Berkshire follows the Thames for much of its length, from Henley down through Reading, Cookham and Maidenhead to Windsor, and that stretch carries a lot of small-craft traffic even though it’s inland. Marine equipment transport here usually means moving a dinghy, RIB or small cruiser to and from a club or boatyard, taking a boat down to the coast for the season and back inland for winter storage, or collecting after a private sale or auction. We do it on our own trailer or the boat’s own, behind a VW Touareg rated to tow up to 3,500 kg braked, one driver door to door.
Boat and marine equipment transport across Berkshire
The Thames dominates Berkshire’s boating, with rowing clubs, sailing clubs and boatyards strung along it from Henley to Windsor, and reservoirs such as the Queen Mother Reservoir at Datchet adding sailing water close to the M4 corridor. We move RIBs, small day cruisers, dinghies, rowing shells, kayaks and jet skis, along with outboards, trolleys and covers that need to travel with the boat. Narrowboats and other canal craft aren’t trailer loads, so this service is for trailerable dinghies, RIBs, rowing boats and small cruisers rather than canal boats.
Where we collect and deliver in Berkshire
Typical collection and delivery points across the county include:
- Henley-on-Thames — the Thames above and below Henley Bridge, and the rowing clubs along Henley Reach
- Reading — the river through the town and boatyards along that stretch
- Cookham and Bourne End, on the Buckinghamshire border
- Maidenhead — Boulters Lock and the marinas around Bray
- Windsor and Eton, with clubs and moorings either side of the river
- The Queen Mother Reservoir at Datchet, used by sailing and windsurfing clubs
We also collect from private gardens and club compounds at lay-up time, taking a dinghy as readily off a Henley club rack as a cruiser off a Bray hard-standing. See areas we cover for the wider picture.
What we move
RIBs and small cruisers
River-going RIBs and small day cruisers up to around 7-8 m on their own trailer, or ours, bunks and winch set correctly for the hull.
Dinghies, rowing shells and kayaks
Sailing dinghies, rowing shells, kayaks and canoes for clubs at Henley and along the Thames, often several boats in one run.
Jet skis
Jet skis on their own trailer or ours, secured and photographed at collection and delivery.
Season-start and season-end moves
Taking a boat down to the Solent or south coast for the summer and back to Berkshire for winter storage, on the same trailer, one trip.
For anything that isn’t a boat but still needs a trailer — a digger onto a site near Reading, a hot tub into a garden, a classic car to a show — see our plant and machinery transport, hot tub transport and classic car transport pages.
How much does boat transport in Berkshire cost?
Local moves within Berkshire typically start from around £150; longer runs, down to the Solent for the season or elsewhere in the country, are quoted per mile. Price depends on distance, boat length and weight, whether it already has a road-legal trailer, and access at each end. Every quote is all-in — fuel, tolls and loading included.
What moves a price up or down: Henley Royal Regatta week, when river access and roads around the town are busiest, a slipway or crane slot booked at a boatyard, and whether the collection point has restricted vehicle access.
Access, roads and timing in Berkshire
The M4 gives fast access to Reading, Maidenhead and Windsor, with the A404 and A4 useful for the riverside towns. Henley gets genuinely congested during Regatta week in early summer, and the roads down to the river at Bray and Cookham are narrow lanes needing a careful approach with a trailer. Windsor’s centre is best avoided at peak times given the castle traffic, so we route around it and plan around club and boatyard access windows.
Do you cover the whole of Berkshire, including Henley and Windsor?
Yes. We collect and deliver anywhere in Berkshire, from Henley and Reading to Maidenhead, Bray and Windsor.
Can you take a boat from Berkshire down to the coast for the season?
Yes, this is a common Berkshire job — moving a dinghy or small cruiser down to the Solent or south coast in spring and back inland for winter storage in autumn.
Do you move narrowboats?
No. Narrowboats and other canal craft aren’t trailer loads. We move trailerable boats — dinghies, RIBs, rowing shells, kayaks and small cruisers.
What if my boat doesn’t have its own trailer?
We carry a boat trailer with bunks and a winch and can load a hull with no road trailer of its own, as well as boats already sitting on a trailer.
Get a boat transport quote for Berkshire
Tell us the pickup and drop-off points, the make and length of the boat, and whether it has its own road-legal trailer, and we will come back with an all-in price — no separate charges for fuel, tolls or loading. Use the form here or head to contact and quote to reach us directly. We can usually collect within a few days, and we will always work around a club or boatyard access window rather than the other way round.
Quote: boat transport Berkshire
Tell us what needs moving and where. We reply personally, usually within a couple of hours.
Ready to move it?
Send a few details and we’ll come straight back with a clear, all-in price. No call centres — you deal with the driver.