Anyone on here live on a canal boat, either in a marina or continuously cruising? I'm considering it as I've had enough of work and the numbers work out for me to buy a decent boat.
I've spent a fair bit of time on the canals over the years but never actually lived aboard for any length of time.
2 words. Bike storage.
APF
One word Ratboy
Urgh... Make sure you know what you are getting into!
Running costs can be expensive. Licence c1k, marina c2-3k, regularly taking it out of the water for inspection and maintenance (2-4years), replacement leisure batteries every few years. Cold in winter, roasting in summer. Limited locations with decent facilities.
I reckon that if in a marina, it'll cost more than a house in running costs (you'll be paying council tax) and be smaller and less convenient in almost every way
You really need to love life on the water to make it work.
Following this with interest.
Various YouTube channels have calculated that continuous cruising will cost around £1k a month all in (food, fuel, licences, maintenance fund and so on).
Some info here,
https://barryandsandra.com/the-costs-of-living-on-a-narrowboat/
It appeals to me but not sure my wife will go for it!
The main problem for me at the moment is that there is a serious shortage of decent boats for sale.
regularly taking it out of the water for inspection and maintenance
Unless...
The wilderness Beaver Trailboat 23'
Typically pic posting isnt working. But these are small 3 berth boats that go on a trailer to be towed behind a suitable car/suv
I'm sure the people that live on the ones round here through the winter are loving life, but it looks quite tough to me.
Agree with what Keith B said.
A friend had one for a few years and spent a fair amount doing up the inside and painting the outside. Her boat was relatively small and was moored on a council-owned pontoon in the middle of Bristol. Can't remember how much mooring charges were but they were 4 figures - plus she also had to pay for regular pump outs. She didn't do any cruising in it which I felt was a bit of a shame.
Downsides (IMO):
Getting a decent mooring which suits your purposes can be difficult (and expensive) - some have conditions like no pets.
Space was obviously at a premium so doing things like laundry became a pain, and she 'stored' (aka dumped) much of her stuff and various friends' houses which meant frequent trips to get something she needed but which was stored in someone's loft.
There was always something going wrong - plumbing, electric, engine, toilet getting blocked etc. etc. which generally involved a cost and sometimes needing to get a specialist (in boat plumbing for example) to sort out.
Where she was moored was close a popular walkway and relatively close to a couple of bars and during summer it was nightmare down there due to noise, constant smell of weed, people peeing and pooing in a small area set aside for wildlife, and people passing watching you.
Parking a vehicle nearby was a pain.
Boat was very cold in the winter and hot in the summer.
Having to do regular pump outs, which in Bristol could mean having to do them in a very public place.
Upsides:
If you like a project and are fairly handy you could really enjoy owning a narrow boat.
There was a really nice community and mutual help amongst other people living on boats on the pontoon.
Opportunities to cruise the waterways.
Feeding geese through your kitchen window and seeing the cygnets and ducklings growing up next to your boat.
Opportunity to downsize and simplify your life.
My friend decided she had had enough, particularly around the constant costs, and decided to sell - she managed to sell in a day due to the demand for boats and as importantly the mooring.
If you decide to go the continuous cruising route you may have difficulty accessing your workplace, or having to cycle a few miles down a dark and muddy towpath to get to work / shops etc. Also may be more difficult to get water and do a pump out. This option seems more suited to someone with lots of time and maybe not tied to a particular location.
Check out Canal Boat Diaries on iPlayer - https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000bks0 - he seems to have got the balance right.
I’ve toyed with the idea many times though. Grew up and lived around canals for 30 years it’s certainly familiar and attractive to me. I used to borrow one on weekends but was always glad it wasn’t my responsibility the rest of the time 😉
Ideally would like to buy and convert one to pedal power with a rural mooring. Also solar panels. Planned to use local launderettes and use a multi-fuel stove to heat. Possibly HVO for rads in winter. Narrowboats can get very cold though, and diesel central heating is getting expensive, not to mention noxious.
Have recently looked into general costs and maintenance intervals and decided it’s too much of a tie at the moment. I’d also lose my home studio space and couldn’t guarantee finding something else affordable nearby a mooring. Filed now under ‘look again one day’.
‘Cruising The Cut’ youtube channel is a comprehensive vlog from buying a boat to all of the other stuff.
One of my team has lived in one for the last decade. It works for him as a way of living around London and SE, using the Grand Union.
If I did it I’d continuously cruise, no work to worry about so I could go anywhere my boat would fit. Looking for something around 56 feet. I can afford a fairly new boat so no need for a project but I realise there is always maintenance to do.
Blacking isn’t terrifically expensive and two pack lasts at least five years. It does depend on what the boat currently has on it though. Starting off on two pack is pricey as the hull really need blasting back to clean metal.
Toilets - yes pump out ones cost money to empty but cassette types are free.
It'd be like living in a caravan, fun for week, a total pain in the arse thereafter
Summer i imagine would be lovely, winter would be a cold, damp challenge to life on board, your bikes would rust as well. Condensation on the hull would be a nightmare unless well insulated, which the ones i have seen are not. Having to move every week or two as well on most canals.
If I did it I’d continuously cruise, no work to worry about so I could go anywhere my boat would fit. Looking for something around 56 feet. I can afford a fairly new boat so no need for a project but I realise there is always maintenance to do.
Just from what you've said, why limit yourself to a Canal boat & the canal network?
From what you've said, I'd be looking at a proper sailing boat and expand your horizons beyond the UK tbh. Brexit has made it a bit more difficult staying long term in mainland Europe with the 90 in 180 rules these days, but not impossible, just need to get Visas'.
Summers cruising the Scottish West coast or the Med, winter tucked up in Portugal / Azores / Canaries / Caribbean. Has a lot going for it!
Living next to the Rochdale Canal, I've spoken to a few live on boaters.
It's not the cheap way of life it appears.
It looks good in the summer but they all talk of it being grim in the winter.
Brother in law lives permanently on a narrow boat. Currently in a marina as he is carer.
He lives very cheaply. I think he heats with wood which he gets in exchange for Labour. His main expenses are fuel and mooring. But these are really minimal compared to living in bricks and mortar
He makes dolls house furniture in the boat and sells it at fairs. I think he is the in person I know with a true alternative life style
The marina he lives in me seems to be a good community. When he toured as a couple on the boat the only thing he said that was negative was that the single people in boats got lonely
The yacht thing is a different ball game in terms of costs, strength and expertise needed. Although yes you can go to more places
I want to spend one summer in a narrow boat
Parking a vehicle nearby was a pain.
Wifes cousin is a drummer, the logistics of going to get her car, loading the car, going to gig, coming back in the wee hours, unloading car, going to park car, walking back to boat & all in that there London soon wore thin 😕
