You don’t have to have a long term home mooring to enjoy our canals and rivers on your boat. But as a ‘continuous cruiser’ you must have a long term boat licence.
Continuous cruisers are a big part of the draw to our waterways. They bring a sense of vibrancy to our canals and rivers, as well as more tangible things such as improved towpath security and they’re often the first to spot any maintenance issues.
Hard work and time consuming, almost like having two jobs if you are working. Could you honestly say you'd enjoy trudging along the towpath with firewood or trying to empty sanitary tanks when the rain is horizontal, and the wind chill is -5C, and it’s getting dark? Of course, it’s not like that every day, but you should expect as many depressingly cold, wet and grey days as well as gloriously sunny ones. It’s a more challenging lifestyle than you might first think. It needs good planning and organisation skills to keep your boat well supplied and being a practical hands-on type of person to keep it running.
If you live on a boat but must stay in one place or area because of your job, your children’s school or because you have long term medical needs, then continuous cruising probably isn’t the best option for you. You’ll need to consider finding a home mooring.
To be a continuous cruiser (or boater without a home mooring) the rules say:
As a continuous cruiser you need to have either a six months or twelve months long term licence. To renew or buy a new licence, go to our long term licence page for everything you need to know.
Our boat licence support team makes sure you do indeed continuously cruise. They travel up and down our waterways monitoring which kilometre of waterway boats are on.
If you don’t move far enough, or you stay in one place for too long, then we take the following steps to either get you back on the move or (as a very last resort) remove your boat from the water.
Despite the hard work, continuous cruising can be an incredibly rewarding lifestyle. It’s your responsibility to know the rules but, that said, if you’re considering it, talk to your local licence support officer who’ll be happy to run through the pros and cons.
Also try the Residential Boat Owners Association – they're a great source of advice and information.
Last date edited: 15 April 2021