bohomon

I never understand when people say, "I don't understand why you like X place". We all need and want different things. For me, the West Country is my favourite part of England. But there is a lot of diversity, you can't judge it all by a few areas. Love Gloucestershire too. Brixham gets a thumbs up from my daughter and I - 2 scoops worth of good ice-cream for £1.50. I paid £1.70 for a quarter of the amount at Wembury yesterday. Good ice-cream is a deal maker. [wonders where the heck is spell-check located]

lol, coming back home into the bulding today someone had propped open the main front door with a pallet..... I may have salivated.

hehe, yes, I like the way you put that. Hi Ange, I don't need to be but want to be. If there were canals (joined!) in Devon I would stay here. After 12 yrs in Leicester I'm done with the Midlands.... besides a boat visit, I always loved Foxton Locks. The busyness of the K&A is appealing with a child.... I think. If I were alone it would just be me, the boat, and some water fowl. I'm just considering all options on how to make it more low impact than what seems to be the accepted norm. If free wood won't work, I have to research other options.

1. Because I want to live on a boat. Home moorings don't mean one never moves. right? 2. It all depends on how much heating and thereby how much wood a particular boat needs if it is viable. Roof boxes like these offer storage + SP area. Insulate enough if you can. Like Macks.

I just downloaded the first free one for my kindle. [you know you have narrowboating on the brain when your 1st thought on charging your device is - I wonder how much power this would leech on a boat?]

Thanks a bunch. Love youtube.

Ecover? I haven't used any commercial cleaning products in years and have a fresh and clean home Vinegar, salt, and soda crystals are my friends. I use small amounts of essential oils for scent, sometimes, but rarely bother these days. When I had wood ash in my old off-grid home (and most boat dwellers do right?) I used it for all sorts of things. Even more of an issue for boaters needing to dispose of it. selfsufficientish home cleaners lifehacker Also what to do with wood ash. You could keep the (evil proctor&gamble) Fairy liquid only for those super greasy pans, if you weren't satisfied with alternatives.

I never said it was every person. If it's okay with everyone, Can we be done with this part of the discussion (back and forth on 'rosey specs' and who said what how). I've had a shitty few years and am finally happy, excited, and hopeful about my future. I am perfectly aware of the massive undertaking I am contemplating. But it's not the first in my life or the hardest. I also have a long list of my own personal concerns and fears to tackle. I'm trying not to feel deflated by the turn of discussion here but this morning perhaps I'm too sleep-deprived and it's got to me a little. Ah well, tomorrow is another day! I'm on these forums for support and encouragement, in tandem with, the hardcore advice. *sneaks off to locate a donut* In this whole eco thread not one person mentioned http://lilo.org.uk. Fortunately Tony (cosmic) did on the other thread. You'll find me there today....

I don't mind asking if I know that the community generally doesn't mind being asked woohoo, thank you. I'm off there now.

It's all perspective, I and others saw a fair amount of cynicism and negativity rather than constructive and supportive points. On the other hand there are a few wonderful realistic posts in here. I'm taking it ALL in - but I won't be deflated by those that are all about the negative. I'm an optimistic realist And I'm the type of person that takes others as I find them, and each situation as I find it. Much of the clashing here is because there are huge assumptions made about who I am, how I function, and my previous experiences. Like your words above. Judging me and my aspirations by what has occured on these forums before is not helpful. I get it that long-time live aboards can become cynical, but I hear the same stuff from landlubbers - it can't be done, I would be green on that issue but.... I don't judge people by their green credentials, I'm just not built that way, but I also hear when someone has given up or just doesn't want to make the effort. Fine, each to their own. But it is also a defence mechanism - naysay other people's efforts so you can feel better about giving up/not trying. This person here wants to make some difference, and I'm asking for help on how to do so, from those who care about the nature surrounding their boats. Those who are already doing it, have tried different options, or are interested in learning more themselves.

Thanks Ricco. And I'm not even talking about zero impact. Simply, less imapact. Choosing green when possible. Very interesting ideas! Thanks. I haven't come across a wind turbine in situ photo or detailed info yet... but I'm currently knee-deep in insulation research... The eco-possibilities list I've gather so far: wind turbine (maybe) solar panels secondary window glazing low v fridge (or freezer with manual thermostat) insulate the heck out of it residential mooring (or mooring over winter) - lessening diesel use under floor 'natural' larder wood foraging (can it be stored on roof boxes?) and the great list by Paul! Plus once on the cut, start a campaign for recycling bins and possibly see it implemented in my lifetime For me personally, as I live eco-aware as it is, it's more about gleaning viable boating solutions from you wonderfully knowledgable folk. Power/fuel consumption I guess. Okay thank you. So windfall wood is possible for some - it depends on the area. So are sailaways newly built? Thanks so much for all the rest, excellent post, and truly important points to consider. Ahhhhh, okay, I get it now! Rule #1 of narrowboating - you do not talk about narrowboating. Rule #2 of narrowboating - you DO NOT talk about narrowboating. my shoes are off............

Hi Alan, thanks for the welcome, advice, and encouragement. I'm too much of a wimp to want to rough it continuously (i.e, in a tent in the woods). I like a bed, toilet and shower. But the occassional hardship , like mud, snow, frozen in, is okay. I lived 3-4yrs, off grid, up a roadless mountain, in a village of 5, in Montenegro, not speaking the language, with a baby, that wouldn't sleep. We used well water, foraged for fire wood, electric was cut off weekly, we had a back-up generator, frequent hair-raising storms, lightning actually hit ground areas around us. The difference is that I was married and could leave the toughest physical work or technical things (electrics, plumbing) to the man (I did everything else). I remember us getting a flat tyre once, while it was snowing, in the dark. I helped by holding a torch, and an umbrella over the man, but not in a million years could I have changed it myself. I tried changing a tyre once on my current small car, for practice, and just couldn't get the nuts off. I'm very competent, and great in a crisis, just not strong. So that's my real concerns - would I be able to handle the physical side and the technical side. I'm all for learning, and taking every nb course, but theory and doing aren't the same. I might know how to remove something but not have the strength to do it, you know? Like with my car, I know a fair amount about the engine, but if I break down it's the RAC to the rescue. Any security/safety issues are not about the water, but feeling more exposed as opposed to my current apartment, or nutters throwing stones or breaking in, and such things I've heard. "will become easy if you are determined to learn how to handle a boat" - yes sir, once I set my mind to something I like to do it well.

lmao Well Mike m'dear, I guess that says it all

haha, nice one Dean. Your donuts are your donuts, my donuts...you'll have to pry them from my cold dead fingers. GASP a lynching a lynching!

*sigh* No, I want realism, but positive realism. Many points have been raised with assumptions and a defeatist attitude, rather than a - 'well x could be possible, or how about trying y, that could be interesting... but also worth keeping in mind z too'. There's a live aboard in this thread actually stating - I used free wood - and yet responses are still sticking to how impossible or unlikely it would be, rather than helpful suggestions on how to do it, alternative ideas, and of course with possible challenges. I'm sure someone could try to talk me out of living on a boat too. But I'm here because I want to do it. Of course I want and need to understand the issues, but ultimately yes, I want to hear what I want to hear - it's possible, you can do it! And constructive advice on how to go about it. Yes please, I'm all ears. For those interested I found this.

It's made up on solar panels, yes. And it's made up that I'm willing to try to find eco-friendly ways to live on a narrowboat, yes. The rest is an education .... That's why I started this thread, for positive ideas and feedback, rather than a platform for naysayers. *This eco hippie waves at Mike*

So wood falls naturally? Yes. In sufficient quantities to sustain somebody through the winter? No saw or chain saw involved? It did for me living in a house surrounded by woodland. I have no idea if it does on the towpath. But Ange said, "We burn free wood - we spend most of the year foraging and the last two winters used hardly any coal at all." So I'm hopeful. And using some coal for emergencies or to make up a shortage is okay too. And did you know that pine cones are brilliant firestarters? Ther are plenty if you google it. Interested parties work on both sides. it's a make up your own mind kinda deal here.

Ok, but why the negative perspective? I'm interested in what is possible, with realism thrown in as a caveat, sure. But then your stance is that boating is "inherently non-eco-friendly" Many people do what you mention all the time. I've done it before, when I lived off grid in the Balkans. Including keeping a fire burning through the night, or at least keeping the embers going for a quick start in the morning. Martin- windfall is a term applied to vegetation that falls naturally. Stuff on the ground basically. I'm glad to hear positives about solar panels. I'm afraid I'm not 100% on these. I've researched them for years and never came up with a definite answer. But, I've decided to go with the whole long-term idea. ahhhh, there's the catch! Agreed. Have you ever tried soda crystals? super cheap and great for softening water.

I would say there is a spectrum. Ok, rephrase. Why would an eco-conscious person use coal if there were an alternative (like wood, even free windfall wood)? You mentioned coal but I'm suggesting there are other alternatives, unless there are laws against it on boats. Ricco1 - know of a boater, or ever seen a wind turbine on a nb? solar panels - but there are countless articles on both sides of the debate.

Sure, if it were my prime concern. But never said it was ;p My priority is freedom. Of course it is. Why would an eco-conscious person use it? Would be lovely to hear some productive ideas on how to make the lifestyle more eco-friendly.

Bookmarked. Thanks.

I never assume I'm thinking personally, what I would do, how I would live, and what I would change if I could. I started a new thread on this topic as it's of interest to me. You mean to suggest that some people don't?

I have heard of a few bad stoies from other home educators... nevermind going nomadic. But I'm a fierce fighter for justice, and 5mins with my sociable, well-adjusted, performing-3yrs-above-her-age daughter would probably shut them up.

So my last posts mentioned boating being a way to reduce my carbon footprint. Not just the whole idea of watching your water and electric use, but the way a smaller home gets you evaluating your consumerism. Even if you didn't give a toss about the environment, you would just buy less because of the space! The Dog House mentioned a lack of recycling bins. Read this telegraph article. Positive ideas on how to reduce boating impact would be great. I found this. edit to add: http://lilo.org.uk

No, I understand. But personally speaking, compared to my current life, yes, and how I plan on living, yes. It's the diesel the big concern, eco-wise. But broader speaking, a small home means we buy less, I would use a lot less electricity and water, eventually have solar panels.... hm, what else?