Why do you do it?

[WJM]

Some boat dwelling is quiet sad tho - it is one step away from homeless; living in a floating hovel really. I am not sure a boat is the best place for these people but in any society you will have people that slip through the net. They choose, or are forced, to opt out.

[Bones]

Some boat dwelling is quiet sad tho - it is one step away from homeless; living in a floating hovel really. I am not sure a boat is the best place for these people but in any society you will have people that slip through the net. They choose, or are forced, to opt out.

 

We are all one step away from homelessness. A boat can make quite a good home for people on the edge, and sometimes moreso than a house ever would. Plus the community does tend to accept them unlike people in houses the equiveleantla la.

[Dave45]

In the 'i wonder' thread I contended that the majority of people who liveaboard do so for their love of boating and being on the water, rather than purely financial reasons. Chris W took me to task on my statement and said, "There are a number of liveaboards in my marina and they all seem have done it to release capital by selling their house and living a relatively financially stress-free life." So - if the liveaboards on Chris's marina are a typical cross section, then this blasts my rose tinted view into smithereens!

 

So, my question to all you liveaboards is why do you do it. Are you living on a boat just because you've sold your house and you can live a relatively financially stress free life. Or is the financial aspect secondary.

 

For those who don't have a lump of dosh in the bank, would you rather just get by on the water, or just get by on land?

Hi Brummage

Myself and my partner bought our boat a year ago and have been ccrs ever since

We had both had failed marriages and our love for the narrowboat life first bought us together on the internet.

We have .no capital and are both working

We went into considerable debt for our boat and we love it,and we love the life,im sat by my stove now with a doae of flue but would still rather be sitting here than in a house,i dont know why its just a feeling.

We have had our hardships and ups and downs,and scares during floods but still love this life.

One day the boat will be ours totally with no debt,that will be a bonus for us.

So i guess we are part of the canal community because we love the life.

Dave

[Chris Pink]

We are all one step away from homelessness. A boat can make quite a good home for people on the edge, and sometimes moreso than a house ever would. Plus the community does tend to accept them unlike people in houses the equiveleantla la.

 

 

Indeed, basic law of physics: everyone has to be somewhere.

 

I did hear that the average american is only 5 weeks away from homeless bankruptcy.

 

One interesting thing about 'people on the edge' - good name that - is that there is a basic level of togetherness below which it is not possible to live on a boat, because they sink. It does seem like it keeps the worst away.

[Bones]

Indeed, basic law of physics: everyone has to be somewhere.

 

I did hear that the average american is only 5 weeks away from homeless bankruptcy.

 

One interesting thing about 'people on the edge' - good name that - is that there is a basic level of togetherness below which it is not possible to live on a boat, because they sink. It does seem like it keeps the worst away.

 

strange man you are!

[Supermalc]

We are all one step away from homelessness.

 

How true Bones. I was made forcebly aware of this in the early 90s, when left alone on 40qud a week with no transport. Despite only having a small mortgage, with only a few years left to pay, I was still aware if I did get behind, they can reposess after 6 weeks.

 

Thankfully I did manage to keep up the small payments, and now own the house, but still have to maintain it of course.

 

The one large difference for me is the fact I own the albeit small piece of land. If the house falls down, I could build a shed from the bricks (providing I was fit enough at the time) Or I could get a mobile home (caravan) which you can get good ones from the 1000s at the coast for only a few hundred pounds, even down to fifty sometimes. And put it on the land to live in.

 

Yes there may, well would be planning issues, and I'd be told to move out in the end probably, but I'd still be more secure than if I lived on a boat, and had to pay rent in either license or mooring charges.

 

So my choice of not living on a boat is due to the high workload of living afloat, plus the insecurity of not owning the water (or land the water is on).

 

But I could of course live on my boat (or get a bit bigger one) if I chose to do that, without giving up my house.

[sueb]

I've been interested in boats all my life and have had boats, of one sort or another, all my adult life. I moved onto my boat out of necessity and wondered why I hadn't done it years before.

 

I moved off the boat in order to work on it (new windows and a couple of planks) with a view to moving back. That option has been taken away from me now.

 

What is going to happen to your boats Carlt?

Sue

[carlt]

What is going to happen to your boats Carlt?

Sue

Not sure, to be honest.

[Dyad]

(seriously tho - the ultimate has to be to live on your boat but keep an investment property on the land, to keep your hand in the property gravy train)

 

I live in a house, my partner wants to live on a boat, we used to rent a bungalow in the middle of nowhere and loved it. We hired a boat in March 07 to see if I could cope and more importantly the dogs were happy on board. I must admit I would ideally like to keep a house (perhaps a smaller one) and a boat so I have an address, somewhere to keep stuff that I don't want to lug around and somewhere to stay if the boat has to go in for repair or am I being to fussy.

 

So, to keep on topic, we are wannabe liveabaords for the rural aspect and I would much rather tinker with an engine than a roll of wallpaper.

[Christine]

Why haven't I done it?

 

I first thoughts of a narrowboat life after watching a few episodes of Narrow Boat World on Sky in 2003. I was fed up with work and not happy in my house. I saw Springers on A/Duck for less than 20 Grand. They looked tatty and I thought in all naivety that I could 'do something up', sell the house and live off the interest for a while and continually cruise.

 

I went on narrowboat holiday and got totally hooked. I bought NB magazines and started to downsize. Then I came across this site and took member's advice and I ruled out Springers, doing up a boat myself and continually cruising.

 

After another hire boat holiday I realised that I wouldn't want to live alone on a boat in the middle of nowhere and didn't think I had the fortitude to single-hand it. After a week on the Llangollen, Ken decided that he didn't like narrowboating so I put the idea on hold.

 

In the mean time I sold the old house and bought another and I volunteered with the local canal restoration group and crewed the trip boat and have had other NB holidays and spent hours on here.

 

BUT the more I see of the waterways, the more I don't actually want to live there - I still have an uncontrollable bout of tears whenever I leave the hire boat at the end of a holiday - but I just hate everyone watching what I am doing, be it locking, mooring, steering or going about daily life. I like my house & in the last year it has gone up in resale value by Pounds 30,000 (blooming keyboard) I have a new job and relish not having to deal with the adversity that living aboard could throw at me.

 

I love all things canal related but I think that it's getting too overcrowded for me and a in the 'honey pots' far too 'keeping up with the Joneses'* for my liking.

 

*Not to be confused with Allan!

[Yoda]

You lucky lot - just imagine being forced by your family to live in a house! What do they see in it? Just how much space does a person need anyway? Same bl**dy view out the window every day, where is the adventure in that? I despair!

 

(seriously tho - the ultimate has to be to live on your boat but keep an investment property on the land, to keep your hand in the property gravy train)

 

You have just started in life.

 

All the time that you are away from your house, it's in the back of your mind to worry. All the time that your away from yor boat it's in your mind to worry.

 

You have to be there to understand.

[Brummage]

Dave45 said "We went into considerable debt for our boat and we love it,and we love the life,im sat by my stove now with a dose of flue but would still rather be sitting here than in a house,i dont know why its just a feeling."

 

In a way, and having taken all the financial considerations into consideration, may be those few words sum it up eh?

 

Some really interesting stories here. Thanks everyone.

 

Brummage

Edited December 20, 2007 by Brummage

[Greg & Jax]

Hi all .

we had a normal house morgage , both working full time and began to get restless the house had more than doubled in price , we alway,s loved the country and wildlife and decided to buy a croft on the isle of sky , one 25th of the glendale estate to be exact , the money made on the house sale would pay for it in cash , the problem was how do we make a living ? . wife could work from home i would have a 80 mile each way commute ! or we could work the land .

That seemed to take the edge off it for us .

We then started to look at small holding etc came across a farm with mooring,s .

We had found what we was looking for , freedom to travel , wildlife , all the countryside we could wish for !!

So spent 2 year,s looking into boat,s river,s canal,s , etc the info on the net is mind boggling .We had even been and put a deposit on a mooring .

We decided to buy a 57 x 10 widebeam narrow boat knowing full well the restriction,s with it,s size etc .

Sold house bought boat and moved her over to northwich on the weaver , been two year,s now and god we would never go back on land !

Although we both still work full time we get out almost every weekend and love all the wildlife , even feeding the fish is a joy , on our second generation of signet,s .

We found our home ! , a very differant way of life that we wouldnt swap for anything !! .

 

Greg Jax .

[wotnot]

One of the reasons behind our move from land to water was the Captain in the TV series "Bad Lads Army". His first comment when he first addressed the recruits stuck in our minds 'YOU'RE ALL GOING TO DIE'.

 

How true, so if can, and want to do something that makes your life better - just do it.

[larkshall]

I know there are 2 camps to this one

 

Those who want to

 

Those who have to

 

What I wonder is what happens when the grim reaper starts to cast a shadow, and people scurry (whoops hobble?) ashore.What then?

 

As an aside, I was reading a copy of the Romany times some time back, and they quoted the fact that caravan dwelling shortens life expectancy I know thats simplistic (diet, open fires, poor healthcare), but what about boats?

 

As to keeping a foot in property camp...Only in this country, nobody else in world xpects to retire on hous sale proceeds.

Edited June 29, 2008 by larkshall

[carlt]

nobody else in world xpects to retire on hous sale proceeds.

Perhaps that should read "No other govt. expects its citizens to retire on house sale proceeds"

[ackdaw]

Why do you ask?

 

We've had a lot of these sort of posts recently and it just seems a bit odd to me that anyone is asked to justify their lifestyle. I may be taking it the wrong way but I also find it a bit patronising - like when people walk down the towpath and stick their head in your windows while you're trying to have lunch or they ask to look inside your boat and you've never even met them before, and then they think you're being unreasonable when you refuse. I'd never walk up to somone mowing their front lawn and ask if I could have a look around their house, for example (not least because all the front gardens around here have been turned into car parks )

 

Don't get me wrong - I will talk at length with anyone who's genuinely interetsed in boats, boating or the boaty life, but since I've never felt the need to ask other people why they live a certain lifestyle, I don't really understand why anyone is asking me? Does it fulfil some vicarious need for those less adventurous perhaps?

 

Sorry Brum, nothing personal, but as I said there have been a lot of these posts recently and they're starting to get on my nerves.

they may ask because if 80% are doing it because they feel its more cost effective and 20% feel its because off the love off the life style , then id be put off , but as the cannals are now and 80% feel they wish to keep it that way and expand the system its probally going to happen because your defending a way of life you love ?.

and yes people can go a bit over the top , but nice to see your posts and otheirs , id ratheir hear about all the bad points , i can easily spot the good ones , one might ask what do you think the future off the cannals are/is ?

ive spotted some one sayin theirs 10,000 new boats on order and the fact that bw are reducing the canal side moorings fills me with dread

id like to see proper canal side people on the canal , and those that want to live in a pond at the side off the canal , fair dues , bit like sunday drivers ?.

if im using the canal by foot , cycle , or living on it , id like to see those that prefer to be their , their , .

so id ratheir support the canal side from the boaters point off view than my own , i feel the boaters have made it , preserved it and deserve to have a bigger say in their and its future .

and im not less adventurous but i like to compare and why do i need to possibly get invovled in a long battle that i think will be lost ?

when i can possibly go into europe and find the same but with a better future ?

what kind of life style the boat can give you , isnt just restricted to boats ? after all a moter caravan , and the open road ?

theirs lots off ways one can be free , and fortunatly one dosent have to own or use a canal boat to enjoy the canal .

but maybe when its full off sunday floaters it wont as such be the canal ?

[Griffindale]

Less than two months until we give up a secure live-in job on dry land and go back to living on the water!

Scary, but really exciting.

Who, in time of economic recession needs the security of a job and free flat, and all your household bills paid anyway?

Are we completely mad?

[Ange]

Less than two months until we give up a secure live-in job on dry land and go back to living on the water!

Scary, but really exciting.

Who, in time of economic recession needs the security of a job and free flat, and all your household bills paid anyway?

Are we completely mad?

 

You and me both! We've been planning for years to give up our jobs and buy a boat when our son was old enough. He's 20 this year, has just finished college so we've decided this is our year (assuming he gets a job!) The downturn in the economy at this stage is quite scary but I'm a firm believer in following your dreams - if we put it off until the economy picks up something else might come along that stops us. If you've got a dream go for it!

[Griffindale]

You and me both! We've been planning for years to give up our jobs and buy a boat when our son was old enough. He's 20 this year, has just finished college so we've decided this is our year (assuming he gets a job!) The downturn in the economy at this stage is quite scary but I'm a firm believer in following your dreams - if we put it off until the economy picks up something else might come along that stops us. If you've got a dream go for it!

 

 

Got to do it now, we promised the cat!

[Troll]

The reason most people ask about our lifestyle is, its out of the ordinary.

 

We may think we are many, but we are a very small minority, similar to gypsies but a little more approachable, dont you think?

Edited July 6, 2008 by Troll

[carlt]

The reason most people ask about our lifestyle is, its out of the ordinary.

 

We may think we are many, but we are a very small minority, similar to gypsies but a little more approachable, dont you think?

 

I've always found gipsies approachable.

 

Have you ever tried approaching them?

Edited July 7, 2008 by carlt

[Steilsteven]

I know there are 2 camps to this one

 

Those who want to

 

Those who have to

 

What I wonder is what happens when the grim reaper starts to cast a shadow, and people scurry (whoops hobble?) ashore.What then?

 

As an aside, I was reading a copy of the Romany times some time back, and they quoted the fact that caravan dwelling shortens life expectancy I know thats simplistic (diet, open fires, poor healthcare), but what about boats?

 

As to keeping a foot in property camp...Only in this country, nobody else in world xpects to retire on hous sale proceeds.

 

 

Well, I was in both camps.

Always loved boats and boating of any kind.The thought of living on one had always appealed to me.

 

When my previous partner and I parted I was left with (to me) a huge mortgage and living handto mouth.

Something had to change! After considering my options I started surfing the internet for boats.After 18 months I decided to buy a Dutch barge.

Have lived on her for three years now and it's the best thing I have ever done in my life!

 

Circumstances sometimes force life changes that you would have done anyway if only you had the nerve.

When people say to me it must be a lovely way of life I'd love to do that, I say then do it!

[Troll]

I've always found gipsies approachable.

 

Have you ever tried approaching them?

 

Only to say sorry I cant afford the work they want to do for me.

[goldtone]

I love living in a different way, I always liked being different in everything I do. I battled with being a non-conformist for the past 10 years, but now I'm back 'home' again!

 

I like the empowerment living on a boat gives me. I love owning my own home, having savings, money to spend on nice things, swans as neighbours, although I prefer the moorhens (cheeky little buggers), the warmth of a stove, having no mortgage, the absolute detachment from the trappings of the 21st century lifestyle, freedom from financial insecurity, my children seeing nature up close, the kinship felt between boaters, the sound of rain hammering on steel, the peace of the water, the smell from the weir as it pours fresh water into the canal, lighting the gas boiler, warming the glo-plugs, working a lock, changing my scenery, lying on the roof, seeing the stars for the first time, not worrying about creased clothes, being outside, worrying about unusual engine sounds, needing less, living more, liking more, loving more.

 

“Why is everyone so happy except me?” “Because they have learned to see goodness and beauty everywhere” said the Master. “Why don’t I see beauty and goodness everywhere?” “Because you cannot see outside of you what you fail to see inside”!

 

So why does it matter why we live on a boat? Live and let live....

Edited July 10, 2008 by goldtone