New member wants boat

[coriordan]

Morning All,

I've read the forums here pretty extensively and now ready to ask a few questions and dip my toes in the water as a boat owner on the thames.

My budget is pretty tight (£2,500 max. Ideally £2,000) and I want a small, open motor boat to potter up and down the Thames. I have/am considering commuting the odd day a month. I will elaborate below.

I am relatively experienced sailor having been on the water most of my life (Christchurch racing dingys and now do more Solent/offshore racing) so happy on the water but obviously the Thames is a different kettle of fish and not to be underestimated in a small runabout.

I am after a 12-15ft all metal open boat with a 15-20hp on the back with the idea of just pottering up and down the river to the pub on sunny weekends and maybe an evening jolly midweek with the girlfriend. Essentially the exact same thing used by the rowing clubs to marshall and coach the rowers. Does anyone know where one can find these things second hand/when the boat clubs come to sell them? Is £2K the right budget for something like this?

I currently live right by Mortlake train station so have a couple of options re: storage. Ideally I want to store it on my driveway (free on road parking), maybe by the Ship pub just there on the river or my final option is to may ask one of the rowing clubs (Putney/Mortlake Anglican etc) if I can join up and store it there. They are on my way to work so I can help out in the early mornings as I go past and earn some goodwill as well.

Is this remotely feasible? It'll mostly be just me and a mate or my girlfriend so I need it to be easy and I don't imagine a permanent mooring would really be cost effective for me plans. Furthermore I imagine it would get destroyed by wash/weather etc.

Finally my hair-brained commuting plans - I have read a very old thread on here saying it is just totally unrealistic BUT - if I can make friends with a rowing club or self launch then I can be up pretty early (I think the rowers train at like 6am!) AND I have a family friend who owns a mooring near Tower Bridge. I wonder if he can put a word in with the owners of the boats there if they don't mind having me tied up along side for one or two days a month. Maybe more if it works out. Happy to pay, of course. That way I am not quite so worried about tides and I can put out fenders etc for the wash of other boats, or maybe just tuck it out of harms way. Who knows!?

Anyway, any thoughts, all help, advice, experience and comments welcome. Just come into a bit of cash and am desperate not to fritter it away as I have the green light from the EPO to start looking.

Other thoughts - probably need to fit/retro-fit nav lights, get a handheld VHF (my license may have expired now, not sure) a pack of flares and a life jacket (got some overalls and wellies!).

Thanks!

 

[No Regrets]

I would recommend you buy an inflatable which you can inflate/deflate with an electric pump, and store in your car boot. Frankly a small open boat will last about ten seconds at Tower bridge, and at least you won't sink an inflatable, although it's possible to capsize one!

Kill cord is a must. Most rowers don't understand this judging by the ones I see using Motor boats...

Stick to the Upper Thames (Above Teddington) it's far nicer on a small boat!

 

[Chris_d]

Wouldn't recommend your plan at all for the tideway especially with the lack of experience, also no where to go or stop.
Two died recently on the tideway who had a similar boat and plan.
As No Regrets says try above Teddington first.

 

[Pump-Out]

By all means use your launch to potter about upstream of Putney. There is a public slipway, which is useable at most states of the tide. http://www.hscboats.co.uk/boats/swallow-a-tideway-dinghy/?portfolioID=20

But, for the commuting, take The Clipper: http://www.thamesclippers.com/assets/doc/TC-Online-TT-Feb-2016-6f7ed39700.pdf
Change at Blackfriars for Tower.

As my elders and betters have said, a small launch downstream of Lambeth is not a good idea.

 

[rosssavage]

Absolutely forget bout the tide way to begin with - it takes NO prisoners.

For a boat, talk to Adam at Boatsales 247 (some reason can't post a link - but he has a load of starter boats for under £2k. All well presented, he won't sell you rubbish)

Google Boatsales247...

 

[oldgit]

Absolutely forget about the tide way to begin with - it takes NO prisoners..

The area around Tower Bridge is absolutely no place for any small open boat to be found either underway or moored. .
Having said that perhaps one fine Sunday in August perhaps around 05.00 or such it is perfectly possible to visit the area before returning back up river.
If you read previous postings on the forum it will become apparent that for many boats transiting upriver from the estuary, the Thames can actually be at its most malevolent around Tower Bridge.
This is simply as result of the river width,the speed of the tides and the wash from trip boats/high speed ribs not to forget those clippers whizzing around at 25 knots.

For first hand experience blag a ride downriver on boat going down to St Kats or to Limehouse.Most of the Thames clubs will have a few boats venturing downriver at some point in the summer.
Pretty sure there will be some boats coming down to West India Dock this Easter.
An excellent chance to experience the trip and most probably some proper Thames Antartic weather as well.

 

[coriordan]

Thanks very much for the replies - really appreciated.

Looks like commuting is off the cards, but as you say - a venture down on a quiet morning may be worth while on a larger vessel.

Leads me on to what boat/storage. I have found Boatsales 247 (thanks for the heads up) so will get in touch.

The main issue now will be with storage. I do have access to a small car (1.4L Diesel Polo) which may help launching but ideally I can do it by hand. I've tried to contact Chiswick Quay but sadly they are full. Does anyone have any ideas of somewhere near (ideally 2 miles max) of Mortlake? I can go further afield with my bike if needs be though.

 

[lenten]

got to disagree with other posters---been down from richmond to the dome in a 13 foot dory with a 15 hp outboard-- its busy and a bit bumpy-- parliament to tower bridge but i never felt in danger ---my safety tip ---keep an anchor ready to go---lot of rubbish waiting to foul the prop

 

[Chris_d]

got to disagree with other posters---been down from richmond to the dome in a 13 foot dory with a 15 hp outboard-- its busy and a bit bumpy-- parliament to tower bridge but i never felt in danger ---my safety tip ---keep an anchor ready to go---lot of rubbish waiting to foul the prop

Perfectly doable of course in anything that floats, you could also carry on downstream turn right and nip across to France as well, bloke on the internet said it would be fine

 

[coriordan]

Haha. I'll make sure I keep left then!

Any ideas of storage? The chap at Chiswick Quay said they're sadly full but also looking at Kingston/Ham/Putney or anywhere nearby. I worry that if I can't find suitable storage I may have to scrap the idea altogether - or see if the inflatable is feasible, but definitely not my preferred solution.

 

[MinorSwing]

got to disagree with other posters---been down from richmond to the dome in a 13 foot dory with a 15 hp outboard-- its busy and a bit bumpy-- parliament to tower bridge but i never felt in danger ---my safety tip ---keep an anchor ready to go---lot of rubbish waiting to foul the prop

To the OP; whatever you do, don't try to anchor a dory anywhere in central London, even in an emergency. With all the turbulence it will sink within minutes.

 

[No Regrets]

I stand by my original response.

Ignore at your own peril, I'm actually past caring what happens to you...:ambivalence:

 

[lenten]

you are wrong minorswing---i got a fertiliser bag round the prop just below tower bridge---anchored --cleared prop---not only didn t sink---didn t even get a splash of water aboard---seems to me some people underestimate the capability of small boats

 

[Thallac]

Hi there are posts on the ribs.net of people who have done exactly what you want.I would go for a new sea search dinghy with 20 HP engine. You can keep at home and lauch outside the Ship. There are places to moor at Tower Bridge too.

Go for it

 

[No Regrets]

'Places to moor at Tower bridge'

I remember being securely fastened at Tower bridge in 6 tonnes of Norwegian GRP, and being hurled all over the boat.

Nice one....LOL

 

[Flynnbarr]

'Places to moor at Tower bridge'

I remember being securely fastened at Tower bridge in 6 tonnes of Norwegian GRP, and being hurled all over the boat.

Nice one....LOL

Why on earth would you moor at Tower Bridge in a lightweight plastic boat?

 

[rosssavage]

I remember being securely fastened at Tower Bridge in 12 tonnes of British GRP, and being hurled all over the boat.

More than once.

And I had to get off and stand on the pontoon cos my tummy started feeling icky after about an hour of doing that...

 

[oldgit]

Being a dedicated and terminal tightwad decided to moor at the Heritage Moorings over night just below Tower Bridge rather than cough up for the outrageously overpriced berths in St Katherines Dock. After all,with 50 years + of boating experience,much of it on tugs and barges, what could possibly go wrong.
Early one morning,after a trip round from the Muddyway in transit to Teddington, we parked my 8 tone 37 ft old tub on a berth tucked away on the inside of the pontoons sheltered by several old sailing barges and small coastal ship.
All fine and dandy and plenty of fenders and ropes deployed in addition to the tyres attached to moorings..
Wandering off to find somebody to pay my £25 quid.It all started out fine,crack out the beers and glass of wine and watch the world go by.
It did start to liven up a bit as the day went on,still no drama and a couple of springs went out and a spare fender or two.Within an hour every rope on the boat and all the fenders were deployed in a forlorn attempt to stop the boat being literally thrown all over the shop.
It got to the stage were the wife was about to mutiny and chance of serious damage to boat even possible having cleats ripped out.
Wife finally exits boat and refuses to get back on.
Time for desperate measures.After some searching,find St Kats phone number and putting on my most pleading voice beg for them to find us a tiny space anywhere would do.
We are shutting the lock in about 5 mins,you have until then came the reply.
It took me about 30 secs to release the boat and shoot round to the lock.Wife walked round and joined us about 10 mins later .
They parked us right under the nose of the Gloriana.
There are old pilots and bold pilots but no old and bold pilots.
Draw your own conclusion but some of us do insist on learning the hard way for some unfathomable reason
Did i have the cheek to ask for my money back from Heritage...Nope.

 

[snapper]

Get in touch with Hurlingham Yacht Club. Under rhe Fulhan Railway Bridge just down stream from Putnet Bridge. They have a boat park, swinging moorings and drying moorings plus a pontoon on the Northside. Friendly slightly ramshackle club full of eccentrics but perfect place for your boat. 15 mins cycle ride from Mortkake along the tow path.

 

[Thallac]

I have been there too on the Hermitage mooring, it convenient amazing views but very very very bumpy, impossible to sleep. You are right though sometimes you have to do it yourself and learn the hard way.