Floating World - Mooring

Summary: Purchasing a boat can be a wonderful experience and provide an alternative lifestyle for many who choose to live in this floating world. Whether you choose to follow a life afloat or simply enjoy time on your boat as a recreational hobby you will inevitably need to buy a mooring. Finding and buying your ideal mooring can be one of the most difficult parts of owning a boat and therefore needs some careful consideration. There are about 3,000 miles of inland waterways in Englan...

Purchasing a boat can be a wonderful experience and provide an alternative lifestyle for many who choose to live in this floating world. Whether you choose to follow a life afloat or simply enjoy time on your boat as a recreational hobby you will inevitably need to buy a mooring. Finding and buying your ideal mooring can be one of the most difficult parts of owning a boat and therefore needs some careful consideration. There are about 3,000 miles of inland waterways in England and Wales alone, including a wide range of mooring so it's important to fully understand the practicalities involved. In this article we identify the most common types of moorings that you will come across and the associated costs involved. The information contained may be used as a guide to help you find and purchase the right mooring. It is advisable to find a proper residential mooring before you buy a boat or another option is to buy a boat that already has its own residential mooring. This is because you won't be able to get a licence for your boat until you have a mooring arranged. Moorings are also in short supply in many areas of the UK, so it's important that you should find one as soon as you can. There most common types of mooring are:- Long Lease/Freehold Moorings These types of moorings are rare, in high demand and represent around 5% of moorings on the Thames. Due to this they tend to be more expensive and demand higher deposits-a minimum of 50% will be required. Many moorings are provided by private companies, typically in marinas. Alternatively you may opt for continuous cruising which means that you do not remain in one place for longer than fourteen days or such longer period, as is reasonable in the circumstances. However this is not a sustainable existence as you will have to move your boat on and on again and again. Premium Residential Moorings Residential moorings require planning consent and as there are often large waiting lists of applicants which can make finding a mooring tricky. The value and therefore the price of the mooring is generally calculated by the value of the boat and the mooring as two distinct items. The boat and the mooring will then be packaged up (usually with a mark up) to set an asking price. In this situation you purchase the boat and the right to moor only- Please note you will not own the mooring. Mooring fees will also have to be paid to the mooring owner. Premium moorings can be on month to month or year to year arrangements however most moorings generally last for about 12 months. Security may be a concern and in order to secure your mooring 100% you would need to buy a long lease or freehold mooring which would inevitably add to the asking price. This would protect you from your mooring agreement being terminated at short notice. However there is a negligible chance the mooring will cease to exist as the mooring owner is effectively acting as a landlord by renting the mooring to you. Like long lease/freehold moorings a 50% deposit is usually required. Life on the water follows the same 'location, location, location' principle as the bricks and mortar property market and is probably the most important consideration when buying and renting a mooring.