Making memories are what summer socials are all about.
As the mercury climbs, the great outdoors provides an ideal change of scene from the office or the home – a backdrop to shared experiences.
For those seeking something just that little bit different, Skuna’s BBQ Boats are all set for 2025’s summer months.
Based at West India Quay, these self-drive electric craft come with built-in BBQs offering Wharfers “an unforgettable way to eat, drink and spend time with others”.
BBQ Boats hold up to 10 people, with cruises lasting 100 minutes
BBQ Boats offer 100-minute cruises
The experience begins with a quick briefing before guests take the helm for 100 minutes of cooking and relaxing on the tranquil waters of North Dock.
Each boat holds up to 10 people, who can either bring their own food to grill or pre-order from Skuna’s freshly prepared food packages.
Drinks can be purchased from the on-site bar, which also sells captains hats for those who want to take a turn at the tiller.
“Our BBQ Boats offer the perfect dining on the water experience for summer,” said Stuart ‘Tommo’ Thomson, founder of Skuna.
“They are great for team bonding experience as you cook and sail yourself around the beautiful docks of Canary Wharf.
“This is a world away from the ordinary BBQ in the park or back garden – it’s summer dining, but not as you know it – and a bucket list activity to enjoy with friends and colleagues alike.”
The craft are a popular option for summer parties in Canary Wharf
key details: Skuna BBQ Boats
Skuna’s BBQ Boats are available during the summer months from their home on West India Quay.
Prices and details of the various food packages available can all be found on Skuna’s website, as well as booking links for its Sauna Boat and Hot Tub Boat experiences – also based in Canary Wharf.
There’s quite possibly a dash of Viking DNA in Stuart “Tommo” Thomson.
Where others see stretches of under-used water, he sees opportunity, just as Scandinavian raiders once did.
He’s also a fan of flames afloat.
First there came Barge East, a culinary powerhouse of a restaurant opposite Hackney Wick on the western edge of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and a flotilla of wood-fired hot tub boats with electric cruising engines.
Having conquered Canary Wharf, Skuna shored up its presence with a fleet of gently bobbing BBQ craft, popular in the summer months.
Last year, these were retrofitted with igloo-style roofs for winter to allow cold weather fondue sailings.
But it’s the latest arrival that speaks to the raw fire and ice existence of the northern tribes.
Built (appropriately) in Sweden, and believed to be the only self-propelled vehicle offering hot and cold therapy in the country, she’s currently moored for static service at West India Quay.
The boat has two icy plunge pools on its roof – image by Skuna
hot, then cold at Sauna Boat
The proposition is simple.
Her lower deck boasts changing facilities and a smart, wood-fired sauna allowing guests to get suitably toasty while gazing out of a large plate glass window overlooking the waters of North Dock.
There’s even a see-through hatch in the floor for views down towards the deep.
Once hot enough, a walkway round the structure and a wooden staircase take guests up to the roof where two icy plunge baths sit, complete with a high-tech cooling and water purification unit.
After the shock of a refreshing dip, the liquid chilled to a brisk 7ºC (or cooler, if desired), guests can then relax on comfy sofas with Canary Wharf’s towers to the south and the listed historic sugar warehouses of West India Quay to the north.
The temptation, of course, is to then do it all again to maximise that endophin high.
Skuna founder and CEO, Stuart ‘Tommo’ Thomson – image by Jon Massey
messing about in boats
“As a company, we’re interested in anything unusual you can put on a boat,” said Tommo.
“We want to provide all sorts of different experiences for people and we feel Sauna Boat is a natural progression from our hot tub boats.
“Saunas are booming across the country at the moment and there’s a wealth of health benefits to hot and cold contrast therapy – a boost for physical and mental health and it improves sleep dramatically.
“Since it arrived I’ve been in it every day and I’ve never slept better.
“The concept of taking a sauna has been around for thousands of years but it wasn’t really a popular thing to do in the UK until five or 10 years ago.
“Now it’s attracting people who are looking for something different, to relax and catch up with friends, or meet new people.
“That’s what Sauna Boat is all about. People come in, get changed – some may stay in the heat for 10 minutes, others for longer.
“Then it feels fantastic to step outside onto the deck and get some air on your body.
“Then they can enjoy the plunge pools, enjoy some time on the roof and go back inside for some more warmth and another cycle.”
The craft was built in Sweden and is now located in east London
a Sauna Boat from Sweden
Tommo and the team first came across the Swedish craft in 2018 in Oslo while searching for floating experiences to bring to the UK.
Initially Sauna Boat will be a static experience at West India Quay, but the plan is eventually to cruise the craft in the dock in similar fashion to the way they operate in Sweden.
Two further craft are expected to join the flagship in due course.
“It’s taken us a little while to get the first one over here, but we knew we loved the Scandinavian tradition of sauna,” he said.
“They are places of wellness and relaxation, but also somewhere to socialise with friends.
“We have music on-board and Friday evenings might be more upbeat, but Sauna Boat will always be a place to relax, rejuvenate and enjoy time spent with others.
“Floating on the water is an amazing place to have a sauna experience.
“Through the glass wall you can see other boats, ducks and geese going past.
“It’s all about tranquillity and the design means you can be snug in the sauna while looking out on Canary Wharf’s skyscrapers or relax on the top deck.
“Since we launched the hot tub boats here in 2018, West India Quay has changed so much – there’s an incredible array of bars and restaurants here and in Canary Wharf so this is the perfect place for our latest boat. It feels fantastic to have brought this here.”
Sauna Boat is moored at Skuna’s West India Quay base – image by Skuna
key details: Sauna Boat
Sauna Boat is located in West India North Dock with access from West India Quay where Skuna’s hot tub and BBQ boats are also based. It’s officially open from May 1, 2025.
Shared sessions start at £15 on Thursdays and Fridays and cost £20 at weekends.
These last 60 minutes, including changing time.
Sauna Boat accommodates up to 15 people, with exclusive private hire also available.
Enter Skuna Boats and Wharf Life’s second prize draw for a chance to win an exclusive Hot Tub Boat or BBQ Boat hire experience in Canary Wharf, worth more than £300.
Whether you’re seeking relaxation or adventure, Skuna Boats offer the perfect blend of luxury and excitement.
Don’t let this opportunity sail away – enter now for a chance to create lifelong memories with your loved ones..
The winner can choose from either a Hot Tub Boat experience for up to seven people lasting 75 minutes, or a BBQ Boat Experience for up to 10 people lasting 100 minutes – both worth over £300.
Booking will be by arrangement with Skuna Boats.
The winner will be selected by Wharf Life and contacted on June 26, 2024.
There is no cash alternative and the editor’s decision is final.
- Jon Massey is co-founder and editorial director of Wharf Life and writes about a wide range of subjects in Canary Wharf, Docklands and east London - contact via jon.massey@wharf-life.com
For the past three years – lockdowns excepted – West India Docks has been home to knots of folk in swimsuits gently slipping through the water in curious bright red craft.
Some sport captains’ hats and sip beverages, most wave to passers-by as they inevitably become the subject of social media updates or enthusiastic messages to friends.
“I originally saw the hot tub boats in Holland – they’re made by a guy in Rotterdam and I spotted them when I was on holiday and thought it looked a lot of fun,” said Tommo.
Despite enforced closures due to the pandemic, his business has had its busiest summer since the first of pillar box red vessels silently sailed away from its moorings and, with a new boat in the pipeline and plans to expand operations to more sites in the UK, the future looks bright.
Hot tub boats can take up to seven people
“I had a go in one and thought it was brilliant and that it was definitely something that should be in the UK.
“We started in the Regent’s Canal near Old Street for a year and then moved to Canary Wharf.
“The docks here are a lot more expansive – the boats can travel further and it’s a more interesting journey.
“The Regent’s Canal has locks so you could only go about 500m. Here the boats can explore a lot more of the dock system so it’s a much better place to go out on one.”
The hot tub boats normally cost from £225 and have a maximum capacity of seven people equating to less than £33 on weekdays.
They are filled with fresh, pre-heated water for each party which is kept at around 38ºC by an on-board stove that is stoked with enough eco briquettes to last for the duration of the 90-minute experience.
Refreshments, including limited alcohol can be purchased direct from Skuna.
“Whatever the weather – sun, rain, snow – the water will stay at 38ºC,” said Tommo.
“We’re much busier in summer but the best time of year to take a trip on one is in the winter when it’s freezing cold outside.
“We haven’t had snow in Canary Wharf since we opened, but we’re hoping for some because it will be a great experience to sail the boats in those conditions.
“The trip lasts an hour and a half – we have a recommended route, which takes up the duration of the hire time.
“There are a few limits on where the boats can go but otherwise customers are free to explore the dock system. They travel at a couple of miles an hour for a relaxing, serene experience.”
BBQ Boats have a grill in the middle to cook whatever you like on
Skuna also operates BBQ Boats for up to nine people who can cook on a grill at the centre of the doughnut-shaped craft.
Restricted to North Dock by the pedestrian bridge from Crossrail Place to West India Quay, sailors are nevertheless free to bob around the struts of the floating bridge while making their food. Hire starts at £150 and drinks must be purchased from Skuna.
“You can enjoy a trip while cooking your own food with Canary Wharf in the background,” said Tommo. “It’s amazing to see all the wonderful things people prepare. We do packs of food too that people can purchase or they can order from Pizza Pilgrims.”
Expansion beckons, with a pop-up already in place at Lakeside shopping centre. But of greater excitement to Wharfers is the company’s new prototype, currently tied up at West India Quay as it undergoes testing.
“We want to expand the hot tub and BBQ Boats to other locations in the UK,” said Tommo. “The ones we currently use are made in Holland so we’ve developed a prototype that’s partly made of recycled plastic bottle tops, designed and built over here.
“It’s a multifunctional vessel that will be able to transform from a hot tub boat to a BBQ boat to give us greater flexibilty. It’s not ready for customers yet, but it certainly should be at the start of 2022.”
In October and November 2021, Skuna Boats is currently offering 50% off Hot Tub Boats booked Monday-Wednesday. All BBQ Boat bookings are half price until November 30.
Use code BOATOUT for the former and AUTUMN50 for the latter.
BBQ Boats are restricted to West India North Dock
A PERSONAL JOURNEY
I have to admit to a certain scepticism about taking a ride on a hot tub boat. I thought the novelty would quickly wear off, that a quick 20-minute spin would be enough to get the gist and then it would be back onto dry land.
Then something remarkable happened. I’m not sure whether it was the deep warmth of the water, the process of learning to sail the jolly little craft or the dreamlike progress we made through the water, but time seemed to stand still.
The boat was extremely easy to manoeuvre, its tiny engine providing just enough thrust to make it feel like we were getting somewhere without ever careering out of control, even at full throttle.
The juxtaposition of one’s body, essentially in a hot bath, floating on deep cool water with Canary Wharf’s towers rearing up all around is peculiar.
It’s a rare expedition of near total decadence in a world of purpose and direction – a chance to escape for 90 minutes into an experience that’s pure fun and pleasure.
Everyone waves. People shout that they wish it was them. The tiny electric motor is silent, the stove doesn’t even crackle.
You’re a swan gliding effortlessly over the darkness of the dock, between the shadows of the buildings into the sunshine.
Then all too soon it’s over and, mentally, you start planning your next trip before you’re even changed. Stirring stuff. JM
