Guide To Mooring a Narrowboat

Where can I moor my narrowboat?

As mentioned above, you have the freedom to moor up almost anywhere along the canal network. However, there are a few restrictions.

You must not moor your boat:

● On the non-towpath side, unless it’s specifically marked as OK to do so.
● Anywhere that causes an obstruction or a nuisance (e.g. under bridges, junctions, winding holes, lock landings, and water points).
● Anywhere signed as no mooring.

General towpath mooring on the canals comes with a 14-day limit unless otherwise marked. There are also spots marked as ‘visitor moorings’ which will often have a limited time such as seven days, 48 hours or 24 hours - these tend to be in popular tourist destinations and stop boats from hogging the best places.

For rivers, it’s quite different. Land on either side of a river tends to be privately owned, so you will need the landowner’s permission before mooring at the side of a river.
How do I moor my narrowboat?

How do I moor my narrowboat?

To moor your narrowboat, stop short of where you want to moor with your boat positioned straight and in deep water. Slowly move forward, pointing the front of your boat towards the bank, and then stop the boat using reverse just before you hit the bank. Put the engine into neutral to bring the back of the boat in as well.

If you have someone else on the boat, they can step off onto the bank with the centreline and tie it to the bow and stern. If you are travelling alone, make sure the engine is left in neutral while you tie the boat up.

How much does it cost to moor a narrowboat?

Narrowboat mooring costs vary depending on the location you are in, and the type of mooring you are doing. The cost for overnight stops on canals are included in your canal boat licence fee, but having a permanent mooring where the boat spends most of its time is paid by a monthly or annual bill from whoever owns the mooring site.

Permanent moorings can either be ‘residential’, ‘leisure’, or ‘high use’. Narrowboat residential moorings need planning permission from the local council, and this means you will need to pay council tax (generally for band A), just like if you were living in a house. However, you gain the benefits of having a valid postal address and you can even have broadband directly connected to your mooring. Residential moorings tend to cost more as they will have cost the landowner more for gaining planning permission.

Leisure moorings, on the other hand, are licensed to you for using your boat on a purely leisurely basis, when you are not living aboard your boat.

Narrowboat insurance from Towergate

We insure narrowboats on a market value basis, insuring the craft and not the location or the pontoon. Our cover can protect you for a range of incidents including, fire, theft, accidental damage, injury to third parties and personal accident. It is also possible to add breakdown cover to give you peace of mind when you're on the water.

For more information visit our dedicated narrowboat insurance page.

Get a narrowboat insurance quote

Head over to our narrowboat insurance page or get a quote online. You can also give us a call on 0344 892 1987 for a quote.

Boat insurance from Towergate

At Towergate, we offer cover for all kinds of boats to give you the peace of mind you need when out on the water. Head over to our boat insurance page for more information.

About the author

Adam Summersby is a respected leader with 11 years’ varied experience in niche personal and commercial lines insurance, including caravan, site operators and excess reimbursement, with proficiency in leadership, sales and account management.

Consistent with our policy when giving comment and advice on a non-specific basis, we cannot assume legal responsibility for the accuracy of any particular statement. In the case of specific problems we recommend that professional advice be sought.