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a couple of days for a newbie


flearider

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There are about 6 different companies offer narrowboat hire on the Lancaster canal, nearest to you is probably Garstang or Preston. 

Arlen boats, Lancaster narrowboats and Bluebell come to mind. 42 miles of canal, the only locks there are go down to Glasson Basin.

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1 hour ago, ditchcrawler said:

I would think mine  costs between  £3.5K and £5K per year before I step on it. If you are only doing 6 week then hire one or even share ownership

 

My annual cost estimate includes being allowed to step onboard. I'd be a bit p*ssed off if it didn't. Actually I forgot to include shore power and I use lots of that so probably more like £2.6k + mooring fees. However, as I live aboard it's difficult to separate some costs and whether things like electricity coal and fuel are living costs rather than costs of boat ownership.

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2 hours ago, flearider said:

is/would that be maintenance/blacking engine service ?electrical  or could you plz do a quick list so i can look into those to .. 

it would be very helpful if you can ..  

Cost of owning a boat using it,  and maintaining it is  and keeping it in a marina might be £6K per annum. the costs to cut are things like avoiding marinas, not going anywhere, not maintaining the boat, not repairing the boat, not replacing batteries, not painting rusty bits, not keeping warm.

Not eating out, not visiting pubs.

 

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One thing which hasn't been mentioned.  If you only take a boat for say a weekend you won't have to deal with filling the water tank and dealing with whatever toilet arrangements the boat has.  Make sure one of you is happy and capable of dealing with the various jobs which need done on a boat  that isn't hired.

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I have had my boat for 7 years now. I am lucky enough to have an end of garden mooring, which saves me about £2k per annum over the local marinas.

 

The annual cost of ownership is very lumpy, it has varied from about £2k to £15k, when the costs included routine servicing, licensing, insurance and mooring plus a professional repaint, new propellor and epoxy blacking.

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If you just want a "feel" and have never even stepped on board, why not just go to a boat-show?

 

I assume that some will go ahead this year and, maybe with some restrictions, people are encouraged to go and have a look round, then if  you think it might be a way forward, then hire?

Edited by Bacchus
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18 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

As you are probably aware, currently it is against the law to spend the night away from your home, or, to travel to a boat (otherwise many of us here would be away 'boating' instead of being locked away in a house with the boat sat all cold and lonely)

 

Once the restrictions are off, most of the hire firms do a 'weekend' deal (Friday afternoon to Sunday)

Over the weekend hire is often more expensive than Monday to Friday.

 

To the OP:

Once the lockdown is over, look for one of the cheaper hire companies which do 3-4 night breaks.  Starline in Stourport for example.  In the past you might have found some out of season discounts, but I doubt that will be on the cards this year.  You'll be looking at over £500 at least.

4 nights for £547 in March isn't too bad.  Space on there for a friend or two and split the cost.

Capture.JPG

Edited by doratheexplorer
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15 hours ago, Jerra said:

One thing which hasn't been mentioned.  If you only take a boat for say a weekend you won't have to deal with filling the water tank and dealing with whatever toilet arrangements the boat has.  Make sure one of you is happy and capable of dealing with the various jobs which need done on a boat  that isn't hired.

 

This element has been rathr skipped over. At its most basic then spending one or two nights could at least tell you if the idea is a complete non-starter, and the present cold weather should also put it more stringently to the test. But once you've found whether or not you (and most importantly, your partner) can sleep/cook/crap/entertain yourselves etc in a confined space that rocks about you then come to the mundane practical bits - some of which like emptying the toilet can only be done by one of you, and others such as engine maintenance, painting, coping with 12v/24v electric systems can be done by others, but only if you have loads of money to pay for it, plus the problems that inevitably spring up that require immediate attention. Then there is having a paid-for mooring in a marina with at least a modicum of services, or 'wild-living' on a towpath and moving every 14 days and carrying everything from the nearest road along what are likely to by muddy tracks.

 

Many regard boat living as perfect, but others find their dream turning to a nightmare once the difficulties begin to pile up. So yes, do spend a few night on board to test the easy bits, but do (both of you) spend time talking to boat owners and looking into the nitty-gritty too.

 

Tam

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I have, or rather had a sensitive stomach, so I had to get a fellow boater to empty my first cassette while I heaved. It was bad!

Occasionally I am sure this scenario may occur, a bit like when somebody with tummy upset has used a communal loo.

I now have , pretty much my own personal sanitary station, I use cassette on demand, and empty it regularly. 

Best thing is to use 'other facilities' eg pub, but as you get older, Mother Nature ' takes command.

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Cheshire Cats are a small family, husband & wife ran Hire Fleet. They are located at Overwater Marina, Cheshire, CW5 8AY.

They also run Training Course days for new boaters, following RYA courses for competitive prices. Can highly recommend. Excellent courses for solo helms. Many Facebook boat owners learned from Linda.

  • Greenie 1
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1 hour ago, flearider said:

well done for trying to be funny .. but i'm sure he's not going to like the wife on board as well .. 

but yeah i would do it ..lol ..live and work in blackpool .. so gay straight bi ..trans not a problem .. 

Not trying to be funny.  I'd only seen your first post and no mention of a wife there.  I was trying to be helpful.  You're welcome.

  • Happy 1
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