GOONIESnvrSAYdie

Hunter related name?

Thanks for all the great feedback folks. I hadn't really thought as far ahead of who are good companies to deal with. I imagine every company will have it's positive and negative points. Hearing feedback on your own personal experiences is truly helpful.

Afternoon all, As some of you may have read I'm looking into the prospect of buying a narrow boat to live on. I'm trying to put together a list of good websites to constantly check out for new listings and wondered if anyone knows of any good ones I've not yet happened across. I did try and search for boat sales on the forum but couldn't seem to find a thread with links to websites, just threads about a particular seller. Thanks Gareth So far I have: Apollo Duck - www.apolloduck.com Boats and Outboards - www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk Bridgehouse Marina - www.bridgehousemarina.co.uk eBay - www.ebay.co.uk Freedom Boats - www.freedomboats.co.uk Great Haywood Boat Sales - www.greathaywoodboatsales.co.uk Liverpool Boat Sales - www.liverpoolboatsales.co.uk Longport Brokerage - www.longportbrokerage.co.uk Swanley Brokerage - www.swanleybrokerage.com Venetian Marina - www.venetianmarina.co.uk Whilton Marina - www.whiltonmarina.co.uk

Good chatting earlier, hopefully see you Sunday for a tour. And thank you again to everyone for the over whelming number of replies. All the advice is taken on board and I'm sure this forum will be a constant source of knowledge and research for me.

I have contacted Pridewater about availability on social media, they messaged back saying they passed on my details to the caretaker from New Mills but I haven't heard back. It has been Christmas though so these things do get lost in communication. I did walk past New Mills marina the other day and notice how full it currently is. I'll have to pop up and have a word with the caretaker, see if there's a list I can get my name onto. We're not in any mad rush really, still at the research stage for now. Probably wouldn't be looking into buying our own boat till closer to the summer but even if we buy the boat and have to leave it at FV for the short term meaning we aren't able to live on it full time to start with, it won't be the end of the world. I'll keep an eye out for the boat when I;m next out on the canal. Thanks for the kind offer. Gareth

I've been trying to find out about internet on the boat it we end up becoming live aboard's. I currently game quite a bit at home, it's not the end of the world if I can't anymore. I play just as many off line games as I do online. My other half has an iPad so she only web browses at most and I do general browsing myself. The only streaming we do is we currently have a Netflix account. Or I watch the occasional but of football. I'm sure Netflix and web browsing is easily achievable but the gaming I'm not so sure off. The marina we're looking at has wifi so I'll have to chat to them and hope it will reach the boat with a strong signal.

It was spending so much time on the canal throughout life that prompted me to suggest the idea to the other half. My dads house as a kid backed onto the canal so I spent months of my life sat there fishing away. We also walk the dog along the canal a couple of times a week, so to live on it seemed the next natural prospect. To be honest, without thinking about the idea of a loan I never thought it possible without having all that money upfront. I'm not the type to ever borrow for anything. I have no debt and own everything out right I've ever owned. Thinking of a loan wasn't a natural thought process but living on the canal is something that's always interested me. I often envy the boats I pass walking the dog, often stopping to chat with the owners and always walk past marina's really slowly having a good old nosy. I did mention it wasn't a case of renting vs the boat, more a stating, that they were our only 2 options. Renting meaning we wouldn't need to go into debt etc. I'm really appreciating all the responses though. It's really helpful to read impartial but accurate opinions from those who already live the life style. An eye opening insight in some answers. Things that would seem so obvious to a live-aboard but not so to someone on the outside looking in.

I try my best ha. Thank you. Thanks for taking the time to provide all the insight, it's all really helping with making decisions. Thanks David. That puts my mind at ease a little as the engine is such an important aspect whether you're on the move or living at a marina. Exactly our thinking, and come the end of paying off our boat and saving up enough. We may decide to buy a house but stay on the boat. It does seem like the kind of life style that would really suit us. The only sad issue I have is no record collection. I'll be leaving that at my Dads for now.

One thing I did want to ask, as I'm not very mechanically minded in the engine sense but do have a lot of car mechanic friends etc. If I ever have engine problems I assume I can call on their expertise for help? As one diesel engine is the same as the next really. Or do you need marine engine experts? The only dealings I've had in the past with boat engines have been out boards we had on our family fishing boats.

Oh I knew about the difficulties in fitting one from scratch, I just meant the initial out lay for the stove wouldn't be as much as normal. Thanks for the tips though, much appreciated. One question I do have though, as we may buy a boat with one already fitted and decide it would be better to re-position it. Do people find with it being at one end of the boat the heat transfers down the long distance to the other end? I've seen others where people move them down towards the kitchen/ more centrally. I know you will have central heating also, so maybe you don't need to worry so much about the stove heat making it's way to the bedroom? We already have the dog. The family is already complete The ideal mooring we want is in New Mills, Derbyshire. But if they are full as it's small and we have to wait, there's another one just 5 minutes from there at Furness Vale. Cheers Dave. It's not really a case of which is better financially really. It's just move out and buy a boat or move out and rent are the only two options we have. And we're far more in favor of buying a boat than renting. Even if boating ends up being more expensive, it's the life style choice that's drawing us to it more than one vs the other simply based financially. Thanks for taking the time with the response, it's much appreciated.

It's all the different details that's blowing my mind. Trying to figure out, not what's best, but what would be best for us. Things we do know we want, a trad maybe semi-trad at a push. We want the most internal space possible so a trad is the ideal style yeah? I do like the idea of the small seating area out front for the nicer days in the year. Somewhere to sit and read or have a cuppa etc. We want a pump out loo. The marina we want to moor at has a pump out station so saves on using a cassette. We also only want a shower as a bath takes up extra living space and neither of us use the one we have now. We only want 2 berths, but with the option for someone to sleep in the living room if needed etc. Again, to maximise the living space available. We'd like a nice kitchen and dining area but also enough space for a few people to sit down in the living room. I know we maybe seeking perfection that doesn't exist but I guess it's good to have an idea of what you want. I know we want a multi-burner stove but it's not a deal breaker if it's not already fitted. I have a friend who sells fire places. It's just complicated to know what to look for for general heating of water and central heating etc, what's best depends on your needs. It just worry's me we could choose wrong and be stuck with something that costs a fortune or doesn't suit our needs. We've only done a little research into this at the moment. A few quick internet searches etc. I'm yet to look into boa mortgage's, I hear they can be difficult to obtain? Any advice on good companies to look into? We were thinking of going down the personal loan route, planned to have a meeting with a financial adviser who can get us the best deal possible. Nice use of the Hunter quote. He's my favorite author.

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We figured the boat will depreciate in value, not many things don't in reality. If after our boat is paid for we do decide a house is for us, then we most likely would sell and put the proceeds towards our down payment but it's not what it hinges on. The idea of the boat means we could be out and in our own space within months. Rather than years. We plan to keep doing plenty more reading of the threads on the forum, there's so much to take in about what's best, heating wise etc etc against cost of living. We aren't solely basing the boat idea against it being cheaper than a flat, the boat idea appeals far more to us. Before jumping in there I think we do plan to rent a boat for a few short breaks, try and give ourselves a good idea of what life afloat could be like. Besides actually buying your own to live on we can't think of better research than to do a canal holiday? Like I just mentioned in the above comment, there's more to the choice of boat living than it simply being cheaper. I think the life choice on the water is far more us. My family had, until recently a static caravan in Caernarfon for 15 years. I used to spend great stretches of time there, at all times of the year. Although not exactly the same, I'm used to living somewhere you have to get up and change gas bottles at inconvenient times, but also, living in well, smaller than house surroundings. I think ours was 52x12. So not tiny but not massive either. We definitely don't see the boat as a stepping stone. If we do end up buying one, it will only because we're 100% committed. It's mainly the fear of the unknown or buying wrong that will hold me back for so long. I'm a really methodical person, not one to jump into things and worry about the consequences later. Research, research, research ha. Thanks for all the replies so far. It's positively reassuring not to be inundated with you're in it for the wrong reasons and see you raising topics we've already talked over between us.

There aren't really many flats to rent locally that accept pets. The cheapest 2 bedroom houses are £600+ a month before anything else. The loan repayment would be a couple of hundred at best cheaper before we add on anything else. But also, after a few years we own our boat. Whereas if we simply rent and move out we'll have nothing to show for the time and will have just paid someone else's mortgage for them etc. They do yes, I know a lady who works in the local cafe who lives there. It's only a small marina, but as mentioned in my edit, they have mains electric and water connections so if you don't plan on doing lots of cruising can live with all the comforts of a house etc. From what we've calculated we can afford to pay back the loan, pay all other bills, save in one or both government ISA savers and also have a little left to put into a normal savings account.

Evening folks, I just thought I'd layout the reasons and circumstances behind our idea to become live aboard's. Get opinion from the experts as everyone we've mentioned the idea too (family and close friends) have all been positive. In a nut-shell my girlfriend and I currently live with my dad and are saving for, we thought a house as, well that's what everyone seems to do. The problem is, at the rate we're able to save a deposit and the cost of housing in the area we want to buy. We could be looking at least another 18 months here. The problem is, we feel like we're in the way. We have a dog. And we personally just want our 'own' space again. We're looking into the idea of getting a loan for £20-25K and topping it up with some of what we've saved to buy a boat. From what we've looked at, this could buy us a good start to living on the water, obviously, it's fixtures maybe a little dated but we're not phased by some DIY. As long as the main amenities we'll need are there for a starting point. The money we'd have to pay back on the loan plus mooring and living costs far out ways the cost of renting a house locally. Plus the local marina is 5 minutes from work for both of us, so no more car commuting. We'll still keep the car though. The marina has a pump out station, diesel on pump, has free wifi and also has mains electric and water hook up on meter should you require it. Another factor is the government have recently started a first time buyers scheme, which is capped to a maximum saving of £200 a month. Then, when you cash out they give you a top up of 25% of what ever you've saved. We're both entitled to one of these accounts as neither of us have ever owned a house. The scheme is only really worth doing over a longer period of time to reap the benefits. So as well as paying off our boat over a 4 year period we're also able to keep saving and decide in the future if we want to buy a house to move into or buy a house to rent out and keep living a float. I've always been in favor of the boat idea rather than a house, but houses are generally bigger but mainly just encourage you to buy more things you don't need to fill it ha. We're both very clean and tidy people so the practical side of living on a narrow boat isn't a worry at all. I'm 6'2, so one of my main concerns was cabin height but from research I soon reaslied that wouldn't be much of an issue. Plenty of good tall cabin boats out there. It'd be great to get input from those who live the life already, tips on any pitfalls we could face or if our plan is total nonsense and we shouldn't even consider it. Thanks for taking the time to read the rambles, it's much appreciated. All the best Gareth