Happy Christmas

Happy Christmas to all shared ownership boaters and those who help them enjoy their holidays afloat.

2016 will soon be here, so make sure you have 23rd and 24th April in your new diary as the dates for the National Boat Share Share.

Back to where it started

The autumn Boat Share event for 2016 will be at Overwater Marina and linked with the RNLI Festival on the weekend of 3rd & 4th September.

Andrew Barton of BCBM (left) and
Artie Chalmers of Carefree Cruising
at the 2013 RNLI Festival at Overwater Marina.

This will mark a return to the point at which the idea of a combined shared ownership event started.  It was first suggested in a post on this site in June 2013, after I had visited the RNLI Festival at Overwater and found the bosses of two of the shared ownership management companies sharing a platform.

As organiser of the Boat Share Shows under the banner of boatshare4u.co.uk, I made the decision to bring next year's autumn event to Overwater.  I'm convinced that it will provide an excellent venue with all the facilities needed.  There is no conflict of interest between the RNLI Festival and the boat share event - they will be complementary.  Having the two events together can only heighten the awareness of the benefits of shared ownership.

A lot of water has flowed through the locks since June 2013, but there is still no doubt that the Boat Share events offer an excellent shop window for the concept of shared narrowboat ownership.

New Twitter feed page

We've added a Twitter feed page to this site here.

It includes any of our tweets plus those from the companies with established websites offering shares for sale.  

We don't sell shares, but we do list here all of those we know are on offer on these sites.  The list is updated daily and can be searched and sorted to help produce a short list of shares that might suit you.

Last open day of the year

It's Carefree Cruising's last open day of the year this Saturday 14th Nov.  You can get on board Lilaea (2015) Daydream (2014, Solace (2013)and Alcedonia (2011) - all with shares available.

Daydream (2014) will be on view at Carefree Cruising's
open day.  She has a 1/24th (2 week) school holiday
share available at £4,000.

The open day runs from 11am at Kings Lock Boatyard, Booth Lane, Middlewich, Cheshire CW10 0JJ.  You'll need to contact the company to book an appointment - phone 01270 760 770 or email.

Ownashare changes hands

Ownashare Cruising, one of the three main shared ownership management companies, has been bought by Alan Tingey of Drayton Boats Services.

The original Ownashare team felt that they had taken the company as far as they could and that extra expertise was needed to secure the future growth of the company.  Members of all the syndicates for whom Ownashare manage boats have been told of the change.

Ownashare have had a working relationship with Drayton for some time - and their newest boat, Heartsease, was fitted out by Drayton.

Heartsease, introduced to the shared ownership market by
Ownashare, was fitted out by Drayton Boat Services.
A 1/12th share is currently on offer for £6.950

Ownashare staff will continue to look after the boats they manage on behalf of the owners' syndicates.

Drayton Boat Services are boat builders with a hire fleet and boat brokerage.  The change should bring enhanced engineering services and other skills to develop Ownashare.  There is no information yet about any new shared ownership boat the company might build.

Tom Houston, speaking for Ownashare, said "The Ownashare team are very pleased and excited by this new venture and we feel that the future looks much brighter for the company and its boat syndicate members."

Welcome to 29 new families

As a result of the autumn Boat Share Show in Middlewich last month, 29 new families have joined the shared ownership community.

Delighted to be new owners of a share in Dawn 'Til Dusk are
Steve and Julie Phelps with Sarah and the dogs.
Dawn 'Til Dusk is the newest boat launched and managed by
BCBM on behalf of the owners' syndicate.

"The National Boat Share Shows don't attract vast numbers of people, but those who come are entirely focused on shared ownership," says Andrew Cooley, show organiser.  "Around 200 people - 100 families - came to look at the shared ownership narrowboats at Middlewich and to talk to existing owners and the management companies so, for 29 of those families to become new share owners is very impressive."

"The next National Boat Share Show will be at Braunston Marina on the weekend of 23rd & 24th April 2016 and we already know that there will be two brand new shared ownership narrowboats to be seen there for the first time."

Carefree Cruising to bring new boat to Braunston

Carefree Cruising will again be bringing a brand new boat to the National Boat Share Show at Braunston next April.

Lilaea, managed by Carefree Cruising, gets the final
signwriting touch before last year's
Boat Share Show at Braunston.

Shares in the new boat are now being sold.  She will have the same specification as Lilaea, launched at last year's show.  Share prices start at £4,000.

New boat for launch at Braunston

BCBM have announced the building of a new shared ownership narrowboat to be launched at the National Boat Share Show in Braunston on 23rd and 24th April next year.

The new boat - Breaking Dawn - will have the same specification as Dawn Treader: a 61ft, 4 berth semi trad narrowboat.

BCBM's new boat Breaking Dawn will have the same
specification as Dawn Treader, launched in 2011.

Like other shared ownership narrowboats purpose built by BCBM, Breaking Dawn's shell is being built by Nick Thorpe Boat Building.  The fit out and painting will be by ABC Boat Building and she will be powered by a Beta Marine engine.

Make a date with Braunston

The date for the 2016 National Boat Share Show at Braunston Marina has been confirmed as the weekend of 23rd and 24th April.

There is a wide choice of shared ownership narrowboats
on the canals.  Oakmere - pictured here
at the 2015 Braunston Boat Share Show - is a 59ft
replica tug with an impressive fit-out and  4 berths.

The show has become the top showcase for the shared ownership concept.  Some 36 shares found new owners at last year's event. 

"We are very grateful to Tim Coghlan and his team at Braunston for welcoming the show again in 2016 and for all the help they give in making it successful," says Andrew Cooley, show organizer.

The National Boat Share Shows - this one in April and another in September - offer a unique opportunity for prospective owners to see and compare the very wide range of shared ownership narrowboats available.  There's lots of information on this site about how shared ownership works, including a single page 'briefing note' on this important sector of the boating world.

Succesful Share Show at Middlewich

Around 200 visitors came to Middlewich last weekend to look at the range of shared ownership narrowboats with shares available.  18 boats were on view.

Sniffing out the options in shared ownership narrowboats.
Most shared boats are pet friendly, so there are boats
that regularly have dogs, cats or even parrots on them.
Pet free boats are ideal for boaters with pet allergies.

All three management companies - BCBM, Carefree Cruising and Ownashare - all reported a very positive response, and at least 10 shares found new owners.

The success of the share was also partly due to the help of the Canal & River Trust, who helped to resolve a number of potential problems that arose on the Friday before the show and as the boats were arriving.

Set fair for the show

By the time we left Kings Lock this evening, most things were ready for tomorrow's Boat Share Show.  The  company stands and Welcome Desk were all in place and most of the boats had settled on their intended moorings.

Boats breasted up on the moorings above
Kings Lock reserved for the show by Canal & River Trust

When you drive to the car park at the Middlewich Community Church (CW10 0GJ), you will cross the canal and get a glimpse of some of the boats on view moored alongside the Kings Lock Chandlery.  It's less than a 5 minute walk back to the show, part of which is along the towpath and over the bridge at the entrance to the Midlewich Arm.  The Show opens at 10am on both days and finishes at 5pm on Saturday and 4pm on Sunday.

The view from the bridge that carries Brooks Lane
over the canal.  Five of the boats on view will
be moored alongside Kings Lock Chandlery

Shelton makes it 18 at Middlewich

Shelton will now be the eighteenth boat on view at the Middlewich Boat Share Show at Kings Lock this weekend - Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th September.  She will be on view on Sunday, taking the place of Maia, which will be leaving on Saturday afternoon.

Inside Shelton, a 4-berth semi/trad boat
launched in 2009

Please note that the new show car park - kindly provided by the Middlewich Community Church at 34-36 Brooks Lane has a different postcode from Kings Lock.  The postcode for sat navs is now CW10 0GJ.

Directions on how to get to the show are here, including the pedestrian route from the car park to the show site at Kings Lock.

New bigger car park for show

A new bigger car park for the Middlewich Boat Share Show this weekend has been generously provided by Middlewich Community Church.

The new car park location is in easy walking
distance of the show site.

With the number of pre-show enquiries, it was obvious that the Kings Lock Inn car park would not be adequate, especially as they are expecting more customers than last year.

Kings Lock Inn will, of course, still be providing refreshments for show visitors and their toilets will be available for Inn patrons.  Additional toilet facilities will be provided on the Carefree Cruising site and will be clearly signposted.

Show offers from Ownashare

Ownashare Cruising have introduced a new printable format for their share listing, whcih includes some special show offers.

Beeston Castle, one of the Ownashare-managed boats
at the Middlewich Boat Share Show next weekend.
A share in this pet free boat is on offer for £3,000.

The printable listing contains details such as launch date, whether the syndicate allows pets, the layout, monthly costs and which weeks are currently booked for the share on offer.  All the boats managed by Ownashare use the priority list system for choosing weeks, which ensures that all owners get their turn at having first choice of weeks.

Boat Share Show layout at a glance

We've added a picture of the Boat Share Show site with the key locations labelled as one of our randomized heading photos appearing on every page of this website.

The show site with key locations labelled

Using this, the show site should be easily recognisable and you should be able to find all the boats, the Welcome desk (us) and the management company stands.  Details of how to get to the show and summarised specs of all the boats are here.

Do start your visit on Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th September by coming to see us on the Welcome Desk, where you can pick up your visitor badge and the latest information on the show.

The show is open from 10am till 5pm on the Saturday and 10am till 4pm on the Sunday.  The Kings Lock Inn will be offering refreshments and the Kings Lock Chandlery will be open for business all weekend.

More Show information

We've added a page to this website giving details of how to get to the Middlewich Boat Show on 5th & 6th September.

It also has details of all 17 of the boats on view - including length, launch date, layout, etc.  This is in a table that can be sorted simply by clicking the column headings.

The Kings Lock Inn will be offering refreshments at the bar - their bacon rolls were very popular at last year's show.

Kings Lock Chandlery will also be open for business throughout the show.

Thanks to Kings Lock Chandlery

Many thanks to Steve Wedgwood of Kings Lock Chandlery for the use of his moorings for the Middlewich Boat Share Show on 5th & 6th Sept.  

Kings Lock Chandlery will be open for
business throughout the show

The Chandlery will be open for business throughout the weekend and, hopefully, will have its pizza oven on display.

Five of the boats on view will be moored alongside the Chandlery.  The other boats on show will be moored either side of the canal above the lock.

Want to cruise in the school holidays?

Dawn 'Til Dusk

Two of the boats on view at the Middlewich Boat Share Show have school holiday shares on offer.  These shares guarantee that the owners can have cruising weeks that fit in with school holiday.

These boats are Dawn 'Til Dusk, launched earlier this year, managed by BCBM and with 8% share on offer for £9,995 and Forget Me Knot, launched in 2010, managed by Ownashare with a 1/12th share available at £4,750.

Forget Me Knot

There are also two boats managed by Carefree Cruising that have 'Red' shares on offer, the holiday weeks for Red shares are from the last week in May to the end of August, so they may well also meet the need for cruising in the school holiday - you should check with the company.

Preview Towpath Talk

You can preview the September edition of Towpath Talk here.  

You'll find the advert for the Middlewich Boat Share Show on page 62.

'Late entry' makes it 17 boats at Show

We've just heard that Valkyrie will also be at the Boat Share Show on 5th & 6th September.  She will bring the number of boats on view to 17 - more than last year.

You'll find Valkyrie at the Boat Share Show on
the moorings alongside Kings Lock Chandlery

Valkyrie is a 60ft boat with a semi-trad stern, laumched in 2001 and powered by a Nanni engine.  She's currently moored at Overwater Marina on the Shropshire Union Canal, is managed by BCBM and has an 8% share on offer for £2,950. 

C&RT makes show better for visitors

Thanks to Canal & River Trust for reserving moorings above Kings Lock for 8 of the boats on view at the Middlewich Boat Share Show on 5th & 6th Sept.

Middlewich Boat Share Show site plan

Last year, some of the boats on show had to be moored some way along the towpath - beyond the lock moorings and a number of privately owned boats moored there.  It wasn't obvious to visitors that there were more boats further on.

This year, all the boats will be within a limited area - 4 below the lock at the chandlery, 8 above the lock on the towpath side and 4 above the lock on the opposite side.

You can see the layout of the show - boats, stands and, of course, the Kings Lock Inn - on the site plan.

Shares offered from just £1,200 at Show

Boats at the Middlewich Boat Share Show will all have shares available, starting from just £1,200 for a 1/24th share in Jenny Wren, a 58ft semi-trad narrowboat built in 2008.  Managed by Carefree Cruising for the owners, she has 6 berths and Vetus bowthrusters and the share gives two weeks cruising each year in the spring or autumn.  The annual running cost budget  for 2015/16 is £920.

Inside Jenny Wren

The full list of boats attending the show is:
Adderbury
Beeston Castle
Dawn Til Dusk
Dawn Treader
Endeavour
Farndon
Forget Me Knot
Invincible
Jenny Wren
Lilaea
Little Dawn
Maia (Saturday only)
Minuet
Solace
Valkyrie
Victorious
Willow

If you're coming to the show, please use the Kings Lock Inn car park and then come to see us at the Welcome desk, when we can give you more information.
 

Sixteen boats on view at Middlewich

There will be sixteen shared ownership narrowboats to see at the Middlewich Boat Share Show at Kings Lock, Middlewich on Sat and Sunday 5th & 6th September.

Although most shared ownership boats are between 58ft and 63ft long, there will be two shorter boats to see at the Show - Minuet (Ownashare Cruising) at 54ft and the Little Dawn (BCBM) at 40ft. 

Minuet, managed by Ownashare Cruising,
will be on view at the Middlewich Boat Share Show.
She has a 1/12th share available at £3,500

This year the Canal & River Trust has reserved moorings above Kings Lock, so there will be 8 boats moored on the towpath side and 4 on the opposite side.  The remaining 4 boats will be moored alongside the chandlery below the lock.

Visitors can use the Kings Lock Inn car park free of charge, and the Inn will be serving refreshments during both days.  Toilets are also available in the Inn.

Boats booking in for Middlewich

Boats are now being booked in for the Boat Share Show at Kings Lock, Middlewich CW10 0JJ on  the weekend of 5th & 6th September.

Forget Me Knot, managed by Ownashare,
is one of the first boats to be booked in
for the Middlewich Boat Share Show
on 5th & 6th September.  A 1/12th share
is currently on offer for £4,750

At least 16 boats are expected to be on view -all with shares for sale.

The first to be named are 4 boats managed for their owning syndicates by Ownashare Cruising - Beeston Castle, Farndon, Minuet &  Forget Me Knot.

Richard Parry (centre), CEO of the Canal & River Trust,
is on hand at the Braunston Historic Boat Rally
to see a cheque for £1,000 presented by
boatshare4u.co.uk to the Friends of Raymond
in appreciation of Braunston Marina's generosity
in hosting the Boat Share Show.

This will be the second Autumn Boat Share Show held at Middlewich, giving an opportunity to view a wide range of boats comparable with that offered by the Braunston Boat Share Show in April.  At Braunston this year, 36 extra families decided to join the shared ownership community.  They're now able to go boating for at least three weeks each year on the own boats at a cost comparable with a single week's summer hire.

There's lots of information about shared ownership on this site and we've just added a single page 'Briefing Note' which was prepared to provide a quick summary for interested organisations, the media and prospective new owners.

Autumn show becomes two-day event

Following the outstanding success of the Braunston Boat Share Show, the autumn shared ownership event is being extended to two days - Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th September.

Kings Lock proved a popular venue for
last years' autumn boat share event

Like last year's autumn event, the Middlewich Boat Share Show will be held at Kings Lock, Middlewich, CW10 0JJ and will be sponsored by the three shared ownership management companies, BCBM Boat Share, Carefree Cruising and Ownashare Cruising.  It proved a popular location last year, and many visitors took advantage of the excellent bar food provided by the Kings Lock pub on the site.

The final tally of shares with new owners following the Braunston Boat Share Show was 36.  Most of these new part-owners will be enjoying their first cruises on board their own boats during the summer.

Boat Share Show exceeds expectations

It was a stunning weekend.  The weather held, the flags flew, the boat brasses sparkled – and around 200 visitors came to Braunston with shared ownership boating in sharp focus.

Around 15 shares found new owners while the show was open, but the tally of shares sold as a direct result of the show has risen as follow-up enquiries came in and is has now reach 25.

That is an amazing result. As most visitors came as families, it means that around a quarter of them made a decision to join the shared ownership community on the basis of seeing the boats and getting information from the management companies at the show.

Shares were on offer at prices ranging from £950 to £10,950 in boats with launch dates from 1994 to 23^rd April 2015 and lengths from 40ft to 61ft.

All three of the management companies who sponsor the event – BCBM, Carefree Cruising and Ownashare – reported share sales.  The only disappointment was that Ownashare had been unable to attend because key members of their team had illness problems.  They received lots of good wishes from visitors, the material they had prepared was available in the marquee, and they were able to report share sales directly linked to the show.

The show was held at Braunston Marina thanks to the generosity of owner Tim Coghlan, to whom the sponsors and organisers are most grateful.  In recognition of this, The Boat Share Show is making a £1,000 donation to Tim's favoured charity, the Friends of Raymond, who also had stand space in the marquee and brought both the unpowered Raymond and the towing boat Nutfield to the show.

The next Boat Share Show will be held on 5^th September  2015.  The venue – around the northern end of the four counties ring – has yet to be confirmed.  Full details will be posted here.

Fifteen shares find new owners

The Braunston Boat Share Show helped fifteen more families find a share in a boat managed by one of the sponsoring companies - BCBM, Carefree Cruising and Ownashare.  All three companies reported share sales.

The event was attended by around 200 people, all with an interest in shared ownership, either as prospective purchasers during the show or researching the way it all works and the range of boats available for the most cost effective waterways holidays.

Braunston Boat Share Show 2015

Apart from the sponsor companies, the event was supported by a number of exhibitors - all of whom have advertisements on this site.  They are listed (with links) in the Show Guide.

The event is held through the generosity of Braunston Marina and its owner, Tim Coghlan.  In recognition of this, boatshare4u.co.uk is donating £1,000 to Tim's chosen charity, The Friends of Raymond, on behalf of the sponsoring companies.

Great first day at the Show

Over 150 visitors attended the first day of the Braunston Boat Share Show.  All three of the sponsoring companies reported share sales, the weather held up and the J18 snack van kept everyone well fed.

If you didn't make it today, the show is still on tomorrow from 10 am to 4pm.  Don't wait till Crick - there is more about shared ownersip narrowboats at Braunston this weekend than there can possibly be at a large event like that - the Boat Share Show is just about shared ownership narrowboats, with lots of expertise and experience available to anyone interested.

I hope to see you there.

We're on the starting blocks for the Boat Share Show

The marquee is up, Carefree Cruising's new boat Lilaea has been craned in and is getting the final bit of signwriting done and some of the BCBM boats are already in place.  Braunston Marina - and the Boat Share Show - is the place to be this weekend.

Lilaea gets the final signwriting done in preparation
for the Boat Share Show this weekend.

Lilaea hits the Braunston road

Lilaea, Carefree Cruising's brand new boat, is now on a lorry en route for Braunston.  It will be craned into the water at Braunston Marina on Thursday ready to be viewed by visitors to the Boat Share Show on Saturday and Sunday.

Lilaea - on the lorry and off to Braunston

While Lilaea will be the newest boat at the show, Serenade and Swallow - both managed by BCBM - will share the honours for being the oldest.  Both were launched in 1994.  

So the ages of boats on show will vary from 'new born' to 21, share prices range from £995 to £10,950 and lengths range from 40ft to 62ft.  Spoilt for choice!

Sojourn shares sold

Since I posted information about Sojourn being the oldest of the boats on show at the Braunston Boat Share Show next weekend (25th and 26th April) all her available shares have been sold!

That's great news for the former owners of the shares and for the new owners who will be enjoying their holidays on board.  But it does mean that Sojourn will not be at the show.

If you see Sojourn when you're out, do have a word with the owners - they may be new to shared ownership and glad to have a chat.

The smallest of the boats on show at Braunston
will be Little Dawn at just 40ft.  Shares in this
2009 boat are available at £5,495

There's still plenty to see at Braunston, with boats ranging from 40ft to 62ft, launch dates from 1994 to 2015 and share prices from £995 to £10,950.

All the shares currently available from the management companies are listed here and you can view or download the Show Guide here.

Show guide on line

A show guide has been produced for this year's Boat Share Show which you can read or download here.

The guide has links to the show sponsors, Braunston Marina and all the exhibitors together with a plan of the marina showing where everything is.

You can download the guide, print it off and bring it with you - or just pop into the marquee when you get to the show and pick a copy up from the Welcome Desk.

Sad news

I've just heard the sad news that, due to personal illnesses, Ownashare will not be able to bring any of the boats they manage to the Braunston Boat Share Show next week.

We are very sorry to hear this, and wish the Ownashare team all the very best in dealing with these difficulties.

Heartsease - Ownashare's newest boat - was due to
be at the show but unfortuantely now can't be. 
Full details will be available at the Ownashare stand
in the main marquee.

I've made some changes to the arrangements in the show marquee, so there will now be an Ownashare stand there - right next to the 'Welcome Desk' - with information about their boats and the services they provide.

Hot food at the show

The J18 Burger Van will be providing hot food at the Boat Share Show - as well as tea, coffee and other snacks - the full menu is here.

The van will be serving into the end of the marquee, where there are tables and chairs so that visitors can sit, eat and chat.

The Macmillan volunteers who usually provide tea and cakes to show visitors will not be there this year as they have a major fund-raising event in Northampton.  We wish them every success in that.

Nineteen boats coming to Braunston

There will be nineteen shared ownership narrowboats to view at the Braunston Boat Share Show on Saturday 25th & Sunday 26th April.

The boats attending include Adagio, Dawn Chorus, Dawn Mist, Dragonfly, Enterprise, Heartsease, Lilaea (new this year), Little Dawn, Oakmere, Serenade, Shadow, Shearwater, Sojourn, Sundowner, Swallow, Viceroy and Winding Down.

Launched in 1993, Sojourn is the 'old lady' of this
year's Braunston Boat Share Show.  She's a 58ft
semi-trad boat with an unusual 7 berths.
The bunks in the rear cabin can sleep
up to 3 people, but can also be arranged to
provide two single bunks or a double bed.
Our first share was in Sojourn,
so we know her well.

All of the boats on view are managed by one of the professional management companies who sponsor the event - BC Boat Management, Carefree Cruising and Ownashare Cruising.

Shares are on offer in all these boats, ranging in asking price from £950 up to £10,950.  The boats vary in length from 40ft up to 62ft and in age from brand new up to 22 years old, so they represent a good cross section of the 96 shares currently on offer from these companies and listed here.

The show - at Braunston Marina (NN11 7JH)  - starts at 10am each day, with free parking and admission.

More open days announced

Both Carefree Cruising and BCBM have announced a number of Open Days to take place over the next few month, and these are included in the Event List on this site.

These are in addition to The Braunston Boat Share Show, which is sponsored by all three shared ownership management companies.  This will be at Braunston Marina on Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th April from 10 till 5, with free admission and car parking.

The Braunston Boat Share Show is now being advertised on the boatshare.co.uk website, which is extensively used to advertise shares for sale in self-managed syndicates.  

There are just over 220 shared ownership narrowboas on the inland waterways of which nearly half are managed on behalf of the owners syndicate by one of the three companies that sponsor the Braunston Boat Share Show.

Show weekend spans several bases

Ownashare Cruising Ltd is offering prospective owners the opportunity to view all boats in their scheme with shares available at their various home bases on Friday and Saturday February 6/7. Details of the boats on view are here - and share information can be found here.