House boat build

[NeilG]

Hello everyone. New member here at the initial planning planning stage of an ambitious house boat build. I am new to the world of boating, never mind building one, but I would be very grateful to be able to talk to people with experience who can help me with advice to get my dream off the ground. 

 

 

[Tumshie]

5 minutes ago, NeilG said:

Hello everyone. New member here at the initial planning planning stage of an ambitious house boat build. I am new to the world of boating, never mind building one, but I would be very grateful to be able to talk to people with experience who can help me with advice to get my dream off the ground. 

Hi Neil and welcome to the forum 

 

There are loads of people on here with boating and boat building experience so you've come to the right place. Can you tell us a little bit about the plans that you have and perhaps what your end goal is, that will give people a bit more to work with. 

[NeilG]

Thanks for the reply. The two main avenues I am considering are to buy a steel hull and build on that or to build a pontoon style, with a flat deck (more american style, I think)

[Tony Brooks]

Do you mean a House Boat as per  the normal definition or a boat to live on? A house boat normally has no means of propulsion and is kept permanently moored at one place, often with some/all services connected. 

 

Ah, I see you probably do mean House Boat and not a boat to live on so be aware moorings in the UK are almost certainly to be as common as rocking horse dung and if you find one will cost several/many thousands of pounds mooring fees each year plus council tax.

[NeilG]

I was thinking to have propulsion in the form of a big outboard engine. Apologies that my initial post was vague. I am at the very early stages of seeing if this is a viable option for me, so I still have a lot to figure out. Something like this picture is like the initial vision for what style I am thinking about.

[Tumshie]

2 minutes ago, NeilG said:

Something like this picture is like the initial vision for what style I am thinking about.

Have you seen many boats which look like this where you plan to moor your boat, does it seem a viable option for the area you want to live? I ask because it's perhaps not an option for some places on the canal network. 

 

 

[NeilG]

Somewhere on the Leeds Liverpool canal looks best from my research I've done so far. Am I right in thinking that canal network can accommodate wide beam traffic? The rough size I am thinking of building is 10mx4m or 32ftx13ft

[dmr]

Were do you plan to keep this boat? Are you in the UK?

 

On the uk inland waterways boats have to be kept on a mooring or to keep moving, so if it moves it must fit under bridges.

Even on a mooring there is a rule that the boat should be "appropriate" for the waterway it is on, though this is often not enforced.

You really should have a firm plan as to the location before starting the build.

 

.................Dave

[dmr]

Thirteen foot wide will fit the water but most bridges are arched and so a square box boat will have trouble, and even if it just fits will get some serious scrapes and possible major damage. Canal boats are the shape they are for a very good reason.

 

.................Dave

[NeilG]

Yes, I am in Liverpool. I know, that finding a mooring is a priority. Leeds Liverpool canal seems the place so far, but still a lot research to do regarding where is best or even viable. I'm an absolute novice when it comes to this, so every bit of advice or question posed is valuable. Any idea where I can find out what is deemed "appropriate"?

[NeilG]

A long term mooring at an offline marina is what I am looking for at the moment. I work away from home 4 out of 7 days a week, so would only be "at home" three nights a week. I doubt I would be moving my boat much

[Alan de Enfield]

32 minutes ago, NeilG said:

 Something like this picture is like the initial vision for what style I am thinking about.

 

 

I don't think that I would have many argue with me if I said "that style of boat is inappropriate for any of the UK Canal system, and possibly much of the River system as well".

 

There are some Marinas that offer moorings (and boats) that are 'square sheds on floats' but these do not leave the marina and are simply 'floating flats'.

[LadyG]

Oh dear, 

[Tumshie]

2 minutes ago, NeilG said:

Any idea where I can find out what is deemed "appropriate"?

First hand experience is always a good start, go out for a walk around the canal and the towpaths in your area have a look at what is already there you can learn a lot just by observing what's around you. Look for all the different types of boats and watch how the function on the canal, and while you're walking the towpaths talk to people. It might seem simple but it's a good learning curve. 

 

Youtube has interesting videos on the British canals and the boats on them. Rugby Boats has a very informative YT channel but you will find mostly narrowboats on there, however I still recommend it because its very good research. 

 

There is a thread on this forum with piccies of forum members boats though I'm not sure how many will fit the type of house boat you seem to want.

 

 

There is Apoloduck which is an interesting site to trawl through when boat buying so it will give you an idea of the boats that are on the canals at the moment. 

https://narrowboats.apolloduck.co.uk/listings.phtml?next=0&sort=0&fx=GBP&limit=10

 

The Canal and River Trust (CRT) are the body who you will deal with should you decide that this is the road (or canal) that you want to go down. 

https://canalrivertrust.org.uk

 

 

[LadyG]

Can we start again:

why do you want to live in the UK, are you  "American/australian/other", this is relevant, sort of...............

If you are looking for a cheap place to rest your head a few days a week, there are better options...........

Buying a bare hull and fitting it out is  quite likely to become a nightmare. A bit like building a house at the top of Ben Nevis,, but not quite so easy.

Do you have

A] £15,000

B] £30,000

C] £60,000

D] £100,0000

E] unlimited resources

Edited March 18, 2019 by LadyG

[NeilG]

I am English haha

[Paul C]

The initial two challenges will be:

 

1. Finding a mooring which will have it there.

2. Persuading that marina/mooring to allow, effectively, construction work to occur on the mooring.

 

Don't underestimate the importance of (2) - it has sunk (no pun intended) a lot of others' big dreams. Once those two issues are completely resolved, then the actual design/planning/building of the boat is simple by comparison!

 

Also, don't discount buying an already-completed, boat-shaped (okay.....canal boat shaped) boat, maybe secondhand, maybe with the view to (extensively...or not) modify it to your own desired taste. It would work out cheaper and easier and goes a big way to overcome issue #2 and to an extent #1.

[Tumshie]

14 minutes ago, NeilG said:

A long term mooring at an offline marina is what I am looking for at the moment. I work away from home 4 out of 7 days a week, so would only be "at home" three nights a week. I doubt I would be moving my boat much

In that case it might be worth researching buying a boat which has already been used as a liveaboard, it will be much cheaper that a new build and easier to sell on again if you decide that 1) boat living isn't all you expected it to be or 2) if you decides you love boat living because then you'll have a better understanding of what you want from your liveabroad boat. 

[NeilG]

£15000-30000 would be the range. It would be a largely, if not total, self build.

[BilgePump]

Disregarding all the pitfalls associated with a non-standard craft, it does seem that some people may well underestimate the costs involved. Those two engines on that boat pictured in the post are the wrong side of £10k/pr with linkages etc.

[NeilG]

I haven't ruled out buying a boat that is ready to live aboard. It is definitely much easier logistically, no doubt. But I do love an ambitious project haha

[Paul C]

2 minutes ago, NeilG said:

£15000-30000 would be the range. It would be a largely, if not total, self build.

That is no where near enough.

[LadyG]

If that is your budget, 

then something like this is................

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/23ft-ORIGINAL-CRUISER-STERN-NARROWBOAT/113689526784?hash=item1a786c8200:g:2JoAAOSwJrdcjmPW

3 minutes ago, NeilG said:

I haven't ruled out buying a boat that is ready to live aboard. It is definitely much easier logistically, no doubt. But I do love an ambitious project haha

no, don't do it ......................................... DO NOT DO THIS,

NO NO, NO

Edited March 18, 2019 by LadyG

[BilgePump]

In all honesty I would forget the grand designs and get creative with an existing boat that is already on the water. Self-build finances will disappear fast with cranes and lorries at that size, even before you can find a marina that will let you moor and work on it in a part-fitted state. Another problem with a self-build is the RCD and what you can do if you need to sell within 5 years and it doesn't have one.

[Alan de Enfield]

4 minutes ago, NeilG said:

I haven't ruled out buying a boat that is ready to live aboard. It is definitely much easier logistically, no doubt. But I do love an ambitious project haha

You do realise that there is legislation in place about what / how a boat is built ?

There are standards that must be complied with for the build, the electrics, the gas, the fuel systems etc etc.

 

There are exemptions for some homebuilt canal boats.