Destinations and Rules

Popular destinations UK

Popular destinations include the London Thames area, Southampton, Portsmouth, Lymington and the south coast, Brighton, Nottingham, Windermere and the Lake district, Norwich and the Broads, North Wales, St David, Penarth, Swansea, Upton on Severn, Worcester, Inverness, Lock Lomond and Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland.

We are based in Cheshire, located 3 miles from the M56 and are therefore ideally placed for Marine Transport throughout the country both north and south, and 25 miles from Liverpool docks where many boats from America are imported.

Boathaulage.co.uk has gained valuable experience and expertise in France, Spain and the Balearics; we carry a Cat 1and Cat2 licence for both France and Spain.

Over the past few years France and Spain have become popular destinations for customers who may wish to retire there or simply moor their boat in a sunnier climate, or even just take the boat on holiday for the summer. This has meant that we now have many more loads going to and from both France and Spain.

Popular destinations in France

Some of the more popular areas have included the Mediterranean coasts and islands along with and the inland connections to the French Waterway System.

Typical destinations include:-

Popular areas in Spain include

"The Costas" - Costa Blanca, Costa Brava, Costa del Sol and the Balearics.

Typical destinations include:-

Rules and Regulations

Modern transport these days is governed by so much red-tape, mainly for safety reasons. We always try to keep within the law as we believe it pays dividends if you have a “clean” history. This can be tedious sometimes but we have to work around the problems the same as any other business. If you do not play by the rules and comply with the letter of the law, you can end up being fined and parked up for a week and then nobody wins!

The UK

Loads over 9’6” (2.9m) in the UK are classified as “wide-loads”. If your boat is wider than this, then our Company is required by law to notify the Police in each respective county of the route we wish to take. They require two working days notice of this and they need the exact dimensions of the vehicle, the collection and delivery addresses, the date(s) of the move, and of course the route. Sometimes we need to provide an escort vehicle for the load if the police require it, and boats over 3.5m wide require a “second-man”/ assistant to travel with the load, either in the cab or the escort vehicle.

France and Spain

There are many more regulations abroad than in the UK. We possess all the necessary route permits which we obtain annually from the relative Departments of Transport. We operate under Cat1and Cat2 permits so that we can specialise in loads that are up to 4mt wide, with a continental pilot car.

Each vehicle is fully equipped with a Convoi Exceptional sign and flashing beacons to warn other road users of an impending wide load.

Helpful advice on towing regulations to keep safe and within the law.

In these strange days of insurance companies looking to find anyway of not paying for problems we all incur whether or not it is your fault or someone else’s, we have taken the time to give you a few tips for staying within the law and more importantly staying insured.

NOTE

If your boat and trailer is being towed by a third party, make sure that they have a tachograph fitted to comply with Hire and Reward regulations.

A lot of boats especially American imported boats come into this country on trailers that are not up to EC specifications, therefore are illegal to tow on our roads and any insurance would be void.

Moving day

Small enough to care

Because we are a family business we like to take care of all the little things, as well as the big ones! These details may not be taken quite so seriously by a larger company. For example we periodically check the stability and security of the boat whilst in transit, and always stay with the boat overnight – in the lorry bunk.

On the day

You are more than welcome to be there on the day but it is not a necessity. We will ensure that your boat is signed for on our delivery note if required, and any spare keys are collected and again signed for at the destination. We also check over the boat to ensure that it is safe to travel and that the battery and gas have been turned off and all fenders and warps are secured inside.

Payment

For UK boat moves we require payment on/before the day of delivery. For foreign boat moves we require a 25% deposit when you book and then cleared funds of the balance 24 hours before delivery. Payment should be made by an early cheque (cleared funds).

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