Hi All

[clunk]

8 minutes ago, mightyslay3r said:

its worth £100k dmr... 5 years ago it had £42k rejuvenation work done on it by the council.. it cost me £1200....

the house then was worth £60k..... 

so if they offer me a minimum of £80k im laughing

we just want out of this crap city life...

 

Not sure how long you've  owned the house but if you bought it off the council 5 years ago you may end up having to give them a large percentage of the profit. I know where I am it's 10 years of ownership before you get to keep all profits from the sale.

[mightyslay3r]

6 minutes ago, clunk said:

Not sure how long you've  owned the house but if you bought it off the council 5 years ago you may end up having to give them a large percentage of the profit. I know where I am it's 10 years of ownership before you get to keep all profits from the sale.

i was left the house in a will... it cost me nothing.. i owe 4k on a home loan... 

the guy bought it in 1960... and lived in it until his death in 2000... we have lived & maintained it since then.....

the home loan was for fixing it up to how we wanted it... 

Edited February 28, 2023 by mightyslay3r

[dmr]

10 minutes ago, mightyslay3r said:

its worth £100k dmr... 5 years ago it had £42k rejuvenation work done on it by the council.. it cost me £1200....

the house then was worth £60k..... 

so if they offer me a minimum of £80k im laughing

we just want out of this crap city life...

we are also not scared of hard work.. making things work... been down on our luck all of our married lives helping others out.. its time for us to do something we want to do...

dont you think?

lets put it another way... you guys made the plunge.. and survived... so why cant we try...

now we've been through all the cons of narrowboat living.. are there any pro's?

 

 

We not only survived, we have had a wonderful adventure for the last 12 years. But good fate allowed us to get the boat and get a house to rent, plus the children had more or less left home, plus I took a fair bit of lucrative freelance and boat compatible work with me when I left proper work, plus I have the skills to do almost all the boat maintanence myself. 

Nobody has yet mentioned, but we, and many others, budget for £5000-£7000 each year on boat expenses (and thats CC'ing, it does not include a mooring), and this is still with me doing almost all the maintenance myself. 

You only live once so if you want it then do it, but do have a realistic planB in case it does not work out.

[LadyG]

27 minutes ago, mightyslay3r said:

hi LadyG, yes, we are totally fixated on doing this.. something we've wanted to do for a long time.. but have been restricted due to work, family etc....

and nothing ever pans out the way you expect or want it to... you just have to make the best of it that you can.....

ok, on land.. i sit at my desk literally all day.. may go shopping once or twice a week... thats the whole idea of getting out of this crap life..

to do something we've wanted to do, for a change, to better our understanding of life, nature etc....

it asnt just been a "overnight" idea.... 😉

and i say this whole heartedly... i know you are only thinking of us & to expect failure... but to be honest.. if you dont fail in life, you never learn anything.. but i dont plan on failure...

But if you are sitting in your house at a desk all day and never going out except to shop, that's been your mindset, your choice. I'm sure sure there are others with the same basic circumstances as you have at present who get out and do things and have a fulfilling lifestyle. I am not expecting you to fail, that is your word. Nothing anyone says is going to stop you,  and its your life, but you just don't seem to want to listen, that in itself is rather worrying.

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

23 minutes ago, mightyslay3r said:

its worth £100k dmr... 5 years ago it had £42k rejuvenation work done on it by the council.. it cost me £1200....

the house then was worth £60k..... 

so if they offer me a minimum of £80k im laughing

we just want out of this crap city life...

 

 

are your flogging an ex council house ?

[mightyslay3r]

1 minute ago, dmr said:

 

We not only survived, we have had a wonderful adventure for the last 12 years. But good fate allowed us to get the boat and get a house to rent, plus the children had more or less left home, plus I took a fair bit of lucrative freelance and boat compatible work with me when I left proper work, plus I have the skills to do almost all the boat maintanence myself. 

Nobody has yet mentioned, but we, and many others, budget for £5000-£7000 each year on boat expenses (and thats CC'ing, it does not include a mooring), and this is still with me doing almost all the maintenance myself. 

You only live once so if you want it then do it, but do have a realistic planB in case it does not work out.

understood dmr.. and i thank you for your honesty.. i am an avid diyer also, vehicle maintenance etc.. so im not shy to what needs to be done in if the need arises.......

we are looking at other options than mooring in a marina.. had some good tips from another forum.... but they also said boat life isnt easy...

you never know until you try....

[clunk]

8 minutes ago, mightyslay3r said:

i was left the house in a will... it cost me nothing.. i owe 4k on a home loan... 

the guy bought it in 1960... and lived in it until his death in 2000... we have lived & maintained it since then.....

the home loan was for fixing it up to how we wanted it... 

As the above post, absolutely go for it. Then start a post on how you get £42000 of renovations for £1200 because that's  seriously  intriguing. 

[mightyslay3r]

1 minute ago, Goliath said:

are your flogging an ex council house ?

no... it was an estate for miners back in the day... its never been a council estate... but over the past years, a few have been sold to the council by owners...

1 minute ago, clunk said:

As the above post, absolutely go for it. Then start a post on how you get £42000 of renovations for £1200 because that's  seriously  intriguing. 

the council rejuvenated the whole estate.... and only charged home owners a very small % .... they had millions they had to spend before the end of the tax year so decided this was how they could get rid of the cash so they could get the same cash for expenditure the following year....

simple has that... councils greed... which all the homeowners on the estate benefited from 😁

[LadyG]

9 minutes ago, mightyslay3r said:

understood dmr.. and i thank you for your honesty.. i am an avid diyer also, vehicle maintenance etc.. so im not shy to what needs to be done in if the need arises.......

we are looking at other options than mooring in a marina.. had some good tips from another forum.... but they also said boat life isnt easy...

you never know until you try....

The other forum is populated with many of the same people, but maybe you like their advice better.

You still have not even been on a boat with your family for a few weeks as far as we know, yet you are going to make this major, and irreversible change without even a trial run.

Edited February 28, 2023 by LadyG

[mightyslay3r]

22 minutes ago, LadyG said:

The other forum is populated with many of the same people, but maybe you like their advice better.

You still have not even been on a boat with your family as far as we know, yet you are going to make this major, and irreversible change without even a trial run.

advice from anywhere is good.. but to be honest.. all i am being told here is "DO NOT DO IT" there has been no one giving tips or hints.. besides 1 or 2... 

help with the stern setup was interesting.. i knew what all 3 where, but not the pro's & con's to each one... so thanks all for that...

damn... if i listened to everyone through life that said "i dont think thats a good idea chum" ... i'd be secluded in a cardboard box, no wife, no kids eating my toe nails...

i understand everyones concern.... trust me.. i do...

but i came on here to get idea's, tips, tricks, how best to do/not do things....

it started off well, then i had a melt down... and everyone is against me even dipping a toe in the bath, let alone a canal....

we arnt looking to live an umdrum life... we want quality of life.. if it costs us money.. so be it.. but we will be enjoying it together....

 

 

 

now... has i have decided on how I will raise the capital to purchase a narrowboat & all the fee's, licences etc for a year.....

would it be possible to gain some insight in to living on a tow path has to living in an expensive marina?

the do's & dont's of canal life?

gaining post whilst on the cut...?

and anything else anyone can think of please.... thats all i ask...

and sorry for sounding off.. it just seems like everyone is saying dont do it... in the comfort of (most of you) your boats.....

 

Edited February 28, 2023 by mightyslay3r

[Lily Rose]

 

I think the tide of opinion has turned on this as more information has come out regarding the OP's personal and financial circumstances.

 

It's all very well taking a few calculated risks here and there but, to me, this is starting to look reckless. Selling a property for (probably) considerably less than it's worth then using the proceeds to buy a narrow boat for 3 people to live on even though they have no idea whether or not it's a life that they will enjoy in reality, not just in their dreams. If it goes wrong for one reason or another, as it does for many people who sell a property to buy a boat to live on, what then?

 

I wouldn't dream of doing something like this but then I'm not a risk-taker.  However, I would have thought that even a seasoned risk-taker would want to think very long and very hard before diving in at the deep end in these circumstances. There must surely be a way of improving quality of life without risking everything like this?

[mightyslay3r]

i just typed a massive reply.... then deleted it... pointless...

cya down the cut probably

 

[Ange]

2 hours ago, mightyslay3r said:

i just typed a massive reply.... then deleted it... pointless...

cya down the cut probably

 

Please don't give up. You may have been unhappy with some of the posts on this thread but you really shouldn't turn your back on a valuable resource because you're offended by a few posts.

When we moved aboard after a few hire holidays we thought we knew what we were in for, our learning curve was  vertical and the folks on this forum got us through that with just the right advice when we really needed it. Plus we met up with members that are now friends for life.

Maybe walk away from this thread if it's become toxic for you, but open others, more specific to your needs at that time. You'll be flooded with helpful advice from knowledgeable folks.

I do hope it works out for you.

[magnetman]

Lavatories on boats often seem to be a big issue. 

 

I actually think it is this one device which can have the biggest impact. 

 

Because the bottom of the boat is below water and the water is below the land we have a basic gravity problem to deal with. 

 

It is very unusual to see household style lavatories with full flushing cisterns on boats. The only times these can be practical is if you are allowed to discharge overboard or have your own pumpout station. 

 

I have a Shires Navy Blue house lavatory suite on one of the boats but this boat has a mooring with dedicated water and pumpout and I use a beer keg as the transfer tank, outside the boat. When at sea the discharge from the holding tank is over the side. 

 

It uses loads of water obviously. 

 

Otherwise you need to have a Separating type of "compost lavatory"

Low water use "chop and sling" macerator type,

Low water use sea toilet on holding tank with fresh water cistern

A dreaded "dump through" which is self explanatory. 

Other options I have not thought of. 

 

A lot of people do have the chop and sling Tecma type of loo on boats.

 

Then we have various cassette lavatories although there are as yet no CD lavs and it will be a number of yars before a MP3 version comes out. 

 

Freezer bag loos are available

Also incinerators

 

Failing that it is the trebuchet or the mortar. 

 

Or the fire. 

 

 

Discuss the lavatorial arrangements with the ladies as they often seem to take it all more seriously than the gentlemen and also be aware that over time a gentleman may discover the practicality of using the kitchen sink as a capturing device for his liquid outputs. Especially if said gentleman is the one carrying the cassettes. 

 

This rather ingenious solution (easy to wash hands afterwards) does sometimes cause the ladies to become a little miffed although if they are intelligent and receptive they will understand it and you can disabuse them of the notion that it is unhygienic by pointing to the bottle of bleach. 

 

Used food handling solutions is a fun conversation to have.

 

 

Edited March 1, 2023 by magnetman

[mightyslay3r]

1 hour ago, magnetman said:

Lavatories on boats often seem to be a big issue. 

 

 

 

 

Thanks magnetman, i had an idea the toilet was going to be the biggest issue & have already discussed it with the girls...

the wife thinks a pump out would be the best option with a cassette toilet has standby if we are ever away from base (putting it mildly has we think the marina will be far too expensive) 

I can see from this post & others of yours you are a fun guy, who likes to add quip's to their msgs... made me chuckle buddy... thank you.

this "Failing that it is the trebuchet or the mortar" nearly had me crying 🤣🤣😂😂

[magnetman]

I'm working on an App controlled instant freeze mortar solid waste disposal system with compressed air cannon. Its called the "out of shite out of mind". 

 

Range around 1km. 360 degrees rotation and up to 70 degrees angle of attack.  The outlet is self folding like those autosearch satellite dishes. 

 

Capable of dealing with 3 average persons. 

 

 

Autoloading. 

[mightyslay3r]

5 hours ago, Ange said:

Please don't give up. You may have been unhappy with some of the posts on this thread but you really shouldn't turn your back on a valuable resource because you're offended by a few posts.

When we moved aboard after a few hire holidays we thought we knew what we were in for, our learning curve was  vertical and the folks on this forum got us through that with just the right advice when we really needed it. Plus we met up with members that are now friends for life.

Maybe walk away from this thread if it's become toxic for you, but open others, more specific to your needs at that time. You'll be flooded with helpful advice from knowledgeable folks.

I do hope it works out for you.

Thanks Ange, but i think the backs have already been turned.. i wasnt offended at all by what was said... being told that i shouldnt sell my house anyway i see fit to make the cash ready to buy a boat pizzled me off a little.

we like the air of excitement of delving in to the unknown... but i've done research with the girls, watched training video's, hours.. no months worth of video's to the pro's & con's of boating life. 

but you cannot ask the video's questions... 

4 minutes ago, magnetman said:

I'm working on an App controlled instant freeze mortar solid waste disposal system with compressed air cannon. Its called the "out of shite out of mind". 

 

Range around 1km. 360 degrees rotation and up to 70 degrees angle of attack.  The outlet is self folding like those autosearch satellite dishes. 

 

Capable of dealing with 3 average persons. 

 

 

Autoloading. 

that will be fine for solids... but the wet ones may give splash back bud ah ah

 

[magnetman]

Other than the lavatory it is the lack of space which will be one of the biggest shocks. Narrow boats are really quite small. I lived on a 55ft by myself for 12 years full time. The narrowness is quite an interesting phenomenon. They are great if you are traveling a lot (I was) but as a static accomodation unit the narrowness can become interesting. 

[rusty69]

7 minutes ago, magnetman said:

Other than the lavatory it is the lack of space which will be one of the biggest shocks. Narrow boats are really quite small. I lived on a 55ft by myself for 12 years full time. The narrowness is quite an interesting phenomenon. They are great if you are traveling a lot (I was) but as a static accomodation unit the narrowness can become interesting. 

The trick is to look down the length of the boat, not the opposite wall. 

[mightyslay3r]

4 minutes ago, magnetman said:

Other than the lavatory it is the lack of space which will be one of the biggest shocks. Narrow boats are really quite small. I lived on a 55ft by myself for 12 years full time. The narrowness is quite an interesting phenomenon. They are great if you are traveling a lot (I was) but as a static accomodation unit the narrowness can become interesting. 

i can see your point... but we have decided to save on the marina fee's, we will be mooring on the tow path (to save spending tax payers money) and do it under our own steam. our son has agreed to let us use his postal address, who i trust to open our mail & tell us of anything that comes. we wont be a million miles away so he has also agreed meet me at the next 14 day mooring point to go get my car from the last. 

so we will be on constant holiday as it where.... besides nipping my wife to work & visiting places of interest.

we know there will always be something to do regarding checks, maintenance etc... but there is far more fun things also.

many other benefits for us has a family, and not just the ones living on the boat

 

5 minutes ago, rusty69 said:

The trick is to look down the length of the boat, not the opposite wall. 

agree... dont look or feel the width of the boat... look at what you have accomplished & enjoy life  

[Lily Rose]

I do find these "sell house to buy a boat" threads, which crop up regularly, make for interesting reading. I don't normally comment in them but I stuck my oar in, in good faith, on this one. It seems you didn't like what I had to say, which is fair enough, but at least you haven't gone off in a huff, which is what often happens when people receive opinions they don't like on here. It seems you have already made your decision so I wish you well and hope it all works out for you and your family.

 

Clearly there is much you need to learn about buying a boat to live on and then making a success of it so hopefully you will stick around to take the views of people who are doing it now and those who have done it successfully in the past. Some will have found it didn't work out for them but they are unlikely to be on here to tell their story.

 

I doubt if I will have anything useful to add from now on as my boating experience is totally different to yours so I'll probably bow out although I will continue to follow this thread with interest.

 

Good luck with it all.

[MtB]

1 hour ago, mightyslay3r said:

but you cannot ask the video's questions... 

 

 

Just on a point of order, yes you can actually.

 

Well you can on YouTube anyway. If you scroll down there is a "Comments" section underneath most videos (unless the publisher has turned it 'Off') where you can ask questions, make comments etc and anyone else can respond/answer. The video author gets notified of comments and will often return to answer comments or questions, as can absolutely anyone else. Whole threads sometimes develop. Other times a question gets just one or two answers but few get totally ignored. 

 

 

[mightyslay3r]

14 minutes ago, Lily Rose said:

I do find these "sell house to buy a boat" threads, which crop up regularly, make for interesting reading. I don't normally comment in them but I stuck my oar in, in good faith, on this one. It seems you didn't like what I had to say, which is fair enough, but at least you haven't gone off in a huff, which is what often happens when people receive opinions they don't like on here. It seems you have already made your decision so I wish you well and hope it all works out for you and your family.

 

Clearly there is much you need to learn about buying a boat to live on and then making a success of it so hopefully you will stick around to take the views of people who are doing it now and those who have done it successfully in the past. Some will have found it didn't work out for them but they are unlikely to be on here to tell their story.

 

I doubt if I will have anything useful to add from now on as my boating experience is totally different to yours so I'll probably bow out although I will continue to follow this thread with interest.

 

Good luck with it all.

there is nothing wrong with criticism Lily Rose, and i take onboard everything everyone says.... be it good or bad...

opinions are individual.. i also take note of those too...

so thank you for being honest   

[MtB]

In fact if you just scan through the comments under each video you may well find the question that sprang to mind has already been asked by someone else, and answered. 

 

 

[mightyslay3r]

Just now, MtB said:

In fact if you just scan through the comments under each video you may well find the question that sprang to mind has already been asked by someone else, and answered. 

 

 

exactly.. or.. ask here