VincePam

Thanks LadyG. I will look around the area and the marina.

Hi both and thanks. I though my area was visible on the profile. The boat is in Ely, Cambridgeshire. I need an expert with steel to add steel rails and movable folding steel poles/parts to the rear of the hatch and onto the front part of the roof, as well as basic woodwork to one of the cabins.

Hello all. I am looking for an expert carpenter to upgrade/modify my steel narrowboat. Anyone has suggestions of experts of proven quality please? Thank you for your help.

Hartford Marina near Huntingdon (Cambs) Bridge Boatyard near Ely (Cambs)

Thanks all and apologies for my yet not up to standard language. Yes by wide beam I mean wider than 6' 10" and I got that above 10' 2" is really almost restricted to a very small area in terms of ability to travel around. up to 10'2" I have to accept that I cannot move east to west passed Northampton, so if I want to be able to visit all round I have to keep it to 6' 10" but longer. I started viewing a few and I am now getting closer to accepting a 6' 10" proper narrowboat but 60 to 70 ft long, which appears to enable me not to have restrictions in moving around and have enough room aboard. If it does not work then I will go back to my home in Cambridge, we'll see. I am now trying to address layouts and trying to figure out pros-cons of traditional, semi, reverse etc. as well as heating, electrics and heads matters. Getting there and started looking for one. Thanks all for the tips and informative notes as I new nothing and hopefully will soon find the right one.

Hi. I got that right. I am restricting the search to narrow boats only because of that, avoiding if possible vertical lateral sides. I have already purged my searches of other kinds so that bridges are not a problem. Hi and thanks. I have this clear from your previous posts. My concern now is only to understand the "wide beam" limit if strictly 10.20" or 10.50" is a possibility. I still remember well previous posts about leaving enough space for the fenders, as the 6.10" won't make the cut in terms of minimum living space

ok. thanks. so really 10.2 is the max I have to stick to

Thank you Tony. Then 10.50 would allow me to travel in full around the wide southern or 10.20 is the limit and 10.50 is as having a 12ft?

Hi Brian do you think a LOA ft57 - Beam ft10.50 of about 50,000 lbs is within size to travel around most of England? Thanks I possibly found one as LOA ft57 - Beam ft10.50 of about 50,000 lbs is within size to travel around most of England?

Brilliant!

Yes, I got that I should stick to 60 X 10 which is what I am now looking for, flat as much as possible provided I can stand up anywhere. With the upper corners narrower, if possible, than the base. Insulated and well heated, no water in, no heat out, toilet with holding tank. GRP problematic for insulation, unless exceptions (also less character honestly), sliding decks to be checked for proper sealing, possibly simple hydraulics, if at all. I am adding as short as possible, provided enough space to work and live comfortably in 3. That is what I got about the limits thanks to your help. I also learned that I will need to learn a huge amount about the water systems as they are a lot more dynamic than I thought. I will come back on that

Thanks

That is big and spacious Brian! I will have a look at it and see if fit all the rest I was learning in the past few days

Thanks. Very useful Very very useful. Thanks Thanks and hopefully see you soon afloat

Thanks. I got that as well. It makes sense but not in line with the idea of becoming "nomadic" albeit only virtually for a couple of years. But thank

Would something like this make any sense or is just to high or too big of an engine? https://uk.boats.com/power-boats/1990-stevens-1040-8489466/ And also any Aquafibre has to be discarded? it seems a lot of them are on the market, with some that look isolated (but need to check if that is true or just looking like)

Is a good point. Thanks

Always very useful comments. Thanks. I will now have to start viewing some of those boats

This looks attractive. Thanks

we all have. No experience in canal liveaboard. But we'll give it a try. We sure know how is to leave in a house. Comfy but we need a bit more excitement (without having to live like in a trench)

Not really. My plan with my wife was to start travelling around. Our jobs won't change, nor revenues, which are already ok as they are. Renting house is additional revenue but not a need. However the young boy still has to have his environment (school and friends) stable, so while waiting for that to change, the idea is to start moving aboard, making a small step just in case the rest of the family, now enthusiastic, will find it not a good lifestyle. Hence a limit to the budget, as first step, and looking for something that can be sold back to the market as we could go back to standard life or buy something different after having the experience of the first boat, or the boy going to Uni, whichever happens first. So target is to buy something that I cannot regret after a month, easy to maintain (not enough experience to do most of it on my own and I work so do not want to perform bad at work because I have to fix something every day on the boat), comfortable enough (heat and dry included) to properly live and work on board. I understood that if around Cambridge can be a wider beam, but that will have limitations in the future if touring the north especially. However the investment on the boat and fittings should make sense in case we resell it in two years or so to upgrade or have new lifestyle ideas ( or old lifestyle ideas) as I find it not particularly clever to work a lot and spend a lot to fit a boat meant to be sold 2 years later and start over again. Lots of windows and grp. I see your point. Target is something dry and warm. I am getting to old to live in a dump and cold environment

So that matters as the min headspace needs to be there

Thant is a really nice one. How much maintenance in time and cost will it be per annum?

I surely will. Probably soon and over a beer if you allow me

Yes not simple even by car. Is all jammed nowadays