Broom Ocean 30 Cruiser

[MtB]

My first boat (on the Thames) was 36ft proper boat-shaped boat (10ft beam), and had about the same amount of living space and accommodation as a 57ft narrow boat. 

 

 

1 minute ago, Dearhound said:

would like to travel the waterways as much as we can.

 

Case closed. Buy a 57ft (max) narrow boat.

 

 

[Dearhound]

3 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

My first boat (on the Thames) was 36ft proper boat-shaped boat (10ft beam), and had about the same amount of living space and accommodation as a 57ft narrow boat. 

 

 

 

Case closed. Buy a 57ft (max) narrow boat.

 

 

Ok!  Thank you - I do appreciate all this advice. 

[dmr]

Although I agree that this is not a good canal boat, a draft of 32" is not the big issue, and I speak here as someone who has lived on a boat that draws about 31" for 10 years and traveled extensively, though I confess today was a bit of a bummer, and tomorrow is probably  gonna be worse.

 

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

 

i

[Dearhound]

1 minute ago, dmr said:

Although I agree that this is not a good canal boat, a draft of 32" is not the big issue, and I speak here as someone who has lived on a boat that draws about 31" for 10 years and traveled extensively, though I confess today was a bit of a bummer, and tomorrow is probably  gonna be worse.

 

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

 

i

& next year might be much, much worse?  Are you on a narrow boat?

[dmr]

5 minutes ago, Dearhound said:

& next year might be much, much worse?  Are you on a narrow boat?

Yes, its a narrowboat which is probably much better able to cope with reduced water than a big wide plastic thing, but global warming and climate change really are kicking in whilst our politicians are still worrying about NOx and particulates and other ways of organizing the deckchairs on the Titanic.

 

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

[ditchcrawler]

20 minutes ago, Dearhound said:

   I suppose we don't necessarily need to be on the canals but that had been our original plan until I started wondering if they - the canals -  are really getting too busy  & started wondering if GRPs might be more economical as well as more versatile in a way....

We, How many? The chances of getting a mooring near Gilford are not high unless you spend a lot of money on a Thames residential mooring

20 minutes ago, Dearhound said:

   I suppose we don't necessarily need to be on the canals but that had been our original plan until I started wondering if they - the canals -  are really getting too busy  & started wondering if GRPs might be more economical as well as more versatile in a way....

We, How many? The chances of getting a mooring near Gilford are not high unless you spend a lot of money on a Thames residential mooring

[Dearhound]

2 minutes ago, dmr said:

Yes, its a narrowboat which is probably much better able to cope with reduced water than a big wide plastic thing, but global warming and climate change really are kicking in whilst our politicians are still worrying about NOx and particulates and other ways of organizing the deckchairs on the Titanic.

 

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

I know.... Bonkers.  So perhaps living on a river is a better option. I don't know. 

[MtB]

2 minutes ago, dmr said:

but global warming and climate change really are kicking in whilst our politicians are still worrying about NOx and particulates and other ways of organizing the deckchairs on the Titanic.

 

Totally agree, and given the human race is not gonna do anything about stopping it, we need to consider what the consequences are gonna be and develop strategies for dealing with it. Not waste time sitting on Waterloo Bridge demanding action. 

 

 

[MtB]

I'm just wondering if you are aware that a lot of the canals in the UK are only 7ft wide, so the 30ft Broom would not fit. 

 

Broadly speaking the southern canals (GU and K&A) and the Thames would cope ok with a 10ft wide Broom, but you would not be able to go north as the connecting canals are all 7ft wide only. 

 

Once up north (by lorry, say) the world would be your lobster.

 

[dmr]

20 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

Totally agree, and given the human race is not gonna do anything about stopping it, we need to consider what the consequences are gonna be and develop strategies for dealing with it. Not waste time sitting on Waterloo Bridge demanding action. 

 

 

Not sure about that. The insignificant people that live in the countryside are seeing whats going on, but the important people that live in the cities, especially London, are very isolated from these things, but they do understand traffic jams and other things that impact on their high paid jobs and theatres/restaurants, so maybe the protesters have got it right this time, but I am concerned that its the "usual suspects" who just like a good demo rather than those who really grasp what is going on.

 

When water is in in short supply I think us boat dwellers are going to be at the bottom of the list so no strategies will be of much help.

Its early April and the Rochdale is now closed due to water shortage.

 

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

[MtB]

2 minutes ago, dmr said:

Not sure about that. The insignificant people that live in the countryside are seeing whats going on, but the important people that live in the cities, especially London, are very isolated from these things, but they do understand traffic jams and other things that impact on their high paid jobs and theatres/restaurants, so maybe the protesters have got it right this time, but I am concerned that its the "usual suspects" who just like a good demo rather than those who really grasp what is going on.

 

When water is in in short supply I think us boat dwellers are going to be at the bottom of the list so no strategies will be of much help.

Its early April and the Rochdale is now closed due to water shortage.

 

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

 

Even if the whole of the UK accepted the demands of Extinction Rebellion and all motoring, aviation and industry were shut down overnight so out CO2 output fell to zero, it would barely make a dent in the problem of global warming, so my view is theya re just pissing into the wind. 

 

Dealing with the consequences means doing stuff like selling my house in Weymouth which was only 1m above high tide, 10 years ago before everyone twigged the problem, or perhaps moving one's boat down south to where there is a better water supply. Or selling the boat and getting some other sort of shelter perhaps. Or moving countries if necessary. But I doubt this will be necessary before you and I succumb to old age and keel over. 

 

Thinking about what WILL happen rather than what Extinction Rebellion say OUGHT to happen is far more constructive in my opinion. 

 

 

[dmr]

4 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

Even if the whole of the UK accepted the demands of Extinction Rebellion and all motoring, aviation and industry were shut down overnight so out CO2 output fell to zero, it would barely make a dent in the problem of global warming, so my view is theya re just pissing into the wind. 

 

Dealing with the consequences means doing stuff like selling my house in Weymouth which was only 1m above high tide, 10 years ago before everyone twigged the problem, or perhaps moving one's boat down south to where there is a better water supply. Or selling the boat and getting some other sort of shelter perhaps. Or moving countries if necessary. But I doubt this will be necessary before you and I succumb to old age and keel over. 

 

Thinking about what WILL happen rather than what Extinction Rebellion say OUGHT to happen is far more constructive in my opinion. 

 

 

But you have hit the nail here, its not our problem, its the problem for the next generation so they have a right to to protest about their futures. Unless China, and in particular America, get involved then we are pissing in the wind, but I reckon its all doable, it just needs the house dwellers to lower their energy consumption and adopt the lifestyle  that boaters live......and a LOT of new wind turbines.

 

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

[Tony Brooks]

8 hours ago, Dearhound said:

I have an elderly mum in Guildford, but apart from that we are free spirits & would like to travel the waterways as much as we can.  I suppose we don't necessarily need to be on the canals but that had been our original plan until I started wondering if they - the canals -  are really getting too busy  & started wondering if GRPs might be more economical as well as more versatile in a way....

 

As I understand it livaboarding on the River Wey (run by the NT) is not allowed apart from in a exceptionally few cases. There are livaboards on the Baisingstoke canal but they seem to be static houseboats and probably change hands for silly amounts of money. Again a separate license is required.  The Baisingstoke suffers annual water shortages so I suspect a 32" draft would be pushing it. I doubt continuously cruising either waterway would be practical.

 

That leaves you the Thames which would be fine for a Broom but if you wanted to go above Oxford it needs to be a folding wheelhouse one and proper moorings are very like;ly to be expensive. The CC brigade on the Thames have now ensured there are very few free mooring spots.

 

If I were to buy a cruiser I think an early Broom 30 would be my choice, possibly a Skipper, but not with a Merc. engine.

[Alan de Enfield]

7 hours ago, dmr said:

.and a LOT of new wind turbines.

But what 'resources' do building wind turbines use ?

How much CO2 is produced during their production ?

 

[carlt]

 

 

8 hours ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

I'm just wondering if you are aware that a lot of the canals in the UK are only 7ft wide, so the 30ft Broom would not fit. 

 

Broadly speaking the southern canals (GU and K&A) and the Thames would cope ok with a 10ft wide Broom, but you would not be able to go north as the connecting canals are all 7ft wide only. 

 

Once up north (by lorry, say) the world would be your lobster.

 

The 30' Broom does not need a lorry and its seagoing capabilities open up a lot more opportunities than a narrowboat can exploit. 

 

[Mike Todd]

9 hours ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

Seriously, you need to get out and about walking the towpaths seeing the boats and talking to boaters. 

 

Cruisers make up only a tiny proportion of boats on canals.

 

 

And an even smaller proportion of those that move.

[Bee]

1 hour ago, Alan de Enfield said:

But what 'resources' do building wind turbines use ?

How much CO2 is produced during their production ?

 

This is an inescapable fact. You could draw a similar chart for anything from a can of beer to a narrowboat. (And electric cars and batteries are pretty suspect too) The alternative though is gas, coal, and nuclear. I think all scientists and the majority of people agree that Something Must Be Done.  Problem is though, what? How about only having 12 hours of gas and electric a day? Or closing 50% of roads from midnight to 8am? Banning airport expansion?  That sounds draconian but my grandparents had no electric until the 1960's. never owned a car and never flew. That is only a few generations ago and we might have to consider something like that or fry. Oh, and a Broom is not much good on UK canals. Perfectly OK on most European waterways though. Commute from Calais or Dunkirk.

Edited April 22, 2019 by Bee
missed a bit

[MtB]

1 hour ago, carlt said:

 

 

The 30' Broom does not need a lorry and its seagoing capabilities open up a lot more opportunities than a narrowboat can exploit. 

 

 

Given the level of knowledge the OP appears to have, coastal hops in a Broom 30 would seem to me to be fraught with unforeseen difficulties.

 

 

[Naughty Cal]

11 hours ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

I'm deeply puzzled. This is a canals forum yet you seem to be looking at boats suitable for the sea and the bigger rivers.

 

Why are you not looking at narrow boats?

 

 

Cracking good boats, Brooms though, by and large. Built to a high standard rather than down to a low price.

 

 

Despite the name the Ocean 30 is an inland boat.

[Tumshie]

2 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

But what 'resources' do building wind turbines use ?

How much CO2 is produced during their production ?

I have posted links to this in the past but it would appear that people don't actually want the answers. There have been extensive testing of renewably technologies on the Orkneys which I link to regularly when these subjects come up.  A huge proportion of renewables and sustainable projects found in Great Britain started their life there. 

 

There is a wealth of real time knowledge to be found by researching what's going on up there. 

 

[carlt]

6 minutes ago, Naughty Cal said:

Despite the name the Ocean 30 is an inland boat.

Though many of them (and their many variants) can be seen around the coast. 

There is one here in Weymouth at the moment on the visitor moorings. 

15 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

Given the level of knowledge the OP appears to have, coastal hops in a Broom 30 would seem to me to be fraught with unforeseen difficulties.

 

 

Easily solved by going on a RYA motor boat course. 

We all started somewhere. 

[carlt]

11 minutes ago, Naughty Cal said:

Despite the name the Ocean 30 is an inland boat.

Broom would appear to disagree:

http://www.jonesboatyard.co.uk/boat-sales/documents/Ocean-30-.pdf

[Dearhound]

52 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

Given the level of knowledge the OP appears to have, coastal hops in a Broom 30 would seem to me to be fraught with unforeseen difficulties.

 

 

Perhaps we are on the wrong forum after all.

[RLWP]

Just now, Dearhound said:

Perhaps we are on the wrong forum after all.

I don't think so. You seem to be trying to find out something about living on canals, and as your thoughts are not well formed (because this is still just an idea) some of your questions are a bit naive. How could they possibly be otherwise?

 

Stick at it, ask more questions. Do be prepared to answer questions too, it will help. And 'I don't know' is a perfectly valid answer

 

Richard

[MtB]

13 minutes ago, Dearhound said:

Perhaps we are on the wrong forum after all.

 

Are you experienced lumpy water boaters then? Is this why you focus on cruisers?

 

Please remember, we only know what you have told us about yourselves, which so far has been very little other than you want to live on a boat, and you have family in sussex.