Licence

[gary955]

Must a boat be licenced when kept on a marina? If I'm not navigating what is my licence fee buying me?

[steelaway]

Must a boat be licenced when kept on a marina? If I'm not navigating what is my licence fee buying me?

 

 

The water to float it on???

 

 

Alex

[Bob the welder]

Must a boat be licenced when kept on a marina? If I'm not navigating what is my licence fee buying me?

[

Edited March 10, 2011 by Bob the welder

[Brin Morris]

Must a boat be licenced when kept on a marina? If I'm not navigating what is my licence fee buying me?

The option to navigate out of the marina

[alan_fincher]

Must a boat be licenced when kept on a marina? If I'm not navigating what is my licence fee buying me?

Generally yes, although I believe there are just a few connected basins where for historic reasons the answer is actually no. Not commonplace though, and I think only for long established basins and arms.

 

It's buying you the right to float in the bit of water that BW have provided the marina with, (even though BW will be charging a connection charge to the marina, which will be absorbed in what they are charging for moorings).

[gary955]

The water to float it on???

 

 

Alex

If that reply was sarcastic Alex, because you thought the question stupid, perhaps you should consider that if I rent a space in a private carpark for the storage of my car, then I dont have to licence it!

If you feel that you can answer my question then thanks, If you see it as an opertunity to be a smartarse, then please dont bother.

[ditchcrawler]

If that reply was sarcastic Alex, because you thought the question stupid, perhaps you should consider that if I rent a space in a private carpark for the storage of my car, then I dont have to licence it!

If you feel that you can answer my question then thanks, If you see it as an opertunity to be a smartarse, then please dont bother.

But he is right, that is what you are paying for. If the marina lifts it out and put it on the land you don't need one.

[alan_fincher]

If you feel that you can answer my question then thanks, If you see it as an opertunity to be a smartarse, then please dont bother.

Basically he has answered your question.

 

Not nice to call him names just because you happen not to like the answer!

[steelaway]

If that reply was sarcastic Alex, because you thought the question stupid, perhaps you should consider that if I rent a space in a private carpark for the storage of my car, then I dont have to licence it!

If you feel that you can answer my question then thanks, If you see it as an opertunity to be a smartarse, then please dont bother.

 

 

Whooa!! .............Are you having a sense of humour failure???

Thats why there is a smiley

 

Smartarse

[Albion]

If that reply was sarcastic Alex, because you thought the question stupid, perhaps you should consider that if I rent a space in a private carpark for the storage of my car, then I dont have to licence it!

If you feel that you can answer my question then thanks, If you see it as an opertunity to be a smartarse, then please dont bother.

 

Yes but Gary, if you store your car on private land you still have to SORN it order not to have it licensed. There is no such facility with a boat licence and, as has been said, few places that are not on connected waters so it will have to be licensed. IIRC most connected marinas will also take a dim view of unlicensed boats on their premises. BW also patrol marinas looking for unlicensed craft I believe.

Roger

[buccaneer]

I agree with the reply from steelawy that would have been my answer,although there might be a very few exception.

You got an anewer then slag off the person helping you not nice!!

[gary955]

Basically he has answered your question.

 

Not nice to call him names just because you happen not to like the answer!

Whoops! Sorry if I rattled a few cages.

Yes he did aswer my question Alan, thats why I thanked him. I neither liked or disliked the answer. it was the tone of the answer I took exception to. Its difficult to judge the intended tone of text, but Alex managed to convey condescention and sneering rather well, to what I think was a reasonable question.

The reason people like me, who are new to boating, visit forums such as this is to learn....not to be scorned for our lack of knowlege. I couldnt find the answer to my question on the BW website. What BW do say is that they levy a licence fee in order to help maintain the locks, bridges, towpaths and canals, so its not unreasonable to wonder if boats static on a private marina are exempt. I find that they're not, which is fine. Now I know.

I didn't actually call Alex a smartarse, I meerly suggested that if he was inclined to smartarse comments then I would be happy for him to leave the answers to others of which there was a number of more informative and less condescending examples.

 

I imagine that there will be a number of people getting popcorn now!

[mayalld]

Whoops! Sorry if I rattled a few cages.

Yes he did aswer my question Alan, thats why I thanked him. I neither liked or disliked the answer. it was the tone of the answer I took exception to. Its difficult to judge the intended tone of text, but Alex managed to convey condescention and sneering rather well, to what I think was a reasonable question.

The reason people like me, who are new to boating, visit forums such as this is to learn....not to be scorned for our lack of knowlege. I couldnt find the answer to my question on the BW website. What BW do say is that they levy a licence fee in order to help maintain the locks, bridges, towpaths and canals, so its not unreasonable to wonder if boats static on a private marina are exempt. I find that they're not, which is fine. Now I know.

I didn't actually call Alex a smartarse, I meerly suggested that if he was inclined to smartarse comments then I would be happy for him to leave the answers to others of which there was a number of more informative and less condescending examples.

 

I imagine that there will be a number of people getting popcorn now!

 

Nah, ingrates whinging about the advice that they get and calling people a smartarse aren't really that waltchable.

[sociable_hermit]

The water to float it on???

 

 

Alex

I took that to mean "It must be the water for floating on, because there isn't anything else they could be charging you for (or is there?), and yes if so that is a bit of an embarrassing scam".

 

One way of testing the system, if you don't move the boat much, is to licence your boat with a river licence, and then buy temporary canal licences if you do go out. In the marina you're simply required to have a BW licence - it doesn't matter which sort, because you're neither on a river or canal at that point, merely adjacent to one. However BW have recently jacked up the price of the short term licences, presumably to counter this.

 

Caveat: I've not done this myself, but my neighbour has always done so, and managed to send the BW inspector away with his tail between his legs last time he questioned the validity of her licence.

[Guest]

Must a boat be licenced when kept on a marina? If I'm not navigating what is my licence fee buying me?

With a few exceptions yes all explained above and available via google amazingly.

[Laurie Booth]

Must a boat be licenced when kept on a marina? If I'm not navigating what is my licence fee buying me?

Check with your marina, their conditions will tell you.

[Redeye]

Check with your marina, their conditions will tell you.

 

As a point of interest the marina I used to be in was classed as a private water and was effectively a private water connected to a river. Marina was Grundys at Shardlow we have moved now but it was full of unlicensed boats that never went anywhere, mostly live aboard.

 

Free water to float on!

 

Cheers

 

Redeye

[Idunhoe]

I am very fortunate indeed to moor in a private arm so up to this year only licenced the boat the for six months that I was actually 'out and about'. However, with the recent massive increase in the cost of six month licences most people in our mooring have elected to take out a twelve month licence this year

[gary955]

I phoned BW today and confessed to having an unlicenced boat for the last two months!

I spoke to a lovely lady who appologised for not sending a reminder, checked on the status of my marina and when she found that a licence was required offered to still honour a prompt payment discount as a gesture of goodwill for the mixup.

Wow thats a relief, thought I was in trouble there! Maybe this good news will improve my sense of humour Alex

[canaldrifter]

I am very fortunate indeed to moor in a private arm so up to this year only licenced the boat the for six months that I was actually 'out and about'. However, with the recent massive increase in the cost of six month licences most people in our mooring have elected to take out a twelve month licence this year

 

.... which was the purpose of increasing the cost of a 6 month licence by 49%.

 

Tone

[Tam & Di]

Generally yes, although I believe there are just a few connected basins where for historic reasons the answer is actually no. Not commonplace though, and I think only for long established basins and arms.

 

It's buying you the right to float in the bit of water that BW have provided the marina with, (even though BW will be charging a connection charge to the marina, which will be absorbed in what they are charging for moorings).

 

I don't think there is any specific legal right for BW to charge a boat in private water a licence fee. However once a marina operator enters into an agreement of some kind with BW they will find that one of the terms is that all their moorers have to have a licence. An unlicensed boat in a marina cannot be sectioned or the owner taken to court by BW, but the owner of the marina could be for breach of his agreement.

 

To that extent steelaway is wrong, and what Gary is paying for is that the marina would not let him have a mooring otherwise.

Edited March 10, 2011 by Tam & Di

[Richard Fairhurst]

Generally yes, although I believe there are just a few connected basins where for historic reasons the answer is actually no.

More than a few - around 30, I think.

[Reginald]

I believe Tam & Di are right. Its BW conditions on opening a marina that all boats are licensed. The marina operator then enforces the condition on the moorer. The water you are standing on is null & void if the marina has a private source of supply like a stream or underground source. Your licence is a licence to navigate and if you don't move out of the marina your are not navigating your are mooring so why should you need a licence. I also believe that BW imposes conditions on marinas that they have to pay an annual levy on the total number of berths provided even if they are not let. Its a good way for BW to obtain income and someone else do the work of collection. It is possibley the reason why BW want to try and get rid of all online mooring by moving boats into marina's so still keeping income from mooring but without having to actually have the hassle of providing it.

[tosher]

I believe Tam & Di are right. Its BW conditions on opening a marina that all boats are licensed. The marina operator then enforces the condition on the moorer. The water you are standing on is null & void if the marina has a private source of supply like a stream or underground source. Your licence is a licence to navigate and if you don't move out of the marina your are not navigating your are mooring so why should you need a licence. I also believe that BW imposes conditions on marinas that they have to pay an annual levy on the total number of berths provided even if they are not let. Its a good way for BW to obtain income and someone else do the work of collection. It is possibley the reason why BW want to try and get rid of all online mooring by moving boats into marina's so still keeping income from mooring but without having to actually have the hassle of providing it.

 

Someone posted a while ago that this connection charge is around 10% of the annual mooring fee the marina charges for each berth (ultimately paid for by the berth holders). So if you keep your boat in a marina the true cost of navigating on the canals is your Licence fee + 10% of your marina berthing fee which for a 57 foot boat (£722pa) in modern marina (10% of 2200pa) is Very expensive.

[SimonRNABO]

I am very fortunate indeed to moor in a private arm so up to this year only licenced the boat the for six months that I was actually 'out and about'. However, with the recent massive increase in the cost of six month licences most people in our mooring have elected to take out a twelve month licence this year

 

Please bear in mind that this increase to short-term liceneces is proposed still and not agreed (unless there has been formal response from BW in the last few days which I haven't seen?)

 

I don't think there is any specific legal right for BW to charge a boat in private water a licence fee. However once a marina operator enters into an agreement of some kind with BW they will find that one of the terms is that all their moorers have to have a licence. An unlicensed boat in a marina cannot be sectioned or the owner taken to court by BW, but the owner of the marina could be for breach of his agreement.

 

That's pretty much the position as we understand it at NABO. As others have said there are a nonetheless examples where, usually for historical reasons, this doesn't apply.