Thames in 5 metre RIB

[Phyllida]

Is it safe to go through Central London with a 50 Hp engine on a 5m rib ?

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by Phyllida

Is it safe to go through Central London with a 50 Hp engine on a 5m rib ?

Purely from a physical point of view, I don't see why not. There're quite a few rules now for private boats on the tidal Thames, particularly wrg to speed limits. The PLA website has plenty of info. Personally I would aim for a very early start i.e. before dawn & be passing through central London as the sun comes up, magic, no traffic & quiet.

[Daniel]

Have done it previously in a 5.5; shouldn't be a problem. It's a great trip.

There is a now an annoying speed limit right down past the dome. Check the PLA site for full info.

[John Kennett]

You should be fine. I've done it in RIBs and SIB a few times over the years, and apart from the time I got shipwrecked off the South Bank it was fine (to be fair though, that SIB shouldn't have been on a boating lake let alone the Tideway!)

If you search the archives you'll find plenty of info.

[Phyllida]

Thanks for that really helpful advice.

[Daniel]

PS unofficially you can push the speed limit a bit. But I didn't tell you.

[vjmehra]

I've been through London plenty of times on a 4.8m RIB with a 60hp on the back.

We always took:

A fixed VHF
An anchor
Life jackets for all
An inland flare kit
Plenty of spare fuel (there is basically nowhere to get it)
Waterproofs
Mobiles with the number for London VTS on!

We didn't have a chart plotter, but did have a fish finder with depth/speed on.

There's not many places to launch and/or stop, but there are a few...

Once the speed limits came in however we decided it was a waste of time, so moved to the Medway, then sold up :-(

But if you have any questions feel free to ask!