Crewe Model Boat Club

Crewe and District Model Boat club was formed in the mid 1980’s by a group of dedicated model boat builders, who wanted a local sailing venue in or near to the town of Crewe.

The three founding members Roger Potter, John Moore and Bob McLean managed to secure the use of a part of the boating lake in Crewe Park after agreement with the local council.

The club used this facility for several years until membership expansion encouraged a move to another venue.

Reaseheath College in Nantwich had a suitable lake and agreement was reached for the Club to use the lake on Sunday and later on Wednesday afternoons. The venue was used for several years until the College expansion required a further change of venue.

We sailed for a short time at the lake at Shawbridge Road in Nantwich by arrangement with the Council, but this has a water level that varies with the state of the river plus a high salinity content.In addition the lake was home to many ducks and swans as well as large amounts of rubbish in the water, which made sailing difficult. Parking was also a problem so an alternative was sought.

We now sail at Boundary Park Lake situated at Allostock on the A50 between Holmes Chapel and Knutsford.

This is a large lake with ample parking adjacent to the sailing site together with toilet facilities.

We welcome all model boaters whatever their age or experience, but Junior modellers must be accompanied at all times by an adult who is a full member of the club.

In the early days the club had a small but enthusiastic membership of less than ten members but this doubled during our time at Reaseheath and has now expanded to about forty members.

Membership allows use of our sailing facilities throughout the year and each member is enrolled in the Club’s third party insurance arranged through Walker Midgley Insurance Brokers  as part of our N.A.M.E membership

Membership runs from January to December and our fees are reviewed annually in November, based on the following years known costs.

New members may attend as visitors on three occasions before joining

All new members complete an application form countersigned by two club members. Each application is then presented to the members for acceptance.

Membership application form.

Members are issued with a photo card badge and lanyard on payment of the relevant fees.

 The Annual membership fees for 2025 are:

A one off Joining Fee                                    £5

Water Fees                                £23

Insurance Fees                         £12

Expenses                                   £15

Annual  Fee                                                    £50

Day Member Fee                                           £2   (max 3 Visits, only valid on day of issue, fee refunded on joining)

Fees are due Annually in January, or on the Day of visit.

Membership will lapse if the Annual Fee is not paid by the end of February.

A pro-rata fee for Water, Insurance and Expenses applies for members joining during the year. Plus the one off £5 joining fee.

1st Jan to 30th April   £50

1st May to 31st July    £34

1st Aug to 30th Sep    £21

1st – 31st October        £13

1st – 30th November  £9

1st – 31st December    £5

Payment may be made to the Treasurer or Deputy by cheque payable to Crewe & District Model Boat Club or cash. We now also offer the use of Bank Transfer, details from the Treasurer.

The treasurer will issue a renewal notice by e-mail giving full details in January. Bank transfers will require members to use a password which will be sent by a second e-mail on request. If no email is held members will be contacted by telephone.

We require all modellers sailing on our waters to have valid third party insurance cover.

As part of the annual membership fee we include the cost of insurance, and as a member club of the Northern Association of Model Engineers our insurance is arranged through their group membership with  Walker Midgley Insurance Brokers Limited, insurance is provided by Travelers Insurance Company Ltd

Visiting members wishing to sail a model without their own valid insurance certificate will be required to register as a Day Member and pay the appropriate fee so that they are covered by the Club’s Insurance policy for the day on which they visit. This is limited to 3 visits in any calender year. Visitors who subsequently join will have the fee refunded on joining.

To comply with our insurance all model steam boilers must be inspected and tested to ensure compliance with the current NAME rules relating to steam pressure vessels.

All boilers must have a boilers examination certificate, a current hydraulic certificate, and steam test certificate.

Previously tested boilers and documentation are examined and  if acceptable a new steam test completed and certificate issued. A new Hydraulic test may be required depending on the size of the boiler and the date of the last test. Please speak with our Boiler Inspector to register your boiler and find out what tests may be required.

Club members may, without charge, present their boilers for test to our Boiler Inspector and Tester.  Steam tests of completed models may be undertaken at the lakeside by a boiler tester providing the documentation for the boiler is acceptable.

The Club’s Group Insurance covers our members for Public Liability Insurance whilst sailing anywhere in the U.K and also covers Professional Indemnity for Boiler Testers.

Please contact Walker Midgley direct before leaving the UK to see what cover might be available.

Walker Midgley Insurance Brokers Limited may be contacted at:

Tel: 0114 250 2770