Living aboard with the family

[ronie]

Hi,

 

Not had time to read all the replies to this posting, but just wanted to say - go for it! You know your kids better than anyone else, and would not even be considering this if it wasn't even slightly suited to them. We have had 3 boats in our life, the first was when we had two kids aged 2 and 9 months. The second was when we had three aged 7, 4 and 1, and our 4th child was born aboard - first baby born on the caldon canal in over 60 years! We left it due to wanting access to land for growing food, and it was getting a little difficult with a newly mobile baby! Now the kids are 11, 8, 5 and 3 and we are fitting out our third as we missed it!

 

It isnt all roses, when its cold and raining and the towpaths muddy and you are all going stir crazy it is hard work. We have never had a residential mooring as we have never been able to get one, but we have had a mooring that we have paid for. If you need to get kids to school and work it can be tricky, but there is always a way if there is a will. The improvement in quality of life and finances make it well worth it in our opinion, and despite the fact that the kids will only have a 6ft by 4ft cabin they are thrilled because it is their own, and they are raring to get back onto a boat, not even complaining at having to hang around a boat and van for 4 hours a day to let us get it done so we can move on - so I guess that tells you how keen they are!

 

Trust your instincts, life is for living - not working to survive!

 

Ronie

[blueprince]

Harnesses and a whip? massive saving on diesel.

[Kate and James]

So glad this thread was resurected! I've looked on here before for thoughts on living aboard full time with kids, but haven't been very sucessful.

We still want to do this, but are planning on CCing and home schooling the kids.

If I could be really cheeky, would anyone that has kids and their bedrooms on their boat be able to let me have a look at their plans, or just some pictures of them so that we can get some ideas? Pretty please?

Thanks!

Kate

[goldtone]

GO FOR IT JIMBO!!!!!

 

I've got two kids.... every time i go to parent's evening I'm told how much my kids talk about Dad's boat and how envious all the other kids (and teachers) are!!

 

Why the question of moving aboard? Why question the desire to no longer being a cog on the wheel? You know what is right for you, so do it.

 

I've had a year afloat and love the harsh winter, muddy towpaths, emptying the toilet (never has been as bad as I thought it would be), gas changing, grappling cold wet coal bags, smell of freshness in the morning, mist rising from the cut, swan feeding from the kitchen window, the look of delight on my kidlets faces as they race across lock gates, water a-rushing, smiles beaming, windlass in hands, jumping back on the boat at other side of the lock........

 

 

......and they are 6 & 8.......already water babes and only on 26 weekends a year. So worry thee not, carpe diem and all that jazz. If you and they don't like the boat life, will the world come to a standstill? Of course not, you will just buy a house again.

 

Don't let the Daily Mail reading naysayers get you down. People that are on the 'actual cut', not this 'virtual cut' are much much nicer....in fact, getting on with their own life....not too worried about everyone else's.

 

Good luck and PM me if you wanna ask me what life on the cut is really about.

 

Peace and Love,

 

Banjo frog

[jimbo747]

Well, i'll resurrect the thread myself :-).

 

Just to answer the lady who asked what Jimbo did.

 

What Jimbo did was take the conventional approach. I continued with my high pressure job, working away a lot. Then, at the age of 39, and almost precisely a year after my original post, i had a health scare - heart. It turned out to be a stress reaction rather than a heart attack, but it had the casualty doctors looking worried. Shortly thereafter, I found myself out of work for several months, struggling with a large mortgage and an unpaid corporation tax bill. My marriage broke down, I moved out, my wife's new boyfriend moved in. She then moved with him and the kids 60 miles away. The house was sold at a big loss and, at the end of 2011, i have finally reached a point where i no longer owe any money. But rather than a 5 bedroomed house and a nice car, i rent a small flat and drive an old one.

 

This is not a plea for sympathy. I knew, like Osho above, that I was not happy with my life. Some decisions were made for me, others were made myself. The worst decision i made was to continue on the path to greed.

 

So to anybody who is contemplating their life the way that i was several years ago, I would urge you to think very carefully about what you want from life. I am still working away from home, still earning to pay the bills, and still dreaming of life on the cut. Grab the opportunity while you have it. Hopefully one day soon i will too.

 

Jimbo

[Nightwatch]

Hi Jimbo

 

I won't say sorry and all that, but you can now buy a small(ish) boat and the boys can come and stay for weekends or longer if they wish to.

 

Oh! alright I will then......

Sorry to hear that you had a health scare but pleased that you now seem okay again.

 

 

Martyn

[lesrollins]

oops

Edited January 13, 2012 by lesrollins

[bottle]

Double oops!!

Edited January 13, 2012 by bottle

[Dignity]

This is such a disappointing end to a good thread.Thanks for coming back Jimbo.I suspect when you get there,and you will if you really want to,you will find your nirvana.Good luck.

[Ace 01]

Hi

 

I know you don't want sympathy Jimbo but I was sorry to hear your news and hope that one day soon your dream will come true and you'll get your boat.

 

 

Ann

[tree]

Hi

 

I know you don't want sympathy Jimbo but I was sorry to hear your news and hope that one day soon your dream will come true and you'll get your boat.

 

 

Ann

I agree with the above. We can never be sure about what is around the corner, and I hope that life will get better for you each and every day. Take care and one day your dream will come true, best wishes

[floating bee]

I agree with the above. We can never be sure about what is around the corner, and I hope that life will get better for you each and every day. Take care and one day your dream will come true, best wishes

Hi Tree-I have sold the perkins by the way!! And hows your engine has it worked out? and yes the canal is problematic- I dont know; my disappointment is still fresh so I am not sure now myself-everyone says I am a good "canal boater" as I can do it now ( I Think its too late) but the journey has been disappointing and with my family I would have a mutiny if I even for a moment suggested we are going to live on the canal-Should wait till retirement get a good 58 foot well kitted out and enjoy it-I think things will get better now BW has gone-maybe? or worse?? will licensing get so expensive we wont be able to boat anyway and it will be for the rich and liveaboard is something they used to do in the "old days"? Why not use your experience to teach others-what field are u in? (to the OP)

[jimbo747]

Hi Tree-I have sold the perkins by the way!! And hows your engine has it worked out? and yes the canal is problematic- I dont know; my disappointment is still fresh so I am not sure now myself-everyone says I am a good "canal boater" as I can do it now ( I Think its too late) but the journey has been disappointing and with my family I would have a mutiny if I even for a moment suggested we are going to live on the canal-Should wait till retirement get a good 58 foot well kitted out and enjoy it-I think things will get better now BW has gone-maybe? or worse?? will licensing get so expensive we wont be able to boat anyway and it will be for the rich and liveaboard is something they used to do in the "old days"? Why not use your experience to teach others-what field are u in? (to the OP)

 

Hi,

 

I am in IT. Project management. But if/when I move afloat I'll do something different I think. If it means a rural mooring, I'll work behind a bar :-).

 

You say your journey has been disappointing. Why? Because the idea of living afloat doesn't appeal to the family? As for retirement, it's funny, my major worry is what would happen if I'm still on the cut with failing health after retirement. But that said, buying back into the "own a house" model would mean working hard until retirement as opposed to enjoying life as it is now. What we all need is the ability to see the future!

 

Jimbo.

[floating bee]

Hi,

 

I am in IT. Project management. But if/when I move afloat I'll do something different I think. If it means a rural mooring, I'll work behind a bar :-).

 

You say your journey has been disappointing. Why? Because the idea of living afloat doesn't appeal to the family? As for retirement, it's funny, my major worry is what would happen if I'm still on the cut with failing health after retirement. But that said, buying back into the "own a house" model would mean working hard until retirement as opposed to enjoying life as it is now. What we all need is the ability to see the future!

 

Jimbo.

I am simply not sure about the canal-I have met some lovely people but I have had trouble with undesirables (money stolen)and BW who can be militant-I dont no Jimbo its not what I thought-Its quite stressful in a way then again that might have been at that time and later could be different.I just dont know thats the trouble-I know what u seek-Is it there? Exactly failing health-now thats a problem-i just wont be able to-its very physical-and i met someone who had cancer and needed to be near a hospital-no work so couldn't afford a mooring. BW refused let them "overstay" and moved them on....

Edited January 17, 2012 by floating bee

[i love my narrowboat]

Hi,

 

Coming up to my 40th birthday, and finally coming to realise what many realised long ago - a professional career, no matter how well paid, isn't satisfying if it preys on your health, affects your family and leaves you with mortgage debts you can't afford.

 

I have 3 sons aged between 8 and 13. They are boisterous by anyone's standards but they love life on the cut (or at least the 2-3 weeks we've been able to afford each year). Does anyone else have experience of living on a boat full time with children, the effects (positive and negative) on them and generally whether it is a sensible thing to do.

 

It's taken me 20 years of working to see the futility in our materialistic society. I guess i'd like them to learn those lessons earlier in life. Plus, i want to enjoy the next 20-30 years of my life.

 

Jimbo.

 

 

Ah Jimbo , bless you I know exactly what you mean. My husband had his own business for over 20 years and was v successful, then with the credit crunch and bad payers it all went down hill. with a mortgage and council tax costing £1000 a month was a huge strain on us, we sold everything we owned of value just to survive for 2 years. made all the staff redundant which was hard because that also puts other people in the same situation as us. we dissolved the company last year, sold the house and moved onto our boat last May, the one thing in our favour is no dependant children. we love it and do not regret it, but as others say, it is a small space, we have a 60foot narrowboat and find it is plenty for us, but i think if your children are already used to having the material things it may be harder to get them to adapt to this sort of life. There are no children here on Billing..whatever you decide i wish you all the best.

[nina]

I think one of the positive lessons of the economy is that many people are learning that less is more. I realise it's painful and it may be a very harsh way to learn but I am seeing a lot more people waking upto the reality that 'the happiness trap' ie big house, new car, holidays 2 or 3 times a year, mortgage, everything brand new out of the showroom, etc, etc, makes them a slave to work & debt.

I grew up in a permanent recession, there was never any money when I was a child. Although I have since done well in career and life, in some ways, that early learning of having to work for everything and only buying things when I could afford them, means I know exactly what to do when times get tough. I don't find them hard at all because I know how to live through them. I'm really quite grateful that I grew up with nothing. Everything is a bonus now.

 

I think the best lesson you can give a child today is the value of their own efforts. Whether this means they learn to thrive in the material world by saving up for something themselves or teaching them more is less, both are good lessons.

 

I really empathise with you Jimbo, I think you're very brave. Not sure if it's the best idea to grow your family on a narrowboat. It's quite a reclusive lifestyle and they will need to interact with modern day life on many levels if they are to survive and thrive.

 

Couldn't you look at moving into cheaper bricks and mortar and just living life on simpler terms? That way it's not such a huge compromise and your children get to stay connected to the real world. Unpalatable as it seems. I wish you luck in whatever you decide.

[mrsmelly]

Wait 'til they have gone to uni.

 

Two things strike me here one being why does everyone thinks all kids have to go to uni ? and the second is that will be TEN years from now......being a gonna do is not the way to be, you are a long time dead. I couldnt have done it with kids but it seems vastly superior to holding down your shit job in a shit location just to pay a mortgage. You seem to have the right attitude to me so go with your heart and dont listen to the scared witless hobby boaters.

I suggest you pm Dean s, and ask him his opinion

Ha just noticed its an old post thats been dug up.....what happened to the o

Blimey Ive just found why the post was dug up and it sort of confirms what I said without me knowing

Edited January 18, 2012 by mrsmelly

[jimbo747]

Two things strike me here one being why does everyone thinks all kids have to go to uni ? and the second is that will be TEN years from now......being a gonna do is not the way to be, you are a long time dead. I couldnt have done it with kids but it seems vastly superior to holding down your shit job in a shit location just to pay a mortgage. You seem to have the right attitude to me so go with your heart and dont listen to the scared witless hobby boaters.

I suggest you pm Dean s, and ask him his opinion

Ha just noticed its an old post thats been dug up.....what happened to the o

Blimey Ive just found why the post was dug up and it sort of confirms what I said without me knowing

 

Heehee, remarkably perceptive nonetheless! I suspect relatively few kids under 16 now will go. I did my degree a couple of years ago at the age of 36, with University of Liverpool, all from the comfort of my then home. I'll encourage my kids to do the same.

 

Jimbo

 

Ah Jimbo , bless you I know exactly what you mean. My husband had his own business for over 20 years and was v successful, then with the credit crunch and bad payers it all went down hill. with a mortgage and council tax costing £1000 a month was a huge strain on us, we sold everything we owned of value just to survive for 2 years. made all the staff redundant which was hard because that also puts other people in the same situation as us. we dissolved the company last year, sold the house and moved onto our boat last May, the one thing in our favour is no dependant children. we love it and do not regret it, but as others say, it is a small space, we have a 60foot narrowboat and find it is plenty for us, but i think if your children are already used to having the material things it may be harder to get them to adapt to this sort of life. There are no children here on Billing..whatever you decide i wish you all the best.

 

Hi,

 

I'm just curious about your retirement plans? That's a major factor now stopping me - even though it's 25 years away! Silly I know. Do you have assets set aside, or will you take it as it comes?

 

Jimbo.