Hi,
I have been living in Geneva centre for a few months and often walk down by the lake admiring all the boats.
This has got me thinking, since I gave up having a car when I moved out here, why don't I look into having a small boat instead!
I'm not a sailor, and have never owned a boat before. I'm really just talking about a small motor boat that seats 2 or 4 people. Something to use for 2 hours on a sunny Sunday afternoon!
Here's the catch... I have no idea where to start. Do I need some kind of license for a small boat like this? What about insurance? Also, where would I buy a decent second hand boat and how do I get a spot to moor it!?!?!?
I've carried out the usual google searches, but I'm struggling. Has anyone on the EF got insider knowledge?
Cheers guys n gals
Hi, thanks for that Lob... didn't realise it would be so involved for such a small vessel! You can hire these things without a license right? So how come you need paperwork to own one?
You need a licence to hire some if not all.
There may be different regulations from Canton to Canton and lake to lake. I don't know....someone else might.
Good luck with that. Put you name on the list now & maybe in a few years they will call you. It's more difficult to get a mooring than it is to get an apartment or day care!!
I sure would be very happy to be corrected on this one!
I think if you live on Lake Zürich you put your child's name on the list for a mooring immediately after birth, like in England putting the son's name down for a place at Eton.
Cheers guys, I think I'll stick to pedelos for now!
As far as regulations are concerned you need a permit for anything more than 5 HP if I am not mistaken, it's been quite a long time. Mooringwise, yes the waiting list is unbelievably long, and the only realistic option is to buy a boat toghether with its mooring rights.
you need a license to drive a boat with an engine bigger than 6Kw.
thats 9point something PS/CV/HP
you need the previous owner's reg.doc. to get insurance before you get a numberplate and new reg.doc. it's very cheap, but parking spaces in the water are not readily available anywhere in swissland and especially impossible on lac leman unless you own a few oil wells or have equivalent assets and the boat to match.
buying a cheap boat starts to get expensive when you realise you need a streetlegal trailer and the car to tow it with.plus parking for them too........
and in spite of all that i'm going to look at a wee 4 seater 6PS boat with a trailer tomorrow.
Hi,
I am also interested in 'driving' a boat in Switzerland, and have spoken to the RYA, who said this:
I have spoken with the RYA. It is rather complex! The Swiss recognise the
ICC. However they place further rulings:- to helm any vessel up to 8 horse
power the individual must be at least 14. To helm a vessel over 8hp the
person must be over 18 years. On Lake Constance the h.p. is reduced to 6 and
the individual must be 14 or over. Anything over that then the individual
must be 18 or over.
The RYA did suggest that you made enquiries locally to confirm. Perhaps the
Swiss Embassy may be able to assist, an E mail to them possibly?
That is all the information that I could obtain from them. If you wished to
you could always take the Inland Waterways Course with us to gain more
experience, that is the ticket for the inland ICC. You would also need to
sit the CEVNI exam.
Hope this helps....