NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF BOAT OWNERS

Listening to boat owners, Speaking out for boat owners, Representing boat owners.

image009.jpg
  1. You are here:  
  2. Home

Come and join us!

Join NABO because together we boaters can use our knowledge and watchfulness to protect the UK's wonderful waterways lifestyle and heritage.  There is strength in numbers!

Go to the Join Us menu and sign up, please!

Heritage and CRT

Heritage has not been a main stream campaign issue for NABO, but we do get worried when we see important canal heritage buildings or workshop sites go under the hammer in the name of 'improvement'. We have worked in the past on resisting some of the BW and CRT excesses, like Marsworth, Marple and Bulbourne. The current building at risk is the Stop House in Braunston. CRT have offered it for lease, but we suspect that the cost makes it non viable. Will this unsuccessful offer now provide the excuse for sale, or even demolition? Is this the right way for CRT to balance the budget? You can read the latest here. Our persistence has paid off in the past. Please come and help.

NABO Home

What’s in a name?

Hits: 60

What we might be tempted to refer to as a long handled gardening tool with a spatulate metal blade Paul Monahan wants us to call a spade.

The inland waterways have a rich, colourful and expressive vocabulary all of their own, which is an important part of their history. Unfortunately, this is being lost as more and more people use terminology associated with motor-cruisers and sailing boats, or even cars – as in ‘driving’ the boat (as opposed to the horse or steam engine, which would be correct) and ‘parking’. ‘Nearside’ and ‘offside’ are similar imports from the world of wheels; it should be ‘inside’ and ‘outside’, from the position of the towpath, please.

Read more: What’s in a name?

Canals full of boats, but frustrations galore.

Hits: 65

Editor, Peter Fellows, includes a roundup of members’ photos.

It’s been a busy summer on the waterways as many people decided on a ‘staycation’ instead of holidaying abroad, with hireboat companies reportedly fully booked. Unfortunately, those who decided to head north had their travel plans disrupted by a series of stoppages on the Macclesfield, Peak Forest, Leeds and Liverpool and Rochdale canals. Further south those on the Leicester Arm of the GU and the South Oxford did not fare much better. The lack of maintenance brought lock failures and a lack of vegetation management resulted in many members sharing photos of overhanging trees with lines of sight obscured, encroaching reed beds and places where the canals were narrowed to one boat-width. I’ve included a selection of their photos in this issue. The issue of CRT’s revised terms and conditions rumbles on, with letters from members agreeing with NABO’s stance and Mike Rodd further questioning aspects of them in his Chairman’s column. Mike is also delighted that the EA has made a U-turn in employing the car parking company to manage Thames moorings, but is concerned that the waterways may becoming ‘Disneyfied’, like Forestry England’s Westonbirt National Arboretum in an attempt to broaden their appeal to a wider audience to secure further Government funding.

Read more: Canals full of boats, but frustrations galore.

NABO News on line

Hits: 90
 

NABO News cover

NABO News back copies are available to read by non members. See this link for the library here

The latest colour edition of NABO News is only available online to NABO members who have registered on the website. Members can log in and then open the pdf file on the Members/NABO News latest edition menu link. That gives NABO members advance access to our flagship publication, even before it drops through the letterbox.

If you are not a member, you can peruse the contents here and see what you are missing.

 
 

All NABO Members Urged To Complete EA Registration Consultation

Hits: 158

Environment Agency logoThe Environment Agency are consulting on their proposals relating to Boat registration. Charges are to apply from 1st January 2022. The web site link is: https://consult.environment-agency.gov.uk/environment-and-business/nav-boat-reg-charge/

The proposals apply to all navigable waterways managed by the Environment Agency i.e. principally the non-tidal Thames, Anglian Waterways and the Medway.

The proposals are wide ranging and, whilst providing for increased registration charges for 2022 to 2024, and also seek to make many changes to the current charging regimes regarding classes of craft, measurement of craft, registration periods, payment methods, and many other aspects of craft registration.

The Thames Recreational Powered Boating Organisations, which includes NABO, have many concerns about the proposals and have responded directly on behalf of their members.

However, to demonstrate our members concerns,  the Boating Organisations are urging all their members to respond individually. Please refer to the briefing note here.

NABO also has suggested appropriate responses to the consultation here.

The consultation closes on 16 September 2021

Mike Rodd

 

  1. Thames moorings U turn for EA