A long-stay mooring is the single biggest fixed cost of owning a boat in the UK, and the decision that shapes where you can cruise, whether you can live aboard, and what you pay each month. This guide covers what long-stay moorings are, what they cost right now, who regulates the water they sit on, and what to check before you sign.
What is a long-stay mooring?
A long-stay mooring — also called a permanent mooring, home mooring or long-term berth — is a designated space where you keep your boat for an extended period, typically three months or more. It is the opposite of a visitor mooring: on most of the Canal & River Trust network you must not stay in one place for longer than 14 days, or less where signs say so.
For liveaboards a long-stay mooring provides a residential base, subject to the site having the right permissions. For leisure owners it is simply a reliable home for the boat between trips, with the services — power, water, waste, security — that make ownership manageable.
On Canal & River Trust waterways the term also has a licensing meaning. When you licence a boat you declare either that you have a home mooring or that you will cruise continuously. That declaration determines what you pay and what movement rules apply to you.
What long-stay moorings cost
Inland moorings are conventionally priced per foot of boat, per year. The brokerage and boating press put a basic offline mooring with few facilities at up to £20 a foot, a standard marina berth with water, electricity and pump-out at up to £45, and a full-service marina at £60 or more — roughly £1,200 to £4,200 a year for a 60ft narrowboat, before power, licence and insurance.
Published tariffs bear that out. Swanley Bridge Marina on the Llangollen Canal asks £3,365 a year for a 60ft berth from July 2026, about £280 a month; Aqueduct Marina on the Shropshire Union charges £378 a month for the same length on a rolling contract. River marinas quote per metre instead — £401 at York Marina and £526 at Val Wyatt on the Thames, both for 2026-27 and both including hard standing.
Region matters as much as length. Dividing the Trust's advertised vacancy prices by the advertised berth length gives £114 to £230 per metre per year in Yorkshire and the North West, £159 to £225 in the West Midlands, and £341 to £420 in Greater London — where most berths are sold by auction and the starting prices are higher again. The full breakdown is in our UK mooring costs guide.
Types of long-stay mooring
The main inland berth types, and what each one actually gets you:
Linear narrowboat berths
The most common inland option — your boat lies alongside a bank or wall in its own marked length. Straightforward access, no manoeuvring into a slot, and usually serviced within a marina.
Pontoon berths
A floating pontoon berth, often a finger berth where the boat sits in its own slot with a walkway alongside. Easy access, and the pontoon rises and falls with the water level, which matters on rivers.
Widebeam berths
Sized for beams over roughly 2.1m. Widebeams take more water frontage so they cost more to moor, and on Trust waters they cost more to licence as well — see the surcharge schedule below.
Online towpath moorings
A designated stretch of towpath bank rather than a marina berth. Lower cost and direct canal access, but usually no shore power or private facilities.
Residential linear moorings
Berths where the site holds planning consent for residential use. Read the residential mooring rules before committing to one — living aboard without the right consent puts both you and the operator at risk.
Swinging, pile and tidal moorings also exist, mostly on rivers and estuaries. Our guide to mooring types covers all of them and which boats they suit.
Who regulates the water your berth sits on
Your mooring fee goes to the marina or landowner. A separate licence or registration goes to the navigation authority, and it is not optional — you generally need it even if the boat never moves.
Canal & River Trust covers around 2,000 miles of canals and rivers in England and Wales. It requires a boat licence.
Environment Agency manages the non-tidal River Thames (Cricklade to Teddington), the Anglian waterways (Great Ouse, Nene, Stour, Ancholme, Black Sluice, Welland and Glen), and the Medway Navigation between Allington Lock and the Leigh Barrier at Tonbridge.
Broads Authority requires an annual toll for any vessel kept or used in the navigation area for more than 28 days in a tolls year (1 April to 31 March).
Private and local navigations — the Bridgewater Canal, harbour authorities, and various river trusts — set their own rules.
If you cruise across both CRT and EA waters, a Gold Licence covers both. It is sold through the Canal & River Trust.
What to check before you commit
Boat fit: length overall, beam and draught against the berth's stated maximums — including fenders, bowsprit and any overhang.
Facilities: shore power (and how it is metered), water, pump-out or Elsan, showers, laundry, refuse, parking, Wi-Fi.
Security: gated pontoons, lighting, CCTV, and who is on site out of hours.
Access: road and rail links, and on the water, locks, bridges, draught limits and any tide windows between the berth and where you want to cruise.
Residential status: if you intend to live aboard, get written confirmation the site permits it.
Works policy: many sites restrict engine running, welding, spray painting and contractor access.
How long-stay contracts work
Terms of three, six and twelve months are all common, with twelve months the standard at serviced marina sites. A longer commitment usually does buy a lower rate: Swanley Bridge Marina's twelve-month berths work out at £55 to £59 per foot a year, against roughly £75 per foot at Aqueduct Marina, which sells the same lengths on a rolling monthly basis.
Most agreements are licences rather than leases, run for a fixed term or roll monthly, and require one to three months' written notice. Electricity, pump-out, lift-out, winter storage and parking are often charged separately, so compare the total annual cost rather than the headline fee. Mooring contracts explained covers the clauses that catch people out.
How to find the right berth
Shortlist online, then speak to operators, then visit. MoorHub lists berths with standardised dimensions, photos, prices, contract length and availability so you can compare like with like before you pick up the phone, and you can browse by location or by waterway.
Some berths are listed at a fixed price and some run as auctions. Our step-by-step guide to finding a long-stay mooring walks through the whole process, including the questions to ask and the red flags to walk away from.
Compare long-stay moorings across the UK
Filter by boat dimensions, waterway, facilities, contract length and price — then enquire directly with the operator.
Sources and further reading
Every rule and fee quoted above comes from the navigation authority or government page that sets it. Check these before you commit to anything — fees change annually and licensing rules do change.
This article is general information, not legal or financial advice. Where money or occupancy rights are at stake, take your own advice.