New Begining

from my limited knowledge and I really don't know how true it is someone told me that if you only stay so long you can avoid council tax rule bit of a grey area and possible taboo subject so many more things to think about..lol anyway there has to be positive sides to living afloat I read it was more popular than ever

I've looked at the river soar concerned about the level of flooding there, it seams to be quite regular, the actual road network from Red Hill Marina is excellent but with continual road and HS2 workings that junction is well sometimes a nightmare. Shardlow Marina is in a lovely village not far from Sawley 2miles ish, and that's really as far as my limited knowledge of canal and river systems ends, Farndon is out because like someone rightly said no narrowboats and Newark is too far. I was wondering if anyone know of any smaller places in the areas in between, Obviously for now I don't really fancy being moored up on any old river bank alone is why I'm looking at a permanent base

to clear this up I live in Nottingham was looking at Sawley and Mercia Marinas both are close to Motorway for travel to work, Langley Mill Basin is out at the moment as they have a massive waiting list unfortunate because it would have been a perfect base surrounded with all the amenities a woman could want lol, including a good road network, the downside is Erewash canal is long.

Thank you Master Po for pointing out just how much I didn't realise I needed to know lol.. I feel even more doubtful about the whole exercise. I have actually looked inside some engine bays and I know what you mean by being rusty and crabby down there, I also looked at a very vintage old thing trad build. that had a walk in engine room and overhead brass levers pullies and things, I like the cruiser stern with a reverse layout, have to admit 9-10k for a paint job was not on my budget list perhaps I should shelve the idea until I have a 30-40k originally though I was going to rent one for 6 months to see how I fared, but when talking 6-7k I changed my mind thinking it would be better spent on one fettle it up then flip it perhaps loosing less money

I see, I'm way off the mark already, I understood safety checks and routine maintenance such as blacking only had to be done every 2-3 years

oh and I know the difference between a Rolls Royce and Skoda just don't know what the boat equivalent names are lol

Hi Dave and Stewart, thanks for you're replies, I know my budget is low but as a starter boat I was hoping it would be enough to get me on the ladder so to speak, I have thought about mooring costs and overheads leading me to believe 4k a year would cover this I have a basic idea of the layout I prefer really its the mechanics and below the water line that I need information about what kind of engine what is a good reputable make internally I think I'd be able to manage a bit of DIY as long as the main components are present galley washroom... It will be a liveaboard but I would want to venture out and about, so 50-57ft I thought would be a good size for both. Ruth

Hi Everyone, I'm looking to buy a live aboard, but as a total novice I'm confused over what is a good narrowboat, after searching brokerages and classified adds I'm starting to have doubts, the words over plating, new hull, wooden cabin are slightly off putting never mind trying to understand why a boat built in 1986 is 3 times more than 2010 build, and I thought (stupidly) that all narrowboats were 10-6-4. so my question good people of the canal world, is what kind of boat should I be looking for? and is it possible to get anything decent for the meager amount of 10-20k