RCR lends a hand with the Stafford Riverway Link.

For 10 years River Canal Rescue have been based in Stafford, a short distance from the Staffs and Worcester canal so it’s not surprising that the company have got involved in the project to restore The Stafford Riverway Link. The SRL is the new name for the former Stafford Branch Canal or River Sow Navigation which formerly linked the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal at Baswich with the town centre of Stafford.  The restoration project aims to rebuild this link for community benefit.

This link consisted of a short section of canal branching off the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal near St Thomas Bridge 101 leading via a basin and an aqueduct over a drainage channel into a lock down into the River Sow.  From here the river course was straightened and made navigable for 1½ miles to its terminus at a basin near Green Bridge in Stafford.

The Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal opened in 1772 passing within I½ miles of Stafford but on the other side of the river. Despite this the first fixed link with the town was not made until 1805 when a horse tramroad was opened running from a basin and warehouses at Radford Bank. Coal was carried from the canal together with other goods but its limited capacity meant it was not a great success and it closed in about 1814.  This was replaced in 1816 by the River Sow Navigation which was constructed privately.

To this day the route can still be walked on riverside footpaths and doing so you can see the potential value of its restoration to boaters and for trade and tourism in Stafford is. This was part of the reason why RCR decided to help to promote the project by supporting the project though the production of posters to promote the charities aims, and also the construction of a post at the proposed junction to highlight to boaters and walkers where the new canals route. This, it is hoped, will improve visibility of the charity and its aims.

For more information see the Stafford Riverway Link website: www.stafford-riverway-link.co.uk and for more information on River Canal Rescue visit www.rivercanalrescue.co.uk

Two new engineers join the RCR team.

Two new engineers have been recruited to the RCR field engineers team help meet the increasing demands for canal side assistance.

Steve Hill, has been a mechanical fitter and brings over 20yrs of experience to his role with RCR. His knowledge on petrol and diesel engines and his ability to use true engineering skills to deal with problems, rather than just 'fit new parts', makes him ideal for the job. His happy and cheerful outgoing personality has already made him one of the new favourites for members in Fens and Midlands which are his main areas.

 

Tom Walker has already completed a college course in mechanicals and has been using his skills in a number of related environments. He's shown an aptitude for the marine environment and has the right attitude when dealing with people. Tom was selected form a number of candidates as our new apprentice and although he will be going thought the same training and college courses during his apprenticeship, there will be an opportunity for him to complete early because of his past experience. To date he is already showing that he has the skills and attitude to make a first class RCR engineer.

Title: 10 years on, and they said it would never last!

The following editorial was published in Canals, Rivers + Boats magazine Sept' 2011.

2011 is a particularly special anniversary for River Canal Rescue as it sees the company reach a significant milestone - their 10th year in business. It was back in 2001 that Trevor Forman (CEO) and Stephanie Horton (MD) began the business, the name of which came to Trevor during a dream. It was this reoccurring dream, of a business that provided a breakdown service for boaters, that provided the inspiration for the couple, who both have engineering backgrounds, to start the business with Christopher Barnett.

From the outset the business the couple always aimed for was to provide nationwide coverage so being based in Stafford - where the company are still based - seemed logical given it’s central location and easy access both north and south. Despite this it was a big ask as to begin with the company consisted of just the three of them to cover all the calls. After the first year more engineers joined the business and since that time the network of people on the road has grown at a rate of 500 members per new engineer.

It would seem that, as with all new ventures (especially ones that do something very different) that the trade were “skeptical”. Stephanie particularly remembers their first shows where they were seen as outsiders and at which they were regularly met with comments like “it will never work'' and “its been tried before”. She remembers that “not many people would have anything to do with us” but it was the Marine Engine Services guys who, in her words “were the first to hold out the hands of friendship.”

Ten years on, and with 15 engineers now on the road, many of those first customers are still with RCR. As a special celebration 10 of the earliest members were given a free membership as a thank you for being loyal members. Some of the glowing comments RCR receive  from members show that the service is well respected and a much needed part of boating life.

“We, as members for quite a few years, would like to say that you give the best possible service to boaters. Over the years you have given us excellent service and the increase in price is not a problem. You are well worth every penny, it is a small price to pay for your great service and the peace of mind it brings. We use every possible opportunity to recommend you to anyone without your service. My wife and I wish you continued success in your venture for many years to come.” Mr Suter Gold

“We were delighted with the speed and the attention to our welfare that RCR gave including the follow-up call to ensure everything was working satisfactorily.” Mr Ballard Bronze

“It was most reassuring to have someone that knew what he was doing to come and get us going and to give us advice for the future care of our engine/electrics.” Narrowboat Anne Rose

“The young engineer who responded was superb! He was polite, friendly, knowledgeable and efficient. He made a temporary fix and arranged the wiring so that the fault could not occur again accidentally. I was delighted with the service from all of you and would appreciate my comments being passed on to the relevant staff. Thank you again.” Mr Geistiger Bronze


These 15 engineers are kept busy covering their own areas, some of which can have a radius of up to 100 miles. Naturally they are located in areas with the highest population of boats so the Midlands is home to a number of engineers but RCR say they have people located all over the UK. These 15 people attended approximately 300 calls each with only 400 calls being passed to contractors to cover jobs the RCR team just couldn’t get to.

When talking to a company like this you have to ask the question, “what is the most unusual job you’ve had to deal with? And in this case the reply was that “the list is endless, and sometimes gruesome if we include what has been found on props!” It would seem that anything from human parts to bouncy castles, cars, matresses have all caused problems and ended up around propellers. Stephanie went on to add, “we once found the reason for an overheating engine was due to a fish in the cooling system, we have attended engines that have been installed by a DIY'er and don't have any method of changing fan belts and one which had a fan belt 2 mtrs long - not something we carry as standard! A ford Anglia engine with the gearbox and clutch still attached...yes you put it in gear just alike a car! A call-out for lost drive only to discover that the gearbox had been stolen, as well as some additional chosen items.”

Despite all this the reasons for the calls hasn’t changed much over the years.  Stephaine told us that, “we always see a peak in blocked filters, and fuel contamination and pipes leaking as the season starts, (or people begin their cruise) there are cables, alternator failures, gearbox seals, coupling failures, split pipes, battery & electrical issues that pop up all the time.”

So what of the future for this family business that is proud of it’s ethos of going that extra mile for it’s customers? Well more recently the company have set up Canal Contracting to cover the areas that normal RCR membership doesn’t. The idea being to provide boaters with that bit more peace of mind. As membership numbers increase the team will also need to expand and much of this comes from it’s own apprenticeship program (one they are proud to say is the only one in the marine industry that isn’t based on the coast). The bottom line would seem to be that they aim to take the worry out of boating.

To this end RCR has now developed their membership to include the costs of major components though there Replacement Parts Cover. This means that should a major component like a gearbox, coupling, starter motor, alternator etc fail then the cost of the part and any additional labour is now all covered by the annual membership fee. “We truly believe that this innovative development will really assist boaters in taking away the worry and stress that unexpected costs from a breakdown can cause. We know how many of these types of breakdowns occur each year and therefore we know that it adds real value for our members to have the piece of mind this new cover provides”

Stephanie's own words “take being the 4th emergency service as part of our remit.” She added that “they are proud of our Investors in people award and ISO 9000 status as only a hand few of companies on the inland waterways have achieved this.” Here’s to the next 10 years!

ABC and RCR team up for training.

Two market leaders have teamed up to provide staff with 12v electrical systems training. ABC Leisure Group, the UK market leader in narrowboat hire and inland marina and waterways services, along with River Canal Rescue (RCR) who provide marine breakdown cover, trained over 30 of their engineers during March.

The training took place at Alvechurch Marina’s new dedicated training facility using 3 engine test rigs provided by RCR and their trainer, Tony Brookes. Tony is a well known technical advisor for the waterways press.

“On this occasion the training was for our staff and feedback has been extremely positive”, commented ABC’s Managing Director, Edward Helps.

“It’s our intention to open the courses up to private boaters shortly. So that they can also benefit from this training.”

ABC's staff undergoing training from RCR's Tony Brookes.

A pipe may do something for a man, but nothing for a boat!

On the 13 May (Friday the 13th May!!) RCR engineer Pete Baker (our Midlands engineer) was called to Headwind, owned by Peter Daleman. Peter's boat had lost power and something was wrapped around the prop. The boat was on the Stratford canal and as a result of the engineers investigations it was found that approx 50 mtrs of rubber piping had got tangled around the prop.

It took Pete a number hours to remove it as there was no easy access via the weed hatch. As a result he had to climb under the boards to get access to weed hatch cover and, laying horizontally, reach into the weed hatch retrieve the rubber and feed it though the hatch, past himself and into the boat.

The boats owner had already managed to clear half of the pipe but the rest was down to Pete. The only question remaining is, how did it get there? Oh! and who's Pete's little helper?

Canal Contracting.

Canal Contracting is a company that was set up by River Canal Rescue to provide all the services that RCR don’t - it’s a simple a concept as that. The thinking behind it being that by using the team behind RCR a customer can be assured of a first class service and the right person carrying out the work needed and using the correct spares etc. 

Having work carried out on your boat can provide it’s own headaches - who is best qualified to carry out the work safely, where do I get the right spares and, importantly, will the work be guaranteed? Even if these questions are answered there is always the issue of the time it takes to organise all this and to ensure it all happens at the right place at the right time. However now that Canal Contracting is in place all of these questions can be answered by making one phone call. By giving CC a call and providing them with all the details of what work you want carried out they can provide you with a no obligation quotation to supply and organise and arrange all the work needed, be that an engine replacement, a new battery management system or plumbing. The work is done at a time to suit you and it’s all guaranteed.

But it’s one thing to put this service in place, it’s quite another for it all to work and for customers to be happy with the service they’ve had, so we’ve asked a few of the customers who’ve already used the service for their feedback. 

Once such customer was Mr Stuart of Scotland who’s 18 year old 33ft boat normally moored in Edinburgh, needed some upgrading. A new battery management system and a new fridge-freezer were needed but finding a contractor and supplier in Scotland isn’t easy. Canal craft of this type are fewer in number on the lowland canals and as a result so too are the engineers. However as Mr Stuart said a call to Canal Contracting “took all the pressure off me”. He went on to describe the service as “absolutely fantastic” and very much took Paul at his word when he said “leave it with me” as up until that point the job of finding a contractor had been far from easy. Having had all the work completed he can only describe himself as “delighted”.

Another satisfied customer is Barry Lewis who describes himself as “very pleased with the service” He goes on to say that using CC “has made my life easier, and when work has been required it has taken the hassle out of finding someone.” To underline his satisfaction with the service he’s had Barry has recommended Canal Contracting and River Canal Rescue to a number of boaters” to which all either company can say is ‘thanks very much!’

So it would seem that the concept of Canal Contracting is not only proving to be of interest to a growing number of boaters but (and more importantly) it’s proving to be of great value too.

For more information on Canal Contracting visit the River Canal Rescue website and click on the Canal Contracting link at www.rivercanalrescue.co.uk

Boat Shed teams up with RCR.

If you’ve ever looked for a boat on the internet you can’t fail to have noticed Boat Shed, the highly successful online brokerage and sales site. So when it came to deciding who to work along side Boat Shed was an obvious choice. RCR recognised that customers, who wanted to sell their boat, wanted a service that was quick and easy and didn’t involve moving their boat to a new location. And above all, in these difficult financial times, they need a service that is good value for money.

The result is a new boat sales service that offers a full-brokerage service with a No Sale, No Fee policy and one that allows you to list your boat elsewhere as well! Some of the key features of the new service include a specialisation in Inland waterways second hand boats. Up to 80 detailed photos to go with a comprehensive write up with full information about your boat. Placement on our the new RCR Boat Sales Web Site and listing on over 60 other boat sales web sites. 

As part of this new service River Canal Rescue will supply a free two months of cover on all boats sold (terms & conditions apply). It’s also worth noting that if you are already a RCR member you can transfer your RCR membership to the new owner, providing them with a little more security when they buy, alternatively you can move it to your new vessel when you find the right boat. 

So now you can buy and sell a boat using RCR and Boat Shed’s new service and provide both you and your customer with the security of an RCR membership. In today’s tough market place this has to be a major advantage.

To visit the new website go to the RCR website at www.rivercanalrescue.co.uk and click on Boat Sales.