we can move you bookings to 2021, this is only for existing booking. If you have boat booked in May we will contact you when we know how long these restrictions are going to be in place for, again we will either reschedule you trip for later in the year or next year, or we can cancel and refund your deposit. If you wish to contact us to reschedule the please call us on 01925 265129.

It is really the same situation with hire boats as it is with the day boat.

We will be launching a no deposit booking scheme for later in the year soon, this will allow you to book with confidence and you will be able to cancel at any point upto 7 days before hire, more details will follow soon.

Again let me assure you your welfare is our priority, we have updated our cleaning policies and are regularly sanitising all contact points, door handles, card machine, worktops, etc

The shop is currently only open 10am until 4pm Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. We will monitor this and comply with any government advice. We believe diesel, coal, water, gas, pump out, elsan, etc are all essential supplies and services. We are still getting supplies from all our suppliers and can order any special items in for you.

Boat Safety Scheme Certificates are temporarily suspended until 14th April 2020 please see the website for more information. Please make sure you read it as there is some important information on there! If your BSSC is due in the next 3 months, please get in touch with us NOW as we already have about ten on the waiting list, we will add you to the list and get to you as soon as we can.

https://www.boatsafetyscheme.org/about-us/news-and-press-releases/news-releases/nr20-001-covid-19-bss-temporary-suspension/

We are still booking in boats for maintenance and blacking so if you need work to be done please contact us.

Also if you are stuck or need supplies, etc then please get in touch and we will do what we can to help!

Thanks for your help and understanding with this rapidly changing situation, as and when we know more we will update the site and facebook, if you are unsure about anything, please give us a call and we will see what we can sort for you. The phone is on divert to Nigel’s mobile 24/7.

Please remember going to or out on your boat may not be deemed as essential travel by officials see the statements below form Canal and river trust and The Bridgewater Canal Co.

https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/enjoy-the-waterways/safety-on-our-waterways/coronavirus

http://www.bridgewatercanal.co.uk/news/article.aspx?ID=281&fbclid=IwAR2suLiYc-zq2DH_pHmtKCM2d_l7TtX0fYJVf1BcVb-uaKCNB-HmYwVMhpw

Keep Safe and Well

Margaret, Brian, Nigel and Dan

Covid-19 (corona virus) latest

Posted on 18th March 202013th April 2020 by admin

First let me assure you your welfare is our priority, we have updated our cleaning policies and the boat is now deep cleaned/disinfected inside and out after each trip.

The Government have advised to minimise social gatherings, a trip out on the dayboat is usually a social gathering. So we are leaving it up to you to decide what you want to do. If you are a family group who regularly socialise or live together then going out on the boat is no different to your every day environment. If you are a group of friends who meet infrequently or in one of the danger groups then rescheduling or cancelling might be the safest option. If you do wish to talk to us then please get in touch, we can then either reschedule your day or refund you.

Pubs and restaurants etc, we believe The barn Owl, Ye Old No3, etc are still open, this may change so it will be worth double checking with the venue if it is open, or bring a Picnic to enjoy on the boat.

Currently we are not sure how long the problem is going to last or if it is going to get worse. We will keep updating Facebook and the website as things develop!

Our normal cancellation policy is quite strict, however in this situation we are proposing that, any dayboat hire booked in for March or April you can reschedule your trip to later in the year and by the end of the week we will be offering to reschedule you to the same month next year, with out loosing your 2020 deposit or balance payments*. We will, if there is no other option, cancel your booking and refund you, this is not the best option for us as it will dramatically effect our business this year. We will be rolling this offer on month by month as long is the situation continues.

*(We are due a substantial license fee upgrade next year this will have to be paid as part of the balance, it is substantial to us but when we divide it up across all the hire it will probably be around a £10 per trip.)

Again let me assure you your welfare is our priority, we have updated our cleaning policies and the boats are now deep cleaned/disinfected inside and out after each trip.

As far as we are concerned it is business as usual, there is nothing stopping you taking a holiday on one of our boats, unless you have to self isolate. We have spoken to all the customers who are booked in for March and April and they are all happy to continue to take there holiday. Our canal is lock free for over 30 miles and another 13 miles with just one small lock, so isolation is easy!

Pubs and restaurants etc, we believe are still open, this may change so it will be worth double checking if you are planning to stop off for a pub lunch, many places, we believe, will soon be offering a takeaway service.

Currently we are not sure how long the problem is going to last or if it is going to get worse. We will keep updating Facebook and the website as things develop!

We usually have strict cancellation conditions, however in this situation what we are proposing is a no quibble cancellation policy, if you need to cancel your trip in the next 2 months (rolling) due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation, be that you need to isolate, you are ill, or you are just unsure we will refund you ALL of your money. I would however prefer if you didn’t cancel as this is going to dramatically effect our business and I would prefer if you would reschedule you holiday for later in the year!*

As a Special offer I will be up dating the system tonight from April 17th until the end of May Cheshire Cat Will have an additional 20% discount on all booking, these are included in our no quibble cancellation! policy! The owner of Cheshire Cat is usually over for her 6 week holiday during this period, unfortunately she is unable to travel due to the current restrictions, she has rescheduled for later in the year

*(The price of a break varies throughout the year and any difference will need to be paid.)

Again let me assure you your welfare is our priority, we have updated our cleaning policies and are regularly sanitising all contact points, door handles, card machine, worktops, etc

The shop remains open 8-5, 7 days a week. We will monitor this and comply with any government advice. We believe diesel, coal, water, gas, pumpout, elsan, etc are all essential supplies and services. We are still getting supplies from all our suppliers and can order any special items in for you.

Boat Safety Scheme Certificates are still going ahead, we are currently waiting for an update from the Management Committee, CRT and other licencing authorities as to what the future holds, when we know more we will let you know. Our initial advice is if you need one soon and are in a high risk group/self isolating then contact the licencing authority and your insurance asap and discuss it with them.

We still have boats coming in for maintenance and blacking so if you need work to be done please contact us.

If you do need to cancel your BSSC or work for whatever reason please let us know asap we are here to help!

Also if you are stuck or need supplies, etc then please get in touch and we will do what we can to help!

Give us a Like or a review – Please

Posted on 14th November 201913th April 2020 by admin

5*’s on Airbnb

Posted on 9th November 20198th April 2020 by admin

We have hosted our first two guests from Airbnb, and we are feeling great as both have left us 5* review, proves we must be doing somethin right!

It is quite a unique experience staying on board Home James, we will be on hand to welcome you onboard and show you round, and are available during you stay.

If you are planning a trip to Cheshire or you have friends or family coming to Stockton Heath and are looking for somewhere different to stay? You can now book to stay on Home James for as little as 2 nights, It is currently only available during our low season November to February but if it works we will offer this all through the year when we have space available!

AirBnb

This is for static hire only, if you wish we can arrange a short trip at an additional cost, or if you wish to take the boat out for a break please book this through out website HERE or you can call us on 01925 265129 or email us at bookings@thornmarine.co.uk.

First Airbnb guests

Posted on 1st November 201910th April 2020 by admin

If you are planning a trip to Cheshire or you have friends or family coming to Stockton Heath and are looking for some where different to stay? You can now book to stay on Home James for as little as 2 nights, It is currently only available during our low season November to February but if it works we will offer this all through the year when we have space available!

AirBnb

Our Day Boat hire has had to change due to the current local restrictions!

October Day Boat offer

Boat Hire

Day boat

Holiday Boats

Dogs on the boats

Boat Hire and Alcohol

Boat Hire pricing for 2021

2021 Boat hire prices for Home James

2021 Boat hire prices for Cheshire Cat

Conronavirus is going to have a massive impact on all small businesses

Day Boat Hire

The Day boat can now go out!

Short Break Hire (overnight boat hire)

Overnight hire, hopefully from, July.

Shop, Boat Safety Scheme and Maintenance

Back open 7 Days!

Boat Safety Scheme back open!

Repairs and Maintenance

BBQ gas, LPG

No new BBQ gas sales, plenty of exchanges

Just a final word from us

Time for an upgrade

Latest Advice

Corona Virus and short break holiday bookings

Risk free booking for your 2020 holiday.

Autumnal Colours on the Bridgewater canal

BOOK NOW!

Conronavirus is going to have a massive impact on all small businesses

Day boat Hire

Short Break Hire

Shop, Boat Safety Certificates and Maintenance

Just a final word from us

Conronavirus (covid-19) is going to have a massive impact on all small businesses

Day boat Hire

Short Break Hire

Shop, Boat Safety Certificates and Maintenance

Just a final word from us

We are now on quite a few social media and review platforms, it would be great if you could give us a like, follow us or review us;

Home James is now available on AirBnb

Home James is now available on AirBnb