Hi ladies and gents, I have just joined so please be gentle! ?
OK, so I am currently going through a divorce and due to the way the law is in this wonderful country of ours, I am going to have to let the "other" take much more than myself. Because of this I am left with either getting a huge mortgage or think of alternatives. I live in Warrington, so the Bridgewater Canal would be my nearest canal.
Initially, I did think about going down the widebeam route. This being because my kids are 14 and 17 and are with my 75% of the time, so the extra space etc would be vital, as I would need 3 bedrooms, and then us living permanently on board. But having read several posters getting advised not to do this I had another idea.
What if I rented a house, and bought a narrowboat with my share of the equity of the house? My thoughts being that if I could rent out the boat during the months of say March to September, I could possible pay the rent for my house for me?
Then once my kids have gone their own way, I could move into the boat full time.
I have no idea about boating etc, and I totally understand that I would need to have a few weeks aboard at least before making a decision. But my thoughts are genuine, as the lifestyle really really appeals to me, so it's not just for the sake of dodging the stupid mortgage costs.
I would be extremely grateful to hear what people think about this idea. That would be involved licence and insurance wise, other costs to be taken into consideration etc....
I would be looking to spend in the region of £50,000-£60,000 on the boat itself.
Thanks in advance.
Scott