Shared Ownership – Frequently Asked Questions

How much is a share?

Each share for the 2025 bespoke boat build is £19750, and there are 12 shares available. You can also buy more than one share.

How much is the annual maintenance fee?

The annual maintenance fee is approximately £1600 a year, although special share owners will pay an additional £275 a year. This is charged by the management company BCBM who manage lots of other shared boats.

What is a special share holder?

There will be 2 special family shares for people who need to plan in school holidays. These shared owners get priority to choose their weeks first. These share holders will contribute an extra maintenance fee of £275 a year per share.

What does the Annual Maintenance Fee cover?

The annual maintenance fee covers the mooring fee, CRT license fee, insurance, routine maintenance such as hull blacking, engine services, repairs, replacements and a contingency fund for breakdowns etc. Plus a management fee, taking the headache out of organising all the maintenance and paperwork. Any additional unplanned work will be decided by the shared owners.

Who will the management company be?

BCBM – a well-regarded share owners management company who manage lots of other shared narrowboat syndicates. BCBM will run the scheme and organise all routine maintenance as well as moorings, license fees, insurance, call outs, banking, AGM’s etc. The agreement will run for a minimum of 3 years, after this time the Share Holders can either vote to carry on with BCBM, move management companies or run the syndicate themselves.

How many weeks holiday do I get?

Each share will give you 4 weeks of narrowboat holiday a year: 2 in the peak season April to September and 2 off peak.

How are the weeks allocated to share holders?

The scheme will be based on a list system in pairs – the shareholders at the top of the list will choose their weeks first then followed by the others while going down the list. The following year the shareholders that were at the top of the list will move to the bottom while the other pairs will all move up a place on the list meaning the list rotates every 6 years.

An owner can book 2 weeks in the high season (April-September) and 2 weeks anywhere else in the year, however the last week is only booked after everyone has booked their first 3 weeks and the owners at the bottom of the list will have priority in booking their 4th week.

There will be 2 special family shares for people who need to plan in school holidays, these share holders will contribute an extra fee of £275 a year, but it comes with the benefit of first choice school holidays, when booking your weeks, based on the same principal of 2 weeks in high season and 2 in low season.

Do I have to pay for my narrowboat holidays?

No, your narrowboat holidays are free. You will have to pay for fuel used, on return of your holiday fully re-fuel and pump out the toilet tank for the next shared owners, as you would if it was wholly your own boat. You are also expected to clean the boat for the next owner too. However, if you would like a cleaning service, the management company will be able to organise this and you will be charged the cost.

What happens if I can’t use my allocated weeks?

You can offer any weeks that you can’t use to the group. Hopefully you will get this back at some point in the future too.

How does the payment work for my share during the boat build?

To buy a share the first payment of £950 is the reservation fee, which is now being accepted for the January 2025 shared bespoke build. During the build the share price is then split up into a 7 step payment plan at each stage of the build as follows:

By the end of 2024: payment 1 – reservation fee £950
December 2024: payment 2 – contract signing £1025
January 2025: Payment 3 – steelwork being started £1500
February 2025: Payment 4 – steel hull completed £7000
May 2025: Payment 5 – lining, wiring and engine fixing £7000
June 2025: Payment 6 – woodwork completion £1985
July/August 2025: Payment 7 – boat Completion £290

The total for each share will be just £19,750. If you are joining the scheme after the build has started then you’ll pay up to the dates above, so that you’ve paid the same as all the other owners to the given time of build.

How can I keep track of my new boat build?

You keep track of the build on our Facebook site: https://www.facebook.com/AQUANARROWBOATS

What happens if you decide not to build the boat?

We need 10 committed share holders to start the narrowboat build. If you have bought a share and this figure is not reached by the end of December, then the build will be delayed. If we decide not to go ahead with the build you will get your reservation fee back. Once the build has started however, you are committed to completion. You can however sell your share on completion, the management company can help with this.

How long can I keep my share for?

You can keep your share for as long as you would like. You can also sell your share at any point too, the management company can help with this. Remember this is a share of a narrowboat (not a time share) so your share will always have value, especially as it has been built by Aqua Narrowboats who’s boats are sought after in the used boat market due to their quality of fitout.

How can I ensure that the boat is legally mine once purchased?

You will have a copy of your boat building contract, a legal document, which is your proof of purchase as well as copies of our invoices to you for the boat build. You’ll also be given a Bill of Sale.

Can I change the internal design of the shared narrowboat?

As a group you can vote on a colour scheme for the interior, exterior paint scheme, and boat name, with the choice going to the majority vote. We will of course ensure your narrowboat is stunning like all our bespoke boat builds. The design layout, is fixed. It is our most popular layout choice and offers lots of comfort and flexibility.

I’m interested, what do I do next?

If you would like to buy a share please email admin@aquanarrowboats.co.uk. We are happy to answer any questions you have. You will be sent an invoice for the reservation fee of £950, once paid you have a confirmed share. If you want to visit the factory, then we can arrange an appointment. There’s also opportunity to visit on our open days, we usually have 2 a year, one in Spring and another in Autumn.

I have decided the scheme isn’t for me as I would like a more bespoke boat – do you offer this?

Yes we offer bespoke boats, find out more about them here.