Archive for January, 2008
A guide to boats for hire on the river Thames in London
There are a wide range of different boats for hire on the Thames in London. Depending on the type of boat party or celebration you are looking to host on the river Thames in London there are a wide range of different styles of boats available to charter.
Here is a list of a selection of boats available to hire grouped by style.
Speed boats
If you are looking for a speed boat to hire there are many different options available including the most incredible adrenaline rush – a London Jet Boat Experience!
- Voyager RIB’s
- Jet Boat
- Fletcher Arrowhawk
- Lima Lima II
Luxury Powerboats
Moving up from small speed boats their are a number of large luxury powerboats / superyachts available for charter on the Thames. Ideal for important business meetings, corporate entertaining and intimate celebrations for smaller groups these craft push the boundaries of service, quality and luxury.
- Princess V48
- Zephyr / Zodiac
- Rum Jungle
Small Launches
Often a simple river transfer from one part of London to a venue and back is considered to avoid London’s busy transport network. There are several small launches suitable for such transfers and very reasonably priced when compared with other ways of transporting larger numbers in a group around London!
- Thames Swift
- John Harriot
- Cabot
Large Launches
Getting a larger group from one place to another in London can be a complete nightmare. A boat is a simple and cost effective solution and even adds another element to the event. For larger parties it can be efficient to charter a private passenger vessel or a Thames river bus. Here are a few options:
- Thames Clipper
- Sarpedon
- Sapele
- Edwardian
- Golden Salamander
London Party Boats
There is a simply massive selection of party boats for hire on the Thames in London. Choosing which one suits you can be a bit of a headache – should you pay the extra money for one boat – is it worth it?
Here are a list of a selection of ‘approved’ London Party Boats which are generally considered good value for money. Note these boats are not comparable by size or standard, but value for money. If a boat is not included that you feel should be please reply to the thread.
- Havengore
- High Society
- Spirit of London
- Edwardian
- Golden Salamander
- Elizabethan
- Erasmus
- Silver Barracuda
- Silver Sturgeon
- Dixie Queen
For further information on hiring a boat on the river Thames in London see: Boat Hire London
I hope this information has been useful?
A cruise through London on the River Thames
Booking a River Thames Boat Cruise is an exciting and enjoyable way of viewing London’s most unique and famous landmarks – from the oldest to the newest. At night the visual feast is enhanced further with an interactive lighting system on key bridges and buildings in the heart of the city which changes the colour of the illuminations as boats pass by.
The River Thames carves it’s way through the very heart of London from West to East as it flows down to the sea from it’s source in the Cotswolds. The section of river downstream of Teddington, i.e. between Teddington, through London and down to the estuary is called the tidal Thames. As the name suggests the river here is tidal, rising and falling by around 7 meters a day.
The tide is actually one of the biggest factors on the river in London. It dictates where boats can go, how fast they will get there and what the river and London will look like. When the tide is low or out you
For more information on the tide and how it affects activity on the Thames see this link: http://www.livettslaunches.co.uk/page/2.45.html
When cruising through London the sights most people are excited to see are:
- Putney Pier – the start of the famous Oxford & Cambridge Boat Race
- Albert Bridge
- Battersea Power Station
- MI6 Building – where the James Bond chase scene began
- Big Ben and The House of Parliament
- BA London Eye
- Tate Modern and Tate Britain
- St Paul’s Cathedral
- Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre
- The Millennium Bridge – The Blade of Light
- HMS Belfast
- Tower of London
- Tower Bridge
- Canary Wharf
- Cutty Sark
- The O2
- Thames Barrier
- QEII Bridge
There are many river boats in London of varying size and with different levels of quality. Some are very pretty and luxuriously appointed, designed for fine dining, others are much more simple, built for disco cruises, parties and club nights. The choice will usually be based around budget as the more you have available the more choice there is, as with most things in life!
It is worth pointing out that it doesn’t matter which boat you are on, the Thames and London’s sights will look the same…
For more information on the River Thames see this link: http://www.the-river-thames.co.uk/thames.htm
