Skip to content Skip to navigation

Organisations and Societies

The Association of Boat Safety Examiners (ABSE)
Represents the opinions of the Examiners who implement the requirements of the Boat Safety Scheme on the ground.  Search for your nearest registered ABSE member.

Basingstoke Canal Society

Birmingham Canal Navigations Society (BCNS)

Boat Museum Society (BMS)
The principal aim of The Boat Museum Society is the preservation of the historic boats, skills, knowledge and way of life of the waterways.

British Marine Federation (BMF) - On the Water
From boating holidays to buying & hiring. The British Marine Federation is the trade association for the leisure and small commercial marine industry.

Commercial Boat Operators Association (CBOA)
Trade association which promotes the development of freight traffic on inland and estuarial waters.

Friends of the Cromford Canal
Promoting the restoration of the canal to navigation and connection to the national inland waterway system

The Heritage Alliance
A cross-cultural organisation which unites 100 independent heritage organisations and acts as a powerful, effective and independent advocate for the movement.

The Horseboating Society
Promotes horseboating to preserve its heritage and skills.  Lists operators offering horsedrawn passenger trips.

The Inland Waterways Association (IWA)
National voluntary organisation; campaigns for the conservation, use, maintenance, restoration and development of Britain's inland waterways.

National Association of Boat Owners (NABO)
Promotes the interests of private boaters on Britain's canals, rivers and lakes.

National Waterways Museum
Operates the Archives and the Boat Museums at Ellesmere Port and Gloucester Docks.

Residential Boat Owners Association (RBOA)
Represents and promotes the interests of people living on boats.

Rickmansworth Waterways Trust
Brings together people who are enthusiastic about canals, education and the environment – and about Rickmansworth.

Shrewsbury and Newport Canals Trust
Working to restore the canals from Norbury to Shrewsbury

Shropshire Union Fly-boat Restoration Society - Saturn
Saturn is the last horse-drawn wooden Shropshire Union Canal fly-boat in the world

Waterway Recovery Group (wrg)
Volunteers who help to restore derelict canals in Britain with weekend working parties and week-long work camps every year.

Whitchurch Waterway Trust

Wooden Canal Boat Society
Dedicated to saving, restoring and using old wooden working boats. YouTube clip here.