'Abandoned' boats on the Thames

[martink]

I have seen the rather poorly looking cruiser on the bank of the Thames opposite Hampton Court Palace and wanted to make a photographic record of any others in a similar state before they are removed.
Could anyone suggest any other examples, with locations, and ideally between Brentford and Staines?
Many thanks,
Martin

 

[Time Out]

That’s part of the river bank now …… let’s hope it floats away during the winter floods !

Plenty between Hampton Court and Teddington !

 

[Outinthedinghy]

I have seen the rather poorly looking cruiser on the bank of the Thames opposite Hampton Court Palace and wanted to make a photographic record of any others in a similar state before they are removed.
Could anyone suggest any other examples, with locations, and ideally between Brentford and Staines?
Many thanks,
Martin

View attachment 195941

Is this for an art project?

It is interesting that you mention the area between Teddington and St Aines because this is the part which was tidal before the pound locks and associated weirs so technically the EA own the riverbed unless someone can demonstrate otherwise except where the Crown retained ownership adjacent to Hampton Court palace.

Boats which are sunk may be occupying space on riverbed not on land. Interesting problem.

 

[Outinthedinghy]

You may find similar scenes at Hurst Park and Desborough cut.

 

[oldgit]

On our last trip round a noticable increase in the number of abandoned craft, many sunken, semi sunken, inevitably many boats will suffer a similar fate in the future, possibly amounting to hundreds over the entire navigation.
Forget trying to trace owners..its not going to happen, even if you track them down...they aint got any money.
The EA most certainly does not have the funds/ staff equipment or suspect any plan to recover/store/dispose of even a tiny fraction of the fibreglass lining the riverbanks and we are back again to the thorny old problem of funding.
................and a solution is ?
Grab the problem by the Bollards and some sort of overall control of the "River" Thames as opposed to the internecine squabbling civic warfare been going on since Runnymede?

OGs solution.
There is a stretch of empty river bank adjacent to some old castle at Windsor, collect all the derelicts and park them there .
Assemble some skips and grinders and solve the problem in few short months.....if somebody has a better idea do share.

 

[alfaman155]

How much time do you want to devote to this, because it'll keep you busy?
Try the landing stage just upstream of Hampton Court Bridge; then the Surrey side by the Molesey reservoirs, then the stretch past The Weir pub, Walton, then the Desborough Channel.
At the junction leading to the Cut, do a quick detour to starboard and marvel at the remains of Bairns Pride.
Beyond Shep Lock things aren't so bad to be fair apart from Laleham, on both sides of the river where there a couple of semi-submerged hulks.
Local news is that Elmbridge BC have started to crack down on overstayers but not on parts of the river owned by EA..

 

[Neil1300r]

I have seen the rather poorly looking cruiser on the bank of the Thames opposite Hampton Court Palace and wanted to make a photographic record of any others in a similar state before they are removed.
Could anyone suggest any other examples, with locations, and ideally between Brentford and Staines?
Many thanks,
Martin

View attachment 195941

It's just been moved /towed away today

 

[oldgit]

How much time do you want to devote to this, because it'll keep you busy?

As an annual visitor am perhaps more aware of just how much more has appeared since last visit.
Locally it is not unknown for a dodgy "boatyard" to evict a non paying vessel under cover of darkness and dump it on a commercial bouy or simply abandon same on a handy foreshore.
On the upper Thames, apparently MDL do not give a toss if any of the boats in their marinas are registered with the EA so do wonder how many in there will end up out on the navigation with no easy way of EA tracking down owners. ?

 

[martink]

Many thanks for the sugggestions. They are much appreciated.
Martin

 

[Outinthedinghy]

On our last trip round a noticable increase in the number of abandoned craft, many sunken, semi sunken, inevitably many boats will suffer a similar fate in the future, possibly amounting to hundreds over the entire navigation.
Forget trying to trace owners..its not going to happen, even if you track them down...they aint got any money.
The EA most certainly does not have the funds/ staff equipment or suspect any plan to recover/store/dispose of even a tiny fraction of the fibreglass lining the riverbanks and we are back again to the thorny old problem of funding.
................and a solution is ?
Grab the problem by the Bollards and some sort of overall control of the "River" Thames as opposed to the internecine squabbling civic warfare been going on since Runnymede?

OGs solution.
There is a stretch of empty river bank adjacent to some old castle at Windsor, collect all the derelicts and park them there .
Assemble some skips and grinders and solve the problem in few short months.....if somebody has a better idea do share.

Being serious are the woods between Oakley Court and Windsor marina would be ideal. There is a main road behind. This area was originally the pleasure gardens for the house but was sold off and used as a landfill site called Paradise. Currently owned by a bankrupt Indian and there are legal wranglings about the land.

It would be the ideal place for a Boat scrapyard. Take the vessels apart and have a conveyor belt to the road for material transfer to vehicles.

No problem and geographically ideal location.