DandV

If you are thinking of full time living on a boat, you need to also plan for how long? What could cause you to have to move ashore? And then what? For us a period of inhabiting the British inland waterways was a good option for our time and resources compared to what else we could have done at the time. As it obviously is, or was, for the bulk of the posters on this forum. And it obviously, for the vast numbers of livaboards who choose this as a lower priced option for housing for a time, close to their place of work or study, or just as nice way to pass the early active years of retirement. This inspite of the real challenges, especially in inclement weather of this lifestyle for even those young and fit. But our life cycle is one towards growing decrepitude. We increasingly leave behind being young and fit. Bugger it. And the process usually includes one or more significant sudden degradation steps in our health and abilities. So making provision for this almost inevitable occurrence increasingly transitions from being prudent, to something much more urgent. Real estate is a finite resource spread ever more thinly amongst a growing population. Hence it's ever increasing value, enhanced considerably by populist government policies to "preserve value/privilege" of real estate owners. Hence advice on this forum to obtain, or at least retain, an interest in this asset class as a priority. With the relitive market movements of boats and real estate increasingly widening, coming ashore is increasingly becoming more and more financially fraught.

I think it depends a bit on where you are in the queue on the passage up and down Savick Brook. On the way up the flotilla has to wait until the tide has dropped enough to get under the bridge. But then on an ever dropping tide the flotilla spreads out queuing for the next lock. I am not sure about the recharge rate between the locks maintaining depth, as a quick succession of boats lock through. We were at the tail of the queue on the run down and were running short of depth 0.6m on the approach to the bottom pontoon. A most enjoyable trip though.

A rural mooring is delightful. A view outside on both sides. And any neighbours are located beyond the narrow ends of the boat. Marina moorings can be quite claustrophobic. Views from near all of the windows are of neighbours boats just a very few feet away, and vica versa. They are similarly close to seeing you, perhaps too much of you for either of your likings. But you own your lodgings which is an undoubted advantage over renting your dwelling. The advice to go exploring and talk to those doing what you think would work for you, is incredibly sound.

I tried a variety of methods using springs, bow thruster, and pole to get free in 58ft narrowboat, and did usually succeed, but I was unsuccesful in actually identifying a single reliable method. I did learn though to avoid stopping on the outside of a lee shore bend in windy conditions. Success was instead was most likely by a fortuitous timed drop in wind.strength. Tying up and waiting was allround much less stressful..

We certainly insured our boat with just our NZ address with Haven Knox Johnson 10 yeara ago. Took while to find someone, because of obligations under FMA? We never had a claim in 5years so cannot comment on performance except they were prompt in reimbursing refund for unexpired portion when we sold.

And as a variation of buy your own boat that we knew of one person who did this. A sell and buy back agreement. The seller agrees to buy the boat back after a predefined period and at a pre agreed price. The difference between the two prices being effectively the hire fee for the period. Whether this included an arrangement when the seller also acted as a financier I do not know. But the mooring stayed with the boat for the duration.

An interesting thread on anticipating, and then countering problems on a complex project. Thank you.

The fisherman's anchor was largely just that. Something to temporarily hold a fishing boat in position whilst working lines or pots. A task where failure to hold was very largely just an inconvenience. The weak point to allow upside down retrieval, to work, cannot be stronger then the ability of the crew to break it under tension. When you look at the breaking strain of modern filaments and cords what is required us suprisingly thin. But for secure, or emergency mooring, and if you are going to cart something around for years, it's best that it is something that actually has a very good chance of doing just that, when needed.

Tis the season of goodwill, grumpiness and very unfortunately, gunfire, for far too many people.

Bit drastic, even by current UK Government standards isn't it?

In reply to Peanut. The fine boat is the restored 1894 built 58ft ondeck gaff rigged cutter Waitangi. One of the about 20 restored 19th and very early 20th century, racing gaffers, regularily racing on Auckland's Waitemata Harbour. Most like Waitangi are now owned by charitable trusts or syndicates. Like most of the fleet the crew contribute most of the very considerable costs and labour in keeping them race worthy with additional support from other charities, mainly pokie machines, and some generous benefactors for major items. Our racing and social program is year round about 25 days with about 4 overnights. In fact she is returning from a race yesterday, and the Classic Yacht Christmas bbq on Waiheke Island with about 10 onboard over night. I opted out, I am now less compatible the combination of alcohol, a derated bladder, and no ensuite!! htps://classicyachtcharitabletrust.org.nz

The beauty of extended cruising is that it you are only rarely subject to any time pressures to actually untie and move. Normally you can just tie up and sit out inclement weather snug inside. It is actually rare that the whole day is foul. Often there is a window after daybreak before forecast bad weather arrives, or the bad weather passes later in the day.

Cruiser sterns come into their own in fine weather, particularly on urban moorings with high intensive tow path use. Sitting comfortably outside but onboard, in those camping folding arm chairs, supping wine, under the alcohol prohibition notice, people watching. Gas Street Basin, Paddington Basin, and in the middle of Chester come to mind. Great spots.

Aesthetically both are awful. But, there were times, not many, I would have really appreciated having a pram cover for shelter, over our cruiser stern, when making a time sensitive navigation on one of your big rivers. A time when just trying up and letting the rain/sleet pass was not an option. Now for the cratch cover. When we were aboard, we were aboard, continuously for months, with no possible runs home, or anywhere else to escape bad weather, or do the all important laundry. Here drying clothes and sheets under the cratch cover was infinitely preferable to accomplishing all the drying by hanging them all in the saloon. By dropping the weather side of the cratch cover, drying could even be accomplished here in the abundant marginal weather. Our regime is that we would move clothes from the cratch into the saloon at bed time, to hasten the drying though, and back outside when we got up. If you are accomplishing all your laundry onboard your knicker bunting has to be flown somewhere, remarkably often. Outside in the cratch with a cover immediately available to shield it from rain, or excessive wind, is far far better then cluttering already limited living space.

We have friends who commisioned a new build after extensive reaearch. Premium hull builder and a competant boat bulder. They had the boat for seven seasons, doing 500 engine hours a year, cruising the network. But they did have a list of things that had to get fixed or replaced. A multitude of battery problems. A new calorifier, a new toilet, both after irrepairable leaks. A stern tube that required replacement to stem leakage. And a replacement bowthruster. They even had to have it repainted after premature paint failure over mill scale. We bought a seven year old boat that we had for five years, again cruising the network for 500 engine hours a year. But it needed nothing more then routine servicing , or repairs that I could accomplish myself. The only thing that required replacement in our time, were the deckboards above the engine. A local boatyard cut them to size and we picked them up as we cruised past. The paint was still gleaming when we sold. But they were the very same boat. We bought it after it had been very thoroughly debugged.

Endorse the wet cupboard adjacent to the stern companionway. Minimal time needed to retrieve a raincoat, when the threat of rain quickly materialises to actual rain. Ours was heated by the eberspecher, mounted on the opposite side of the bulkhead, and the heating pipes passing through at low level. We had a conventional layout and did enjoy the immediacy of access to outside space from the saloon to the well deck. The Ultimate in indoor outdoor flow. And sitting there was reminiscent of being in a dinghy, sharing your life with the water life. Sitting outside on the cruiser deck, and you shared your life with those ashore. So different spaces with different outlooks. We would not be keen on a walk through bathroom if you ever have somebody on board, that bathroom time is a time consuming ritual. Thus obstructing access from one end of the boat to the other. For reverse layout a Galley midships or adjacent to the access way? Midships facilitates the indoor outdoor flow between the saloon and the outdoors, but adjacent to the access way is central to catering in both directions. The previous owners, and designers of our boat spent at least a couple of weeks a year hiring for a few years whilst they refined their specification. Hence the Wyvern Shipping bin lockers for mooring hardware , that doubled as seats on the cruiser stern. Not so much for seating while underway, one person each side could sit forward of the tiller swing, but really most times they were too low to sit while steering. But they provided both seating and bench space when moored up. A good feature on our boat was the deck house was extended back over engine bay about 400mm either side of the central companioway to provide a locker each side. One side the paint locker, and the other storage for those cheap, but comfortable folding camping arm chairs.

It seems to me that layout preference is very dependent on the intended type of boating. Solo, or just the two of you, or family boating? This dictates the space and arrangements for bedding, And this heavily influences the required bathroom, galley, and dining area, size and configuration. Heavily summer season dominated? Don't need a stove, oil fired central heating will suffice. But easy access and provision of outside spaces becomes very advantageous for a high proportion of outside living time. Outside time in well deck or cruiser stern or both? Intended extended stays? Then laundry arrangements become a consideration. Washing machine? And drying arrangements, both indoors, and perhaps outdoors in a covered cratch. Intended 12 months a year on board? Then heating and heat retention, and fuel storage are very major considerations. Solid fuel stove, where in the boat? Differening layouts provide differing advantages to the intended modes of boat use. Our boat was designed by the previous owner for six months continuous summer season on board, and six months winter lay up for 2, plus occasional 5 days max for an additional two people. We had exactly the same use regime and it worked extremly well. But this was a comparatively narrow operating regime. It may also have worked, as a year round liveaboard, provided in winter it was on shore power, when electric heaters could provide the necessary, considerable heating.