Crewcut

One of those mistakes it's okay to make once (and I certainly have). More than once it's time to read The Checklist Manifesto, continually it might be time to hand the keys in...

I think it's worth mentioning that using 12v batteries to provide 230v via an inverter is a very inefficient way to use the power of the batteries. If off grid your batteries will benefit from you avoiding using 230v via inverter wherever you possibly can. Even having the inverter on standby and ready to provide 230v consumes significant power. If you have a 230v fridge or TV switch to 12v versions if at all possible. LED lights consume a lot less power. Managing electric on a boat requires a a totally different mindset, you must be prepared to learn or you'll forever be having problems. The good news is it is not rocket science, best of luck with your new boat...

Absolutely right, I wish people wouldn't trot out the old chestnut that says unless you can hermetically seal your boat you'll be attempting to dehumidify the planet. If on board do as you say and a dehumidifier makes a huge difference to comfort, as anybody who uses one will testify. If left well ventilated especially at either end there shouldn't be too much of an issue with damp when returning to the boat, simple...

LilMissMolly see what you started! Now back to the matter at hand I've been window shopping, have a look at what look to be a few of the better boats available for around your budget at the moment: https://www.apolloduck.com/boat/pinder-45-cruiser-stern-for-sale/713447 https://www.apolloduck.com/boat/colecraft-45-semi-trad-for-sale/709691 https://www.apolloduck.com/boat/liverpool-boats-40-cruiser-stern-for-sale/714753 https://www.apolloduck.com/boat/mn-narrowboats-45-traditional-for-sale/706567 https://www.apolloduck.com/boat/bettisfield-boats-35-traditional-for-sale/710863 What do you think?

Yeah I'm considering some solar to mitigate the cost increase as well, mine's gone from 18p/unit to 42p/unit which is not nearly as bad as for some. In the coldest months my spend was about £100/month now it'll be more like £250...

If you are going to use a dehumidifier it should be a good quality, dessicant type (e.g. Meaco or EcoAir). Compressor dehumidifiers do not work at all well in low temperatures...

I'm a bit late to this party but would add if you're working a mooring with mains electricity will make life a lot more civilised, some would say a must have. I'd suggest a boat with a modern engine (kubota or Yanmar based), fixed bed with a proper mattress is a must, have a think about what type of toilet you might find least unpalatable to deal with - in my experience fancy pants electric flushing with a macerator into a large holding tank toilets are anathema but others prefer them to cassette type, with which there's much less to potentially go wrong but you'd need to deal with the waste more often. But you're a nurse so you're more used than most to dealing with poo & wee, BONUS! Forget separator loos if you're tempted, they don't really work on the canals. Reverse layout or not, stern/bow type, fuel & water tankage (especially water, ideally I think I'd be looking for 600 litres plus for FT liveaboard). Heating - again in my experience and opinion keep it simple, maybe a solid fuel stove or drip feed diesel in the middle of the boat (not at one end or the other), maybe if you must a radiator at either end and in the bathroom for occasional use in really cold weather? You can use oil filled rads though if you have mains. A lot of it depends on you & how much "luxury" you want, how much stuff you need to have around you, etc. but it's a massive help if you're practical and confident with tools, interested in how engines work, doing a bit of woodwork/DIY, painting and if you enjoy watching people do something on Youtube before having a go at doing it yourself! Being prepared to learn at least is an absolute must, I've met people who just are not willing to learn or have a go and they end up living on boats in unpleasant if not dangerous conditions. Really, really try to get your head around 12 & 240 volt electrics, batteries, solar power, use of inverters, etc. on boats. Being a sea boater (13 years FT living aboard) it was a great surprise to me that many canal boaters seem to me to be obsessed with using domestic 240v appliances whilst cruising/away from shore power on their boat - you can do without 240v appliances and if you do it will be much easier to manage your power on board. Go have a look at some boats to start to get a feel, anything upwards of 40 odd feet. If it was me as a single FT liveaboard I'd be aiming for around 45 - 50 feet but I've lived on much smaller sailboats and been quite happy. Good luck...

As already said the starter battery if in good condition should not drop anything like that much and from your post it hasn't in previous years so replacing the starter battery should suffice. You could connect a small (5 or 10w?) trickle charging panel directly to the starter battery...

Personally I wouldn't have a problem with paying up front but I'd take a recommendation for a surveyor from here over one given by a marina any day of the week. Especially if it's the marina who is selling the boat that I'm buying...

And no mixing crossply & radial... We're drifting in the direction of the four Yorkshiremen, I like it...

Asking the previous owner would be the easiest way to find out if you have their contact details. Got a photo of the tank that's in the engine bay? What size are the tanks? Normally there'd be one tank for your domestic hot water with or without a heating element...

A 12v computer fan would do this very well, leave on 24/7 very quiet and uses hardly any power. Makes a world of difference on my home made separator loo (that I use responsibly & properly 😉)

I had a guinea pig (shaved before cooking) on a stick in Ecuador and a giant frog on a stick in Thailand. Like giant meat lollies, both delicious if fiddly to eat. I'd draw the line at a sewer rat though...

My mate & I came through 7 locks on the GU last week buddied up with a lovely family of 4. Unusually Mum was on the boat, Dad & 2 daughters were being super organised doing most of the work, one of them going ahead to the next lock to start prepping that. They all had walkie talkies and were having a whale of a time...

I'd suggest start in spring to give yourself the longest possible run-up to your first winter...

I dunno what your budget is but I'd suggest something with a modern engine (kubota or Yanmar based), fixed bed with a proper mattress is an absolute must if you're living on it, have a think about what type of toilet you might find least unpalatable to deal with - in my experience fancy pants electric flushing with a macerator into a large holding tank toilets are anathema but others prefer them to cassette type, with which there's much less to potentially go wrong but you'd need to deal with the waste more often. Forget separator loos if you're tempted, they don't really work on the canals. Reverse layout or not, stern/bow type, fuel & water tankage (especially water, ideally I think I'd be looking for 600 litres plus for FT liveaboard). Heating - again in my experience and opinion keep it simple, maybe a solid fuel stove or drip feed diesel in the middle of the boat (not at one end or the other), maybe if you must a radiator at either end and in the bathroom for occasional use in really cold weather? A lot of it depends on you & how much "luxury" you want, how much stuff you need to have around you, etc. but it's a massive help if you're practical and confident with tools, interested in how engines work, doing a bit of woodwork/DIY, painting and if you enjoy watching people do something on Youtube before having a go at doing it yourself! Really, really try to get your head around 12 & 240 volt electrics, batteries, solar power, use of inverters, etc. on boats. Being a sea boater it was a great surprise to me that many canal boaters seem to me to be obsessed with using domestic 240v appliances whilst cruising/away from shore power on their boat - you can do without 240v appliances and if you do it will be much easier to manage your power on board. Go have a look at some boats to start to get a feel, anything upwards of 40 odd feet. If it was me as a single FT liveaboard I'd be aiming for around 45 - 50 feet but I've lived on much smaller sailboats and been quite happy. Good luck...

If it's varnished Zinsser do some good paints (shellac based) that will stick well as a primer...

With £30k & being a novice boater the best thing you could do would be to forget hiring and buy the newest/best condition smallish boat preferably with a "new generation" engine (Kubota or Yanmar base, e.g.) you can find for your own use and enjoyment. The smaller you go the better condition you'll get for your budget and the lower your maintenance and mooring costs will likely be. Even so you absolutely have to be prepared to get your hands dirty to some extent, so learning about how everything (engines, boat plumbing & electrics, maintaining a steel boat, etc.) works, how to troubleshoot and preferably have a stab at fixing it yourself to get going again when it doesn't. None of it is rocket science but all boats are effectively ongoing projects and you either need very deep pockets (if you're going to pay other people to maintain your boat) or just deep pockets (if you're going to maintain it yourself). Have somewhere to keep it lined up before you buy one, go and see as many as you can to get a feel for the different layouts, etc. and what you can get for your money. If you choose well and maintain it well you might be able to sell it for roughly what you bought it for (not what you bought it for plus what you spend on it). Might be an idea to hire one for a week or something first to see whether the reality matches your expectations, you might find that doing that once or twice a year scratches the itch sufficiently and you wouldn't need to worry about maintenance, etc. But don't be put off, the pleasure and memories that can be had are immeasurable and they say you regret the things you didn't do not those you did...

Our (coastal) marina used to say you have to be quiet by I think it was 9 or 10pm, now they say you can't make noise that causes annoyance to others at all which is a step in the right direction if you ask me. We've had a number of noisy boat parties that have been stopped dead in their tracks recently, I think they're on a drive to be perceived as being more family friendly. Personally I wouldn't dream of inflicting my choice of music on (or knowingly do anything else that might cause annoyance to) others and wonder what's going on (or more to the point not going on) in the head of anybody who thinks it's ok to blare music out with literally dozens if not hundreds of other people well and truly within earshot. Beyond ignorance...

I've been looking quite extensively over the last year or so, initially for a friend who recently retired & wanted a NB but also for myself for when I'm able to stop work I might take to the canals for a bit as a change to living full time in a coastal marina which I have done for 12 years. I would agree that you can get something decent for £40kish possibly less but not a lot less depending on where it is. There are a lot of cosmetically tarted up boats particularly around London where everything inside has been painted white and the rest of the boat has in all likelihood not been very well maintained because a lot of the boats around London are bought and sold largely for cheap accommodation. I think if you are going to continuous cruise while also working a regular job where you have to be somewhere you've got to be really into the lifestyle or it's unlikely to work in the medium to long term, different story if you're living in a marina with shore power, water, facilities, etc. that's easy but official residential berths are pretty hard to come by. I have no idea how many live on their boats below the radar in inland waterways marinas but it's getting harder to do this in coastal marinas and I'd imagine that would also be the case inland. Go start having a look at some to get an idea of the different layouts, etc. and because they always look better in the photos. The state of a lot of boats, especially but not exclusively at the lower end are very poorly presented but if you can see past the crap this can work to your advantage. If at all possible take somebody with you who knows what they are looking at when you get to the stage where you're viewing with a view to buying...

If you haven't ever been on a narrowboat at all you really should hire one for a week or something first but bottom line is any first boat is unlikely to be that which would best match your wants/needs no matter how much research you do. For that reason buying second hand makes a lot more sense, especially since you're unlikely to lose much when you resell - assuming you don't pay way over the odds to start with and you at least don't allow it's condition to deteriorate... Good luck with your plans...

Being a long term sea boater/liveaboard when my mate recently bought a NB we moved it from Reading to Northampton over 7 days, planned using Canalplan AC, what a brilliant resource. You can even do a photographic virtual tour of your route. All must have been a shed load of work to put together and maintain so a big thankyou to all who do that...

If the survey you have suggests that the hull is not in need of work and the engine runs well I'd stick it on for £15k & see what happens. Shame it's not a bit earlier in the year, get it on quick. Some brokers don't know their arse from their elbow take what any of them say with a large pinch of salt...

Here you go, perfect for you...

Looking at the record for it on sailboatdata.com it's long keel so could be encapsulated rather than bolted on? Draft is only 70cm, very shallow for a sailboat and of course it's only that in the middle so could be okay to use as is in many places, others with more canal knowledge than I will advise on that. I think it would be very unstable if you did remove the keel...