avendagold

Hi guys, Had I only realised sooner before buying how important electrical systems were, I would have studied this more. My boat does not trickle charge into my 12V batteries when plugged into the mains. I have an inverter but that's designed to turn 12V into 240V, not the other way around. I thought it was my Travelpack that is supposed to convert 240V into 12V and slowly charge my batteries allowing me to use my lights, fridge and water pump! As I am moored long term, I have to switch on my engine every time I need to use the toilet for God sake, and my fridge never cools. Can anyone make my life easier? All advice greatly welcomed right now. Thanks, Avenda

I tried Winkwell and they are the ones charging a whopping £3850.55 a year for my 57' narrowboat (I'm sure this is the going rate to be fair to them). Turns out to be an extremely expensive way to store a boat. A shame really cos I'd rather not take up a valuable south-east england mooring space whilst I'm not in the UK. Now I understand why I see so many empty boats sitting idly in marinas for months on end.

Christ, I just phoned to find out prices for putting my 57 ft narrowboat on dry land at Winkwell Marina - £1.20 per foot per week + £250 + VAT for craning. It would cost me £3850.55 for a year!

Hi guys, Well I finally took the plunge a year ago and now I find myself posted to Malaysia for a year. Renting a boat seems fraught with hassle, mainly the licenses and permissions to rent my space in my marina, so I'm considering storing my li'l beauty on dry land. A waste of a boat but there you go. 1. Where can I store it around the Hemel Hempstead area (Grand Union)? 2. How much would it cost for a year? Any advice warmly welcomed. Thanks in advance, Avenda

You make a good point on the price. But from what Chris Pink is saying, £300-400 before mooring charges, £800 is about right (cos I'm including expensive mooring fees in there). I think I'm going to go ahead and advertise, after sorting out the legal requirements kindly mentioned, and see where that takes me. I can always drop the price if I don't get any takers at £800. Thanks Avenda

Hi there guys, I have to move to Malaysia for a year and I want to rent my modern 57" semi-trad cruising narrowboat for circa £800 per month. I need the money as I'm still having to cover the mortgage on the boat whilst having to pay rent for a flat in Malaysia. The price includes mooring in Apsley Marina which is a nice urban marina close to pub, shops, and train station direct to London Euston, and with its own pump out, toilet/shower/laundry block. I've never rented my boat out before so I'm wondering what it entails. I believe I need a license which should be simple enough to obtain - is it? Also: a) is this a fair price? b ) I could reduce it if I moved to another marina further away from London and that isn't so posh and nice - they charge £4607 a year for my berth! Is it worth moving to reduce the cost? c) where is it best to advertise? d) should I vet potential tenants? e) what kind of deposit should I take? Appreciate any help or any alternatives. I've heard that some companies might take on a boat for rental but then there's no way of checking if they have or haven't rented the boat, and I'll get lots of different tenants. Many thanks in advance for any worldly wise insights Avenda

"Could you take it somewhere like Stanstead Abbots on the Lee and have it stored on dry land. AFAIK it'll be cheaper. Or rent it out? You'd need a commercial license and insurance, you probably won't make a profit, but at least you'd not be breaking any rules. You may be able to rent it via a third party, I don't know - any one else know?" I hadn't even considered taking out of the water. That's a smart solution! I'll look into that further. What would the ball-park cost of that be, including storage? Are we talking over £500? I'd considered renting it out but I don't have any contacts. I assumed all the big companies wouldn't bother with private boats and renting it privately could be problematic if something needed fixing, etc. Thanks for the advice.

Hi guys, I'm trying to understand the difference between theory and practice. I have to move abroad for 10 months and don't want to pay the thousands for mooring fees (I'm around London area on Grand Union). What stops me from tying up my boat on a quiet piece of canal and leaving my boat - on a permanent cruising permit? I've been on the canals for only one year and there seems to be no enforcement. Would I get away with this? It would save me a lot of money. What would the fine be if I got caught? Never seen a boat clamped or towed away to be impounded. Thanks in advance , G

Thanks, all the feedback has been great, and the pics have helped a lot too. It's been great to see the different opinions coming to the fore from boat builders which has helped me understand what these boats are. I have come to the following conclusions: -barge style narrow boats are uncool in the boating world! Somewhere between a normal narrowboat and widebeams (the 4x4s of the canals) -barge style narrow boats have a bit more space - which is good for me because I need more head space -they fit under bridges -barge style narrow boats can be badly or well built so choose wisely I'm going to view boats this Friday to Sunday. I live just north of London and everything seems to be "up North". I'm going to find these barge style boats and see for myself what kind of space gain there actually is. When you are 6'6" it's amazing how loads of room can turn into a low ceiling and cramped space. thanks for the feedback and I might start new thread on my return. Avendagold

Hi all, I've been looking around for a narrowboat and have been pointed in the direction of barge style narrowboats. Not having seen one in the flesh, only in pictures, it would appear that there are no practical issues with these barge style narrowboats and they can cruise on any canal, fir into any lock and cost the same as any other narrowboat to moor. Is this right? Surely if you get more room inside there must be some kind of restrictions that I'm missing. Thanks in advance

Hi there again, well since my last post and many positive replies from similarly tall people with enough headroom, I have been looking at a few narrowboats. But nothing so far! Whilton Marina for instance reckons it doesn't have any boats over 6ft4". Where do I find these mythical narrowboats of 7ft? even 6ft8" would do. Is getting one built from scratch the only way? thanks Avendagold

Thanks for all your comments. I'm surprised to find out there are so many tall boaters out there. It gives me a lot of heart. Especially good to know about space for my feet over the bed!

Thanks for replies so far. Keith, I'm sure no one was thinking about the 2" was anywhere else but outside! I was expecting to have issues with the entrance, and apart from carrying things in, I don't think it will be a problem. Interested with your 'conversion' Phil. Do you have rough costs on the new reverse layout?

Hi there all, first let me say thanks to all those contributors who make this one of the most informative and friendly discussion forums I've ever been on. It's been very useful to a beginner like me and makes me aspire even more to join the canal boat community. My question revolves around height! I'm 6"6' and I understand most narrow boats are 6 foot in height inside. That could make for some pretty uncomfortable living. However, I've been on a few nb before, and apart from the occasional duck or two, especially at the entrance, I've been fairly comfortable. Is it therefore a myth that most boats are 6" or did they modify the inside, ie. could I lower the flooring, or heighten the ceiling? And if I can modify the inside to say a more pleasant 6"8'/6"10', how much work/money would this involve. Thanks in advance