As a registered charity, Swansea Community Boat Trust (SCBT) and our boat Copper Jack are run entirely by a dedicated team of unpaid volunteers and are licensed by the Maritime Coastguard Agency (MCA).

We offer boat trips for groups (Private Charters) and individuals on Public Sailings. We also run special events such as Live Music Events (that are also open to the general public). 

All boat trips typically last for 90 minutes and with the exception of our Live Music Events are accompanied by an entertaining and informative commentary on the history of Swansea from its Copperopolis days through to the present day. The commentary on Private Charters being optional.

Private Charters for corporate events, organisations, charities, family occasions, parties etc can be booked for almost any day/time (crew, weather and river conditions dependent), and can be booked for almost any type of event. 

Booking a Private Charter for up to 40 passengers means you have exclusive access to the boat. Whereas Public Sailings mean you are potentially sharing the boat with other members of the public.

When making a booking for a Private Charter, the person/organisation making the booking is responsible for inviting their guests and ensuring only those invited board the boat (as well as paying for the sailing).

Although we can comfortably carry up to 40 passengers, as many want to bring musicians, equipment, catering etc onboard, we naturally have to reduce that number to accommodate such requests. For example, a couple of musicians with their instruments and associated equipment, would typically reduce the number of passengers to 35.

We often get asked to run a Private Charter for a “party”. Copper Jack is an enclosed vessel with limited space and facilities (for example, just one WC). As mentioned, Copper Jack is run entirely by volunteers, and although they are fully trained to deal with emergencies (as required by the MCA) and can more than cope with well organised and run events, we do not have door staff / bouncers to police unruly behaviour. Added to which, it’s not as though we can just ask people to leave – unless they are good swimmers.

This being said, we have had some really great party sailings from birthdays, anniversaries, and music events, and would welcome hosting more of them. All we ask is that when making such a booking, your guests are made aware of the limitations of Copper Jack – including respecting our volunteers, and abiding by our rules such as no smoking/vaping, only alcohol bought onboard can be consumed – very much like most other licensed premises.

Private Charters cost for 2024 are from £250 for a sailing Monday to Friday during school term time, and from £300 at all other times (weekends, public and school holidays). 

Although our normal sailing times are 90-minutes, we can provide longer booking slots with the additional time onboard at the pontoon (either before or after the sailing). The cost of any additional time is based on a pro-rata cost of the 90-minute sailing in 30-minute slots. For example, a 2hr booking on a weekend would cost £300 for the 90-minute sailing plus £100 for the additional 30 minutes.

A deposit of £100 is taken at the time of booking, with the balance payable no later than 3 days prior to the sailing.

We have a number of published Private Charters listed on our website meaning you can browse for availability and book one directly. These can be viewed and booked by clicking HERE. All we ask is if you have any special requests, you note these when making the booking, and we will contact you if we require clarification.

Should you require a Private Charter at a date/time not currently published on our website, or you require a longer booking slot, we ask that you complete a provisional booking form. This can be found by clicking HERE.  Please note that this is just a provisional booking and we will again contact you to confirm.

Copper Jack and our Boat Masters are licensed by the MCA. All sailings will have a minimum of 3 SCBT volunteers (Boat Master, outside crew and galley staff). In addition, when a narration/commentary is required, we will also have a guide onboard. Please indicate at the time of booking whether you require a live commentary.

As mentioned, everyone involved in running SCBT and Copper Jack are volunteers. As such, prior to confirming a Private Charter booking, we will have to ensure we have a full complement of crew available for your sailing. If you are flexible on the days/times that you sail, please let us know at the time of booking, as this will help to ensure we are more likely to be able to accommodate your request.

We have a small licensed bar serving alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, teas, coffees and a small selection of snacks. 

Private Charter bookings may bring their own food / catering onboard by prior arrangement. Otherwise, all drinks / snacks consumed on board must be purchased onboard.

Being classed as a commercial vessel by the MCA, as well as holding licences for Copper Jack, our Boat Masters, Music and Alcohol, we are fully insured (including £5m for Public Liability insurance). We also have Risk Assessments that can be made available if required.

Copper Jack has the following audio visual equipment that can be made available to Private Charters by prior arrangement (at no additional cost):

• 3x monitors that can be used to display material (connected via HDMI). 
• Ceiling-mounted speakers powered by a small amplifier (Bluetooth, RCA and USB)
• Windows laptop connected to the amplifier/speakers and 3x monitors (for example to display PowerPoint material).
• A “karaoke” soundbar (Bluetooth, Auxiliary, Optical)
• Hand-held microphones (x2) and microphone headset 

Private Charters bringing their own equipment onboard have access to 230v power (delivered by a 14KVA onboard generator).

Hopefully the above information answers many of your questions about hiring Copper Jack for a Private Charter.

Should you have any further questions, you may find answers to many commonly asked questions (such as where are the nearest car parks, how do passengers in wheelchairs get on board Copper Jack, can I bring my well-behaved dog on board) can be found on our FAQ page (https://www.scbt.org.uk/faq-menu/), or by contacting us.

Otherwise, we look forward to welcoming you aboard.