anyone live on a canal boat ?

do you fit on it? Ceiling height and bed length

I believe the maintenance costs are higher than you might imagine (mooring/servicing/diesel costs etc).

Yeah mooring costs will add up. Plus is there a permanent place you can moor it or will you need to move on every few days?

What's the insulation like? Knew a guy who lived in one over winter and it was cold, as you're in a metal shell, which in turn is in a massive body of cold water.

wife's friend does..

it sounds idyllic in the summer and a struggle in the winter.

Its far more expensive that you think with heating fuel, engine fuel, moorings, waste pump out, etc

you do have to move on every now and then

they do love it but aren't convinced the living/running costs are much less than a house

Caught a couple of episodes of this, seemed to give a warts n all look at life on the canals, assuming you want to go somewhere on it.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000bks0

I always imagined it would be like living in a caravan that floats. Can't say it appeals to me. Go on  a canal boat holiday for a bit, see if you like it?

Rent your gaff and try it out. Worse case in a year you sell it and move back in.

Friend done it years ago in London. Think she paid 8k for her boat and a few k a year for the rest. This was back around 2005.

the boat has a full time mooring.
as for the cold, it is fitted with 6 full size radiators. owner says it is cosy as heck in winter.

also not doing it as a cost cutting thing.
my daughter and grandson live with us. and she has zero chance of buying a property. and the council properties offered to single parents in south leeds are pretty grim.

so she rents our house at a affordable cheaper than land lord rate and we find somewhere else to live.
always fancied a barge, and this thing is ideal near home, and in mint condition.

If you can visit one of the bigger mooring areas,ask the locals what it's like as a long term thing.

I did 30 years ago when at uni at Kingston on Thames, but it was a very basic boat. We just moved between public moorings, pushing our luck staying longer than strictly allowed when we could.

As a student it was a fun time, summer was ace, winter was bloody cold so pubs we're good to warm up and use the loo. I used the uni gym for showers and charging stuff as we avoided using the facilities on board as much as possible to avoid having to empty them. Had a PO box for mail, but you could use friends or family.Just filled up on fuel, gas, and water at the local marina.

Now a days and with a 10 yo boat it would be very different with much better living standards on something like you've looked at, but unless you're happy to wander from public mooring to public mooring it'd be pricey for a berth; also makes it awkward if you've got a car and bikes. Obviously you can't afford to skimp on hull maintenance and inspections as your long term home.

Was your height not an issue? I guess you get used to it, but as a 6ft better built guy there wasn't a lot of space to move about.

I idly think about going back to it when my son's left home, but not so sure it'd be the best move for someone with health issues like I have now.

Edit: saw your recent post about moorings etc after I posted. And missed that it was a wide beam, not narrow boat.

as for the cold, it is fitted with 6 full size radiators. owner says it is cosy as heck in winter.

at what cost though?

but seems like it could work well for your situation, especially if daughter lets you store all your crap in the house still.

Worst that can happen is you don’t like it, sell it on , and rent something else!

There's a few YouTube channels about this. They do tend to idealise it a bit but I've seen a few where they do a breakdown of costs etc. One of the better known is "Cruising the Cut" and he's moved back to land not long ago, citing possible future healthcare issues and being available to family as his reasons. Though if you're staying local to your daughter and not selling your house those issues may not concern you since in the worst case you can fairly readily bail out.

One of the better known is “Cruising the Cut” and he’s moved back to land not long ago, citing possible future healthcare issues

That would be my personal issue already having had a knee replacement, knackered wrists and other issues. Unless I'm remembering wrongly Ton, you've got more than your fair share too?

If you're on a mooring it's not so physically demanding as touring about, but it's still not as easy on the old body as living in a bungalow with a car on the drive and everything on the grid; no waste to empty, water to gill, gas bottles to shift, steps and jetties in and out etc.

My parents had one for years, not as a home but longer than a long weekends holiday.

Yes they're toasty with the heating on, yes they're freezing with it off. They burn through fuel at an alarming rate if you want the heating on. Check what fuel it is, I presume it's burning either heating oil or bottled gas? Recent rule changes mean you can't get red diesel anymore so heating with diesel would be even worse.

Things get nicked, particularly gas cylinders, even if they're in a locked locker.

Don't underestimate how little you can take onboard. All the furniture is pretty much half the size of domestic stuff including cupboards, wardrobes etc.

If I was young and single then maybe as an alternative to renting. But over winter it'd be cheap or comfortable, but definitely not both.

The devil is in the details. We filmed in a fancy pants one in Chelsea that was massive on the inside and very plush, it looked like a great place to live. On the other end of the scale, someone I work with is making it work but showers at work because of the amount of faff to heat up enough water for a fairly disappointing shower.

The main thing that puts me off is lack of outside space (that isn't a towpath) and no great place to store the bikes

I think the regret for not doing it would nag you for ages, whereas any downsides of doing it will probably be stories you laugh at for years to come.
And if you've got a fishing rod you'll never have to wonder what you're having for tea.

Mate lives on one.

His has some built in wins:
leccy piped in and included in mooring fees
Water and sewage ditto (macerator toilet), so no pumpout etc
washing machine in land based shed for all bargees
Post drop box ditto
Security, gated to a group of moorings
Round the corner from pubs and shops etc
So bear in mind all the hassles if they aren’t (pumpout - where, how, cost, battery charging, how etc , have you got enough power for everything, washing stuff, drying stuff - he’s single so just leaves it hung inside when he’s at work, refuelling, what do you cook, heat with how do you get, shopping do you need a wheel barrow …..
Heating costs aren’t bad in his case, small space, warms up quick. Is it all led etc bulbs,

Pitas for him
Bottom needs blacking every 3 years (moving, dry dock, cost)
Getting the engine serviced/refuelling (but to be fair it’s not very often with him)
Annual safety certificate/mot whatever it is.
Annually agreed mooring, so 1 year max security, but been there 4 years now.
Non standard fittings and furniture (but he’s building up a stockpile of relevant spares), he had a corner sofa/bed custom built and a jaunty sheet as a door on the custom wardrobe.
Space, he used to hire a garage for ‘stuff’, till he really downsized.
Wet weather space, not much hanging, drying space on wet days.
Storage (one bike rusted away but they let him keep the other undercover in the shared space)
Lack of plugs (but he got usbs added for all the devices)

Ultimately he loves it.

Edit - he also has hard surface (not muddy towpath) to the door, handy in winter.

If you are in a fixed mooring, isn't it just like living in a static caravan / park home, but more expensive, colder, wetter and with added essential maintenance?

It doesn't appeal to me at all. I suppose if you are 5ft tall and have a barge near London, that might be cheaper than a city flat but otherwise, the running costs can be very high.
A small yacht is a better option. Cheaper to buy and more freedom to explore.

It's a boat so everything breaks all the time.

Lots of vids on YouTube. Recommend cruising the cut and foxes afloat

Are there any of those year-round static caravan sites near you?

Not sure I could live on a narrowboat permanently.

Met an old uni friend at the weekend.

He had one for years as a holiday boat.

Now 60, he's having a brand new boat built, electric powered with diesel backup. He plans to have it complete, ready to retire and live in full time in a year or so's Time.

Quite expensive!

Rented a static caravan a couple weeks ago.

Wouldn’t want to live in one of those either. Everything 2/3rds size for normal people. Minimal insulation and highly ventilated with what appeared to be Louvre holes high and low in every room.

You're not gonna be one of those down at Woody lock are you ton, tutting at cyclists and putting up passive aggressive signs telling people to slow down??

I looked at it once

Still wish I'd done it tbh!

think the regret for not doing it would nag you for ages, whereas any downsides of doing it will probably be stories you laugh at for years to come.

Regret the things you did as opposed to those you didn't do.

And if you’ve got a fishing rod you’ll never have to wonder what you’re having for tea.

Bream for breakfast... No fin thanks! Same goes for most coarse fish.

I think the regret for not doing it would nag you for ages, whereas any downsides of doing it will probably be stories you laugh at for years to come

I think that's the correct answer. My friend that did it over one winter said it was cold but I suspect that wouldn't faze you much.  Why not?

And if you’ve got a fishing rod you’ll never have to wonder what you’re having for tea.

I can just see Ton 'perched' on the side of the boat, dangling his tackle. 🤔

Well sounds like you could sell it and move back home - if your daughter will have you! So do it.

My mate has lived down Woodlesford marina for about 20 years he loves it

I did for a while in my 20s. Older boat, and 6ft wide. So freezing and tiny but very cheap. Widebeams are much more practical, you can get normal furniture etc, should have a sensible electric set up with inverters and battery management. If you want to cruise on it though, check where you can go with a Widebeam. If you are somewhere you can actually cruise it, then you could look at a Dutch barge.

A ten foot wide boat limits where you can take it. It is in a marina or on a mooring you will buy or lease along with the boat? If it’s a marina then you have zero security and can be asked to move your boat with little to no notice.

My mate has lived down Woodlesford marina for about 20 years he loves it

Its nice, but the ones who have commandeered the bit of land opposite and filled it full of grufalo and all sorts of other stuff make me laugh. Especially when they get all huffy whenever anyone goes by on a bike. To the point they stand in the way and refuse to move....

Hopefully,  I'm not slagging off your mate.

Its nice, but the ones who have commandeered the bit of land opposite and filled it full of grufalo and all sorts of other stuff make me laugh. Especially when they get all huffy whenever anyone goes by on a bike. To the point they stand in the way and refuse to move….

Hopefully, I’m not slagging off your mate.

me and the mrs ride the canal every week, sometimes 3 times a week, and i can honestly say i have never had a single altercation with anyone fro the barges.
we do ride slowly obviously. we use our bells, and a friendly hey up works a treat.

but, on the other hand, i have had words with a couple of cyclists who seem to think that the canal path is their own private race track. expecting everyone else to get out of their path.

Not me mister. There is a few aresholes up and down there though.

Maybe I've just got there at the wrong time. Never had words but they do seem to take their time to move out of the way when just standing around on the path. It only ever the ones with the grufalo stuff though.

I did hear that they were having some trouble with some yoofs a while back, so maybe that's why they're a bit grumpy.

My sister bought a plush widebeam as an alternative to renting after selling her house. She was only in it a year before selling it for pretty much what she paid

Lack of outdoor space was her main gripe, and the canal folk were starting to annoy her. A lot depends on where it's moored

I say do it , you can always sell up and get your money back (hopefully)

Why the hell not eh ?. If it doesnt work out then sell on. But if you dont try, you'll never know..

I always fancied a small canal boat, just for the one. Built from a lighter, a portaloo at the back, a B&Q shed for sleeping/cooking, and a wingback chesterfield strapped to the front, with controls in the form of a steering wheel and throttle. I could quite happily meander through the English countryside at 3mph.

My big brother and I used to have a Saturday job at a hire boat company back in the late 80s because our dad was a mechanic for them. He'd been on the industry for years so some of my best memories are of moving boats around the North West, and most of them were falling apart. I remember my brother and I raking through a boatyard looking for anything that would pass as deckboards!
Boats have come on immensely since then and big bro is a joiner who now renovates one a year (or so) in his spare time and sells them on for a fortune.
I love the canals so I'd say work out your costs properly then do it. If it works out then great, if not, sell it on knowing you gave it a good go.

Dutch barge

Filthy beggar. Reported

I used to build narrowboats and always wanted to live on one but it's not really compatible with my penchant for toys.
Still a dream though.

Pendant alert - Anything under 7ft width is generally called a narrowboat. Barges often over that but you can still have a widebeam narrowboat. Barge is quite often misused as a description (not that it really matters obviously in the grand scheme of things)

I know a few people who live on them and stayed on a few myself in winter. They're not generally cold despite the perception. Quite the opposite usually. Small, insulated space so heating is pretty quick to make a difference.

Anyway, if you're in a marina, none of the normal hassles apply. You'll have shore power, paved/gravel access paths and outside lighting and waste services. It's just a compact house with added ducks.

I've got several friends with boats....all of them are water pikeys to be fair and are what is called continuous cruisers..no mooring and have to move every 10 to 14 days and not just round the corner but at least 2 or 3 bridges away. That is a big hassle in some ways, especially if you are having to move away from work and amenities but it's also a bit of the essence of boating to not be set down in the same spot.
I looked at marina fees for the new one built in Milton Keynes and it's really not cheap..£350 an month for a 60ft....this is doubled however for wide beams!!
Diesel heaters are both expensive and quite noisy to run so you best off with a wood burner with a gravity back boiler to run a rad or two. You often only need the rads in the furthest points from the stove.
It's definitely a thing that boaters hate cyclists. My mate has had many a run in with cyclists going too fast (in his opinion!)

Best thing he did though was to purchase a bit of land with a mooring on recently. This was about £28000 but it's not a bad bit of land and it's on the opposite side to the tow path so his dogs have free run and no cyclists. Not allowed to build on it but sheds and storage is allowed.

If you wanted to do some travelling in a 10ft wide beam you will be restricted to certain section as some locks are only 7ft wide. The grand Union can be mostly travelled and so can the Leeds Liverpool I think but Birmingham is all narrow locks I'm told.

You need to watch this series. Some homes are in the UK and there's some fabulous ones in other parts of the world too.

https://www.channel4.com/programmes/my-floating-home

Ads678 that's not him lol although he does have land to the side but its his land he pays for, he's on a corner by the fence actually and the road/path is the other side so he has no passers-by, it's nice tbf

56ft is the minimum length for a live aboard. A broad beam will be much more comfortable. It’s f you are reasonably tidy and like neat things and a disciplined life, I think you’ll enjoy it. Central heating and insulation means it will be cosy. Mooring in a nice spot is about £200/month and you’ll want a proper toilet with full pump out facilities and a permanent power hook up.

It’s a very relaxed way of life and you should try it if it appeals. A wide beam can’t cruise a lot of the canal network so check that out.

This was interesting, a mature couple designed a narrowboat "for the less agile liveaboard boater". Lots of adjustments to make life easier, all done in a modern way including electronics.

I nearly did it about 20 years ago, planned to sell my house and use the equity to fund the boat.

Until someone pointed out that boats depreciate and houses rarely do.

Maybe when I retire.

What's an incinerating toilet?

If you are in a fixed mooring, isn’t it just like living in a static caravan / park home, but more expensive, colder, wetter and with added essential maintenance?

Yep,the worst of both worlds.

I get if your your young and the morning view out of the patio doors are the tower bridge but I’d think of how happy you’d be sat in it in the middle of the winter in the dark and raining on the miserable days.

I’d also check the what the situation with flooding where it’s moored with good old global warming making it interesting.

Until someone pointed out that boats depreciate and houses rarely do.

Maybe when I retire.

Keep house,rent it out to rent/pay loan on boat,best or worse of both 🙂

Have friends who lived down in London on a Dutch barge, mainly to avoid ridiculous rental costs.

We went to stay with them a couple of times. It was perfectly comfortable, just like a small but well designed flat really (all the spaces used really well).

Costs aside I think I'd rather have been living in the boat than in a shoebox flat in London.

It seemed like a lot of work though, to keep on top of all the various jobs.

Also it forces you to be minimalistic which I suppose isn't a bad thing really.

They're now on land, mainly due to having had kids I think.

We live by 2 canals: Peak forest and the Macclesfield.

Water Gypsies as they are sometimes known love their life on the water, but there are lots of downsides. This year the locks have been mostly 'locked' due to the dry summer and lack of water (it's not fun getting grounded.) Also this summer was extremely hot in places and I think some of the boats turned into ovens.
Good luck ton, you're a top chap thinking of your child and grandson.

I’d also check the what the situation with flooding where it’s moored with good old global warming making it interesting

Surely a better prospect than many Stewart Milne houses being built on the flood plain round here..... Boats float.... Last I checked a Stewart Milne house did not.

I'm 6ft3 and spent a weeks holiday on one. My thoughts

1) they do get cold, very cold. The gas was included in the price and we got our moneys worth.

2) I felt cramped in and was always ducking my head

3) they are incredibly slow, we hardly got anywhere.

4) when a boat goes past the waves rock your boat

5) where would I store all my stuff and bikes?

I also have access to a newish static and that's pretty cold too. They just don't seem to insulate things properly in the UK!

Water destroys everything and so there's an ongoing cost to consider for repairs and servicing.

Does it have solar panels for heating the water?

What's the worst that can happen? You don't like it and you sell it and you lose a couple of grand or ten? Life's too short, you obviously like the idea. If you have the money, why not? I bet you get more friends visiting you if you buy it.

I bet you get more friends visiting you if you buy it.

Not all at once though, have you seen how much space Ton takes up? 😜

Remember Aracer ? A mountain unicyclist enthusiast unhappy in marriage. His last posts on here were about having quit his unhappy home for life on a narrow boat moored in a port with other such live-on types. He stopped posting on here at about the same time, the narrow boat perhaps coincided with getting a life that replaced wasting time on here. Have a good one if this is your last STW thread, Ton. 😉

If you are in a fixed mooring, isn’t it just like living in a static caravan.

No, you bob up and down.

If you bob up and down in a static caravan, it means someones stealing it.

All very well having 6 radiators, but they will mainly be heating the canal. I'd imagine the running costs aren't that low.

Boats float….

Although if they are over secured in their moorings they can sink if there is a sudden rise in water level and they can't actually rise themselves - seen it happen a couple of times!

If you bob up and down in a static caravan, it means someones stealing it.

Or Frank's taking it.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/video/2015/dec/30/caravan-swept-away-river-dee-flood-scotland-storm-frank-video

8' headroom 😯

Ton, you're west Yorks right? I can put you in contact with my pal in Ripon who lived on a barge for a good few years if you want? He bought it new with his wife and lived on it until kids came along.

Maintenance is the main thing, if you skip any basic stuff it becomes 10x worse until it sinks. Seen it happen.

Last century a mate did the same. Cost him his marriage as his wife got fed up with coming home from school mto find he had moved! When the cut froze (unlikely nowadays) everything stayed put. I think, lost touch, that he moved ashore. (Anyone seen Jamie Stewart?)

Better to regret something that's been done than to never have tried.

In the OP's situation I would definitely give it a go if you don't like it you still have the option to sell the boat.

I hope I'm in the same position for my kids when that time comes, I've always fancied a life afloat, had mates that used to live on the canal, it's hard work but worth it when your living in nature, although most were on the move without a mooring.