Thinking about doing the houseboat thing...in London (1 Viewer)

[Gromett]

Beautiful boat. Funny video. The Comments REALLY creased me up.

 

[Silver-Fox]

A mate at work was looking into doing the boat thing.

He was looking at Dutch Barge. He reckoned you got a lot more usable space.
I know nothing about this type of life so just saying what his thinking was

 

[houdini]

Welcome to MotorhomeFun.
I think the suggestion of chatting to other boat owners is a good idea. Then perhaps start by renting to see how you like the life.

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[TheBig1]

owning a boat is like trying to fill the amount of water it displaces with money constantly

 

[buttons]

Hi and Welcome......​

 

[Pia]

My son lives on a narrowboat he moved on 3 years ago and loves it. I lived alone on a narrowboat for 7 years (betwenn husbands) and loved every minute. It is a different way of being but as a long time full timer you will not find it that strange. It takes about 18 months to get used to your boat and know how to get most things sorted There are fixed costs such as the licence which is just like road tax you can buy one for a year or portions of a year. You also have to have a Boat Safety Certificant in order to buy a licence ....that examination of the gas and safety stuff on your boat is done, by a qualified person, every 3 years and costs less than £100. You also have to black your boat and replace annodes every 3-5 years depending on the paint you use to black!! You need at least 40 foot to live aboard comfortably and a boat that size will have a bathroom. Getting the washing done is not a problem as there are lots of launderettes around and about. You can do a certificated narrowboat handling course through the Royal Yatching Association I would recommend that if you have no experience of boat handling. if you are in full time regular work then living in a marina is the best option otherwise you have to continuously cruise which means keep moving the boat every 14 days. It is a wonderful way to live and the waterways are just delightful. Don't be afraid ....do your research and save your money....you will need at least £25k to buy something worthwhile and it is best to have a survey done unless you can have sight of a recent from the seller of the boat. Good luck with whatever you decide to do!!

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[Gromett]

My son lives on a narrowboat he moved on 3 years ago and loves it. I lived alone on a narrowboat for 7 years (betwenn husbands) and loved every minute. It is a different way of being but as a long time full timer you will not find it that strange. It takes about 18 months to get used to your boat and know how to get most things sorted There are fixed costs such as the licence which is just like road tax you can buy one for a year or portions of a year. You also have to have a Boat Safety Certificant in order to buy a licence ....that examination of the gas and safety stuff on your boat is done, by a qualified person, every 3 years and costs less than £100. You also have to black your boat and replace annodes every 3-5 years depending on the paint you use to black!! You need at least 40 foot to live aboard comfortably and a boat that size will have a bathroom. Getting the washing done is not a problem as there are lots of launderettes around and about. You can do a certificated narrowboat handling course through the Royal Yatching Association I would recommend that if you have no experience of boat handling. if you are in full time regular work then living in a marina is the best option otherwise you have to continuously cruise which means keep moving the boat every 14 days. It is a wonderful way to live and the waterways are just delightful. Don't be afraid ....do your research and save your money....you will need at least £25k to buy something worthwhile and it is best to have a survey done unless you can have sight of a recent from the seller of the boat. Good luck with whatever you decide to do!!

Nice post. Thanks @Pia

 

[138go]

We moored our boat in Ipswich Marina for a couple of years. Bl**dy freezing during the winter even with the heating on. Everything gets damp and no real way to dry anything out. We use to wakeup in the morning with water droplets on the ceiling and the top of the duvet would be damp. Have seen the boats on the local canals and oh boy do they look a strange lot. There is a row of them parked outside Sainsbury's. Loads of smoke from their coke / coal / wood fires. It looks a strange old life.

 

[pappajohn]

Wonder if Kellyllek will ever make another post.
Been here as a guest since 6th Dec and only made this one post.
You would think as they have had their visitors visa extended by @Jim they would have come back with more info.

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[Eggs]

Nice post. Thanks @Pia

Nice post if you have your rose tinted glasses on. Don't get me wrong, if I could work from a narrow boat I would be back on the cut tomorrow. My advice, for what it's worth is to try to find a mooring close to a village/town with good public transport, it should be easy enough considering the railways were built close to the cut. Living in a marina for winter would drain the life out of me, each to their own mind. Personally I'd go for a 50' plus boat to live aboard. 57' will get you around most of the network with no problems.

 

[Gromett]

Nice post if you have your rose tinted glasses on. Don't get me wrong, if I could work from a narrow boat I would be back on the cut tomorrow. My advice, for what it's worth is to try to find a mooring close to a village/town with good public transport, it should be easy enough considering the railways were built close to the cut. Living in a marina for winter would drain the life out of me, each to their own mind. Personally I'd go for a 50' plus boat to live aboard. 57' will get you around most of the network with no problems.

I can work from a boat. I have worked from my van for the last 10 years... I am a programmer and can do this from anywhere I have a computer powered up.
I was looking at a 40'+ boat. As I have lived in a panel van with a living area of just under 2 meter wide by 3 meters long. I think I can manage in a much larger space

 

[Eggs]

I can work from a boat. I have worked from my van for the last 10 years... I am a programmer and can do this from anywhere I have a computer powered up.
I was looking at a 40'+ boat. As I have lived in a panel van with a living area of just under 2 meter wide by 3 meters long. I think I can manage in a much larger space

I can hear you, it's nice to have a separate room to sit and do your work, close the door when you've finished or had enough, bigger boats afford this. Apart from the last 10 years living in a pile of bricks I spent 17 years living in a box or a sewer tube. I'm really jealous that you can work from "home".

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[TheBig1]

I can work from a boat. I have worked from my van for the last 10 years... I am a programmer and can do this from anywhere I have a computer powered up.
I was looking at a 40'+ boat. As I have lived in a panel van with a living area of just under 2 meter wide by 3 meters long. I think I can manage in a much larger space

wouldn't bet on any computer living very long in a constantly damp environment

 

[Stealaway]

Beautiful boat. Funny video. The Comments REALLY creased me up.

I know that boat as being something a bit special but I cant remember why. I had a long chat with the owner one afternoon.
A few years ago now.

https://hnbc.org.uk/boats/sharpness.

 

[Eggs]

wouldn't bet on any computer living very long in a constantly damp environment

What makes you think narrow boats are damp?

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[TheBig1]

experience of owning a big cruiser for several years

 

[Gromett]

wouldn't bet on any computer living very long in a constantly damp environment

I have spoken to a few people who live on boats and they have told me that a well insulated boat doesn't get any more damp than a hymer

 

[Eggs]

experience of owning a big cruiser for several years

Fair enough, but I'm sure you know a well insulted/ventilated looked after boat "shouldn't" suffer damp.

Edit; beat me to it Gromett.

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[Gromett]

Having had expierence of doing self builds. I can tell you the vast majority of damp comes from warm moist air hitting cold surfaces.
You only need to prevent warm air getting to cold surfaces to prevent condensation which is the cause of damp.

Two part polyurethane foam insulation to the hull, double glazed windows and mushroom vents in the ceiling should be enough to prevent issues. Although I would also add a full moisture barrier around the entire living space between the insulation and the wall boarding.

 

[Gromett]

oh and some kind of extractor over the kitchen area for kettle and boiling pans is advisable.

 

[Paddywack]

I lived on a narrowboat for eight years in the 90's, actually two - originally a 40ft and then a 52ft. I worked for British Waterways so had a free residential mooring in the middle of Regent's Park. Firstly narrowboats are not damp, most suitable for full timing are heated by woodburning stoves that throw out more heat than a Truma, I can only conclude those talking about fibreglass cruisers.

Expect to pay at least £25k, anything less and you'll be spending much more putting it right and if you're trying to do it while living on board you'll drive yourself mad. Do have a survey, don't trust one provided by the seller, you can normally recover the cost of the survey if it uncovers any nasties .

You'll notice I haven't mentioned moorings, that's because there aren't any! Just be prepared to move about using marinas and authorised visitor moorings.

I loved it.

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[Stealaway]

Two part polyurethane foam insulation to the hull, double glazed windows and mushroom vents in the ceiling should be enough to prevent issues. Although I would also add a full moisture barrier around the entire living space between the insulation and the wall boarding.

Now that insulation. Spray foam upto 2" thick

 

[Gromett]

Now that insulation. Spray foam upto 2" thick

View attachment 272478

The good thing about insulation like this is that it also helps preventing a boat rust from the inside..

The downside is when/if you need to do some welding to the outside you do have to strip a fair bit back to prevent fire.

But my opinion based on panel van conversions is that 2 part spray on foam insulation like this is far superior to any other type of insulation.

I ended up replacing large parts of the insulation in my van with 2 part spray foam.

https://www.fulltiming.info/self-build-motorhome/redoing-insulation-stage-1

 

[Gromett]

I can hear you, it's nice to have a separate room to sit and do your work, close the door when you've finished or had enough, bigger boats afford this. Apart from the last 10 years living in a pile of bricks I spent 17 years living in a box or a sewer tube. I'm really jealous that you can work from "home".

The bottom of my bed is my office chair. You don't get much more compact than my living arrangement. It is actually smaller than the space allocated to prisoners....

It would be nice to have a little more space and I am planning a new truck conversion for next year or the year after. The narrowboat looks to have a LOAD of space even in a smaller one.
I did for a short period think about a smaller one. But there doesn't appear to be any advantages of going for a short one other than marinas that charge per foot. The longer ones give you lots of extra space for no penalty which is not the case for a motorhome. In fact with a longer one I can get more solar panels on the roof

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[maz]

I hope you don’t mind being entertainment fodder for gongoozlers as they wait for you to fall in.

Also those who will peer in your windows when you’re moored along a canal bank.

And in marinas be prepared to pass a cup of coffee out the window to your neighbour - no 6m rule in marinas!

 

[Pia]

Nice post if you have your rose tinted glasses on. Don't get me wrong, if I could work from a narrow boat I would be back on the cut tomorrow. My advice, for what it's worth is to try to find a mooring close to a village/town with good public transport, it should be easy enough considering the railways were built close to the cut. Living in a marina for winter would drain the life out of me, each to their own mind. Personally I'd go for a 50' plus boat to live aboard. 57' will get you around most of the network with no problems.

@EG I wrote of my own experience of living on a narrowboat for 7 years so no rose tinted spectacles, I loved it all and although it wasn't always easy....I don't find living in a house without problems and difficulties either I agree with you re size....60 ft was really comfortable for me in the 90s but my son is very happy on his 45ft. 45ft is the smallest I would suggest as a 'liveaboard'. I worked full time so I lived in a 'boatyard' rather than a marina in a lovely exclusive spot, along the cut, on my own, with a garden on which I put a little shed. There was a large mooring area ...'off the cut' in addition to my mooring. I had a phone line and an EHU. I had a diesel stove feeding a central heating system with radiators so I was always warm and cosy. Never experienced water dripping anywhere it shouldn't. I would often got shopping at the weekend on my boat it was only a short way along the cut down 2 deep locks but I loved taking the boat out and did so at every opportunity. Living on a boat is very different to living in a house, for one thing it makes you very environmentally aware and responsible....getting all your facilities/utilities sorted at the weekend yourself!!!

 

[Pia]

wouldn't bet on any computer living very long in a constantly damp environment

I had no problems with damp on my boat and my son has no problems with damp on his...I'm not sure why people keep taking about damp on a boat if it has been properly insulated and is kept warm there is no damp. It's not that much different from a motorhome. The windows can get condensation on them but you just need to wipe it off. I had a desktop computer on a large desk with a printer and a laptop in my day on the cut and my son has all that stuff....no problem with damp at all. My son cruises continuously as he hates marinas and he works he just spends a little time sorting out his moorings every fortnight...this is his first winter cruising continuously he has gone into winter moorings before but he didn't much like the mooring he was on last year so he decided not to take one this year....so far so good though if the weather changes that may change but he'll cope with that if it happens.

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[Pia]

I lived on a narrowboat for eight years in the 90's, actually two - originally a 40ft and then a 52ft. I worked for British Waterways so had a free residential mooring in the middle of Regent's Park. Firstly narrowboats are not damp, most suitable for full timing are heated by woodburning stoves that throw out more heat than a Truma, I can only conclude those talking about fibreglass cruisers.

Expect to pay at least £25k, anything less and you'll be spending much more putting it right and if you're trying to do it while living on board you'll drive yourself mad. Do have a survey, don't trust one provided by the seller, you can normally recover the cost of the srvey if it uncovers any nasties .

You'll notice I haven't mentioned moorings, that's because there aren't any! Just be prepared to move about using marinas and authorised visitor moorings.

I loved it.

Absolutely....could't agree more....I loved it too and often wish we were back on the cut....though I now enjoy visiting my son and going for a little cruise.

 

[Eggs]

@EG I wrote of my own experience of living on a narrowboat for 7 years so no rose tinted spectacles, I loved it all and although it wasn't always easy....I don't find living in a house without problems and difficulties either I agree with you re size....60 ft was really comfortable for me in the 90s but my son is very happy on his 45ft. 45ft is the smallest I would suggest as a 'liveaboard'. I worked full time so I lived in a 'boatyard' rather than a marina in a lovely exclusive spot, along the cut, on my own, with a garden on which I put a little shed. There was a large mooring area ...'off the cut' in addition to my mooring. I had a phone line and an EHU. I had a diesel stove feeding a central heating system with radiators so I was always warm and cosy. Never experienced water dripping anywhere it shouldn't. I would often got shopping at the weekend on my boat it was only a short way along the cut down 2 deep locks but I loved taking the boat out and did so at every opportunity. Living on a boat is very different to living in a house, for one thing it makes you very environmentally aware and responsible....getting all your facilities/utilities sorted at the weekend yourself!!!

Hiya Pia, here in lays the difference. Living in a boatyard or marina is totally different than cc,ing as you will know. Having services on hand, elsan or pump out, water, power is easy. Now, let's take a day like today here in Suffolk, it's blowing a gale water tank is getting close to empty, cassettes need emptying, or tank pumped out, no vehicle so the boats got to move whether you like it or not, then you get to the elsan and find it blocked/out of service, the only water point for miles is frozen. I've said from the outset that I'm not trying to put Gromett off I'm just saying it as I saw it many times.

I see you are based in Staffordshire, coincidentally my home county, were you moored in that area?

 

[mitzimad]

boat = a form of transport that floats on a sea of money

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