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Claim your boat

Safety and privacy for boaters at risk

Checked against its sources on 20 Oct 2026.

Some people move aboard to get away from someone who hurt them. If a boat’s name could help that person find you, this page is for you.

If you are in danger now

Call 999.

It helps to know where you are. The Canal & River Trust suggests learning the postcode or nearest street name of your mooring.

Get your boat’s record hidden or removed

Use the privacy request form.

  • Give the boat’s name, and its BR-number or a link to its record.
  • Ask for the record to be removed, or for details to be corrected.
  • Say that your safety is at risk. You do not need to explain more than you want to.

If you own the boat, you can also claim its record and hide its home waterway yourself.

What a record shows

The Boat Index never shows owners’ names or contact details. A boat’s public record can show:

  • name and BR-number (the Index’s own reference)
  • kind of boat, length, beam and draft
  • hull, engine power, builder and build year
  • licensing authority
  • home waterway, unless the owner has hidden it
  • whether it has been reported stolen, and whether it has been claimed

Licence (index) numbers are private. Nobody can see them or search by them.

Anyone can report something about a boat from its record page. Those reports go to The Boat Index team. They are not published.

Where the records came from

44,189 of the 44,214 records were collected from public boat records in April 2026. None came from the Canal & River Trust, the Environment Agency, the Broads Authority or any other navigation authority.

Other places to think about

The Boat Index is only one place a boat name appears. Think about:

  • the name painted on the boat itself
  • photos of your boat that you or friends post online, especially with a place name
  • boating groups and forums where your boat is mentioned

Free helplines

  • National Domestic Abuse Helpline, run by Refuge: 0808 2000 247. Free and confidential, 24 hours a day. If you think someone is watching your phone or computer, the helpline’s website advises using a safe device.
  • Men’s Advice Line, run by Respect, for male victims: 0808 801 0327. Free from landlines and most mobiles.
  • National Stalking Helpline: 0808 802 0300.
  • Galop, for LGBT+ people experiencing domestic abuse: 0800 999 5428.
  • In immediate danger: 999.

Helpline details change. Check them on each service’s own website.

For more on how records are handled, see your boat’s record and your privacy and the privacy notice.

Sources