Commuting Canal Style (1 Viewer)

GJH

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Aug 20, 2007
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We loved watching narrow boats at various places where we holidayed earlier this year. If we ever win the Premium Bonds or Lottery we'll blow it on a narrow boat and a house with mooring on the River Severn, somewhere like Upton ::bigsmile:
 
Dec 28, 2011
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How on earth does he cope with all of that traffic ?
There's ANOTHER boat in front of him. :Eeek:

Good grief, it's total gridlock :Doh:

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Dec 23, 2007
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started when I was 11 with my parents-forgot to stop!been real one since 1980!
watching barges is called 'gongoozeling' God knows why. A decent boat is about the same as a mid to top range motorhome-about £60k,some are sold by the foot! The running costs are about the same except for fuel consumption,although a pressure group suspected to be from motorhomers some years ago, were arguing about the boats being exempt from vat and fuel duty and being able to use red diesel caused them to pay the same as us for fuel which has upset the boaties a tad.
I saw a residential narrow boat for sale in a motorhome mag recently for £10k or swap for a motorhome.
My ideal would be use the van for long term travelling and have a narrow boat as a 'bolt hole'.
Now where did I put my lottery numbers?

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Scattycat

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Jan 3, 2013
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Having and living on our narrow boat is about the only thing I miss about the UK.
But having said that the cost of the license and mooring fees make it a much more expensive life style than motorhomeing :cry:
 

Snowbird

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For those that think motorhoming is expensive, don't even think about getting involved with boats. Mooring fees alone can cost much more than campsite fees. Then there's paying to have them lifted out every couple of years and blacked and anti fouled. Boating is far from a cheap pastime.
 

peter H

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Long term mooring cost in a marina will vary depends on where, quiet ish canal side marina about £1200 to £1600 per year. Somewhere like the Thames easily double that.
Yearly licence again depends on boat length and type of licence say £900 per year.
Fuel costs, yes no red diesel anymore, so full price charged, but as its also used for moving the boat and for heating etc, you can claim a discount fr part of the cost. Most people get a reduction on about 80% of the cost.
The payback is the total lack of stress and the enjoyment of the magical environment. In a phrase, Priceless!

Peter

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Nov 18, 2011
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Long term mooring cost in a marina will vary depends on where, quiet ish canal side marina about £1200 to £1600 per year. Somewhere like the Thames easily double that.
Yearly licence again depends on boat length and type of licence say £900 per year.
Fuel costs, yes no red diesel anymore, so full price charged, but as its also used for moving the boat and for heating etc, you can claim a discount fr part of the cost. Most people get a reduction on about 80% of the cost.
The payback is the total lack of stress and the enjoyment of the magical environment. In a phrase, Priceless!

Peter
those little Lister diesels run lovely on bio diesel with next to no modifications and as the fuel tanks are inboard no clouding problems with it i know a few fends that live on there boat
and no nasty derive smell from the engine compartment but storing it for long times can be a problem but use it up fast and there are not so many issues with it :thumb:
 
Feb 4, 2010
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Traffic Jam, Upton upon Severn, 8th August 2013

Is that just opposite the car park & petrol station? If so, this is the same stretch back in January, taken from the bridge...

STA71807_2.jpg


...after the water had gone down a bit.

Better make sure your dream lottery-win house and mooring are protected by those new flood defences :Smile:

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daisy mae

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Mar 12, 2013
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My Daughter and family have boats on the Broads, Grandson has three, sold their large house and downsized as that was their dream, they live there now, boats mooring £2-£3000 per annum for the large one , electric is paid by card in the electric post, much cheaper than we pay for site electric, then boats are lifted every 3 years, certainly not cheap, but they love it and wouldn`t have it any other way, plus the social life is fantastic, I love it when I go on their boat, out in the fresh air, quiet and relaxing plus the bonus of the wildlife, Kingfishers on the rail of their boat, when moored up, wouldn`t have believed it myself if I hadn`t seen them, had deer on the bank,
 

canopus

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We loved watching narrow boats at various places where we holidayed earlier this year. If we ever win the Premium Bonds or Lottery we'll blow it on a narrow boat and a house with mooring on the River Severn, somewhere like Upton ::bigsmile:


Graham the canal system is chokka block theses days. Get a mooring first before you get the boat. We had 25 years canal boating - made up of hiring and finally owning our own. The camaraderie is not what it used to be on the canals. One reason for us selling our last boat.

Not much fun in winter when its dark at 4pm and when the cut is frozen and thetfords full

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Last edited:

chrisgreen

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Jul 26, 2009
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had a canal boat for seven years,until someone made me an offer i could not refuse:Doh:
regret selling it to this day:cry:
Also had a 24ft towable 4 birth picton sports cruiser which we used to tow down to the coast behind a transit sold that in a fit of madness:Doh:
but will get another one day,looked at buying one about 9 month ago but the guy would not sell it with the mooring,and moorings in oxford are hard to get hold of.
iv had some fantastic holidays on boats on the canal and in weymouth,isle of white,langstone harbour,hopefully will have some more one day:thumb:
 

canopus

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Yes Neil, just about there. The flood defences around Waterside look very impressive but that's the other side of the bridge ::bigsmile:

Been stuck on the very same pontoon at Upton - four days waiting for the Severn's level to drop. But all that bloody rain in Wales ends up the Severn the day after. Made it up to Worcester but it was a bit hairy in a flat bottomed boat with 30 HP engine. :cry: a proper brown trouser moment :ROFLMAO:
 

GJH

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Graham the canal system is chokka block theses days. Get a mooring first before you get the boat. We had 25 years canal boating - made up of hiring and finally owning our own. The camaraderie is not what it used to be on the canals. One reason for us selling our last boat.

Not much fun in winter when its dark at 4pm and when the cut is frozen and thetfords full

I'll have to get that lottery win before the mooring Ken - but with a lottery win I'm sure many moorings would be affordable ::bigsmile:

Yes, the winter downside is why we would have a house as well - plus the motorhome of course ::bigsmile:

We can all dream ::bigsmile:

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canopus

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I'll have to get that lottery win before the mooring Ken - but with a lottery win I'm sure many moorings would be affordable ::bigsmile:

Yes, the winter downside is why we would have a house as well - plus the motorhome of course ::bigsmile:

We can all dream ::bigsmile:


Much better idea would be to get a boat on the European Canal network with a house at the side of the canal. Mooring and everyday running costs are cheaper :thumb:
 

canopus

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Nov 27, 2010
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With a lottery win cheap wouldn't matter ::bigsmile:


The English Canal System is choked with boats with people living on them. It was never intended for the amount of traffic that is using it today. European canals are less busy. Only this morning, some old friends moored up to say hello on our mooring on their boat. They commented how clogged up the system is especially in London - nowhere to moor up. Same on the K&A and all the other honeyspots. Queues at Locks, water points, sanitary stations etc. Idiots travelling faster than 4 m/ph and boat rage occurring more than ever. We see them passing our house every day. :Angry:

Been there, done that, got the video and the T shirt !!

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Volusia

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Oct 2, 2013
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I agree with you Canopus! By the way if that is your boats name we must have seen you loads of time on the system. I remember one time at Tixall wide, 2006 I think. Before we came to live in France. Our intention was to come back and cruise every summer but it didn't work out like that as we have an enormous garden here:winky: the last year we cruised was the year of the floods. 2008, and we got stuck at Stratford for a week very scary on a boat in the floods! Couldn't get off for four days:Sad:

You can buy a narrowboat now very cheaply but moorings are another matter ! And there are a lot of people with no licences and rubbish boats on the system. New Age travellers they call themselves! Hmmmm no comment! Also lots of DSS are putting people on narrowboats rather than pay them housing benefit. Don't know how that works but it is happening !

The canals are not what they were even 10 years ago. My husband has been boating for many years. On the canals and at sea, he says that a boat is a hole in the water into which you throw your money:Eeek: he's right but it used to be wonderful:RollEyes:
 

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