Thinking about buying a boat

[truckcab79]

1 hour ago, Ewan123 said:

Let's say that someone decides to jump into living on a boat because they like the sound of the life/it sounds financially attractive. After a winter or so they then say "Yikes, that was an awful idea and I don't really enjoy it - let's sell the boat and move back to land". They might lose money on the boat, or they might even break even or make a small profit (boat prices can be rather variable).

 

When they're back on land, they've probably got at least some stories to remember and laugh at "How daft was that idea!?"

Is that really so bad? To have a go at something, have an experience, probably learn something and then move on with life.

Some people seem set on dissuading others from giving it a go, as if the experience could only be detrimental. Why is this? Is it just "I don't want all these new people cluttering up my canals!"? 

Spot on 

[BilgePump]

Playing devil's advocate here. For those people who like boats, bunking down on one every night isn't a bad thing. Carting toilet bases and gas bottles around is part of the gig. Counting amps in and out keeps the lights on. Some places would be horrific, some a doddle to have a mooring.

 

OP mentioned a specific area/canal. If I didn't have a bricks and mortar home in the future (not my house) then without a doubt I would get a better boat and busk life around the stretch up there. Would still need to rent some land based storage though. And for those on here who don't know where Victoria Pit is (as mentioned by OP), it's Higher Poynton, opposite Bailey's Trading Post/Mrs B's (next to Braidbar) between bridges 14-15 on the Macc.  Not a bad neighbourhood or cheap accommodation; just the opposite - it's rural and on the edge of the really posh bits of Cheshire. 

[magnetman]

Its also true that some people have personal experience of how badly it can go wrong.

 

My mother for example thought it was clever to sell a really nice house and live on a narrow boat for 12 yars. She did do this and rejected the land. When she later realised she wanted to live on land all she could afford was a tiny little flat because house prices had gone up hugely. OK we had a nice time on the Boats but she got terribly depressed and killed herself at home a few yars after moving into the flat. 

 

I attribute this partly to living in a narrow Boat for too long. OK so she came from a family with a high suicide rate but the Boat thing didn't help. 

 

In some situations it can seem like an escape but if this is an attempt to escape from something in your head then it may well not work. 

 

Sorry to be a bit negative but boats can have a habit of presenting as some sort of amazing freedom and escape when all that actually happens if you get a canal Boat is that you end up living in a metal box. It can be quite dark due to the way canals are cut into the land. 

 

I really like it. I started when I was very young have always done it and always will do it. 

 

It won't suit everyone but equally it won't cause everyone to top themselves  at least I hope not

[Feeby100]

Sorry to here that

[magnetman]

 

It might not have been the Boat but will always tend to think it could have been a factor. She did indicate that it had been but I guess depressed people look around for causal factors when in fact it may have been nothing to do with it. 

 

Runaway property prices are a bit crazy but as MtB pointed out the OP is not in the property market anyway. 

 

So it is a different story of course.

 

 

 

 

 

[booke23]

2 hours ago, BilgePump said:

How the fork did this thread get so nasty? OP asked about specific mooring area and logistics. Not easy to do but not impossible, but we've got people from many miles away arguing about nonsense.

 

Indeed. And the OP hasn't visited the site for 24hrs so I think we can safely say another new member has been scared off.

[BilgePump]

22 minutes ago, magnetman said:

Its also true that some people have personal experience of how badly it can go wrong.

.....

 

I really like it. I started when I was very young have always done it and always will do it. 

 

It won't suit everyone but equally it won't cause everyone to top themselves  at least I hope not

Marketing blurb for CWDF

 

Come to ask your canal questions

Stay to see the criticism of your post

Linger to witness the bunfight and name calling between other members

Retreat when it looks as though life on a boat only leads to Davy Jones' locker

 

 

[magnetman]

Don't forget the youtube videos ! 

[Ewan123]

40 minutes ago, magnetman said:

Its also true that some people have personal experience of how badly it can go wrong.

 

My mother for example thought it was clever to sell a really nice house and live on a narrow boat for 12 yars. She did do this and rejected the land. When she later realised she wanted to live on land all she could afford was a tiny little flat because house prices had gone up hugely. OK we had a nice time on the Boats but she got terribly depressed and killed herself at home a few yars after moving into the flat. 

 

I attribute this partly to living in a narrow Boat for too long. OK so she came from a family with a high suicide rate but the Boat thing didn't help. 

 

In some situations it can seem like an escape but if this is an attempt to escape from something in your head then it may well not work. 

 

Sorry to be a bit negative but boats can have a habit of presenting as some sort of amazing freedom and escape when all that actually happens if you get a canal Boat is that you end up living in a metal box. It can be quite dark due to the way canals are cut into the land. 

 

I really like it. I started when I was very young have always done it and always will do it. 

 

It won't suit everyone but equally it won't cause everyone to top themselves  at least I hope not

Thanks for sharing that, that is a valuable perspective for people to consider. Perhaps I was a bit glib with my comment.

[magnetman]

It will be an unusual one but I do think moving onto Boats can be a bit dodgy.

 

I'm not worried about glib or inappropriate comments or humour. 

 

There will be a lot of stories around all this which never get told.  

 

There must be situations where people have got so pissed orf with each other living together on a narrow Boat that they got into severe arguments. 

 

I have never lived on a narrow Boat with another person (the mother had her own Boat) but have encountered situations where people are clearly having a Bad Time. 

 

Maybe thats what happens in land based dwellings as well. 

 

Perhaps living on land is not all honey and roses. 

 

I do find the fact the old narrow boats have pictures of castles on their doors quite eye opening. 

I think these people want to be living in houses because they can't fully deal with the insecure status of living in a Boat. 

 

Probably not rented flats though to be fair. A castle might be better ! 

 

 

[truckcab79]

44 minutes ago, booke23 said:

 

Indeed. And the OP hasn't visited the site for 24hrs so I think we can safely say another new member has been scared off.

Dreadful.  I really don’t understand people for whom the forum is so important in their sad lives that they want to gate-keep it until it’s gone.  😞 

[magnetman]

Perhaps if it was the middle of Summer people would be generally more cheerful. 

 

It would be an interesting experiment. no doubt achievable with ai technology, to post exactly the same thread in lets say early June when optimism is abounding and see what happens. 

[Barneyp]

10 hours ago, Ewan123 said:

Let's say that someone decides to jump into living on a boat because they like the sound of the life/it sounds financially attractive. After a winter or so they then say "Yikes, that was an awful idea and I don't really enjoy it - let's sell the boat and move back to land". They might lose money on the boat, or they might even break even or make a small profit (boat prices can be rather variable).

 

When they're back on land, they've probably got at least some stories to remember and laugh at "How daft was that idea!?"

Is that really so bad? To have a go at something, have an experience, probably learn something and then move on with life.

Some people seem set on dissuading others from giving it a go, as if the experience could only be detrimental. Why is this? Is it just "I don't want all these new people cluttering up my canals!"? 

I'm not sure that anyone on this thread is "set on dissuadding others from giving it a go",  Most of the negativity seems to between regular forumites, and not on topic.

 

People are trying to explain the realities of living on a narrowboat, which seems reasonable given the original question. Surely it is better to give people all the information so they have a better understanding and rather than just creating stories to laugh about later, the OP has a chance to actually enjoy their time living on a boat as well.

[LadyG]

On 18/12/2023 at 23:18, MtB said:

 

A very good point. 

 

Peel Holdings have a reputation for not taking all the crap from entitled CMers that CRT happily put up with. 

 

Just sayin'...

 

 

Didn't they have a man on a bike with a very aggressive stance at one time? These sort of things change, but obviously Peel Holdings are not a charitable organisation.

Anyway, worth a bit of research and have a look for boats for sale, does a wider boat appeal, will it serve the purpose better?

Having your own postal address is quite important, imho, Driving Licence etc, also car insurance wants to know where car is usually parked, and " beside my narrowboat" is not likely to be acceptable. I don't know what other boaters do about this.

Edited December 20, 2023 by LadyG

[Tracy D'arth]

11 hours ago, BilgePump said:

Playing devil's advocate here. For those people who like boats, bunking down on one every night isn't a bad thing. Carting toilet bases and gas bottles around is part of the gig. Counting amps in and out keeps the lights on. Some places would be horrific, some a doddle to have a mooring.

 

OP mentioned a specific area/canal. If I didn't have a bricks and mortar home in the future (not my house) then without a doubt I would get a better boat and busk life around the stretch up there. Would still need to rent some land based storage though. And for those on here who don't know where Victoria Pit is (as mentioned by OP), it's Higher Poynton, opposite Bailey's Trading Post/Mrs B's (next to Braidbar) between bridges 14-15 on the Macc.  Not a bad neighbourhood or cheap accommodation; just the opposite - it's rural and on the edge of the really posh bits of Cheshire. 

Higher Poynton is on the summit pound of the Macclesfield Canal.

It is 520 feet above sea level and freezes very quickly and hard in winter.

It is a lovely place to moor.  In summer.

 

[kevinl]

It's like  living in a metal/fibreglass tent, suits some but not all living aboard. Just the little things you take for granted in a house like a washing machine, constant supply of gas and electricity, and all the rest need managing on a boat where you take them for granted on land.

K

[MtB]

1 minute ago, kevinl said:

It's like  living in a metal/fibreglass tent, suits some but not all living aboard. Just the little things you take for granted in a house like a washing machine, constant supply of gas and electricity, and all the rest need managing on a boat where you take them for granted on land.

K

 

All true, plus the fact that each time you use the toilet, is not the last time you're going to be involved with your own effluent. Unlike in a house.

 

This is the biggest jolt for most newbies who haven't done much homework, I often think. 

 

Apart from the brutal way they have to learn so fast about charging and generally looking after the battery bank! 

 

[kevinl]

Even an overnight in the marina is a succession of jobs I don't have to do at home with all the services laid on, never had to empty the toilet, fill up the water tank, check I've got enough gas or that the batteries are charged at home, it's all on tap so as to say, both literally and metaphorical.

K

[system 4-50]

3 hours ago, kevinl said:

It's like  living in a metal/fibreglass tent, suits some but not all living aboard. Just the little things you take for granted in a house like a washing machine, constant supply of gas and electricity, and all the rest need managing on a boat where you take them for granted on land.

K

My washing machine failed this morning. Blows the RCD.  I live in a house now.  Getting it replaced will be a doddle, delivery to the door.  I think back to how much work it was to get a standard WMC installed in my boat and I'm glad I'm not in my boat.  No, I was never prepared to have a primitive washing system on my boat even though many on here say that bashing two stones together works well.

[LadyG]

3 hours ago, MtB said:

 

All true, plus the fact that each time you use the toilet, is not the last time you're going to be involved with your own effluent. Unlike in a house.

 

This is the biggest jolt for most newbies who haven't done much homework, I often think. 

 

Apart from the brutal way they have to learn so fast about charging and generally looking after the battery bank! 

 

If they read the info on here first they should be capable of keeping good new batteries happy. I've done it, and believe me I have more batteries than most!

I followed Blue instructions to the letter, and it was not a great result. I've now settled in to a regime with a dash of diluted Blue plus laundry liquid every day, and empty at 2/3 , no problem. Cassette.

I don't want to risk my 23yo underbed tank, I hope its s/s, its not in use.

Edited December 20, 2023 by LadyG

[BilgePump]

8 hours ago, Tracy D'arth said:

Higher Poynton is on the summit pound of the Macclesfield Canal.

It is 520 feet above sea level and freezes very quickly and hard in winter.

It is a lovely place to moor.  In summer.

 

It's a decent palce to moor, year round.

Come on, you have spent a lot more time boating in the area than me but it's not Siberia

[Tracy D'arth]

43 minutes ago, BilgePump said:

It's a decent palce to moor, year round.

Come on, you have spent a lot more time boating in the area than me but it's not Siberia

I  went for the afternoon in February on a delivery once, stayed the night. Next morning I was iced in solid for 2 weeks! You do know that there is an unmapped mine shaft under the moorings somewhere  don't you?

[BilgePump]

14 hours ago, Tracy D'arth said:

I  went for the afternoon in February on a delivery once, stayed the night. Next morning I was iced in solid for 2 weeks! You do know that there is an unmapped mine shaft under the moorings somewhere  don't you?

I didn't but it doesn't surprise me at all. Old pits all round there so wouldn't have thought that they could be sure of the location of every old shaft, gallery, tunnel etc.

[kevinl]

On 18/12/2023 at 21:00, Isher1883 said:

I'll just not bother, if that makes people happy. Who'd have thought asking a question about canal boats on a canal boat forum would cause such an inconvenience to people. I just go for it on my own. Have a nice life people 🤘

Sadly on here, these days seems to, sign of the times, hopefully not.

K 

[Laurie Booth]

On 18/12/2023 at 18:14, Isher1883 said:

With rent so expensive and mortgages through the roof me and my partner are thinking about buying a boat to live on full time. How ever we wouldn't be cruising continuously it would just be our home and still be working around south Manchester. I think Victoria pit would be an ideal location but I've read mooring have to be residential to live there permanently. Does anyone know if this is the case? And does anyone know if there are any residential moorings near Stockport?

Kyan Street, Burnley 3 bed terraced house for sale - £65,000 (onthemarket.com)

On 18/12/2023 at 18:14, Isher1883 said:

With rent so expensive and mortgages through the roof me and my partner are thinking about buying a boat to live on full time. How ever we wouldn't be cruising continuously it would just be our home and still be working around south Manchester. I think Victoria pit would be an ideal location but I've read mooring have to be residential to live there permanently. Does anyone know if this is the case? And does anyone know if there are any residential moorings near Stockport?

Kyan Street, Burnley 3 bed terraced house for sale - £65,000 (onthemarket.com)