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Downsizing Temporarily to a Boat; where to store my stuff?


kellyjllek

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Hi . I'm in London looking for a place to store stuff, possibly long term, but maybe short term too! I won't need constant access, but it'd be nice if it was accessible within the M25. Conventional storage places in London seem outrageous and I may as well buy a bigger boat!

 

I've been thinking for two years about becoming a continuous cruiser. I'm not sure of the date but some time this winter I'll be moving out of the family home. I have my stuff all boxed up but unsure what to do with it. It's probably enough to fill 1/4 of a one car garage. I'm not ready to get rid of it all because I don't know how boat life will work out and I've no idea what size boat I'll end up with. I'm still uncertain on whether I'll end up in a short, survival existence boat or huge widebeam, though realistically it'll probably be a more conventional 50' narrowboat. 

 

Meanwhile I'm searching for boat options. The smaller survival boat I could buy in cash, now, which has the added benefit of being able to move into it and get it sorted while I still have another roof over my head. But a more conventional narrowboat will have to wait until I've moved on and fully settled from my current situation. I'd love to have the option of going straight to a larger more conventional boat right away, but not sure how that may be possible. 

 

I wonder what if there are options I should look for with storage beyond the convectional retail storage places? I'd appreciate your thoughts? 

 

 

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When you get your boat, put it in the attic and cellar. By a skip and tow it behind?  Buy 2 boats, one for the junk you are keeping --- because?

 

Seriously, you don't know anyone or anywhere that will store your "stuff" which you will probably throw away anyway?

 

Do what all do, clutter your family home.

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Thanks for all the great ideas everyone. I lived and travelled the US exclusively in a van for 6 months. But I didn't get rid of all my stuff!

 

I've moved plenty and seen many others forced to downsize, so I know what often happens to stuff in storage. My family is moving on from our home of many decades, so I've parted with about all I care to live without. But there's still plenty I'd like to keep. What I have isn't' too much and it'll probably fit in a 55' narrowboat while I live in it. But it probably won't fit in a 23' narrowboat, which is probably how I'm going to start.  I'm not going to get rid of all my stuff! 

 

It's really that catch 22 of not being able to afford a place until you sell the current place.. It may be many months in limbo between when I move out to when the affairs are settled. Whatever happens I'll probably need some space.

On 12/12/2020 at 22:06, Slim said:

There's a storage company about 1/4 mile away from Coppermill lock (GU) in the Harefield / Rickmansworth area. Don't know details but could drive by and get name if needed. 

If you get a chance. please do! I am thinking out west would be good and I have some connections in that area. 

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On 12/12/2020 at 21:08, Jen-in-Wellies said:

My rule is. Has it been used in the last year? If not, then it is a candidate for disposal. Could be given away, sold, or binned, but there needs to be a good reason for it to be kept.

^^^^This

 

That said, I've had a storage unit for 8 years, and there has been some crap in it that could have been thrown away, but it was the only repository of my treasured canal book collection. On the other hand, storage even in the badlands of West Wiltshire (I have to show my Somerset Passport just to get at it) has cost me the thick end of £8,000 in that time, I could have replaced the collection many times over.... 

 

 

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When I moved onto a 40 foot boat, I stored the entire contents of my previous house in a friend's unused spare bedroom.  It did fill it from floor to ceiling, but we reckoned it saved her a fortune in heating... Furniture went in first, what I didn't bin or give away, then ten thousand books, then the rest.

Admittedly she was quite relieved when I bought another house a couple of years later!

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9 hours ago, kellyjllek said:

Thanks for all the great ideas everyone. I lived and travelled the US exclusively in a van for 6 months. But I didn't get rid of all my stuff!

 

I've moved plenty and seen many others forced to downsize, so I know what often happens to stuff in storage. My family is moving on from our home of many decades, so I've parted with about all I care to live without. But there's still plenty I'd like to keep. What I have isn't' too much and it'll probably fit in a 55' narrowboat while I live in it. But it probably won't fit in a 23' narrowboat, which is probably how I'm going to start.  I'm not going to get rid of all my stuff! 

 

It's really that catch 22 of not being able to afford a place until you sell the current place.. It may be many months in limbo between when I move out to when the affairs are settled. Whatever happens I'll probably need some space.

If you get a chance. please do! I am thinking out west would be good and I have some connections in that area. 

Will try and do it later today.

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13 hours ago, kellyjllek said:

Thanks for all the great ideas everyone. I lived and travelled the US exclusively in a van for 6 months. But I didn't get rid of all my stuff!

 

I've moved plenty and seen many others forced to downsize, so I know what often happens to stuff in storage. My family is moving on from our home of many decades, so I've parted with about all I care to live without. But there's still plenty I'd like to keep. What I have isn't' too much and it'll probably fit in a 55' narrowboat while I live in it. But it probably won't fit in a 23' narrowboat, which is probably how I'm going to start.  I'm not going to get rid of all my stuff! 

 

It's really that catch 22 of not being able to afford a place until you sell the current place.. It may be many months in limbo between when I move out to when the affairs are settled. Whatever happens I'll probably need some space.

If you get a chance. please do! I am thinking out west would be good and I have some connections in that area. 

Drove by earlier but they seemed to have changed emphasis or been taken over. They now seem to be a full scale logistics company.  Sorry?  They are now called S A E Logistics.

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A few years ago a friend spent over £1000 a year to store mostly his lp collection when he move onto a boat.  Several thousand of them,  retired music journalist.

 He put it down to just another cost of boating.

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When moving on board a boat all must go !! we got rid of 98% of what we had and still had too much , Charities , car boot sales are useful . If you really must keep some of it that wont fit look at getting a top box or 2 for your boat we have two made by top box co , dont have number to hand and they dont have a website . Will try and dig out number later for you , these are not cheap but well made and allows you to store quite alot ( in boaters terms ) . 

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I think a number of posters are not noticing the word temporary in the thread title.    If it is a temporary move getting rid of everything which won't fit on the boat might be very shortsighted, when everything needs replaced after the temporary time on the boat.

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3 minutes ago, Jerra said:

I think a number of posters are not noticing the word temporary in the thread title.    If it is a temporary move getting rid of everything which won't fit on the boat might be very shortsighted, when everything needs replaced after the temporary time on the boat.

See post 3 

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5 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

See post 3 

I had seen post three and I didn't say all posters.    I was thinking however of posts such as #21 with words like "when moving aboard a boat all must go".   That is almost certainly true if you know you are going to like the life and spend several years aboard, but for a temporary situation?

 

That attitude doesn't help the poster and is very shortsighted in a temporary situation IMO.

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