Boat numbers build for Braunston

With nearly three months to go before the National Boat Share Show at Braunston on 23rd & 24th April, there are already 11 boats booked in to attend. 

Some of the boats at the 2015 show

The boats in the show so far are:
Alcedonia
Annabelle II
Black Watch
Breaking Dawn (to be launched at the show)
Heartsease
New 2016 boat (syndicate about to vote on the name)
Symphony
Tess 
Viceroy
Water Lily
Willow

All the boats on view at the show have shares available.  There will be existing owners on board so that prospective new owners can discuss details of the boats with them and learn about their experiences of shared ownership. 

In previous years, visitors to the show have been well prepared and started their research with the shares listing on this site, which is updated daily.  It includes all the shares currently available on the four main websites - BCBM, boatshare.co.uk, Carefree Cruising and Ownashare Cruising.

On this site we simply provide the information and links to the boat details - we don't sell shares.

Well done BCBM

Congratulations to BCBM for being runners up in the British Marine Leisure Boating Customer Service Awards.

"We're delighted to have done so well in the first year we've entered for this award," said Andrew Barton, MD of BCBM.  "Obviously we would have liked to win - but there's always next year!"

The winning company was also a shared ownership company: FlexiSail deal exclusively with shared ownership for sea-going yachts, catamarans and motor boats. 

The award was presented at the MTA awards on Tuesday 12th January. BC Boat Management and Rockley Watersports Ltd were the runners up and showed an excellent complaints procedure and rapport with their customers.

It is a high compliment to the customer service provided by the shared ownership sector that both the winner and one of the runners up were from this sector. 

The award was designed to highlight excellence in customer service and specifically is looking at areas including complaints procedure, customer care, ease of contact and processes and protocol.  

On the inland waterways there are more than 220 shared ownership narrowboats, of which BCBM manages 54, with another new boat due to be launched at the National Boat Share Show at Braunston Marina on 23rd & 24th April 2016.

First self-managed boat for Braunston

The first ever self-managed boat has been booked in to attend the National Boat Share Show at Braunston on 23rd & 24th April this year.

Tess - a 55ft, 6 berth trad narrowboat - has a 1/6th share on offer for £5,500.  She is currently moored at Calcutt on the Grand Union Canal.

Tess - the first ever self-managed shared ownership
narrowboat to be booked in to attend the
National Boat Share Show at Braunston on 23 & 24th April.
Photo from boatshare.co.uk advert.

The share in Tess is advertised on the boatshare.co.uk website, which is completely separate from this site. 

There are shares in 30 self-managed boats currently advertised for sale on the sites we monitor and list here. We know of 131 self-managed narrowboats on the canal network - just over half the shared ownership sector - and these are included in our full list of shared boats.

Full details of how to bring your boat to the National Boat Share Show are here.  If you have any questions not covered by that information, just email andrew@boatshare4u.co.uk or phone 07961 574231.  Any shared ownership narrowboat with a share on offer will be welcome at the show.

Flying the flag

Flying the flag for shared ownership at the London Boat Show are BCBM - on a stand shared with ABC Leisure.

The BCBM/ABC stand at the London Boat Show

The London Boat Show is on now until 17th January.  It is very expensive to exhibit at shows like this, so it made sense for the biggest shared ownership and narrowboat hire companies to share the space and the manning of the stand.  The cost prohibits having a boat on show.

The National Boat Share Show at Braunston on the weekend of 24th & 25th April will be the first opportunity to see and compare a wide range of shared ownership narrowboats and to talk to owners and management companies.  There were 17 boats at last year's Braunston show, and around 30 shares found new owners as a result.

But you don't have to wait for a show to compare what's on offer in the most cost effective way of enjoying a boating holiday on the canals.  Our list of available shares includes all the shares currently on offer on the four major websites - BCBM, boatshare.co.uk, Carefree Cruising and Ownashare.  Our list is updated at least once a day and you can search and sort it to help find the perfect share for you.  And, of course, if you are coming to Braunston, it's by far the easiest way to do your pre-show research.

Happy New Year

Wishing everyone with an interest in shared ownership narrowboats a very happy New Year.

It's just 113 days till the National Boat Share Show at Braunston on 23rd and 24th April - we hope to see you there.