Many people who buy narrowboats have their first experience of boating in Hire Boats. These are available in many shapes and sizes, all around the canal system.

It's a great way of finding out whether boating is for you and to discover the delights of the UK canals. It's also great fun for children, who can get involved in helping to run the boat and man the locks from a very early age.

However, for some of the younger children, this is not enough to keep them occupied full time, or to allow the adults a bit of peace and quiet.

Oxfordshire Narrowboats have a novel answer. They have embodied the popular children's canal characters, Muddy Waters and Jolly in two of their boats. Muddy is a full size, eight berth holiday boat with a special children's playroom next to their bedroom Here they can play in safety, supervised by remote video camera.

Jolly is a day boat designed for children's parties decorated and equipped to ensure that children can really enjoy an afternoon out with a famous cartoon boat.

Hopefully these boats will encourage even more families to buy there own boats. Boatshed Grand Union is always ready with a selection of second hand family boats for sale and plenty of helpful advice.

See Muddy and Jolly at Oxfordshire Narrowboats