Alan de Enfield

I take it you made the most of the 14 day stays and were only actually cruising for 4 or 5 'fairly easy' days. You've certainly done enough to be a CCer. No moaning here !

And they don't pay a penny to moor.

I'll stick my neck and and say 'NO'. You need a long, thin (6' 10") shallow draft(2' 6" ?) boat for the canals. You need a wide, deep draft and as long as you want, boat for use on the Sea. One of my sea going boats (Cat A) is 38' long x 23' wide, my other (Cat B ) is 36' long x 14 feet wide & draft is about 5' 6" You need width for stability, you are not slowly drifting along on flat, still water, with banks only 10 feet away on either side. I ask again - have you any 'lumpy water' experience, any experience planning cruises that are tidal, where you are maybe making 8-10 knots for 6 hours and then can be going backwards for the next 6 hours. If going 'across' the tide you may be heading directly for you arrival point and find that you are actually 20 miles 'off to the side' at the time you should arrive.

Your airfryer will be drawing 250 (Two Hundred and Fifty) amps out of your battery bank whenever it is under power. I have a 1400 watt air fryer with a 1200 AH battery bank, and that works for me.

The safety features that you must have are detailed in the RCD / RCR, for example, just look at the downflooding height differences for a Cat D and a Cat C boat (4" for a Cat D and 30" for a Cat C) If you are planning to have a VHF radio, not only must the boat be licenced but you must take (and pass) the Radio operatrs course to allow you to use a VHF radio, If I remember correctly the Narrowboat that crossed the chanel had a set of keels welded on and all the doors, windows and vents were welded up for the trip. I really think that you will struggle to get a NB type of boat to meet the class C requirements. You have hired for some years, but have you any experience or qualifications for boat handling in tidal waters ? Much as I often disagree with a previous poster I think his suggestion of getting a NB and having 'your fussy' out on the canals, and then buying a proper sea-going Cat C or Cat B boat if the safe way to go

Did you have two sources of 230v AC at the same time ?

We have forum members based all over the world and many of them have said it was just impossible, I think one (maybe a New Zealander or an Aussie) said they had been able to do it. Maybe some of our 'overseas members may be able to advise' One of the questions on the application forms is "are you a British resident", when you 'click' no it comes up 'sorry we cannot offer you cover' One of the most common insurers for canal boats is 'Craft Insure' their T&Cs state : Craftinsure.com is directed at UK and Northern Irish residents only. Our products and services are only available to UK and Northern Irish residents. By getting a quotation you confirm that you are resident in the UK or N.Ireland and you will immediately notify us if you cease to be so resident. The content of this site and the products and services offered comply with appropriate UK and Northern Irish legislation and regulation.

That is certainly a consideration and the depreciation and costs of buying a boat and selling it 6 months later would probably be less than the GBP£1500 per month that the long term rental will cost. You could put it up for sale with a broker on your day of departure and wait for them to sell it (assuming you do not need the money immediately) it will cost you about 6% of the selling price in fees. There are experienced boaters who do offer a 'finding' service and give you a short list of boats that meet your requirements, you can either take a few days and come over to view or 'buy from a video and a surveyors report'. The boat can be ready for your arrival. The problem as a non-dom is getting insurance, and without insurance you cannot get a licence. The way around it would be for you 'finder' to insure it in their name, it could then be licenced and with you as a 'named driver' and everything would be legal. There has to be a lot of trust on both sides.