Private Boat Hire

I've been a fan of private boat hire for a long time. I just find that when you're out on the water, the sun is shining and the wine is flowing, having some stranger crewing your boat kind of ruins the atmosphere. I've spent many a lazy day slowly floating down the UK's vast canal network and to be honest I'm surprised that the activity isn't more popular. I believe the primary reason that private boat hire isn't as popular as it should be is that there are quite a few misconceptions about the activity. Often when telling people down in the pub that I'm going hiring a boat for the weekend they ask me the same questions, so in case your interested in the activity, Ill now outline the answers to the most commonly asked questions about private boat hire.

Isn't private boat hire expensive?

Private boat hire is not expensive at all. I believe that people think it is expensive because lots of types of boat hire are indeed prohibitively priced. Of course hiring a yacht or a speed boat is going to set you back a bit but if you are simply interested in hiring a small canal boat or barge and are willing to drive it yourself it is actually quite cheap. It is incredibly cheap in fact if you share the price among a couple of friends. I also can't think of a better way to chill out with those nearest and dearest to you than a private boat.

Don't you need experience of handling a boat?

Of course being private boat hire, you don't have a crew or a skipper or anything like that; you need to do all the work yourself. It is actually very easy however. Private boat hire companies are used to people contacting them who have never handled a boat before and they will happily show you how to control your boat before they let you set off. You need to remember that many boats are incredibly easy to handle. On many canals in the UK there is in fact a speed limit of four miles an hour so it's pretty easy to become highly confident at your ability not to crash when you are going at such a slow speed.

Don't you get bored sitting on a boat all day?

For a start, I don't think I actually would get bored sitting on a boat all day. I like nothing more than sitting on deck watching the world go by so I think that even if you couldn't get off whenever you wanted I would still really like private boat hire. The fact is however that all along the canals there are places where you can tie up your boat and get off and look around. And considering the fact that many of the canals go through beautiful countryside, there is a surprising amount to see and do.

So in conclusion if you think you would enjoy private boat hire and were perhaps put off by having the wrong answers to the above questions, then I reckon you give it a go. You may find that like me it becomes a life long hobby.