Cost of Living on a Canal Boat

[NL23]

Hi there, am completely new to this forum.  Considering buying a canal boat to live on and wondering roughly how much per month this would cost.  Am sure different people have different costs due to individual circumstances but would very much like to hear what those costs are to get a general idea.  Any input would be much appreciated:) Also wondering if it would work out cheaper residing in a marina (with associated rent) or cruising (with associated fuel costs)?

 

 

[dmr]

For most people it works out much more expensive than they predicted because they watched too many youtube videos and made over-optimistic spreadsheets.

But its a how long is a bit of string thing.

You can live in a decent boat with a bit of comfort and do enough maintanance to stop the boat from going downhill, or at least slow the decline....or you can live in a floating squat, do no maintenance, cut down trees to keep the fire going, avoid paying the licence etc and so live very cheaply.

 

Marina and proper CC'ing probably work out work out roughly the same, but it depends very much on location, minimal movement CCing should work out quite a bit cheaper if you get the battery charging side of things well sorted out.

[LadyG]

Much cheaper travelling but much tougher 

My boat costs £70pw winter, more coal, less travel, £45, summer, less coal more bits and pieces like paint .

There are so many variables it's difficult to say  The engine costs about the same per hour as a litre of diesel which is currently £1.25/£1.46/£1.65 depending where you get it !

I did about 350 hours last year, that's not much. The engine gets serviced almost twice a year(total oil and filters £100).

 

 

 

Edited March 13, 2023 by LadyG

[sueb]

Have you tried doing a search? It's a very common question. Good luck

[LadyG]

Much cheaper travelling but much tougher 

My boat costs £70pw winter, £45 summer.

Maintenance £400 to £1200, pa 

At this time of rapidly rising costs, budget for fifteen percent inflation from last year's prices, and another twenty percent in year two.

If you decide you can afford a boat, you are advised to hire for a week, you will probably need a companion. It is a major investment, and  you may not  like the life. 

 

 

Before you make any decision be aware that the Boat Licence  may change next year. The costs of running the canals are rising rapidly and the Government is cutting back it's support.

Edited March 13, 2023 by LadyG

[Alan de Enfield]

1 hour ago, NL23 said:

Also wondering if it would work out cheaper residing in a marina (with associated rent) or cruising (with associated fuel costs)?

 

That very much depends on your personal circumstances.

 

If you need to stay close to a certain location (work, kids at school, doctors / hospital etc etc) then it may be impossible for you to be continually crusing and taking a mooring may be the only option.

Also relevant is that there is currently a consultation going on and C&RT have already stated that their intentions are to increase all boat licences by considerably more than inflation - but more inportantly (for you) it appears that they intend to increase the price of a boat licence for a continuously cruising boat by much more than a boat with a mooring.

Speculation is that a 'continuously cruising licence' could be anything from 2x to 3x the price of a licence for a boat with a mooring. That being the case the costs of running a boat with a mooring may well be lower than that for a continuously cruisng boat when you take fuel and engine wear & tear into account.

 

It may be worth waiting 12 months and see which way the costs come out.

Edited March 13, 2023 by Alan de Enfield

[Rob-M]

About £6K a year to keep the boat afloat before any usage, this is to cover license, insurance and mooring plus a portion to blacking.  Then depends on usage to add in diesel, gas, coal, regular maintenance, replacing batteries, adding extras like solar panels, repainting the exterior.

[MtB]

51 minutes ago, Rob-M said:

About £6K a year to keep the boat afloat before any usage, this is to cover license, insurance and mooring plus a portion to blacking.  Then depends on usage to add in diesel, gas, coal, regular maintenance, replacing batteries, adding extras like solar panels, repainting the exterior.

 

This is what it costs to do everything right, and properly looking after a good boat that cost your perhaps £50k+.

 

There was a gobby new poster on here a month or two ago claiming his boat was cheap as chips to live on, total cost £200 a month IIRC. I expect a search would turn up the thread. I suspect he did no maintenance and cut down towpath trees for fuel just as DMR mentioned. Just the licence alone costs £100 a month.  

[Arthur Marshall]

A lot depends on how you want to live. I lived on a 40 foot boat, no shore power,  one domestic battery, gas hot water & gas cooker. Farm mooring not marina. That's pretty cheap. Licences and moorings go by length, so the shorter the tub, the less you pay but there's less room for luxury and storage. My current licence and mooring fees come to about two grand. I don't live on now,  so no idea of running costs.

What you have to remember is that expensive things go wrong, and have to be fixed.

[Ianws]

I've done lots of very basic camping and our leisure  boat is posh camping on water in a great outdoor environment. I also keep it simple, less to go wrong. Some people could, and would, embrace simple living full time, my wife would, but it's not what most people would cope with as a lifestyle.

[LadyG]

7 hours ago, MtB said:

 

This is what it costs to do everything right, and properly looking after a good boat that cost your perhaps £50k+.

 

. Just the licence alone costs £100 a month.  

That's probably a fifty two foot boat, this year it will rise thirteen percent. I think it will be same again 2024, unless you are a continuous cruiser which may mean a new type of licence is introduced, and I would expect a twenty five percent increase, it's speculation, but I don't think it will be doubled in one year  

[Bee]

Look up the licence on the CRT website to find out licence fees then look at adverts for marinas and see the cost, both are dependant on length (wide boats cost more) then add insurance and survey costs for the boat safety thingy, these are the fixed costs that you cannot really reduce. Gas and electricity (calor and 12 volt) cost more than on land and the more electrical gadgets that you have the more it costs. Batteries have a shorter life than your car battery, hull painting and dry docking is essential and not cheap, diesel is expensive and there is the usual maintanence. It aint cheap. If you do 200 miles per year it can work out at over £30 per mile, The system is run by a virtual monopoly and there are very few places where you can hide from it.

[Bobbybass]

I've owned and lived on three boats. 

 

You get the regular items.... license... insurance etc...but then you get the unexpected failures... pumps.... alternators ...and unexpected stuff.

 

Realistically....£5-7k  if you are going to maintain the boat in good operational condition.....but that is in my opinion