As the largest marine plant hire company in the UK, we are pleased to offer an extensive purpose-built fleet. From workboats that are fitted with cranes and weed clearance boats through to our high-quality plant machinery, you will find everything needed for all types of inland marine projects in our extensive hire range.
In our latest blog post we take a closer look at the boats and machinery we have available, so you can find out more about why The Rothen Group is the most popular choice for all projects along the UK’s watercourses.
What machines and equipment are available to hire for marine projects?
Crane boats
40ft crane boats – The smallest crane boat in our fleet can be transported by Hiab lorry and thanks to the self-propelled, front mounted Atlas crane and boat stability, this useful vessel is ideal for use in a range of projects. We also have a 30ft materials hopper available and various crane attachments for driving posts, piling, and lifting materials.
50ft crane boats – With a beam length of 6ft 10, a carrying capacity of 5 tonnes and a hold length of 30ft, this is the ideal boat for many projects including piling, dredging and bank stabilisation.
70ft crane boats – This is our largest crane boat, and it is capable of performing as a dredger, lock gate changer, hopper and pusher tug, as well as being able to load itself to remove and deliver materials to waterway sites. The crane can also be fitted with various attachments including piling hammers, hooks and clamshell buckets which would all benefit from the cranes 360-degree movement.
Wide beam crane boats – This versatile boat can also be easily road transported and features a 7m internal load space, a crane which is capable of lifting up to 3.5 tonnes and a carrying capacity of 20 tonnes, making it a popular choice for those undertaking canal and lock maintenance. We also offer a powered wide beam crane boat which can be used as a platform to transport excavators when the crane is removed.
Crane and digger pontoons
Narrow and wide beam digger pontoons – These specialist pontoons can be used to both transport machines and as operating platforms, where it can access awkward sites. The machine can be moved up and down the pontoon with no danger of capsizing thanks to the various stability tanks.
Narrow and wide beam crane pontoons – These purpose-built vessels are ideal for a variety of lifting operations, and thanks to the excellent design they can be used as a platform and for easy loading and unloading of materials and machinery.
Powered excavator pontoons – As part of our expanding hire fleet we are pleased to offer a powered version of our popular unpowered mini digger pontoon. This is a great vessel for providing an excavator with access to difficult areas such as towpaths and where piling, dredging and nicospan works need to be completed.
Survey pontoons – The modular design of this stable platform can be scaled up to 7m width with a length of 26ft. It is a great option for those who need to complete inspections along rivers and waterways and thanks to the design, it can be easily transported to awkward sites via a Hiab lorry.
Powered boats
Carrying boats – We are pleased to offer a variety of powered carrying boats ranging in size from 35-55ft, making them ideal for a variety of sites and projects.
Welfare boats – Our expertly designed powered welfare boats have all the facilities and storage areas required for waterway site works, including a toilet, hand wash station, kettle, microwave, and seating. The range includes welfare pods and pontoons, so we have options available to suit all budgets and sites.
Pusher Tugs
Our extensive range of pusher tugs include narrow beam, wide beam and shallow draft designs which are available with a variety of options such as welfare units and tool storage.
Hoppers
Materials hoppers – These useful vessels are particularly suited to UK rivers and canals, with both empty and tanked designs available. The range includes hoppers measuring 30ft through to our largest 70ft vessels, which can be transported via Hiab, crane or lorry.
Shallow drafted hoppers – This range of hoppers is specifically designed for shallow watercourses, and our fleet offers a variety of hold lengths with a maximum carrying capacity of 6 tonnes.
Wide beam hoppers – These are designed for easy transportation where they are often double stacked on lorries for delivery. The 45ft hoppers have a carrying capacity of 30 tonnes and they benefit from a sealed internal tank.
Small work boats and flat punts – These shallow boats are perfect for small projects such as laying brickwork or completing inspections. They can be easily loaded onto trucks and moved into play with a Hiab crane.
Reed and weed boats
Truxor boats – These lightweight, amphibious boats can work in both damp marshlands and deep water, and thanks to the low ground impact they are ideal for use in ecologically sensitive sites.
Conver boats – These easy to move boats are capable of cutting all aquatic weeds and reeds as they can be fitted with many cutting heads, weed baskets, tined grabs and rakes.
Paddle boats – If you need to clear shallow water with heavy weeds these versatile paddle boats and the range of attachments are the ideal choice.
Harvester boats – These weed harvester boats will cut, collect, and discharge aquatic weeds onto a bank or into a hopper, and thanks to the 3.5m3 storage tank they are ideal for heavy growth areas.
Crane boats – This versatile boat is ideal for many projects, and it is regularly hired for both remote sites and site clearance works. The variety of specialist attachments offer excellent reach and thank to the onboard welfare pod, it is a popular choice.
Long reach excavator boats – Ranging from 2.5tonnes through to 8tonnes, these long reach amphibious boats can be used on banks, pontoons or within the water.
Diggers and dumpers
Diggers – We have an extensive range of capable Kuboto diggers, ranging from our 850kg-2.5 tonne mini diggers through to our large 8 tonne diggers. These machines are specially designed for marine projects with roll cages, marine bio-oil, and LOLER certified drop control valves.
Tracked dumpers – Our versatile JCB tracked dumper is the ideal machine for all types of terrain. As a compact machine, our dumper is perfect for use in tight spots where it can move with ease and make light work of moving and tipping.
Attachments and specialist marine construction equipment
Vibro hammers – Our Excavataor Mounted Vibrators (EMVs) are a popular choice for those who need to drive in and extract piles. These useful hammers can be attached to standard 5-12 tonne excavators, making them ideal for sites which are limited by excavator size.
Free hanging vibro hammers – These useful standalone hammers use their own hydraulic power pack to drive and extract pules, without needing to be plumbed into a crane’s hydraulics. This quick and easy installation is ideal for many applications and the hammer can be used with all pile types.
Air hammers – Our ARG air hammers are a popular choice for many waterway and canal projects, where they can be used for trench sheeting, pile sections, plastic piling, H-section columns, barrier posts, jetty scaffolding, mooring, steel tubes and fencing posts. We have a range of hammer sizes to suit all projects.
Hydraulic piling hammers – Our fleet includes both TR1 and TR2 hammers, so whatever your ground conditions these free-hanging hydraulic impact hammers will complete the job with ease. The hammers are available in 3 possible sizes which are designed to attach to both cranes and excavators of 2.5 tonne upwards.
Hydraulic breakers – Our range of hydraulic breakers are available in various sizes to suit machines ranging from 1 to 6 tonnes in size. We are also pleased to offer our JCB Beaver Pack which is ideal for breaking concrete and asphalt.
Hydraulic post drivers – Our wide range of hydraulic post drivers are available for machines up to 5 tonnes, and we also have a variety of specialist driving caps available to all applications, including the installation of coir rolls and nicospan.
Coping Stone lifters – Our coping stone liftings are designed to handle all types, sizes and finishes of stone so that you can complete your project with ease.
The Rothen Group – An extensive range of marine plant hire
We hope this blog has provided an insight into the extensive marine plant we offer for hire here at The Rothen Group, and as specialist marine contractors the full range is available to hire both with and without operators. Whether you need to complete canal maintenance, site clearance or construction works on a waterway site, we are here to provide the technical expertise, the manpower and the plant hire you may require. To find out more about our competitively priced, high-quality range, please contact our knowledgeable team today.