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A Bloody Yankee on the Canals


Greg K

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Ply the vendor, ''boat hirerer'' with plenty of rum, keep sticking one finger up and asking him how many he can see. When he see's two he's seeing double and two of you also and will hire you the boat with no problem,  Voila. :closedeyes:

 

 

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Looking further ahead if you were to buy a boat, there are plenty of marinas and boatyards where you could safely moor you boat for the winter months. Many will include keeping an eye your boat, and some will do periodic checks to see that all is okay but you’d probably have to pay a little extra for that.

 

If a marina has liveaboards they will usually keep an eye on your boat and report or take action if anything looks wrong such as the boat listing due to water ingress.

 

But bear in mind that generally marinas charge higher mooring fees meaning you would be paying for facilities you won’t really need, except for electric hook up which could be useful for keeping you batteries charged for the bilge pump or to power a little heater in the engine bay in case of freezing weather.

 

The cheapest option would be an offside (non towpath side of the canal) mooring. They are usually private and secure. You’d pay a little extra if it had electric hook up but it would usually be cheaper than a marina, and if you had a solar panel (s) you wouldn’t need electric because even in winter they’d be sufficient to keep the batteries from going flat.

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  • 1 year later...
On 29/07/2021 at 11:48, Greg K said:

To those of you fortunate enough to own your own narrow boat and have all the time available to spend of her, how much time would you say out of 12 months you're actually on the boat?  Give it to me in weeks, months, whatever you'd like.

 

Because I had this absolutely barmy notion that when my day job ends in a few years, I buy myself a narrow boat.  Small, 45ft max, nothing fancy, nothing elaborate.  Good hull, decent engine, toilet lavatory shower, solar power, boatman's stove,  gas stove/oven/, that's about it. Doesn't need radiator heat.  Just another system to maintain and repair.

 

Maximum amount of time the UK will tolerate a Yank like me is 6 months out of 12 on a tourist visa, so I pick my 6 month window.  The rest of the time the boat is up on blocks in a boatyard.  So THAT for a several seasons, then sell the boat.

 

 

 

Oh, dear, I realize that you have not visited this forum since June but I do hope you return!

Hello from a fellow Michigander with a narrowboat fascination.

I've had the same stumbling block... re: hire companies do not want to rent to single handlers. And I'm not really interested in a hotel boat, I prefer the "real" experience, warts and all.

Luckily for me, I had an English mother so I am eligible for citizenship by descent. I therefore do not have to contend with limitations on the length of any trip I may take to the UK. I've even considered retiring there in a few years...

Edited by SapereAude
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18 minutes ago, SapereAude said:

 

 

Oh, dear, I realize that you have not visited this forum since June but I do hope you return!

Hello from a fellow Michigander with a narrowboat fascination.

I've had the same stumbling block... re: hire companies do not want to rent to single handlers. And I'm not really interested in a hotel boat, I prefer the "real" experience, warts and all.

Luckily for me, I had an English mother so I am eligible for citizenship by descent. I therefore do not have to contend with limitations on the length of any trip I may take to the UK. I've even considered retiring there in a few years...

It might be worth contacting this guy, it might not be your traditional hotel boat experience 

 

https://www.narrowboatellis.com/

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24 minutes ago, rusty69 said:

It might be worth contacting this guy, it might not be your traditional hotel boat experience 

 

https://www.narrowboatellis.com/

 

 

Thanks!

I was really getting excited about this one until...

"You are requested NOT to bring suitcases as there is nowhere to store them on-board..."

Naturally, coming from the US for two weeks, I'd have a suitcase... as well as a small carry-on bag.

But a private message with the Captain may be fruitful. This may be just the ticket for 2024.

Edited by SapereAude
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21 minutes ago, SapereAude said:

 

 

Thanks!

I was really getting excited about this one until...

"You are requested NOT to bring suitcases as there is nowhere to store them on-board..."

Naturally, coming from the US for two weeks, I'd have a suitcase... as well as a small carry-on bag.

But a private message with the Captain may be fruitful. This may be just the ticket for 2024.

I don't know captain Mark, but he does come across as a genuinely nice bloke.

 

A private message may well be worth the effort. 

 

 

Edited by rusty69
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15 hours ago, SapereAude said:

 

 

Thanks!

I was really getting excited about this one until...

"You are requested NOT to bring suitcases as there is nowhere to store them on-board..."

Naturally, coming from the US for two weeks, I'd have a suitcase... as well as a small carry-on bag.

But a private message with the Captain may be fruitful. This may be just the ticket for 2024.

 

Get a squashy barrel bag instead of a suitcase.

 

But what do I do with the suitcase I bring over from the US, I hear you say?

 

Simple -- put it inside the barrel bag... 😉

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15 hours ago, SapereAude said:

 

Thanks!

I was really getting excited about this one until...

"You are requested NOT to bring suitcases as there is nowhere to store them on-board..."

Naturally, coming from the US for two weeks, I'd have a suitcase... as well as a small carry-on bag.

But a private message with the Captain may be fruitful. This may be just the ticket for 2024.


No suitcases on narrowboats is standard - certainly a rule we apply when having the parents on board. There simply isn’t the space. Maybe you could find some sort of “left luggage locker” thing to store your luggage whilst on the boat and transfer what you actually need (which is not a lot) into soft luggage that can be squashed down when empty.
Mark is a great guy, you will really enjoy it if you can make it work. He’s had other visitors from USA so he may have some ideas about luggage storage off the boat.

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I admit that I don't generally travel light on my visits to the UK. My trips are usually for a fortnight, and I visit several places during that time. If I do eventually do some type of narrowboat holiday, it's likely to comprise only a portion of my visit.

And a hard-sided suitcase is required protection for all the tat souvenirs purchased for the fam back home.

Some sort of left luggage locker may be possible, thanks for the suggestion! (And I'm sure Tesco bags will be quite serviceable, rather than packing a soft luggage piece.)

Edited by SapereAude
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2 minutes ago, SapereAude said:

I admit that I don't generally travel light on my visits to the UK. My trips are usually for a fortnight, and I visit several places during that time. If I do eventually do some type of narrowboat holiday, it's likely to comprise only a portion of my visit.

And a hard-sided suitcase is required protection for all the tat souvenirs purchased for the fam back home.

Some sort of left luggage locker may be possible, thanks for the suggestion! (And I'm sure Tesco bags will be quite serviceable, rather than packing a soft luggage piece.)

 

If you enquire with the yard they may be able to store your cases for you. Worth asking.

 

 

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