About us

One of the Leading Suppliers of Workboats, Marine Plant and Machinery

• 35 Years of Experience Working on Britain's Canals and Waterways
• An Extensive Fleet of Specialised Work Boats and Plant and Equipment
• Available Nationwide
• Competitive Hire Rates
• Skilled Staff

Established in 1981, A and R Rothen Ltd. specialise in the supply of narrow beam workboats and plant for hire across the UK and today we are proud to call ourselves one of the leading narrow beam workboat and plant hire suppliers in the UK, with a customer base which includes, the Canal and River Trust, Kier, Gallifords, Morgan Sindall, and the OCS/Fountains group, to name but a few. Our Company has its roots in Canal Transport - we began life moving Coal, Steel Piles and other materials, for the former British Waterways, before long, we were also undertaking other works on the waterways, from towpath and mooring installations, to major dredging contracts across the Birmingham area. Our wealth of experience working on Britains inland waterways, and alongside those maintaining them, means we now have an extensive fleet, some of which has been custom built, to suit a variety of applications and requirements. In addition, all of our boats can be transported by both waterway and road, meaning we can deliver to sites nationwide. In recent years, we have also branched out in to offering other plant and equipment for hire alongside or separately from our workboats, including Mini Diggers, Post Rammers and Tracked Dumpers, as well as agricultural equipment such as Rough Terrain Telehandlers and Muck Spreaders. Please do contact us to discuss your requirements, our knowledgeable staff are always happy to help.