EA Thames Registration

I do not need to as i know i need to do all that between december and april . The same as i knew i needed a BSS every four years and have done and also allowed to pay for my licence when i like but still have to pay for a full year . Like i say . Just because the EA have made a new rule doesnt mean i can afford it .
So if you can give me some help in what i need to do please ?
Do i need to get my boat out of the water to avoid a 1k fine ?
It would be nice to get a reply before tomorrow so i can arrange to get her lifted tomorrow . As far as i can see the new "laws" dont say if you will be fined on the spot or will just be given a warning . How are we supposed to comply ( as i have every year i have been on the non tidal ) unless we know what the actual rules / laws are ?
 
Last edited:
C'mon Coochie

Cuchilo said:
I honestly do every year . Just honestly dont have the money to buy one right now .
Do i need to pull her out of the water untill i can afford to licence her ? Or can i leave her in and buy my licence when i always buy it without getting fined ?
Click to expand...

I was horrified to see your last posts.
Given the number of great posts from you. I thought you were a "regular guy". Of course you may be beginning a troll - in which case....

If not, then I'm disappointed by your attitude. I'm sorry you're a financially embarrassed at the moment, but "a grand" in fees - must be a big boat, mine's half that and it's a BIG boat.

You've been on the river for ?years - so you know full well thats fees are due on January 1. To spread the load a bit EA let you pay in instalments, turning an " 'ow much" into a monthly "ouch".

You've got away with it for years - presumably paying up just before your first outing.

Naughty Boy.

The Country's bust, we're all bust, the EA Thames Region is particularly bust, so your money's needed NOW.

OR you could take the boat out of the water and wait for next year when EA might have started its "pay-when-you-join" system.

Most (?) of the regulars on this forum have paid up, so do the decent thing and bite the bullet.


Disappointed I am.

Bother - posts overlap -
These are not NEW rules, it's just EA have decided to get tough. It was well publicised here that there would be an amnesty until April.

The Inspectors (allegedly) have started at the "bottom" of the river and are working up.
They'll stick a notice on the boat and invite you for an interview (ha ha).
If you don't bother to contact Reading, then they'll start proceedings.
There may not be an oportunity for you to plead poverty, but you could try.
Prosecuting you costs money and methinks they'll try to avoid litigation as they never get their real costs back. But if you effectively wave two fingers at them they will go for you.

Safest thing is for you to get the boat out or put back on PLA waters pronto. If you don't use the boat much (as you say), you might consider paying for a STL as and when you need it - that depends on whether that nice Howard gentleman considers a tidal boat is not "Thames based".
 
Last edited:
I am a great bloke :D When did the rules state that you had to pay on the first of Jan ? In fact the EA state themselves that you do not need to pay then but when ever you buy a licence you do have to pay for a whole year . Thats not a problem to me and have that covered . I pay every year normally around may , june time when i can afford it .
No i am not trolling .
I know when my bills come in and i cover them . Now one has decided to change the game . It makes no odds what the fine is i still cant pay just yet .
Might be able to in a few weeks , maybe but not a promise .
Dont be dissapointed , i'm just a single fella trying to run a business , buy a house and keep a tidy boat that has always been legal untill the rules changed .

P.S
I'm sorry you're a financially embarrassed
Click to expand...
I'm not at all . My job gives me insite to many that are though and they pass that on to me . ( job for a forum member right now not included in the above )
 
Last edited:
If the boat lives downstream of the boundary stone , then it is not ' Thames Based' and you can happily buy an SPR when you wish to come upriver , subject to the normal constraints ( 67 days in any one year , consisting of 1 x 31 day , 2 x 15 day and 6 singles , doubles or whatever totalling 6 days )

You do sign to say that you comply with the BSS when you purchase one though.

The patrol boat ( with police targa in tow ) started at Teddington Lock on friday April 1st and began to work its way upriver , getting as far as Kingston , i imagine it will continue on up on monday morning ... the targa is at Teddington currently.
 
Last edited:
Post overlap again .
I'm not trying to dodge anything . I always pay and keep my boat as tidy as i can even when i dont use it . Its my boat , why wouldnt i !
The EA state themselves that the rules have changed . So i was ok doing what i was doing for the last x years but now its not .
How long have i been on the river ? well i grew up in Marble hill park so id say 37 years .
 
teddington_lock said:
If the boat lives downstream of the boundary stone , then it is not ' Thames Based' and you can happily buy an SPR when you wish to come upriver , subject to the normal constraints ( 67 days in any one year , consisting of 1 x 31 day , 2 x 15 day and 6 singles , doubles or whatever totalling 6 days )

You do sign to say that you comply with the BSS when you purchase one though.

The patrol boat ( with police targa in tow ) started at Teddington Lock on friday April 1st and began to work its way upriver , getting as far as Kingston , i imagine it will continue on up on monday morning ... the targa is at Teddington currently.
Click to expand...

So no direct answer to my question ?
Will i be fined 1k if i do not have a 2011 licence ?
 
Where does the boat live ( permanently ) and how often do you come upriver on it ?

If you are upriver a lot , then it's worth getting an annual licence , if you are only an occasional visitor , then buy an SPR as you come through.

EDIT :-

Sorry , i didn't see a question ?

If you can answer the above , where does the boat live , i can tell you if you are likely to be fined or not ?
 
Then i would imagine if it is spotted by the patrol boat , a notice is attached and it isn't acted upon , proceedings would be started ...

I'm not actually enforcing this myself you understand , as i am not a patrol officer. I am merely stating how i believe it will pan out.

Probably the best thing you can do is to ring Craft Reg on monday ( 01189 535650 ) and explain to them the situation and see what they advise.

The other thing you can do is to remove the boat from the non tidal and get a temporary mooring downstream of the boundary stone ( Hammertons / Swan Island / Eel Pie ) until such time as you have funds available to licence it ?

I'm not trying to be awkward with my answers , i'm sure you are a nice guy and i wouldn't want to see you fined .
 
Last edited:
So its not an instant fine then ?
I know you are trying to help and about the only one that works for the EA with any balls to actually help on here so thanks for your reply .
 
Apart from chasing registration fees, the problem down here will be the large number of very small craft on the Medway which have such a low value that getting the BSS,which comes into force sometime this year,will simply not make economic sense.
 
Forgetting for the momement the fact that i am financialy retarded compared to everyone else on here .
I counted 30 odd boats yesterday , only one had a licence . The costs of mooring are real .
25ft minimum charge = £950 per year . Mid river .
BSS £130
Insurance £100
Many of the boats i looked at never move , i bet most of them dont even work but the moorings are paid and the boats bailed out and sat on , fished off .
I'm sorry if you think my attitude to this is wrong but there are only about ten posters on here and just because you have decided what attitude to take doesnt make you right or mean i have to agree with it .
I will buy a licence as i do every year but i bet there are quite a few small craft owners out there that wont be allowed to spend the extra family income on a pipe dream that doesnt work and see the EA offering them a way out of boat ownership . I can see some very empty moorings and financially embarrassed boat yard owners comming soon .
 
Without wishing to over labour the issue, Registrations have always been due on 1st. January and part of that process is that you pay the money due. AFAIK the renewal forms say payment is due on that day.
Why else would EA have allowed folk to pay by instalments.

In past years EA have been lax in chasing up slow payers, or perhaps - being kind to them - have taken a softly, softly approach. I don't know as heeding their dire warnings on the renewal form, I've always paid up promptly, or by the end of March. As we were on the Wey for some time there was no pressing need for EA to chase me, perhaps.

So there's no changed rule there, just lax fee enforcement.

What's new this year and where the rules have changed are:-
  • Arbitrarily (?) extending the definition of the extent of the river
  • A requirement for Third Party Insurance.
(I'm taking issue to explain not just for you, but for others who may be confused).

Methinks you have three options:-
  1. Remove the boat from the surface of the River.
  2. Move downstream
  3. Move to the Wey where bankside moorings and licences are cheaper.

(1) May be your easiest option - as you can pop it back in again when your funds permit.

Whatever you do, you should do it before the "note stickers" discover you. Don't take the chance of being able to negotiate with Reading, mainly your presence will have been discovered and they may not have the discretion or systems to take spread payments at this late stage.

The fine AFAIK, is part of the Court proceedings which only happen if you fail to respond to the notice or to any other communication. If you look at the publicised details you will see that the Court Order consists of:-

Registration fee due + penalty + costs. It doesn't take the form of a penalty notice or NIP as do some motoring offences. As I've said before. EA are not being vindictive or wish to punish you; they just want their money. "Render unto Caesar" and all that .

The only issue that I would take against to EA is that they criminalise the defaults some years ago, rather than leaving it as a civil action. So you'll have a criminal record. Nasty. ? Malicious ?

Yes, some boats will leave / be removed from the river. But why should some pay and not others?
Not meaning you as a late payer but others who have been escasping retribution for some years.
 
Why ?
I have read my registration form back to front and at no point does it state that i need to pay at the start of the year . Whenever i did pay nobody told me that i should have paid at the start of the year .
The EA clearly state on this years registration that THE RULES HAVE CHANGED .

The law governing boat registration and related conditions has NOW CHANGED .
If you keep a boat on the river Thames , you will NOW NEED TO REGISTER IT AND PAY THE FULL ANNUAL CHARGE , EVEN IF YOU DO NOT USE IT .
Click to expand...

I could go on but whats the point as it seems there is a pi ssing competition to see who can get a licence first and pay the most for a cup of tea at homolulus brasserie :rolleyes:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top