Advice please on congestion and moorings: Australian resident buying boat on Thames

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Stuart Walker

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Hello
I am about to retire and buy a boat in the UK. I grew up in Hertfordshire, and cruised extensively on the Thames in my teens and early twenties. In Sydney I have a Grand Banks, and in recent years have frequently hired cruisers in the Netherlands and France.

I love the Thames, but know it will have changed!

2 questions:

how crowded is it, specifically do you normally get through a lock on one cycle of operation or do you have to frequently queue for more than that? I plan to cruise in May June and September, avoiding the school holidays. I am also content to leave her moored on weekends to avoid the traffic.

Secondly, I used to moor overnight to farmers fields with mooring pins is that still OK or do you have to moor at town quays or in marinas these days?

Many thanks in advance for all and any info. I look forward to returning to my beloved Thames and to reading this blog regularly.

All best wishes
 
Evening,
(well, it is here, anyway!)

Lock queues are almost a thing of the past these days. The only times I have been held up at all this season is near Henley on the way to/from events there (HRR, Festival, TTBF). Not saying they don't happen, but much less frequent than in decades past.

Overnight moorings are still available in fields.

You'll need a marina whilst she's not in use though, evidently.

Enjoy.
 
Are you in the UK at the moment ? I'm sure you could arrange to meet up with someone from the Thames Forum and chat the issues through. The amount of knowledge is astonishing.
 
Hello and welcome

You'll only queue on the nicest of summers days, at the most popular locks or if there's a big passenger boat entering. At all other times, no problem(and self service 24hrs at the push of a couple of buttons - no winding!)

As a rule, it's mooring allowed unless it says otherwise. Plenty of farmers fields to knock pins into, expect a visit in the morning from someone collecting around a fiver.
 
Thanks for such a generous suggestion Saranbande! We will arrive in mid October after a month on a hired Linnsen in Burgundy. The plan is to buy a boat on the Thames and have her ready to cruise by next Spring.

Broad spec is 40 ish feet, fwd and aft cabins with heads, down galley, raised after deck with con. Suitable to live aboard and cruise for 2 to 3 months at a time for a couple. Decent galley and central heating..if anyone knows of something suitable I'd be interested. Ideally with a marina berth on the river close to Oxford.

Cheers

Stuart
 
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As much as it pains me to suggest it, down that end of the river(due to bridge heights and a lack of dredging) I think a good choice of boat is a widebeam or a narrowoat. If you can't beat 'em.......
 
Thanks Actionmat,
I just can't warm to narrowboats and wide beams. I've tried. Too enclosed and claustrophobic for me, and I like to see over the banks and the tow paths rather than being down below them...I'll just have to be prepared for the occasional grounding (minor I hope) and take care with the bridges. My old Thames map from the 1960s tells me 12 foot minimum bridge height as far as Oxford...
 
Actionmat said:
As much as it pains me to suggest it, down that end of the river(due to bridge heights and a lack of dredging) I think a good choice of boat is a widebeam or a narrowoat. If you can't beat 'em.......
Click to expand...

Not necessarily, I think the OP will realise that boats such as that he is hiring in France are all in use and available on the Thames. A good dutch steel boat is ideal for his purposes.
 
Stuart Walker said:
Thanks for such a generous suggestion Saranbande! We will arrive in mid October after a month on a hired Linnsen in Burgundy. The plan is to buy a boat on the Thames and have her ready to cruise by next Spring.

Broad spec is 40 ish feet, fwd and aft cabins with heads, down galley, raised after deck with con. Suitable to live aboard and cruise for 2 to 3 months at a time for a couple. Decent galley and central heating..if anyone knows of something suitable I'd be interested. Ideally with a marina berth on the river close to Oxford.

Stuart
Click to expand...

Contact Guy Girling at Tingdene; good selection of boats both new and used, plus seven marinas to choose from.

No, I'm not, before anybody asks... :-)
 
Not much choice of marinas in Oxford.
The 'lower' Osney marina doesn't have room inside for a DB style (there's one mooring on the river - but it's in use.

Abingdon marina is usually full (and small boats mainly) and that's it.
 
Mooring near Oxford, and you will be restricted in going down river only.
Mooring at Bray (for example) allows up or down river choices...
Bray and TBS Boats have a good selection of new or second hand boats - and the sales people are VERY knowledgeable and friendly!

Our first year on the Thames, so we cant compare it with other years... But we found a week in June to be utterly pleasant and quiet. We could take photos of long stretches of the river with no-one else in sight.
We have had to wait for a lock turn-around twice: Once after the lock gates seized up for 2 hours before we got there, so there was a bit of a queue. The other was when a large passenger boat went thru. Other times we have often been on our own in locks: And the lock keepers are very friendly and helpful and worth delaying for a chat if they are not busy.
 
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Not half as busy as it used to be. Used to cruise with parents in the 70's/80's and remember standing off at locks every weekend and jostling for room on lock moorings.
I think you'll have to go further downstream than Oxford to moor that kind of boat. I notice some small marina moorings at Wallingford or Abingdon? Might be better mooring around Caversham/ Henley/ Bray.
Aft cabin with a raised helm will give you the space you need but going under bridges is a pain as you'll be constantly lowering the aerial mast and possibly the canopy.
Depending on budget, a Sheerline centre cockpit would be a good bet for the lower bridges. You may have to ship from Norfolk...
Broom obvious choice but watch the height. Some dumpers around but also a few good ones. Many comments on here about Perkins engines and spares.
Do have a look at a good narrowboat - I was surprised at the space and amenities. Very comfortable and your cruising area for 2-3 months is massively increased.
 
TrueBlue said:
Not much choice of marinas in Oxford.
The 'lower' Osney marina doesn't have room inside for a DB style (there's one mooring on the river - but it's in use.

Abingdon marina is usually full (and small boats mainly) and that's it.
Click to expand...

I'm guessing here, but has it been a while since you last passed by Osney. The river moorings have been extended to the slip, there are some comparatively huge boats in the marina .... granted, it's all getting s bit tight :)
 
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