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Hi everyone my name is Laura and I have just joined here. I have just been out on a narrow boat today and totally loved the whole experience (the sun helped being out obviously lol). I have recently split with my bf and I am looking for a new experience for the next year or so and thought about buying a boat with my profit from our house we had. I have NO idea how to go about any of this and would love to chat to people here who know all about it and to get some tips and advice please if possible. It would be great to chat to you guys so hope you can help me. Thanks from "Yours needing help", Laura x

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7 minutes ago, john6767 said:

I would say that at the point the money changes hands you own that boat.  So at that point you will need to have insured and licensed it.

 

As the boat is yours not the brokers, so it should not matter if they went bust, if you don’t go there immediately (as long as the broker is ok with that), but if it were me it would want to be there at least the day after the money transferred  to check everything was in order and to collect the paperwork like the bill of sale and a set of keys.  If the broker is going to let you leave the boat with them for a few days no doubt they will want to keep a set of keys, it is normal that the marina were you keep a boat permently would have a set of keys, so that would not be of concern to me.

Hi John sorry was this reply meant for me or someone else? Thanks, Laura x

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24 minutes ago, Laura_Newbie said:

Hi everyone my name is Laura and I have just joined here. I have just been out on a narrow boat today and totally loved the whole experience (the sun helped being out obviously lol). I have recently split with my bf and I am looking for a new experience for the next year or so and thought about buying a boat with my profit from our house we had. I have NO idea how to go about any of this and would love to chat to people here who know all about it and to get some tips and advice please if possible. It would be great to chat to you guys so hope you can help me. Thanks from "Yours needing help", Laura x

 

Have a good old browse around the site - there is lots of information for new boaters.

First and foremost though, boating it not a cheap living option and always costs more than you expect. As well as buying a boat you have to:

 

  • Find a mooring and pay for it (unless you are going to continuously-cruise)
  • License the boat (several £00's a year)
  • Insure the boat
  • Pay for fuel (propulsion), fuel (heating), gas (cooking)
  • Pay to have your black water removed (otherwise known as whatever goes through the loo)
  • Haul the boat out of the water every 2-3 years to have its bottom blacked
  • Pay for routine maintenance and major repairs
  • Get a BSS examination every four years
  • etc
  • etc

 

As a first estimate this lot will cost £5000 - £10,000 a year on top of the boat price, depending you where you are (Derbyshire is probably not at the top end of the range though!).  

 

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Hi thanks Ian I figured there would be a lot of additional costs but it would be soo cool to try living this way that I don't think it would put me off at all but will see. Thanks again x

1 minute ago, Tumshie said:

Hi Laura and welcome to the forum - you don't  have to be a little crazy to post here but sometimes it helps. :giggles:

Lol ok good to know thanks for the welcome and hi back! x

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34 minutes ago, Laura_Newbie said:

Hi everyone my name is Laura and I have just joined here. I have just been out on a narrow boat today and totally loved the whole experience (the sun helped being out obviously lol). I have recently split with my bf and I am looking for a new experience for the next year or so and thought about buying a boat with my profit from our house we had. I have NO idea how to go about any of this and would love to chat to people here who know all about it and to get some tips and advice please if possible. It would be great to chat to you guys so hope you can help me. Thanks from "Yours needing help", Laura x

Obviously it is quite a big subject - there is an entire forum with hundreds of thousands of posts on here about it - so fairly hard to know where to start with advice in the absence of specific questions. As a start I suggest you would want to be sure that it is really a path you want to go down. One sunny afternoon on someone else’s boat may paint an unduly rosy picture!

 

You could consider hiring for a short break or a week. Probably you will need a couple of friends along to make it affordable and to be allowed to hire the boat (most companies don’t allow single handed hiring). Find out what it’s like to sleep, wash, cook on a boat with all its space and electrical power constraints.

 

Then if you are still sure, visit some of the larger brokers to see the sorts of boats that are available in your price range.

 

it will be helpful if you indicate whether you plan to live on the boat and whether you plan to keep the boat in a marina/permanent mooring, or whether you plan to continuously cruise (the legal requirement being that you move to a different place at least every 14 days).

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hi thanks Nick I definitely want to hire and live on one for a week so will try and figure out how to do that. Maybe Airbnb lol joke but something similar maybe? Also I would like to live on it so not necessarily take it out but have the option to do that. I definitely would not move it every 14 days. I know there is lots to look into and what I am asking is very vague but I'm new to all this so sorry for any naivety on my part. Thanks again, Laura x

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15 minutes ago, Laura_Newbie said:

Hi thanks Ian I figured there would be a lot of additional costs but it would be soo cool to try living this way that I don't think it would put me off at all but will see. Thanks again x

Lol ok good to know thanks for the welcome and hi back! x

I'm glad you enjoyed you day today - were you out boating with friends who own a boat or was it a day/holiday hire? Because having some friends who have a boat and spending time on or by the canals is a really good place to start finding out about whether this is really something you want to pursue. 

 

There are also loads of narrowboaters on youtube. I like David at Cruising the Cut but there is quite a variety. Rugby Boats have a youtube channel that they run along side their website and I highly recommend watching that even watching the videos for the boats that have sold because it's still very educational. 

 

This the link to a book shop that specialises in books about the canals. 

https://www.canalbookshop.co.uk/index.html

 

 

But the best place to look is here - the search function in the top right hand side of the site header will be you new best friend. :)

 

 

 

 

Edited by Tumshie
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19 minutes ago, NB Lola said:

Laura,

 

just sent you a personal message (PM).

Hi thanks just replying now x

17 minutes ago, Tumshie said:

I'm glad you enjoyed you day today - were you out boating with friends who own a boat or was it a day/holiday hire? Because having some friends who have a boat and spending time on or by the canals is a really good place to start finding out about whether this is really something you want to pursue. 

 

There are also loads of narrowboaters on youtube. I like David at Cruising the Cut but there is quite a variety. Rugby Boats have a youtube channel that they run along side their website and I highly recommend watching that even watching the videos for the boats that have sold because it's still very educational. 

 

This the link to a book shop that specialises in books about the canals. 

https://www.canalbookshop.co.uk/index.html

 

 

But the best place to look is here - the search function in the top right hand side of the site header will be you new best friend. :)

 

 

 

 

Hi thanks soooo much for this advice. I was out with my mum's friends who were passing through but are from further south than where I am. It was soo much fun and really inspiring to see another way of living x

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Forgot to add this link, this is one to bookmark because this is probbly the best place online to find the boats that are being advertised online - other places are available but this is the best one, I think ?

 

https://narrowboats.apolloduck.co.uk/listings.phtml

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Just now, john6767 said:

Really what was odd about it?

Your reply made no sense to the questions that Laura asked, therefore it was very odd. However it did seem to reply to another thread by a different person.
I have asked the Mods to move it.

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2 hours ago, Machpoint005 said:

 

Have a good old browse around the site - there is lots of information for new boaters.

First and foremost though, boating it not a cheap living option and always costs more than you expect. As well as buying a boat you have to:

 

  • Find a mooring and pay for it (unless you are going to continuously-cruise)
  • License the boat (several £00's a year)
  • Insure the boat
  • Pay for fuel (propulsion), fuel (heating), gas (cooking)
  • Pay to have your black water removed (otherwise known as whatever goes through the loo)
  • Haul the boat out of the water every 2-3 years to have its bottom blacked
  • Pay for routine maintenance and major repairs
  • Get a BSS examination every four years
  • etc
  • etc

 

As a first estimate this lot will cost £5000 - £10,000 a year on top of the boat price, depending you where you are (Derbyshire is probably not at the top end of the range though!).  

 

I could add.

 

how am I going to earn a living/ continue to earn a living

 

If continuous cruising,

 

get to to work from the boat .

transport fuel to and from 

provide electricity to run basic appliances

car and car insurance issues

 

if in a marina and working it’s just like being in a house except smaller especially in the winter. Every weekend is boat chore dominated cleaning toilet water tanks , changing gas bottles etc.

 

It’s certainly easier nowadays with more user friendly marina’s, with power and water laid on ,but you pay for it.

 

dont be put off incidentally many people here appear a little cautious .The reason being that there are many many stories of idealistic people buying boats and loosing 1000s, not doing homework etc, finding later there are no moorings etc etc

you are halfway to not being one of them !

 

good luck, many of us started blind and ended up hooked.

 

 

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12 hours ago, roland elsdon said:

good luck, many of us started blind and ended up hooked.

 

 

Hi thanks for the advice. Lots to learn and research so glad I can call on you guys here to hopefully give me some pointers x

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Welcome Laura. Having a few hours on someone's boat should carry a warning, 'You WILL get hooked' we had a day on a friends boat in 2002. Bought our first boat some months later. Bought this boat in 2005 and finally, work over and done with, moved onboard nearly five years ago. The largest constraint to overcome is work commitment as has been mentioned. If you can get a mooring where you can live happily ever after that is brilliant. Constantly on the move is doable but bloomin' inconvenient if you have work to attend. 

If you could disclose where you are likely to settle there are those on here that can advise accordingly. Go into this with your eyes very wide open. Research and then repeat. Talk to people out and about but most importantly keep us nosey beggars informed of progress. 

Enjoy the adventure.

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2 minutes ago, Nightwatch said:

Welcome Laura. Having a few hours on someone's boat should carry a warning, 'You WILL get hooked' we had a day on a friends boat in 2002. Bought our first boat some months later. Bought this boat in 2005 and finally, work over and done with, moved onboard nearly five years ago. The largest constraint to overcome is work commitment as has been mentioned. If you can get a mooring where you can live happily ever after that is brilliant. Constantly on the move is doable but bloomin' inconvenient if you have work to attend. 

If you could disclose where you are likely to settle there are those on here that can advise accordingly. Go into this with your eyes very wide open. Research and then repeat. Talk to people out and about but most importantly keep us nosey beggars informed of progress. 

Enjoy the adventure.

Hi back and thanks for the welcome and I think I might already be hooked lol!!!! It was soo cool I really think I can do it with a little help at times hopefully from people around god I hope that doesn't sound like I am useless lol? I will be in the Derbyshire area and thinking of maybe Willington as a base. I work online right now so can work anywhere as long as there is internet available. I will keep being nosey and asking questions I just hope you all don't get bored of me asking for more advice lol!? Thanks again, Laura x

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17 hours ago, Laura_Newbie said:

Hi everyone my name is Laura and I have just joined here. I have just been out on a narrow boat today and totally loved the whole experience (the sun helped being out obviously lol). I have recently split with my bf and I am looking for a new experience for the next year or so and thought about buying a boat with my profit from our house we had. I have NO idea how to go about any of this and would love to chat to people here who know all about it and to get some tips and advice please if possible. It would be great to chat to you guys so hope you can help me. Thanks from "Yours needing help", Laura x

Hi Laura. Lots of people will sound notes of caution about the expenses and hassles involved in life afloat, and fair enough, but worth saying: if you're just talking about "a new experience for the next year or so", I think there's every chance you could have a great experience and more or less break even. Boat prices are holding up well at the minute, and house prices aren't.

 

If you were talking about living aboard for five, ten or twenty years, it would be a very different calculation. The value of your boat would almost certainly be falling as house prices rose, which could make it difficult to get back on the housing ladder at a future time.

 

(Confession: I'm not taking my own advice on this one. We've invested a chunk of the money from our house sale for income and moved aboard permanently, so if house prices start racing away we'll have to cross that bridge when we come to it, maybe by buying a place to rent out.)

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2 minutes ago, magictime said:

Hi Laura. Lots of people will sound notes of caution about the expenses and hassles involved in life afloat, and fair enough, but worth saying: if you're just talking about "a new experience for the next year or so", I think there's every chance you could have a great experience and more or less break even. Boat prices are holding up well at the minute, and house prices aren't.

 

If you were talking about living aboard for five, ten or twenty years, it would be a very different calculation. The value of your boat would almost certainly be falling as house prices rose, which could make it difficult to get back on the housing ladder at a future time.

 

(Confession: I'm not taking my own advice on this one. We've invested a chunk of the money from our house sale for income and moved aboard permanently, so if house prices start racing away we'll have to cross that bridge when we come to it, maybe by buying a place to rent out.)

Hi thanks for this! I guess I don't know what my long term goal would be but I did think that the value would go down over time but I got told not drastically for a while which is what you say. Aahhh my mind is all over the place right now I'm a bit confused as to my next steps but for the short term it really appeals to me to buy a boat and I can always like you say sell it on again for about the same amount if I decide to or maybe even rent it out. Thanks x

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3 minutes ago, Laura_Newbie said:

I will be in the Derbyshire area and thinking of maybe Willington as a base. I work online right now so can work anywhere as long as there is internet available.

 

As you know the area you want to live in and you have said that you don't want to move around much then something that you can do with out help or boat is go and explore. Living on a boat isn't just about the boat but also where the boat is, for example I love my local marina but I wouldn't want to live there. Take a drive to check out the local marinas and see what it's like to hang out at them, how long are their waiting lists what services do they provide, what boat yards are near where you can get work done when you need it. Walk along the canals local to your chosen area and see what it will be like to find parking for your can, how easy will it be to get to and from the supermarket and if you like you visit friends or have evenings out how safe/easy will getting home be. There are lots of fantastic things about boats and I love them but it can be the little things that put the kibosh on a good day. 

 

Getting out and about around the canals, especially in this good weather we're having will teach you so much more than you'll realise and help you for a picture in your mind about how your life could / would be if / when you decide to buy a boat. 

 

 

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1 minute ago, Tumshie said:

 

As you know the area you want to live in and you have said that you don't want to move around much then something that you can do with out help or boat is go and explore. Living on a boat isn't just about the boat but also where the boat is, for example I love my local marina but I wouldn't want to live there. Take a drive to check out the local marinas and see what it's like to hang out at them, how long are their waiting lists what services do they provide, what boat yards are near where you can get work done when you need it. Walk along the canals local to your chosen area and see what it will be like to find parking for your can, how easy will it be to get to and from the supermarket and if you like you visit friends or have evenings out how safe/easy will getting home be. There are lots of fantastic things about boats and I love them but it can be the little things that put the kibosh on a good day. 

 

Getting out and about around the canals, especially in this good weather we're having will teach you so much more than you'll realise and help you for a picture in your mind about how your life could / would be if / when you decide to buy a boat. 

 

 

Hi thank you soo much that's fab advice there is soo much to consider I am making a list now with everything on so I can check through it! These points are all important to me. Also need to have a great sunbathing spot as well so not sure if you can do that by lying on the top of the boat is that possible? Omg is that a lame question lol I need to know these things!!! Laura x

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1 minute ago, Laura_Newbie said:

Hi thank you soo much that's fab advice there is soo much to consider I am making a list now with everything on so I can check through it! These points are all important to me. Also need to have a great sunbathing spot as well so not sure if you can do that by lying on the top of the boat is that possible? Omg is that a lame question lol I need to know these things!!! Laura x

There is loads of stuff and it ALL really exciting ? eventually you'll distill it down to the stuff that matters most to you but till then it will feel a bit like you are running all over the place, and every time you learn some thing new it will disrupt what you thought you'd sorted out the last time but don't worry eventually the peaces will slot together and form the bigger picture - you'll be fine. 

 

The top of your boat may well be a sun trap but just remember it's metal so will get quite hot. ?

 

Another link that you can explore

 

https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/enjoy-the-waterways/boating

 

 

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