Electric narrowboats for sale: what does an electric canal boat cost? Ortomarine and Mothership compared

A new narrowboat with an electric drive costs around £145,000 to £260,000. Ortomarine has built only hybrid boats since 2021, from £250,000; Mothership Marine builds solar electric boats from £250,000 including VAT. Almost all carry a diesel generator. That matters for the 25% licence discount, which only applies when an electric motor is the boat's sole means of propulsion.

What is an electric narrowboat?

A narrowboat built for the British canal network, usually 57 to 70 ft long (17 to 21 m) and fitted out to live on. In the electric version an electric motor turns the propeller. Power comes from a battery, solar panels on the roof and, almost always, a generator as a back-up.

Builders use two layouts:

• Series hybrid: only the electric motor drives the boat. The generator charges the battery but is not connected to the shaft.
• Parallel hybrid: a diesel engine and an electric motor share the same shaft. You run on electric or on diesel.

Ortomarine and Mothership Marine compared

Sources: Ortomarine pricing, Hunky Dory specification, Mothership FAQ, Mothership narrowboat.

Ortomarine: a hybrid, and you choose the layout

Since 2021 Ortomarine has built only boats with electric drives. The base is a 58 ft boat, from £250,000 as a series hybrid or from £260,000 as a parallel hybrid. Whether the prices include VAT is not stated on the pricing page (Ortomarine).

The 2021 specification of Hunky Dory shows what such a boat looks like: 61 ft, a Bellmarine motor with 10 kW continuous and 15 kW peak, lead carbon batteries with 1,000 Ah at 48 V, 1.9 kWp of solar and a Fischer Panda generator. Ortomarine quotes about 7 hours of cruising before recharging, depending on conditions (specification).

Ortomarine offers visits by appointment, also outside office hours. The yard does not mention test drives.

Mothership Marine: solar electric, price including VAT

Mothership builds solar electric narrowboats at 57 or 65 ft. Standard are a 15 kW electric motor, a 28.6 kWh battery and 2 kWp of solar, plus a back-up generator. At cruising speed the boat draws about 1 kW, according to Mothership, which gives around 3 miles per kWh in good water conditions. On half the battery that is about 42 miles (FAQ).

Mothership is the only one of the four yards to quote prices including VAT: fully fitted from £250,000, a Sailaway+ (hull with finished electrics, you do the fit-out) from around £150,000 (FAQ). The fees page budgets "over £230,000" including VAT for a basic fit-out of a 57 ft boat (Fees). The difference is the level of fit-out; both figures appear on the site.

Mothership passes on the manufacturers' warranties for parts and equipment and inspects every new boat free of charge after 6 months (Guarantees).

Who else builds electric narrowboats?

• Oakums Narrowboats: the electric version starts at £145,000 (40 ft Bowless), £175,000 (60 ft Open Bow) and £185,000 (60 ft Closed Bow), VAT not stated (Oakums prices). Standard is a VETUS E-Line with 11 kW, a Törkmar system is an upgrade (Oakums). Oakums gives a 12-month warranty on the whole boat (warranty). The yard explicitly gives no single range figure.
• Bath Canal Craft: builds one-off boats from 57 to 70 ft with 8 to 15 kW continuous power, 14.4 to 51.2 kWh of battery, 1.8 to 3.2 kWp of solar and a diesel generator, for example the 57 ft "The Doran" with a Bellmarine motor (The Doran, Fram). The yard publishes no prices.

How the battery side works is explained in Lithium boat battery: Victron and ECTIVE compared.

How much is the licence discount?

On Canal & River Trust (CRT) waterways every boat needs a licence (CRT). Boats whose sole means of propulsion is an electric motor get a 25% discount. That is how the 2022 licence terms put it (terms 2022), and the Licensing Commission's report confirmed the 25% in April 2026 (CRT). The newer 2024 version of the terms no longer states the rate and only asks for evidence when you apply for a discount. Check with the CRT what applies to your boat.

For the Gold Licence (CRT and Environment Agency together), the 25% discount applies to boats solely powered by a permanently fitted inboard electric motor (Gold Licence).

On Environment Agency waters, electric boats pay 75% of the annual charge: on the Thames in 2026 (River Thames) and on the Anglian Waterways in 2026/27 (Anglian). Here too, only propulsion solely by an electric motor counts. More on licences and registration in our electric boat registration guide.

By the wording, a series hybrid qualifies, because only the electric motor turns the propeller. In a parallel hybrid the diesel also drives the shaft. In our reading it therefore does not qualify. The authorities do not say so explicitly.

Can you try an electric narrowboat first?

Yes, most easily as a hire boat: you need no licence and no experience to drive a holiday boat on the canals (CRT). Oakums points to the holiday boat Synewave, an electric Bowless hull from its own yard (Oakums FAQ). How hiring without a licence works in the UK, the Netherlands and Germany is covered in Houseboat hire without a licence.