My first narrowboat for continuous cruising What to buy?

[Didne]

Ohhh Thailand … fabulous … I was there for three years … really need to go back … xxx

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

On 22/11/2023 at 15:20, Tantarin said:

I don't think I care about a washing machine;  I think I'd like a quick shower every other day with a good wash on alternate days

 You’ll be surprised what you can get used to living aboard.

😃

...you don’t want wash the muck off in the winter, that’s what keeps the cold out.

just stitch yourself in to one of them cowboy onesies and you’ll be ok til Spring,

 

 

 

 

[IanD]

1 hour ago, beerbeerbeerbeerbeer said:

 You’ll be surprised what you can get used to living aboard.

😃

...you don’t want wash the muck off in the winter, that’s what keeps the cold out.

just stitch yourself in to one of them cowboy onesies and you’ll be ok til Spring,

 

Don't forget the goose grease... 😉

[LadyG]

I disagree about buying a cheap boat, buy a good boat that has been well maintained, don't buy a rusting hulk made by an unknown fabricator.

Buy one that looks nice when you see it, and looks like a professional finish inside. There really is no need to compromise on any significant factor. If it has been properly fitted out with quality fittings it should not need much tlc. If it has been well maintained outside it should not be rusty.

It's just a matter of finding the one you want.

On 21/11/2023 at 20:41, beerbeerbeerbeerbeer said:

Occasionally I’ll put some washing in the bath to soak and with a bit of extra effort banging about in locks it does the trick,

 

Where did the idea come from to choose a boat based on it having a washing machine? 🤣

 

 

 

I think you've got the wrong end of the stick, no need for a washing machine as long as you have a deep shower tray or a bath, so you can tread your laundry on a daily basis

Edited November 23, 2023 by LadyG

[blackrose]

On 21/11/2023 at 19:15, magnetman said:

These days I'd definitely go smaller than that just because of the weight of the boat.

 

How is the weight of the boat relevant? I move a 29 tonne boat single handed. If you try to stop that weight on a centre rope it's not going to work, but the way to handle any boat of any size/ weight properly is to stop it using the engine. Then the weight of the boat becomes irrelevant. All the narrow boaters you see jumping off the stern, centre rope in hand while the boat is still moving are doing it all wrong. It's totally unnecessary if you have a working engine and you know how to use it, and sooner or later they'll have an accident doing it like that.

Edited November 24, 2023 by blackrose

[cheesegas]

On 21/11/2023 at 14:21, MtB said:

I wholly agree with this. An engine room is no more a 'waste of space' than a washing machine on a liveaboard.

 

It's mainly people who pay others to do their engine maintenance and repairs who see an engine room as a waste of space and money, I suspect!

 

The ability to fix a busted alternator or do a timely oil and filter change in the warm when its dark and slashing with rain outside is probably appreciated by nearly all engine room boat owners  

It depends on the priorities and usage; there is no one correct layout for everyone! The best advice is to try the layouts first. I stayed on a trad stern boat for a while before buying a cruiser stern as everyone was saying it was best for a liveaboard and it wasn't for me; a trad stern with an engine room wouldn't work.

 

I use my cruiser stern a lot in summer for sitting out to eat, fixing my bike etc. And I couldn't imagine not having space for two whilst cruising. Some people don't need space for two and wouldn't use the outside space...some do. Don't discount a certain design based on how other people use their boat.

[MtB]

17 minutes ago, cheesegas said:

I use my cruiser stern a lot in summer for sitting out to eat, fixing my bike etc.

 

 

What would have been wrong with using the tug deck that goes with a well-designed trad stern boat? 

 

 

 

 

[cheesegas]

Just now, MtB said:

What would have been wrong with using the tug deck that goes with a well-designed trad stern boat? 

Plenty of wasted space with a big tug deck - the void under it is only partially used for the water tank, and the one I saw had a rather awkward to access storage bit under there too. A cruiser stern has the engine under the outside space, much better usage as you gain more cabin vs a large tug deck. 

 

You also can’t fit two people comfortably outside when moving along with a trad stern…

[MtB]

Yes but a tug looks so elegant...!

 

Compared to a hire-boat-style cruiser stern.

 

Like you with your 'one' experience of a tug style boat, I only ever used a cruiser stern once in my life, and WHAT a miserable experience it was. A  60 mile journey solo, with no horizontal surface to put even a cuppatea or a map on within 8ft of the helm. Let alone a stove alight at my feet! 

 

 

[cheesegas]

Just now, MtB said:

Yes but a tug looks so elegant...!

 

Compared to a hire-boat-style cruiser stern.

 

Like you with your 'one' experience of a tug style boat, I only ever used a cruiser stern once in my life, and WHAT a miserable experience it was. A  60 mile journey solo, with no horizontal surface to put even a cuppatea or a map on within 8ft of the helm. Let alone a stove alight at my feet! 

I don’t really care much for looks over practicality - I live on it and do a lot of miles, I’d rather have my partner next to me rather than hanging on to the side like a monkey or squidged through the hatch with me, unable to hop off easily. Plenty of gas locker/roof space for a beverage too, I can easily have a hand on the tiller and pick it up. In winter it can be cold with a cruiser but properly dressed I haven’t found it to be a problem. 

When I was boat-sitting the trad, I did take it for a brief run but the hatch at the back is just awkward to use as the main access compared to a door (I spend a lot of time on the Thames, some moorings you can’t be picky about which end of the boat you use for access!), and the lack of space for two out back is annoying. Non engine room trads also have the engine box to climb over before opening another door into the cabin, not much fun when you have a rucksack on and bags of shopping. 
 

There’s just different use cases for every boat design, some people might spend more time in a marina where access is easy and don’t care for space for two…I don’t know why you’d discount a certain design for someone who may have a totally different set of priorities and way of using the boat. 

[blackrose]

15 hours ago, MtB said:

What would have been wrong with using the tug deck that goes with a well-designed trad stern boat? 

 

 

Tug deck and well designed are contradictions in terms, unless you're the type that prefers style over substance or it's just a day boat/hobby boat. Tug decks are completely impractical and literally a waste of space for a liveaboard boat.

Edited November 27, 2023 by blackrose

[ditchcrawler]

45 minutes ago, blackrose said:

 

Tug deck and well designed are contradictions in terms, unless you're the type that prefers style over substance or it's just a day boat/hobby boat. Tug decks are completely impractical and literally a waste of space for a liveaboard boat.

It no more waste of space and less so than a well deck. You can do everything on a tug deck you can do in a well deck pluss you have tha space underneath, its also dead handy for crossing from one side of a narrow lock to the other 

[IanD]

8 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

It no more waste of space and less so than a well deck. You can do everything on a tug deck you can do in a well deck pluss you have tha space underneath, its also dead handy for crossing from one side of a narrow lock to the other 

So don't have a well deck *or* a tug deck and make better use of the space then... 😉

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

42 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

It no more waste of space and less so than a well deck. You can do everything on a tug deck you can do in a well deck pluss you have tha space underneath, its also dead handy for crossing from one side of a narrow lock to the other 

and a lovely spot for a decorative bench 😃

[manxmike]

I never had a problem using the roof to cross a narrow lock, it's nearer the right height (in some locks) than the tug deck.

[ditchcrawler]

1 hour ago, manxmike said:

I never had a problem using the roof to cross a narrow lock, it's nearer the right height (in some locks) than the tug deck.

That rather depends on the level of the water when you cross

[MtB]

2 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

That rather depends on the level of the water when you cross

 

I have given gongoozlers a near heart attack more than once by walking straight across my tug deck when it has been below their sight line, and they thought I'd just walked off the edge into the lock chamber.

 

 

 

[GUMPY]

10 hours ago, beerbeerbeerbeerbeer said:

and a lovely spot for a decorative bench 😃

We know where that idea came from 🤔

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

2 minutes ago, GUMPY said:

We know where that idea came from 🤔

I’ve seen it on ditchcrawlers if that’s what you mean 😃

which is why I quoted him when suggesting it 😃

 

[GUMPY]

4 minutes ago, beerbeerbeerbeerbeer said:

I’ve seen it on ditchcrawlers if that’s what you mean 😃

which is why I quoted him when suggesting it 😃

 

There are earlier ones😎

 

It's an in joke 🤔

[ditchcrawler]

3 minutes ago, GUMPY said:

There are earlier ones😎

 

It's an in joke 🤔

 

Good idea wasn't it ?

[GUMPY]

5 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

Good idea wasn't it ?

I never was a trend setter.