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Moving a houseboat to a new mooring: what to settle first
Short answer
Moving a houseboat is a voyage of its own with risks of its own.
Settle the route, the permissions and the new mooring first,
and tell your insurer about the move and the new location before the lines come off.
Most houseboats hardly move for years. When one has to, because the mooring has been given notice, a better one comes free or the boat has been sold, there are three ways: under its own power, towed by a workboat, or out of the water on a crane and a lorry. Each has its own traps. Houseboats are built for sheltered water, they catch a lot of wind, and along the way there are locks, low bridges and river levels that change from day to day, on the Thames just as on a Dutch canal.
Three questions come before any date is fixed. First, the new mooring: is it secured by contract, including living aboard if you do, and do power, water and waste arrangements suit the boat? Second, the route: a boat without its own engine that is towed along a navigation may need the agreement of the navigation authority, and there may be rules on tows and on passage through locks. Ask the Canal and River Trust, the Environment Agency or the relevant authority before you plan. Third, liability: if a company does the towing or the haulage, agree in writing who is responsible for damage to the houseboat on the way. Your policy may also name a mooring and a cruising area, and a move outside them or a road transport can be a different risk from the one insured.
So tell your insurer about the move and the new mooring beforehand and ask for written confirmation that the move is covered. Photograph the condition of the houseboat before you leave. Stow loose items, turn off the gas and have shore power and water disconnected properly. Plan the route with every bridge height, set off only in settled weather and suitable water levels, and have a place to stop in reserve. On arrival the first day counts: lines, fenders and connections set up so that the houseboat rides out the next storm at its new home.
Worth remembering
The mooring
is often written into the policy
The move
is a voyage with risks of its own
Tell the insurer first, then cast off. A new mooring nobody knows about is the most expensive surprise of any move.
Questions
What owners ask us about this
Do I have to tell my insurer before moving the houseboat?
Yes, and before you go. Policies often name a mooring and a cruising area, and a move outside them or to a new mooring can change the cover. Ask for written confirmation.
Who is liable if the houseboat is damaged under tow?
That depends on your contract with the towing company. Agree in writing who answers for damage to the houseboat, and check whether your own hull cover applies during the tow.
Can a houseboat without an engine be towed on a canal or river?
Usually yes, but the navigation authority may have rules on tows and on passage through locks. Ask them before you fix a date.
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