Your recommendations please.

[Clockwork]

Hello,

For many years I have thought about living aboard a narrow boat, and after spending a year or more watching Youtube videos, as well as the fact that I don't seem to be getting any younger would now like to turn these thoughts into reality. Are there any books anybody could recommend that give an all round appreciation of all the highs and lows of living aboard, the things to watch out for in buying and living on a boat, how things work (electrics etc), best type of toilet (no forget that?) Your replies are appreciated.

[John Brightley]

In my opinion, the best thing you can do before making a final decision to buy a boat to live on is to spend as much time as possible holidaying on one (I'd say at least 2 weeks), experiencing every type of weather conditions and talking a lot to all the people you meet. Reading lots of books and looking at videos, however useful some may be is no substitute for actually experiencing boating.

[ditchcrawler]

3 minutes ago, John Brightley said:

In my opinion, the best thing you can do before making a final decision to buy a boat to live on is to spend as much time as possible holidaying on one (I'd say at least 2 weeks), experiencing every type of weather conditions and talking a lot to all the people you meet. Reading lots of books and looking at videos, however useful some may be is no substitute for actually experiencing boating.

Summer and winter

 

[Clockwork]

11 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

Summer and winter

 

Thank you.

15 minutes ago, John Brightley said:

In my opinion, the best thing you can do before making a final decision to buy a boat to live on is to spend as much time as possible holidaying on one (I'd say at least 2 weeks), experiencing every type of weather conditions and talking a lot to all the people you meet. Reading lots of books and looking at videos, however useful some may be is no substitute for actually experiencing boating.

Thank you.

[David Mack]

If this is to be your first boat, then don't think about spending a lot of money on a new boat. Almost inevitably you will find the things you thought you did and didn't want turn out, with experience, to be wrong, and some of your money will have been wasted. Better to buy a cheaper, second hand boat first, see how it goes, and only then consider a new (or newer) boat.

And when you get serious about buying, look at lots of boats to compare the pros and cons of different layouts, facilities,  etc. Whilton Marina is often recommended as a place to do this as they will give you several sets of boat keys and let you look at them at will.

[Clockwork]

Thank you.

15 minutes ago, David Mack said:

If this is to be your first boat, then don't think about spending a lot of money on a new boat. Almost inevitably you will find the things you thought you did and didn't want turn out, with experience, to be wrong, and some of your money will have been wasted. Better to buy a cheaper, second hand boat first, see how it goes, and only then consider a new (or newer) boat.

And when you get serious about buying, look at lots of boats to compare the pros and cons of different layouts, facilities,  etc. Whilton Marina is often recommended as a place to do this as they will give you several sets of boat keys and let you look at them at will.

Thank you.

Edited March 12, 2020 by Clockwork
error

[Ex Brummie]

Hiring will give you an idea of the confines of a boat, and  the necessity to charge batteries and fill up with water, but the other variables re toilets and similar will not be totally apparent. over a week, you may not need pumping out, but full time, this is something you will need to plan. On a hire boat, you will take a couple of weeks clothes, but you will live with a lot more. Look at your You Tubes, and look beyond the narrator. Many are quite bohemian; are you? They live quite sparsely (and often untidily); can you? Also study the problems weather can cause*. There is little you can do but endure it, and this goes for other problems of maintenance of engines and equipment. If you are not adaptable, you will need deep pockets.

* Just read the next post; you need to be able to understand a lot.

Edited March 12, 2020 by Ex Brummie
Just read next post

[MtB]

3 hours ago, Clockwork said:

Are there any books anybody could recommend that give an all round appreciation

 

"The Liveaboard Guide" by Tony Jones. (A member here although he doesn't post much.)

 

 https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1472963679?tag=duc08-21&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1

 

 

[mark99]

Do experience the long nights, dreary, dismall rainy days and muddy footpaths of winter living. <but the bonus of quieter waterways>. Obvs everyone in the world would love to live on the water in summer!

Edited March 13, 2020 by mark99

[MtB]

14 minutes ago, mark99 said:

Do experience the long nights, dreary, dismall rainy days and muddy footpaths of winter living.

 

^^^THIS^^^

 

But its too late in the season now to experience the impact of it getting dark at 4.30pm AND having a 1/4 mile tramp through slippery mud in the dark by torchlight after work back to the boat.

 

You'll be able at any time to experience at any time however, the effect where anywhere near the cut with car parking will alos be rammed full of boats and no space to moor!

 

Unless you elect to live in a marina of course....

 

 

[JJPHG]

22 minutes ago, mark99 said:

Do experience the long nights, dreary, dismall rainy days and muddy footpaths of winter living. <but the bonus of quieter waterways>. Obvs eveyone in the world would love to live on the water in summer!

Not me - I love cruising in winter and really miss the dreary dismal rainy days.  My last trip back was unfortunately beset with almost entirely sunny days

[MtB]

1 minute ago, JJPHG said:

Not me - I love cruising in winter and really miss the dreary dismal rainy days.  

 

Eh?

 

We've just had FOUR MONTHS SOLID of dreary dismal rainy days!!!!

 

 

[JJPHG]

2 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

Eh?

 

We've just had FOUR MONTHS SOLID of dreary dismal rainy days!!!!

 

 

Yep - and up to last month we had 11 months of boring dry sunny days.  Surprising what you miss isn’t it.

[pete.i]

You want an opinion? Well this is mine to which I am eminently entitled. Others will disagree and they are entitled to do that as well. Anyway my opinion, DON'T do it. Get a boat for leisure but stay in your bricks and mortar.

[MtB]

1 hour ago, JJPHG said:

Yep - and up to last month we had 11 months of boring dry sunny days.  Surprising what you miss isn’t it.

 

Ah I see, you're down under. I forgot that!

 

My commiserations....

 

 

[Mike Todd]

17 hours ago, Ex Brummie said:

Hiring will give you an idea of the confines of a boat, and  the necessity to charge batteries and fill up with water, but the other variables re toilets and similar will not be totally apparent. over a week, you may not need pumping out, but full time, this is something you will need to plan. On a hire boat, you will take a couple of weeks clothes, but you will live with a lot more. Look at your You Tubes, and look beyond the narrator. Many are quite bohemian; are you? They live quite sparsely (and often untidily); can you? Also study the problems weather can cause*. There is little you can do but endure it, and this goes for other problems of maintenance of engines and equipment. If you are not adaptable, you will need deep pockets.

* Just read the next post; you need to be able to understand a lot.

Perhaps one of the important differences is that when things go wrong you can't just ring the hire company to fix it. You do need to be moderately competent with things mechanical/electrical (but nothing exotic) and also not one to panic at the slightest difficulty.That said - just go for it! Just organise your life such that you can always go back to a land based lifestyle. This will remove one sense of worry (although renting out a house is not without its own complications as people here sometimes mention) and also there may come a time when it is a necessity.

[mrsmelly]

7 hours ago, pete.i said:

You want an opinion? Well this is mine to which I am eminently entitled. Others will disagree and they are entitled to do that as well. Anyway my opinion, DON'T do it. Get a boat for leisure but stay in your bricks and mortar.

Did you have a bad experience when you lived on a boat? 

[Clockwork]

On 12/03/2020 at 22:33, Ex Brummie said:

Hiring will give you an idea of the confines of a boat, and  the necessity to charge batteries and fill up with water, but the other variables re toilets and similar will not be totally apparent. over a week, you may not need pumping out, but full time, this is something you will need to plan. On a hire boat, you will take a couple of weeks clothes, but you will live with a lot more. Look at your You Tubes, and look beyond the narrator. Many are quite bohemian; are you? They live quite sparsely (and often untidily); can you? Also study the problems weather can cause*. There is little you can do but endure it, and this goes for other problems of maintenance of engines and equipment. If you are not adaptable, you will need deep pockets.

* Just read the next post; you need to be able to understand a lot.

Thank you

On 13/03/2020 at 01:28, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

"The Liveaboard Guide" by Tony Jones. (A member here although he doesn't post much.)

 

 https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1472963679?tag=duc08-21&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1

 

 

Thank you.

On 13/03/2020 at 07:25, mark99 said:

Do experience the long nights, dreary, dismall rainy days and muddy footpaths of winter living. <but the bonus of quieter waterways>. Obvs everyone in the world would love to live on the water in summer!

Thank you.

 

On 13/03/2020 at 07:45, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

^^^THIS^^^

 

But its too late in the season now to experience the impact of it getting dark at 4.30pm AND having a 1/4 mile tramp through slippery mud in the dark by torchlight after work back to the boat.

 

You'll be able at any time to experience at any time however, the effect where anywhere near the cut with car parking will alos be rammed full of boats and no space to moor!

 

Unless you elect to live in a marina of course....

 

 

Thank you.

[Clockwork]

On 13/03/2020 at 16:19, Mike Todd said:

Perhaps one of the important differences is that when things go wrong you can't just ring the hire company to fix it. You do need to be moderately competent with things mechanical/electrical (but nothing exotic) and also not one to panic at the slightest difficulty.That said - just go for it! Just organise your life such that you can always go back to a land based lifestyle. This will remove one sense of worry (although renting out a house is not without its own complications as people here sometimes mention) and also there may come a time when it is a necessity.

Thank you.