Much needed kick up the *rse needed?

[Richard10002]

Buy the boat and get a lodger.

 

If you want to get rid of the lodger, I think you give a weeks notice and can change the locks. The chances of the lodger arguing the toss about being an assured shorthold tenant, rather than a lodger, with a fait accompli, are slim.

 

As a matter of interest, what is your understanding of how often would you need to live there to be sure that you didn't create this hypothetical assured shorthold tenancy?

 

Plenty of people take a lodger, work a long way from home, and spend very little time there. I've never heard of a lodger situation being challenged like you suggest, (not saying it has never happened, of course).

[dor]

CW5.  We have a 2-bed house in Willaston we rent out.  We don't try  and make a fortune out of the rent (although ROI is rather good these days, even on a below market level rent) and are fortunate we have a good tenant that pays on time, keeps the place reasonable and doesn't cause any trouble.  We don't use an agent as the house is not far from where we live and, as you say, the agents take a sizeable chunk and generally do little for it, beyond calling their mates in if any little job needs doing.

 

When I was working the boat was the only thing that kept me sane through a fairly stressful period.  being able to go to the boat at a weekend and go and moor in the middle of nowhere was a lifesaver for me.

 

 

if you want my advice (and of course you don't have to take it) then go for it, buy the boat, enjoy it.  As for renting/lodger,  for a single young person I can certainly see the benefit of doing it as a lodger, just make sure to stop the night there periodically.  

 

Don't waste any more time!  You never now what is around the corner and it might not be what you have planned, so enjoy life while you can.

[NB DW]

The nearest uni is Keele which is 25 mins by car so not sure it'd attract anyone, maybe a mature student who's not at uni much.

 

Reeseheath college is close by though, so maybe some interest there.

 

I had the deposit form back from the broker today for me to return but my nerves have been shook and I'm getting cold feet.  The forms haven't yet been returned.  I think it started this morning when I logged into my online banking to apply for the additional money.  I was turned down!  I've never been refused money before so I was taken aback.  I'm trying not to take it personally - I appreciate an algorithm made the choice - but cannot understand why since I've banked with them for 21 years, have taken out and paid back several loans with them in the past, have nothing on my credit card with them, and have £35K in my current account.  I've zero dependents etc and no other financial commitments.  Bizarre.

 

I've applied for a Post Office personal loan.  Apparently they couldn't reach a decision online either and will be writing to me.

 

So I resorted to a zero % purchase credit card and have been accepted.  Trouble is, the broker won't accept part payment by card, and I doubt the surveyor or dry dock will either.

 

Worst comes to worst is I can take a cash advance using my credit card, transfer it to my current account, and use that to bridge the gap.   Then spend next to nothing for 3 months to get it all paid off!

 

This isn't really how I'd like to have done it and it does make me feel nervous.  Especially coming from a position where I've got a chunk in the bank to then needing to resort to this sort of stuff.

 

Hoping I can keep my nerve and see it through.

 

I had a look at the agency fees for managed lets.  It's not so much the monthly chunk they take, it's the massive chunks they take for finding new tenants, inventory fees, exit fees.  Just about everything.   Having rented for years before now I know just how useless these guys are too which makes it worse.

[NB DW]

2 hours ago, Richard10002 said:

Buy the boat and get a lodger.

 

If you want to get rid of the lodger, I think you give a weeks notice and can change the locks. The chances of the lodger arguing the toss about being an assured shorthold tenant, rather than a lodger, with a fait accompli, are slim.

 

As a matter of interest, what is your understanding of how often would you need to live there to be sure that you didn't create this hypothetical assured shorthold tenancy?

 

Plenty of people take a lodger, work a long way from home, and spend very little time there. I've never heard of a lodger situation being challenged like you suggest, (not saying it has never happened, of course).

There's no clear definition of what consitutes a live-out landlord in this sort of circumstance, other than it being reasonable to believe it's not their primary residence based on the amount of time they spend there.

 

I'd be going back at least once a week, maybe a little more, anyhow.  As you say, with the contract in place you can issue notice and evict fairly quickly if needed, and hopefully quicker than the time it'd take for them to object on the basis they see themselves as an assured tenant.

 

Other forums are littered with what's likely to be bollocks advice from people with no understanding of the law outside of what they've read on Facebook, telling others where the relationship in the sort of set up I'm looking for has gone wrong, they should challenge it and not lawful.  I doubt much comes of it.

[restlessnomad]

1 hour ago, NB DW said:

The nearest uni is Keele which is 25 mins by car so not sure it'd attract anyone, maybe a mature student who's not at uni much.

 

Reeseheath college is close by though, so maybe some interest there.

 

I had the deposit form back from the broker today for me to return but my nerves have been shook and I'm getting cold feet.  The forms haven't yet been returned.  I think it started this morning when I logged into my online banking to apply for the additional money.  I was turned down!  I've never been refused money before so I was taken aback.  I'm trying not to take it personally - I appreciate an algorithm made the choice - but cannot understand why since I've banked with them for 21 years, have taken out and paid back several loans with them in the past, have nothing on my credit card with them, and have £35K in my current account.  I've zero dependents etc and no other financial commitments.  Bizarre.

 

I've applied for a Post Office personal loan.  Apparently they couldn't reach a decision online either and will be writing to me.

 

So I resorted to a zero % purchase credit card and have been accepted.  Trouble is, the broker won't accept part payment by card, and I doubt the surveyor or dry dock will either.

 

Worst comes to worst is I can take a cash advance using my credit card, transfer it to my current account, and use that to bridge the gap.   Then spend next to nothing for 3 months to get it all paid off!

 

This isn't really how I'd like to have done it and it does make me feel nervous.  Especially coming from a position where I've got a chunk in the bank to then needing to resort to this sort of stuff.

 

Hoping I can keep my nerve and see it through.

 

I had a look at the agency fees for managed lets.  It's not so much the monthly chunk they take, it's the massive chunks they take for finding new tenants, inventory fees, exit fees.  Just about everything.   Having rented for years before now I know just how useless these guys are too which makes it worse.

is not credit card loan expensive? 

can you get a credit report from equifax/experian and see if something comes up.

[robtheplod]

Always better to regret something you did rather than something you didn't!

[NB DW]

3 minutes ago, restlessnomad said:

is not credit card loan expensive? 

can you get a credit report from equifax/experian and see if something comes up.

 

It's an expensive way of doing it, but it'll be paid off within 4 months or so, and so the interest will be negligable.

 

I logged straight into Experian when I got the knock back, I don't have an upgraded account so can't see all the detail, but did see my score was 977/999, so presumably nothing wrong.

[restlessnomad]

10 minutes ago, NB DW said:

 

It's an expensive way of doing it, but it'll be paid off within 4 months or so, and so the interest will be negligable.

 

I logged straight into Experian when I got the knock back, I don't have an upgraded account so can't see all the detail, but did see my score was 977/999, so presumably nothing wrong.

ok, not too bad then.

tesco bank and AA seems to have low interest rate but it depends on the applicant. 

we are emotionally invested in your boat now... do post a picture once you buy 

[The Gravy Boater]

52 minutes ago, robtheplod said:

Always better to regret something you did rather than something you didn't!

I'm sure Edith Piaf would have something to say about that.

[tree monkey]

5 minutes ago, The Gravy Boater said:

I'm sure Edith Piaf would have something to say about that.

And she says it so well

 

[The Gravy Boater]

41 minutes ago, tree monkey said:

And she says it so well

 

Her alveolar trills are like the report of an MG42.  In other news clicking on your vid led to me watching 30 mins of old Nancy Sinatra videos... thanks You Tube algorithm... I don't waste my evenings, me.

Edited June 14, 2020 by The Gravy Boater
typo

[WotEver]

3 hours ago, The Gravy Boater said:

Her alveolar trills are like the report of an MG42. 

My French teacher at school reckoned that Piaf had a very strong Southern French accent. I’ve always wondered if that’s true... a bit like ‘Our Gracie’ having a strong Lancashire accent. 

[Athy]

7 hours ago, WotEver said:

My French teacher at school reckoned that Piaf had a very strong Southern French accent. I’ve always wondered if that’s true... a bit like ‘Our Gracie’ having a strong Lancashire accent. 

As she was a Parisian, and her parents came from Normandy, that would be unlikely.

Mireille Mathieu, a younger singer who rose to prominence in the 1960s with a style very reminiscent of Edith's, is from the deep South. Perhaps your teacher was thinking of her.

Piaf, when singing, did pronounce "e"s at the end of words, which is a Southern characteristic (you hear it in Marseille for example), as in  'La Vie En Rose", where the last "e" is sounded like "er". But this is a common occurrence in sung, rather than spoken, French, whichever part of France the singer is from.

Edited June 15, 2020 by Athy

[WotEver]

44 minutes ago, Athy said:

Perhaps your teacher was thinking of her.

Or perhaps I’m mis-remembering and it was Mathieu that was being referred to. 

47 minutes ago, Athy said:

Piaf, when singing, did pronounce "e"s at the end of words, which is a Southern characteristic (you hear it in Marseille for example), as in  'La Vie En Rose", where the last "e" is sounded like "er". But this is a common occurrence in sung, rather than spoken, French, whichever part of France the singer is from

No doubt so they could rhyme it with toaster...

I worked in Sardinia for a year, arriving with no Italian and leaving with enough to just get by. A Roman said to me “Good grief, where did you learn your Italian, Sardinia?’

[NB DW]

Just a quick update on where I am with things...

 

First off, thanks again for your responses.  All very much appreciated.

 

My mind's been pretty much consumed over the last few days with nothing other than what to do.  I've been changing my mind on what feels like a minute by minute basis, and it's been causing me no end of anxiety and stress.  I'm naturally a cautious person and like things planned out and to feel in control.  What I'm doing at the moment is leaving me feeling the opposite.

 

I've been really honest with my finances and circumstances, and that I'd need to take on further, manageable debt of around £7K on top of the £13K I owe in order to account for a slight bridge in funding the boat itself, but also the survey, blacking, 3 months licence and mooring, new mattress for the boat, new bed and mattress for my spare room and so on.  In buying a boat I'd not be just wiping out my savings but taking on more debt, as well as no contingency if things went wrong.  And that leaves me feeling deeply uncomfortable.  The chain of events including finding a boat, looking for a lodger, wondering about the impact of a non-resedential address might be, taking on debt etc have made me feel like I'm just a passenger on a rollercoaster, as though I've no control over things, when the opposite is true.

 

I feel my job's safe and at the moment there's no sign of this changing.  I work in distribution/warehousing servicing a number of customers, so the eggs aren't all in one basket.  But despite this the consistent message of 'this is the tip of the iceberg' in terms of things has also ground me down and my naturally cautious side has won over.

 

I've made the decision not to go ahead with the purchase.  It's not so much about not wanting to make the move and get a boat to live on any longer, it's about doing it at a point where I feel nothing other than 100% comfortable the time's right.  That might be as little as six months away.  Who knows.  It's inspired me to continue to save hard, waste little, so I can get there soon enough and make sure everything's in place.  The longer I wait, the more I save, the nicer boat I'll have too.  It'll also buy me time in so much as in 6-12 months I'd have thought most of the impact of Covid and Brexit will be felt and any implications in terms of work etc known too.

 

Lastly, I've had a few health problems recently.  Blood tests have revealed nothing, so I'm waiting an MRI brain scan, heart trace and some sort of cortisone/hormone test.  Hopefully it'll turn out to be something and nothing, and ironically since I visited the GP a few weeks ago, the symptoms have subsided at little.  That said, today I left work early due to extreme back and neck pain - something never experienced before - having never been of work sick for years.  I'm just hoping it's related to tension from the last few days.

 

I'll no doubt be back on here in months to come scouting for opinions on another boat etc.

 

I'm grateful for what I've got and there are literally millions out there who'd love to be in my position.  Ultimately, it's a selfish first-world problem on my part given all that's going on.

 

Thanks again.

[restlessnomad]

13 minutes ago, NB DW said:

Just a quick update on where I am with things...

 

First off, thanks again for your responses.  All very much appreciated.

 

My mind's been pretty much consumed over the last few days with nothing other than what to do.  I've been changing my mind on what feels like a minute by minute basis, and it's been causing me no end of anxiety and stress.  I'm naturally a cautious person and like things planned out and to feel in control.  What I'm doing at the moment is leaving me feeling the opposite.

 

I've been really honest with my finances and circumstances, and that I'd need to take on further, manageable debt of around £7K on top of the £13K I owe in order to account for a slight bridge in funding the boat itself, but also the survey, blacking, 3 months licence and mooring, new mattress for the boat, new bed and mattress for my spare room and so on.  In buying a boat I'd not be just wiping out my savings but taking on more debt, as well as no contingency if things went wrong.  And that leaves me feeling deeply uncomfortable.  The chain of events including finding a boat, looking for a lodger, wondering about the impact of a non-resedential address might be, taking on debt etc have made me feel like I'm just a passenger on a rollercoaster, as though I've no control over things, when the opposite is true.

 

I feel my job's safe and at the moment there's no sign of this changing.  I work in distribution/warehousing servicing a number of customers, so the eggs aren't all in one basket.  But despite this the consistent message of 'this is the tip of the iceberg' in terms of things has also ground me down and my naturally cautious side has won over.

 

I've made the decision not to go ahead with the purchase.  It's not so much about not wanting to make the move and get a boat to live on any longer, it's about doing it at a point where I feel nothing other than 100% comfortable the time's right.  That might be as little as six months away.  Who knows.  It's inspired me to continue to save hard, waste little, so I can get there soon enough and make sure everything's in place.  The longer I wait, the more I save, the nicer boat I'll have too.  It'll also buy me time in so much as in 6-12 months I'd have thought most of the impact of Covid and Brexit will be felt and any implications in terms of work etc known too.

 

Lastly, I've had a few health problems recently.  Blood tests have revealed nothing, so I'm waiting an MRI brain scan, heart trace and some sort of cortisone/hormone test.  Hopefully it'll turn out to be something and nothing, and ironically since I visited the GP a few weeks ago, the symptoms have subsided at little.  That said, today I left work early due to extreme back and neck pain - something never experienced before - having never been of work sick for years.  I'm just hoping it's related to tension from the last few days.

 

I'll no doubt be back on here in months to come scouting for opinions on another boat etc.

 

I'm grateful for what I've got and there are literally millions out there who'd love to be in my position.  Ultimately, it's a selfish first-world problem on my part given all that's going on.

 

Thanks again.

you are the best person to decide based on your own situation, very happy to be your sounding board, that's what strangers are for, no judgements.

May be you can do it a few months later or a year. you are very young. best of luck.

[NB DW]

24 minutes ago, restlessnomad said:

you are the best person to decide based on your own situation, very happy to be your sounding board, that's what strangers are for, no judgements.

May be you can do it a few months later or a year. you are very young. best of luck.

Thanks.

 

Fingers crossed.  I'm aiming for 6-12 months, assuming the doctor doesn't write me off ?

[NB DW]

Hello all.

 

I thought I'd post an update six months on from my original message - it feels like a long time ago since I started this thread and I expect most people have forgotten what it is all about and my situation.  I'm still in my mid-30s, single and no dependants, so no change there!

 

But other things have changed a little since my last post.  A long story short is that I sold my home in November.  I'm due to exchange and complete by the end of this month.  Having decided to shelve the liveaboard plan in the middle of last year for the reasons given, I instead planned to sell my home in order to buy another slightly larger home which needs doing up.  After months of looking at properties online, and a few in person, I never really got excited or fired up at anything I saw or even the idea of it.  To me, that's not a good sign when you're about to take out a larger mortgage and even more so when it's a home that's being bought; not exactly an insignificant purchase and not one which shouldn't generate much emotion or feeling, I don't reckon, at least.

 

With everything that's going on in the world, who can say whether house prices will drop, flatline or continue to increase.  So perhaps now isn't an ideal time to buy.  I think we're at least twelve months away from anything that resembles what we'd call normality in the world.

 

Over Christmas I was allowed a visit with my mum who's currently sectioned in a hospital due to complications with early onset of dementia, largely due to not eating and drinking, having been diagnosed at the age of 56.  I've been reminded again that perhaps I shouldn't be hanging about and dithering over making a big decision.  I'm due to get the results of the test taken to see whether I've inherited the genes which cause early onset, by the end of the month but that's another story.

 

Lastly, I was fortunate enough to get a promotion at work which kicked in during December and all's well there.

 

The idea of buying a larger boat to live on was and is something that's continued to nag at me.  I've continued to weigh the pros and cons of selling up to liveaboard, financially and otherwise, doing sums and maths on what things might look like financially if I were to do it.  I appreciate that not everything is about money and many of the pros and cons can't be measured by numbers and are intangible.  But massive worry and fear of coming off the property ladder has been one of the biggest blockers to be doing it.  I've even talked myself out of buying a larger boat on the basis a boat might be worth scrap value in ten years depending on what happens to diesel.

 

The sale of the house means I'd have £60k to buy a boat.  And enough set aside to cover a survey and some remedial work (assuming it's nothing too serious!).  I'd also have zero personal debt, no mortgage, and own my car etc outright.  Plus I'd be left with around £25k invested in stock and share funds / SIPP.  This is absolutely not meant to be some sort of an attempt at boasting or a brag, but I'd be fortunate enough to be able to bank/invest £2-3k per month should I choose to liveaboard - I only mention this as it's helped justify to myself my decision.

 

So, I've decided to go for it.  I'm buying a boat.  My plans are to liveboard.  No half measures, no lodgers or pulling out of my home's sale and getting a cheap BTL property to let out.  The idea is to do it for an absolute minimum of twelve months, taking in all the seasons, to get a full idea of what it's like.  I've chosen not to retain a property deliberately, in so not allowing myself a 'get out' or the ability to 'nip home' etc perhaps at a time when it's cold or lonely or whatever, a soft option which probably undermine what it's all about.

 

With what I'm very fortunate enough to bank, my thoughts are that if I were to choose to go back to dry land then I'd be no worse off even if house prices did rise, and I sold the boat twelve months from now.  Don't get me wrong, that's not my aim and I certaintly won't be circling days on a calendar.

 

If I'm still on it in ten years and diesel's dead I'm sure there'll be a feasible alternative by then in terms of ICE replacement even if it means putting my hand in my pocket.

 

So that's that!  Decision made!

 

The only problem is that due to lockdown nothing's coming to market and even that which does I'm not allowed to view.  So I'm sure there'll be a load of pent up demand again.  The people who I've sold my house to have bought it as a buy to let, so I'm renting it back from them on a rolling monthly contract until I find a boat which has saved me having to move out.

 

Thanks again for your good wishes and advice.

 

[Alan de Enfield]

16 minutes ago, NB DW said:

Thanks again for your good wishes and advice.

 

Thanks for the update and hoping it all works out for you.

 

Good luck.

 

Many more people regret what they didn't do, than those that regret what they did do.

[hovrin]

Yes, thanks for the update. Good to know that your decision is made and that you are comfortable with it.

I hope your test results give you good news and good luck for the future.

[Athy]

Thanks for your news. Do keep us informed of your boat-searching adventures.

 

I am unsure about whether you're allowed to travel to view boats. As it's going to be your home, that may have an effect on the rules. Others will kinow more.

[restlessnomad]

thanks for the update, hope things work out for you... 

[Tracy D'arth]

10 hours ago, NB DW said:

Hello all.

 

I thought I'd post an update six months on from my original message - it feels like a long time ago since I started this thread and I expect most people have forgotten what it is all about and my situation.  I'm still in my mid-30s, single and no dependants, so no change there!

 

But other things have changed a little since my last post.  A long story short is that I sold my home in November.  I'm due to exchange and complete by the end of this month.  Having decided to shelve the liveaboard plan in the middle of last year for the reasons given, I instead planned to sell my home in order to buy another slightly larger home which needs doing up.  After months of looking at properties online, and a few in person, I never really got excited or fired up at anything I saw or even the idea of it.  To me, that's not a good sign when you're about to take out a larger mortgage and even more so when it's a home that's being bought; not exactly an insignificant purchase and not one which shouldn't generate much emotion or feeling, I don't reckon, at least.

 

With everything that's going on in the world, who can say whether house prices will drop, flatline or continue to increase.  So perhaps now isn't an ideal time to buy.  I think we're at least twelve months away from anything that resembles what we'd call normality in the world.

 

Over Christmas I was allowed a visit with my mum who's currently sectioned in a hospital due to complications with early onset of dementia, largely due to not eating and drinking, having been diagnosed at the age of 56.  I've been reminded again that perhaps I shouldn't be hanging about and dithering over making a big decision.  I'm due to get the results of the test taken to see whether I've inherited the genes which cause early onset, by the end of the month but that's another story.

 

Lastly, I was fortunate enough to get a promotion at work which kicked in during December and all's well there.

 

The idea of buying a larger boat to live on was and is something that's continued to nag at me.  I've continued to weigh the pros and cons of selling up to liveaboard, financially and otherwise, doing sums and maths on what things might look like financially if I were to do it.  I appreciate that not everything is about money and many of the pros and cons can't be measured by numbers and are intangible.  But massive worry and fear of coming off the property ladder has been one of the biggest blockers to be doing it.  I've even talked myself out of buying a larger boat on the basis a boat might be worth scrap value in ten years depending on what happens to diesel.

 

The sale of the house means I'd have £60k to buy a boat.  And enough set aside to cover a survey and some remedial work (assuming it's nothing too serious!).  I'd also have zero personal debt, no mortgage, and own my car etc outright.  Plus I'd be left with around £25k invested in stock and share funds / SIPP.  This is absolutely not meant to be some sort of an attempt at boasting or a brag, but I'd be fortunate enough to be able to bank/invest £2-3k per month should I choose to liveaboard - I only mention this as it's helped justify to myself my decision.

 

So, I've decided to go for it.  I'm buying a boat.  My plans are to liveboard.  No half measures, no lodgers or pulling out of my home's sale and getting a cheap BTL property to let out.  The idea is to do it for an absolute minimum of twelve months, taking in all the seasons, to get a full idea of what it's like.  I've chosen not to retain a property deliberately, in so not allowing myself a 'get out' or the ability to 'nip home' etc perhaps at a time when it's cold or lonely or whatever, a soft option which probably undermine what it's all about.

 

With what I'm very fortunate enough to bank, my thoughts are that if I were to choose to go back to dry land then I'd be no worse off even if house prices did rise, and I sold the boat twelve months from now.  Don't get me wrong, that's not my aim and I certaintly won't be circling days on a calendar.

 

If I'm still on it in ten years and diesel's dead I'm sure there'll be a feasible alternative by then in terms of ICE replacement even if it means putting my hand in my pocket.

 

So that's that!  Decision made!

 

The only problem is that due to lockdown nothing's coming to market and even that which does I'm not allowed to view.  So I'm sure there'll be a load of pent up demand again.  The people who I've sold my house to have bought it as a buy to let, so I'm renting it back from them on a rolling monthly contract until I find a boat which has saved me having to move out.

 

Thanks again for your good wishes and advice.

 

I can re-enforce your decision. Do what you want as soon as you want because you never know what is going to happen next and waiting can last for ever.

As one who was lucky or sensible to jack in working early and manage to live comfortably on a minimal expenditure I am now faced with my mortality sooner than I could have expected. So I am glad I did make the move aboard years ago, I could not do it now but being established on the canals for many years I will be able to continue until my imminent demise.

Life can overtake you, death will inevitably destroy your plans so there is no point in procrastinating. I intend to die heavily in debt and to hell with the consequences. 

[pete.i]

Every single person on this forum will inevitably say "go for it" or words to that effect, except me. I have had three boats so far. None have been liveaboard. I wouldn't give up my bricks and mortar for all the money in the world. It has been "nice" owning my boats and it has been fun to get away occasionally to pootle up and down the canal. That soon gets mind numbingly boring eventually. Okay I will admit that my plan to "sail the system" never came to fruition mainly because of speed. It would take me 3 hours to get to the end of the canal and three hours to get back a journey I could do in a car in 15 minutes. My second boat was motor cruiser on a trailer that I intended to trailer to the places I wanted to be and launch, pootle and put it back on the trailer. Yeah right that went well . My life is way too short to waste it taking all that time to look at a few ducks and the same ole same ole water. I did find my satisfaction in making the boat be something that I liked rather than what it was when I bought it and that has been my theme with all my boats. Having said that I can do more or less the same thing with a vehicle or even the bits of a vehicle without having to worry about holes under the water that I cannot see and that might bite me in the backside at any time.

 

As I say I would NEVER consider living on a boat. Over the 12 or so years that I have had boats I have seen the system decline. I have seen AND experienced the wrath of the likes of fishermen, walkers one of who even took a pot shot at me with an air gun, and a few other things that have finally made me say that once my present boat is gone, and I only part own this one, I don't want to EVER own another boat.

 

You mention the convenience of be able to go to your house to do your laundry etc. There is a lot to be said for that. There is a lot to be said to have, almost, trouble free gas and electricity without having to think about where the next volt or the next joule of warmth and warm water is going to come from. There is a lot to be said about not having to make up the stove when it goes out on a very cold and snowy morning. There is a lot to be said about not having think about where I am going to dispose of my next crap. There is a lot to be said about getting into a nice hot shower, in my case, or a nice hot bath without having to worry whether there will be enough water left to have a cup of tea.

 

There are an awful of "there is a lot to be said of" when owning a boat. I'm not saying don't do it BUT life living aboard is not easy and much more to the point there is nobody on this forum, ESPECIALLY, who will admit that life on board can be b***dy hard. There are a lot who do live aboard though but think long and hard as to whether you want the ongoing expenses of keeping a boat on the water and the extreme hardships that you will, inevitably, have to endure at some point. IT AINT ALL ROSES in spite of what this lot will tell you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[restlessnomad]

9 minutes ago, pete.i said:

Every single person on this forum will inevitably say "go for it" or words to that effect, except me. I have had three boats so far. None have been liveaboard. I wouldn't give up my bricks and mortar for all the money in the world. It has been "nice" owning my boats and it has been fun to get away occasionally to pootle up and down the canal. That soon gets mind numbingly boring eventually. Okay I will admit that my plan to "sail the system" never came to fruition mainly because of speed. It would take me 3 hours to get to the end of the canal and three hours to get back a journey I could do in a car in 15 minutes. My second boat was motor cruiser on a trailer that I intended to trailer to the places I wanted to be and launch, pootle and put it back on the trailer. Yeah right that went well . My life is way too short to waste it taking all that time to look at a few ducks and the same ole same ole water. I did find my satisfaction in making the boat be something that I liked rather than what it was when I bought it and that has been my theme with all my boats. Having said that I can do more or less the same thing with a vehicle or even the bits of a vehicle without having to worry about holes under the water that I cannot see and that might bite me in the backside at any time.

 

As I say I would NEVER consider living on a boat. Over the 12 or so years that I have had boats I have seen the system decline. I have seen AND experienced the wrath of the likes of fishermen, walkers one of who even took a pot shot at me with an air gun, and a few other things that have finally made me say that once my present boat is gone, and I only part own this one, I don't want to EVER own another boat.

 

You mention the convenience of be able to go to your house to do your laundry etc. There is a lot to be said for that. There is a lot to be said to have, almost, trouble free gas and electricity without having to think about where the next volt or the next joule of warmth and warm water is going to come from. There is a lot to be said about not having to make up the stove when it goes out on a very cold and snowy morning. There is a lot to be said about not having think about where I am going to dispose of my next crap. There is a lot to be said about getting into a nice hot shower, in my case, or a nice hot bath without having to worry whether there will be enough water left to have a cup of tea.

 

There are an awful of "there is a lot to be said of" when owning a boat. I'm not saying don't do it BUT life living aboard is not easy and much more to the point there is nobody on this forum, ESPECIALLY, who will admit that life on board can be b***dy hard. There are a lot who do live aboard though but think long and hard as to whether you want the ongoing expenses of keeping a boat on the water and the extreme hardships that you will, inevitably, have to endure at some point. IT AINT ALL ROSES in spite of what this lot will tell you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am more or less like you (will never give up my house, don't want to die homeless in a ditch) but OP is in a different situation, he is young(can learn from a mistake), earns decent money, has already lived on a boat, and quite possibly looking forward to the hard bit (some people like doing stuff, keeps their mind and body engaged)