SIB on the Severn

Bigpants · 05 November 2023, 09:59

Hello all,
Ive recently moved to Shropshire not far from Bridgnorth. Ive previously hired boats when I used to live by the sea when I was living abroad. Last week I saw a RIB going up the Severn by Bridgnorth and wondered about getting something similar so does anybody know:

Is it legal to use th stretch of the Severn around Ironbridge/Bridgnoth/Stourport with a RIB/SIB?

The Severn is about 50 mtrs from my house so could I just drop a SIB on the bank and launch it as many a person does with inflatible Kayaks etc?

From looking online I get the impression that Storport is the end of the line as far as engine powered boats are concerned but I may just be the shallow river and sandbanks meaning not many people venture upstream but the RIB I saw the other day made me interested in the possibilities.

Ive done a bit of kayaking on the river but a SIB looks far more entertaining however I do realise I would need a licence/insurance/training etc and judging by some of the threads on here deeper pockets than I have.......

Pete7 · 06 November 2023, 11:05

Page 43.

https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/media...6.pdf?v=cff84a

There is also a charity that has some responsibility for the river:

https://www.severnriverstrust.com/

Given the nature of their work is protecting the river, you may not be popular.

Ideally a small jet drive rib would be perfect, but they are few and far between. Instead how about a motorised kayak or sib? You are going to run aground frequently, so light weight will be a godsend getting off a gravel bank or up a wear etc.

I would make sure its nearly silent (electric motor?) to avoid the wrath of other river users.

Bigpants · 06 November 2023, 18:33

Hi Pete, thanks for the message. I did look at a sib and an electric motor for stealth , it would probably be the best option to keep a low profile. I also looked at the canal and river trust but it states:

"Our navigation jurisdiction extends over the River
Severn from Gloucester Lock (the Eastern Channel of
the Partings below Llanthony and Maisemore Weirs),
and to a point approximately 1 kilometres above
(north) of Stourport Road bridge (Bridge Street)."

So I'm assuming there is someone else to report to or is it just a free river from Stourport?
I will ping the canal and river trust an email asking some questions before making a purchase as the cost of electric motors and batteries a little steep.....

Pete7 · 06 November 2023, 19:11

Be interesting what they have to say. Nice piece of water, spent childhood holidays fishing the Seven and the Wye.

CJL · 06 November 2023, 21:04

We had a brilliant trip from Severnside Boat and Caravan Park near Lower Apperley down to Gloucester and back. Its not far but we were doing a shakedown trip with a friend on his boat.

Its shallow in a few places but is well marked out.

Make sure you sort your CRT licence and don't be put off with the the erroneous suggestion that you need a Boat Safety Scheme Certificiate - visiting boats don't need one.

We found it very quiet and not many people around. Gloucester Docks has some nice restaurants to try.

Chris

Bigpants · 07 November 2023, 20:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by CJL

We had a brilliant trip from Severnside Boat and Caravan Park near Lower Apperley down to Gloucester and back. Its not far but we were doing a shakedown trip with a friend on his boat.

Its shallow in a few places but is well marked out.

Make sure you sort your CRT licence and don't be put off with the the erroneous suggestion that you need a Boat Safety Scheme Certificiate - visiting boats don't need one.

We found it very quiet and not many people around. Gloucester Docks has some nice restaurants to try.

Chris

Thanks Chris, looks like you had a good time.

Bigpants · 07 November 2023, 20:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pete7

Be interesting what they have to say. Nice piece of water, spent childhood holidays fishing the Seven and the Wye.

Hi Pete,
The reply was:

Thank you for your enquiry. The River Severn falls under the ownership of the Environment Agency and so you would need to direct your query about motorised boats to them.

Kind regards

Francesca

So, I have now emailed the Environment Agency and will wait for a response. It may be a long wait.

Fenlander · 08 November 2023, 10:11

I'll be casually interested to see what you find out. This is Mrs F's family area going back couple of generations so one we've looked into a bit. As far as I could see the Canal and River trust clearly say they have no responsibility for licensing/policing from 1km above the Stourport bridge. The Severn trust have no licensing/policing powers. So I guess that's how it falls to the Environment agency for overall control but they point you to the Canal and River trust for licensing of the Severn.

So my conclusion were I to try and use it would be not to worry about regulations because I reckon there are none.

I see at Bridgnorth there is a canoe, paddle board and river raft hire company, I reckon those are the only craft suited to this section of the river. If I want to get an overview of a river I have a look from the bridges or any other vantage points using Google street view. That stretch of the Severn has many places showing as just a few inches deep so if wanting a SIB I'd be thinking of a flat bottom keel-less one and paddles. Something like a rugged old round tail Avon for £200-£300 would be fun.

Bigpants · 08 November 2023, 13:43

Hi Fenlander, I've been down from Ironbridge a couple of times by canoe in the summer there were only a couple of points where the river seemed very shallow and we didn't hit the riverbed on either trip but we did have to dodge a couple of sandbanks to get down. I'm not sure if it will be possible to do or not but it would be fun to try.

I have read that this section is a "free river" whatever that means but I will see what the official response is. I have stated that it will be a small inflatable boat with an electric outboard to try to appear as green and environmentally friendly as possible.

Steve509926 · 08 November 2023, 20:45

A good few years ago, we had a kayak/camping trip from Iron Bridge down to Stourport. I can recall a lot of portage, I don't think I'd be keen on venturing along that stretch in my sib. However, if you do make that trip, I'd be really interested in hearing how it goes.

Bigpants · 13 November 2023, 16:28

So i've had the following reply from the EA:

The Environment Agency is not the navigation authority for the River Severn.

Most inland waterways have a navigation authority. That is an authority which can register or give permission for a boat to moor and/or navigate the waterway.

You can use the Inland Waterways Association website to determine the navigation authority. This has an A-Z of most waterways in Great Britain.

https://waterways.org.uk/waterways/waterways-a-to-z

Please note that some waterways do not have a navigation authority. In these cases you would need to contact the riparian owner. The Land Registry website can provide information on who owns a piece of land.

HM Land Registry - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Kind Regards

Matthew

So the Canal and River trust or the EA are not an issue in regards to using a sib on the river. I will keep diging but so far it looks like the only problem is the river depth.

Pete7 · 15 November 2023, 06:07

Well that's good news so far.

I wonder if a motorised (electric) canoe would be the ideal boat for this.

Pete

Fenlander · 15 November 2023, 09:20

Why don’t you phone the paddle board and rafting co to see if they are friendly enough to give you the heads up even if you won’t be hiring from them?

Max7 · 29 February 2024, 22:23

Last summer I set off from Worcester and went up to the camphouse inn for a pint in my intex mariner 4 with an electric motor. It was a nice journey, I didn't need to prepare any licences, paperwork or anything like that.