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Two questions for liveaboard boaters


MichaelG

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On 17/12/2021 at 11:27, MichaelG said:

Hi all, what would you say is the best thing about living aboard and what is the worst?

 

For me the best thing was the freedom of not being tied to one location. Don't like your neighbours? Move. Want a change of scenery? Move. And did I mention the scenery? Being able to go on holiday and take your home with you is fantastic. Finish work at 5pm and off you go. No time wasted making arrangements and packing bags. Want to have a drink while gently cruising the cut or perhaps even moor up right outside a nice country pub and get drunk have a few beers? No problem. Heaven. For me, the best thing of all was the real sense of community. You just don't get it "on land", or at least I have not yet seen it. I miss that, a lot.

The main disadvantage for me was the maintenance. Or should I say, maintenance, maintenance and more maintenance. It was never ending. Every month something would break and need fixing or replacing. You better like DIY or know someone who does. Or failing that, have the funds to pay someone to do it for you. The boat will literally deteriorate before your eyes if you do not keep on top of it. You will likely notice many tatty boats along the cut and I suspect this is why.

 

Keeping warm during colder months was a another disadvantage for me. I hear so many times from people who say "What? You can keep nice and warm in a boat just like in a house!" That is not a true reflection imo. You will likely spend a lot of time, money and effort just to keep the boat warm, even with an Eberspacher or Webasto etc. The ambiance of a multi-fuel stove compensates for it to some degree but if you're anything like me, the novelty will wear off after a few years.

 

Another was cabin fever. - I'm not the tallest of blokes by any means but I did feel somewhat cramped in my 55ft narrowboat. The feeling seemed to get worse the longer I lived aboard, especially during those colder months.

All that being said, I'd go back to it. One day.

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13 hours ago, RichM said:

 

For me the best thing was the freedom of not being tied to one location. Don't like your neighbours? Move. Want a change of scenery? Move. And did I mention the scenery? Being able to go on holiday and take your home with you is fantastic. Finish work at 5pm and off you go. No time wasted making arrangements and packing bags. Want to have a drink while gently cruising the cut or perhaps even moor up right outside a nice country pub and get drunk have a few beers? No problem. Heaven. For me, the best thing of all was the real sense of community. You just don't get it "on land", or at least I have not yet seen it. I miss that, a lot.

The main disadvantage for me was the maintenance. Or should I say, maintenance, maintenance and more maintenance. It was never ending. Every month something would break and need fixing or replacing. You better like DIY or know someone who does. Or failing that, have the funds to pay someone to do it for you. The boat will literally deteriorate before your eyes if you do not keep on top of it. You will likely notice many tatty boats along the cut and I suspect this is why.

 

Keeping warm during colder months was a another disadvantage for me. I hear so many times from people who say "What? You can keep nice and warm in a boat just like in a house!" That is not a true reflection imo. You will likely spend a lot of time, money and effort just to keep the boat warm, even with an Eberspacher or Webasto etc. The ambiance of a multi-fuel stove compensates for it to some degree but if you're anything like me, the novelty will wear off after a few years.

 

Another was cabin fever. - I'm not the tallest of blokes by any means but I did feel somewhat cramped in my 55ft narrowboat. The feeling seemed to get worse the longer I lived aboard, especially during those colder months.

All that being said, I'd go back to it. One day.

Lots of good points there.  The cabin fever thing is very real at this time of year, but it's not really the cold, it's the dark that's the problem.  Those long evenings inside starting at about 4pm can grind you down.  I find myself really pining for spring right now.

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17 minutes ago, doratheexplorer said:

Lots of good points there.  The cabin fever thing is very real at this time of year, but it's not really the cold, it's the dark that's the problem.  Those long evenings inside starting at about 4pm can grind you down.  I find myself really pining for spring right now.

I've bought some tulips to brighten the cabin, opened all curtains, and ready to go out for a breath of fresh air, sitting inside all day is definitely not a good idea 😎

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On 08/01/2022 at 21:41, haggis said:

I use a lot of veg both to have with our main meal and to make soup and I could never keep them fresh on the boat until our last trip. I filled an old coolbox with fresh veg and kept it under the cratch . After almost two weeks on board I still had fresh veg. We didn't have any frost but if an overnight frost had been forecast I planned to move the coolbox into the engine area after the engine had cooled down. 

 

Haggis

 

Have you tried these?

https://www.lakeland.co.uk/1092/20-Lakeland-Stayfresh-Longer-Vegetable-Storage-Bags-20-x-
I’m a land lubber and use a fridge but theses bags extend the life of veg by ages. 
They are reusable so eco friendly too. 

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15 minutes ago, Dyertribe said:

Have you tried these?

https://www.lakeland.co.uk/1092/20-Lakeland-Stayfresh-Longer-Vegetable-Storage-Bags-20-x-
I’m a land lubber and use a fridge but theses bags extend the life of veg by ages. 
They are reusable so eco friendly too. 

Thank you, I hadn't seen these but I would need quite a few to store the quantity of veg I can get in an ancient cool box which has been lying in the loft for over 30 years 🙂 .  

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1 minute ago, haggis said:

Thank you, I hadn't seen these but I would need quite a few to store the quantity of veg I can get in an ancient cool box which has been lying in the loft for over 30 years 🙂 .  

I use them in the veg drawer. I started with a few and still have many of the originals 

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1 hour ago, Dyertribe said:

Have you tried these?

https://www.lakeland.co.uk/1092/20-Lakeland-Stayfresh-Longer-Vegetable-Storage-Bags-20-x-
I’m a land lubber and use a fridge but theses bags extend the life of veg by ages. 
They are reusable so eco friendly too. 

 

I'm dead curious now. How does putting veg in a bag make them last longer? Or is it these bags specifically?

 

Not saying I don't bleeve it, would just like to understand the mechanism by which they do it.

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6 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

I'm dead curious now. How does putting veg in a bag make them last longer? Or is it these bags specifically?

 

Not saying I don't bleeve it, would just like to understand the mechanism by which they do it.

bugger I just wasted 5 minutes of my life looking at the advert for them, to save others this is the pitch

"It may seem like magic, but Stayfresh’s genius is all thanks to the porous, food safe, natural Japanese stone powder suspended in the polythene film; the powder absorbs ageing ethylene gases that most fruit and veg release, and the bags let the contents breathe, creating an environment that helps produce stay fresher for far longer. The surface of the bags is also treated to prevent any build-up of moisture or bacteria."

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Is the plural of Haggis... Haggi?

 

I'm afraid (even though I lived in Scotland for a few years back in the early 80s) that Burns' Night must hold some sort of record for the most things I hate crammed into one event. Haggis, neeps, Scottish country dancing, bagpipe music and some of the worst poetry in the world. Thank goodness for the whisky!!!

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1 hour ago, Phoenix_V said:

bugger I just wasted 5 minutes of my life looking at the advert for them, to save others this is the pitch

"It may seem like magic, but Stayfresh’s genius is all thanks to the porous, food safe, natural Japanese stone powder suspended in the polythene film; the powder absorbs ageing ethylene gases that most fruit and veg release, and the bags let the contents breathe, creating an environment that helps produce stay fresher for far longer. The surface of the bags is also treated to prevent any build-up of moisture or bacteria."

 

Thank you for that! 

 

The cynic in me is now kicking in. I store my veg loose on a shelf in the pantry, which also allows "ageing ethylene gases that most fruit and veg release" to escape, and prevents "any build-up of moisture or bacteria."

 

At first I though I might be missing something, but no I'm not so sure! 

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1 hour ago, MtB said:

 

I'm dead curious now. How does putting veg in a bag make them last longer? Or is it these bags specifically?

 

Not saying I don't bleeve it, would just like to understand the mechanism by which they do it.

They are made using some sort of Japanese stone powder which absorbs the ethylene which is what ripens fruit and veg and the beds are slightly porous letting the veg breathe. 
they do actually work, honest! Trust me, I don’t spend good money on gimmicks twice!

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35 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

Thank you for that! 

 

The cynic in me is now kicking in. I store my veg loose on a shelf in the pantry, which also allows "ageing ethylene gases that most fruit and veg release" to escape, and prevents "any build-up of moisture or bacteria."

 

At first I though I might be missing something, but no I'm not so sure! 

We use to use Ethyabsorb, ethylene absorbing sachets, they looked like silica gel sachets, in the vegetable/fruit stores when I was at work

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5 hours ago, MtB said:

 

I'm dead curious now. How does putting veg in a bag make them last longer? Or is it these bags specifically?

 

Not saying I don't bleeve it, would just like to understand the mechanism by which they do it.

Lots of supermarket fruit and veg are pre packed, eg ripen at home bananas. I m not up to speed these days, but fruit and veg give off gases which can delay ripening, what Mother Nature created, man has developed. Lots of fruits and veg travel long distances, and may be in store for months, again they have to be kept fresh, by temperature, humidity, and other means. 

I have peppers in a clear bag, they look fine after 10 days. 

 

Cauliflower, I buy small and with lots of leaf. 

Courgettes, special bags this week. 

Chillis work the same if dried. 

Unwashed Spuds and carrots keep months if in paper sack, dry, cool, dark. 

 

 

 

 

 

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On 10/01/2022 at 19:55, RichM said:

 

For me the best thing was the freedom of not being tied to one location. Don't like your neighbours? Move. Want a change of scenery? Move. And did I mention the scenery? Being able to go on holiday and take your home with you is fantastic. Finish work at 5pm and off you go. No time wasted making arrangements and packing bags. Want to have a drink while gently cruising the cut or perhaps even moor up right outside a nice country pub and get drunk have a few beers? No problem. Heaven. For me, the best thing of all was the real sense of community. You just don't get it "on land", or at least I have not yet seen it. I miss that, a lot.

The main disadvantage for me was the maintenance. Or should I say, maintenance, maintenance and more maintenance. It was never ending. Every month something would break and need fixing or replacing. You better like DIY or know someone who does. Or failing that, have the funds to pay someone to do it for you. The boat will literally deteriorate before your eyes if you do not keep on top of it. You will likely notice many tatty boats along the cut and I suspect this is why.

 

Keeping warm during colder months was a another disadvantage for me. I hear so many times from people who say "What? You can keep nice and warm in a boat just like in a house!" That is not a true reflection imo. You will likely spend a lot of time, money and effort just to keep the boat warm, even with an Eberspacher or Webasto etc. The ambiance of a multi-fuel stove compensates for it to some degree but if you're anything like me, the novelty will wear off after a few years.

 

Another was cabin fever. - I'm not the tallest of blokes by any means but I did feel somewhat cramped in my 55ft narrowboat. The feeling seemed to get worse the longer I lived aboard, especially during those colder months.

All that being said, I'd go back to it. One day.

I agree with everything you've said except for the cabin fever. I actually quite like having the lack of space. doratheexplorer also makes a good point about the dark early winter nights. They are much more noticeable when living in a boat. In fact the weather generally is. For example when we lived in a house we often wouldn't even know it was raining. Those short winter days are compensated to a degree by the occasional magical afternoon sun and stunning sunsets though.

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