SirCy

Aye my bad, should've read when the last post was on this one rather than the topic title. But hey it got people talking about boat security at least.

Well now I'm concerned. I guess this is hyperbole, but does that kind of thing happen often? And a second question would be how would one go about preventing this? I imagine unbreakable glass would be quite the expense.

Pretty interesting read. Gave it a quick Google to see what other information I could find and there seems to be a lot of stuff dating through the 20th century, and a few forum posts on here about it... kind of curious why it was never done, but I have to guess the obvious one of funding. But with agriculture in the south being helped, as well as reviving shipwrights and steelworks in the northeast... I suppose there had already been a lot of discussion about this though, and why it wasn't done?

Ah what's a little bit of sailing across dry land? But yeah, I understand now why it may be an empty dream to see canals up here then. Its a shame that the network gets so little love from the wider population.

Options come at a premium, I guess it would be a good idea to keep an eye out on the market. Are there any specific brokerages or sites that are specific to the North? Most I've seen operate either the entire country or most of the globe... though I suppose it is a pretty niche market in itself. Do people commonly do this? I would have thought with it being a person's home or a holiday option, that people would be less willing to let someone roll with them just because they asked. Though I guess the obvious "if you never ask, you'll never get" applies here too. Yeah I've seen the lights, similar thing with aircraft too. Built up a sort of understanding seeing all the ships on the Tees and in the North Sea but never had a proper course on that.

With that said; I do believe I would have to travel for any sort of interaction with the canals at this rate, be it a short stay, buying, or training... so I'm not overly worried about going to the absolute nearest place to learn the ropes, given I'd be travelling a fair bit for it anyways... might as well go a bit further afield to get a better deal, no?

Some solid advice there regarding electricity. I must admit I've not been paying huge attention to how much I use, though averages I've gotten do seem to imply my computer at least does not pull as much as people seem to think it might... but I do need to make certain, and of course with limited electricity even my seemingly minimal usage might be too much. Regarding all this about the northeast/Yorkshire region, I refer you to the age old argument of "if you're south of me, you're not northern". I don't want to give away my exact location, but rest assured it is north of Northallerton, though I know folk from there. Jokes aside, I realise there's a lot of debate about what is and is not northern, and I do find that somewhat silly at times, but with reference to canals I can certainly say where I am currently is quite some distance from the canal network, no matter how north it claims to go. There are rivers, some pretty major ones, and of course I mentioned Tees Barrage earlier, but again none of this is connected to the larger network, unless there are some unmarked and forgotten passages from the River Tees I could find myself on. I'm not certain about recent history, but given the extent of the Danelaw I do believe there must have been some kind of navigable riverway that heads south from here once upon a time. I might look into this, but perhaps it would be something for the powers that be to look into for extending the canal network further? There are a lot of major and historic waterways up here that I'm sure could justify bridging the gap?

Sounds like an exercise in knowing what is truly essential in your life then? I tend not to keep much clutter but I think if I moved onto a narrowboat I would quickly realise just how much I have.

Not planning on remaining here. Something that strikes me about boating is that you can move around. Not fast from what I understand, but you're able to pack up and leave for another town at your own discretion... assuming you're not tied to a marina. Perhaps that's what drew me to this, my desire to not be tied down to one place? From what I've seen of the canals map, the northeast does have the Tees Barrage and I know Durham and Newcastle/Gateshead have pretty major rivers running through them, but they don't appear to connect to the rest of the country, so I'd be trapped up here. I've asked before and from what I understand its not really possible to take a canalboat along the coast unless you're an expert and have clear skies above you. I figured as much it would be costly, but anything is within reach if you plan for it. My career path is in programming; pays pretty decently, is quite suitable for remote working, and I found most of the time you get a breakthrough when you're not at your computer... normally at 4am which is why I sleep with a notepad and pen next to me now. I think my biggest concern here however would be power-consumption from running a computer and internet connection. Anyone who is Continuous Cruising, how is connectivity out there? I've heard people using their mobile phones as a tether, but is that really reliable?

I figured generating your own would be important, though I'm curious what you mean by "efficiently without damaging batteries". I've heard about batteries getting damaged by leaving them charging when they're already full, and letting them completely empty, but the sources for both these claims was always vague. Lots of fantastic information, thank you Ally! Toilets, hauling and power-consumption are things I've seen mentioned a lot in videos, but I've not heard too much about the essentials, what would you consider to be unnecessary on a boat compared to a house? I've heard boaters don't use tumble-dryers due to the power they need, and washing machines are a hit-or-miss depending on who's asked, anything else in particular? Is this particularly difficult to do? Part of the reason I asked about licenses was that I figured it would take at least some training to drive a boat, or at least lots of practice. That does seem to be a contradiction I've heard a lot of; its a life of solitude yet one of community. I think my biggest concern of that is that I was considering continuous cruising, but realised that means I won't be in one place for too long and therefore not have much chance to meet friends. I can see why pets are so popular now. Though with my previous work as a reenactor, I like to think I'm good at making new friends at shows who I'm likely to never meet again (at least not for a few months/years). Is there any particular reason you think that boating might attract that negative type of person so much?

Hey folks! I've lived near rivers most of my life, recently living near a marina too, and for the last year or so have been getting pretty into watching various boating channels on Youtube. Needless to say, it feels like the boater life is calling to me and it is a call I am more than happy to listen to. However I don't have a huge deal of experience living or owning boats currently, just watching them with awe from afar, so I am hoping to find some information. First, I'm wondering what kind of chores you undertake that are less common or even nonexistent for someone living on land? I realise most people making Youtube content probably won't document their mundane day-to-day activities too much, but I like to know what I'm getting myself into. Second, what kind of skills or qualifications are needed to live on a boat? I've heard about a few courses that seem more geared towards ocean-going vessels, but is there anything specifically required for narrowboats? Do you need a license the same way you do for a car, or are they slow enough to justify not having one? Thanks~