The Floating Classroom (The Electric Barge)

What The Floating Classroom (The Electric Barge) does

The Floating Classroom (trading as The Electric Barge) operates a single electric-powered canal barge as a floating event venue on London's Grand Union Canal and Regent's Canal, moored at Sheldon Square in Paddington Central. The vessel is fully accessible for wheelchair users and offers three core cruise packages: a 3.5-hour Camden Return (peak £2,400 / off-peak £1,700), an 8-hour King's Cross Return (peak £3,600 / off-peak £2,700), and bespoke multi-day cruises to East London starting from £2,700. Facilities include a trained skipper and crew, fully stocked bar with locally-sourced products, basic table and chair setup, a club-level sound system, and bathrooms. The business is structured as a social enterprise with a documented sustainability and educational mission, supported by a JustGiving donation channel.

Revenue is generated through one-time venue-hire bookings, with add-on revenue from on-board bar and catering services supplied by external partners. The go-to-market model is direct-to-consumer: customers submit event enquiries via the website contact form, with marketing primarily through the company website and Instagram (@theelectricbarge). The customer base spans individuals seeking unique celebration venues (birthdays, anniversaries) and corporate/team-use cases (away days, workshops, office parties). Pricing is VAT-inclusive and tiered by peak versus off-peak seasonality.

The operating geography is confined to the Regent's Canal corridor between Paddington and King's Cross, with the bespoke offering extending reach toward East London. The company does not utilize third-party resellers, distribution partners, or institutional funding channels and shows no evidence of headcount growth, fleet expansion, or external investment. All revenue mechanics are linked to utilization of one physical asset, making capacity, seasonality, and maintenance windows the primary commercial drivers.

Name

The Floating Classroom (The Electric Barge)

Legal name

The Floating Classroom

Website

https://theelectricbarge.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Floating Classroom operates The Electric Barge, a single electric canal barge venue at Paddington offering canal cruises and venue hire in London for birthdays, anniversaries, corporate hire, and away days.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Canal Cruise and Event Venue Hire

NAICS

Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Water (4872), Inland Water Passenger Transportation (483212)

SIC

Water Transportation (4400)

akta.pro primary industry

Canal & Coastal Barge Cruises (Boutique) (THAEADAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sightseeing & Scenic Boat Tours (Harbor, Sunset, Dolphin/Whale Watching) (THAJAJAA)

Keywords

• Canal cruise hire
• Floating event venue
• Corporate away days
• Canal boat charter
• Private hire cruises

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Venue Hire and Canal Cruises: Revenue generated through hiring out the electric barge for events including birthdays, anniversaries, office parties, corporate hire, and meetings. Offers three main cruise packages: Camden Return (3.5 hours), King's Cross Return (8 hours), and bespoke multi-day cruises. Pricing varies by season (peak vs off-peak) and duration. Venue hire starts from £2,700 for bespoke bookings.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The Electric Barge operates a fully accessible, electric-powered canal barge as a floating event venue on the Regent's Canal in London. It offers canal cruise packages (Camden Return 3.5 hours, King's Cross Return 8 hours, and bespoke multi-day cruises) departing from a mooring at Sheldon Square, Paddington, with on-board bar, catering, skipper and crew included for hire events such as birthdays, anniversaries, corporate away days, meetings, and promotional activities.

Product overview

The Floating Classroom operates The Electric Barge as a single unified product—a floating event venue offering canal boat cruises along London's Regent's Canal. The core offering consists of three named cruise routes (Camden Return, King's Cross Return, and Bespoke) plus on-board bar and catering add-on services. All cruises depart from the Paddington mooring and provide venue hire for various events including birthdays, anniversaries, corporate parties, meetings, and away days.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Camden Return Cruise A 3.5-hour round-trip canal cruise from Paddington to Camden Market and back, available with afternoon (12:30pm) or evening (6:30pm) departure. Suitable for birthdays, anniversaries, and social events. Peak pricing £2,400; off-peak £1,700, inclusive of VAT.
• King's Cross Return Cruise An 8-hour full-day cruise from Paddington through Camden Market locks to King's Cross and back, with departure from 9:00am to 2:00pm. Positioned for corporate away days, team workshops, office parties, and meetings. Peak pricing £3,600; off-peak £2,700, inclusive of VAT.
• Bespoke Cruises Customisable cruise experiences designed for promotional hire or multi-day cruises to East London. Venue hire starts from £2,700 with pricing determined through the enquiry form based on customer requirements.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• Thames Luxury Charters: London-based private charter operator offering skippered, catered cruises for corporate and private events on the Thames. Comparable event-on-water use case targeting similar corporate and celebration buyers, with shared skippered full-service model.
• Bateaux London: Restaurant and event cruise operator on the Thames offering dining, hospitality and private hire for corporate and celebratory events. Comparable venue-on-water event use case in London, though on a larger river vessel.
• GoBoat London: Self-drive electric boat hire operating on Regent's Canal and Paddington Basin. Comparable because it shares the same canal network, electric-propulsion sustainability angle and central-London leisure use case, although the model is self-piloted rather than skippered.
• London Canal Museum (Narrowboat Trips): Operates heritage narrowboat trips on Regent's Canal in partnership with Jason's Trip, providing short sightseeing and educational cruises. Directly comparable canal-based sightseeing passenger offering in the same London waterway.
• Jason's Trip: Long-running canal boat cruise operator on Regent's Canal in Camden offering scheduled passenger trips and private charters. Closest direct peer because it shares the same canal, similar narrowboat-class vessel and comparable leisure/sightseeing passenger use case.

Broad incumbents

• City Cruises London: Operator of sightseeing, lunch, dinner and event cruises on the Thames under the City Experiences brand. Comparable London water-based sightseeing and event venue model but at a wider portfolio scale.
• Thames Clippers / Uber Boat by Thames Clippers: Largest commuter passenger boat operator on the Thames, with scheduled services and an events arm. Comparable London water passenger transport use case but at much larger scale and on the Thames rather than Regent's Canal.

Emerging players

• Thames RIB Experience: Operator of high-speed RIB tours and private charters on the Thames for groups and corporate events. Comparable London water experiences targeting private/group hire, but with a faster, more thrill-led product.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/theelectricbarge
• Xx.com/electricbarge
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheElectricBarge
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-electric-barge

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Floating Classroom (The Electric Barge)