New to the site

[sueb]

I don't know how many dogs you have but we hired with a dog before we decided to live onboard. The dogs have to get used to the idea as well. Please find out about moorings on the K&A it is the most crowded canal on the waterways. You have as much security as living in a caravan - none, but there are still those of us that do it. Good luck

Sue

Why does everyone want a boat on the K&A?

[flowerofshona]

I agree with you for once Gibbo !!!

 

That is WHY we want to see inside one ! We have done a lot of research and looked at moorings ect having lived in a very small flat for 10 years we were used small placesand we have even marked out the width of a narrow boat in our house to see if we could cope in that area so we are under no illusions as to how much space we would have and that it is not a 'soft' way to live.

We have about 6 months before we will be looking for the boat to buy and between now and then will be looking at boats and getting more information ect.

If you had every lived the life we have in the last 4-5 years you wouldunderstand our need to live as stress free as we can and have time for relaxing which is something we never do now, i was brought up with boats as my dad used to have them so learnt how to pump the bilge out ect.

To be honest your comment that we are 'not playing with a full deck' is wrong and i wonder what people thought when you first lived aboard ??

We considered a mobile home but after looking at the sites around here decided it was not for us as we did not want to end up with many elderly people around us, (ok we are not young ) and the parks are so sterile and lifeless.

This is not a sudden idea its been 3-4 years in the planning and thinking stage we have no illusions of the down side to it all but if it means the life we have left is a happier one that is all we ask.

Thanks to all those who have given us support and great ideas and some wonderful offers, heres to Saturday

 

We would like the K & A as its not to far from 'home' and only having a brother left in this world i would like to be able see him sometimes and hubbys step mum is not well so we could get to see her pretty quickly only about and hours drive.

Edited May 7, 2009 by flowerofshona

[Gibbo]

That is WHY we want to see inside one !

 

But looking inside one isn't going boating.

 

If you had every lived the life we have in the last 4-5 years you wouldunderstand our need to live as stress free as we can

 

But you might find that living on a boat is more stressfull than the life you have now. Some people do. Some people HATE it but until you've tried it you simply don't know.

 

.............. i wonder what people thought when you first lived aboard ??

 

Well they might have thought "He's not playing with a full deck" but they didn't think "he's never even been on one before"

 

Gibbo

[Dawnie]

There are many hire companies that allow dogs which is what got us into boating in the first place as they hated kennels. As it turned out they love the waterways. I would reiterate the advice re hiring and trying out. I love boating but do get fed up with walking sideways a lot (bad layout of boat, really important to get this right)

You really do need to try before you buy.

quote - Sue

Why does everyone want a boat on the K&A? unquote

 

I don't, too crowded but would love a holiday there but the stories I have heard of not being able to overnight moor have put me off somewhat!! I would assume though it is because it is southerly, what else do we have waterways wise that is connected to the canal system? I live in Eastbourne but the nearest moorings that are not astronomical and prohibitive costwise (Thames) are where we are on the River Great Ouse.

 

People that live further inland have so much choice to be near their boat but the lower part of the country are limited for choice so the K&A is convenient and very busy!

[Pie Eater]

Go to the Crick Boat Show on the next Bank Holiday week end or the IWA National Festival on August Bank Holiday week end and you should be able to look over a large number of boats.

 

Steve

[dor]

As well as yourselves, you should consider the dogs, which I presume you will be taking with you.

 

Some dogs just go crazy on boats - literally. Desperate to get out, bark all the time, run off given half a chance. It happens. Unless you take your dogs out on a boat for several days you will not know how they will react. And please don't say they are alright in a caravan; a caravan is NOT a boat. Being on the water is completely different.

 

Would the dogs be ok if you left them for a few hours? you don't know.

 

And look VERY carefully at your mooring options.

 

You should also try hiring a boat in bad weather, when it is freezing, pouring with rain and a gale blowing. It's what finishes many people off when they find they are running out of water or toilet capacity and need to move somewhere. Serviced residential moorings in the south are very rare.

 

You must check it all out; it takes more than looking at a boat and only your own experiences will tell you. It doesn't matter how many people tell you it is a wonderful life, it might not be for you which is why there are so many people who buy boats to live on and are desperate to get off within a few months.

 

If you do take the plunge however and enjoy it then welcome to one of the best communities around, but please make sure you are making the right choice, not just following a dream.

Edited May 8, 2009 by dor

[Naughty Cal]

Take the advice. Hire boats both during the summer and the winter. Most hire companies will allow well behaved dogs for a small charge. Hire different styles and layouts of boats see what works for yourselves. Look around all the marinas and brokerages you can. See as many boats as you can. You say you wont be buying for 6 months, but 6 months isnt a lot of time to find your dream home that you have to live with as well as learn how to handle.

[alan_fincher]

As well as yourselves, you should consider the dogs, which I presume you will be taking with you.

 

Some dogs just go crazy on boats - literally. Desperate to get out, bark all the time, run off given half a chance. It happens. Unless you take your dogs out on a boat for several days you will not know how they will react. And please don't say they are alright in a caravan; a caravan is NOT a boat. Being on the water is completely different.

 

Would the dogs be ok if you left them for a few hours? you don't know.

 

And look VERY carefully at your mooring options.

 

You should also try hiring a boat in bad weather, when it is freezing, pouring with rain and a gale blowing. It's what finishes many people off when they find they are running out of water or toilet capacity and need to move somewhere. Serviced residential moorings in the south are very rare.

 

You must check it all out; it takes more than looking at a boat and only your own experiences will tell you. It doesn't matter how many people tell you it is a wonderful life, it might not be for you which is why there are so many people who buy boats to live on and are desperate to get off within a few months.

 

If you do take the plunge however and enjoy it then welcome to one of the best communities around, but please make sure you are making the right choice, not just following a dream.

I agree with every single word - nothing to add at all to DOR's balanced comments.

 

You have sufficient time to make sure this is really right for you, before becoming completely committed - so do it!

[Gibbo]

We're not trying to put you off!

 

We're simply helping you avoiding making what could potentially be a very expensive and major mistake.

 

You have no idea whether life aboard is realy for you until you actually try it.

 

Gibbo

[PeterF]

I will try and spell this out simply, many others have alluded to it, especially regarding the K&A.

 

Moorings can be difficult to find and can be harder to get than the boat itself if you have a specific location / type you want. It is often advised to get your mooring sorted first as you could otherwise buy a boat and then can't find a suitable mooring, or you can only find a mooring you are not happy with.

[jelunga]

Sorry, not me. Far too crowded and in an expensive area. Give me the canals in Northumberland any day. You can go all day without seeing one boat in them.

 

K

 

 

I don't know how many dogs you have but we hired with a dog before we decided to live onboard. The dogs have to get used to the idea as well. Please find out about moorings on the K&A it is the most crowded canal on the waterways. You have as much security as living in a caravan - none, but there are still those of us that do it. Good luck

Sue

Why does everyone want a boat on the K&A?

[Big John]

Well we have decided to go to Devizes on Saturday to the broker.

Thanks for all the wonderful offers and help it is much needed

We are both nervous but excited and already thinking what will be going with us and thinking of getting those vacuum bags for the bedding ect, starting to think small and compact

When we visited Devizes Marina we asked them how long the waiting list for moorings was and they said they had one available then, so we took it. Similarly, when we wanted a residential mooring we casually commented that it looked like the resi moorings had all sold, but were offered one there and then. Did we take it? What do you think?

 

Moral? Putting your name on a moorings waiting list has infinitely less value than visiting private moorings and asking - not once, but repeatedly.

 

It hurts me to ask, but have you looked at BW's moorings tenders site? You never know!

 

Please pass on our best wishes ("Mr & Mrs nb Epiphany"!) to Devizes Marina staff if you remember. (Have you had a look at our website? Feel free to contact us if you want any advice off list).

 

Go for it! Good luck. Oh, and we loved the K&A.

[Smelly]

No-one's mentioned escape the rat race yet...

 

Flowerofshona... there's a company called Escape the Rat Race who specialise in long term hire of proper boats as opposed to the formica laden hire boats we all know so well. I believe they don't mind dogs and you can hire a boat for roughly what a house would cost to rent for a month.

 

I'd recommend looking at September time as you'll get some bad weather as well as some good, get used to running the fire etc so get a real feel for life aboard.

 

My mum and step dad are ardent caravaners and step dad is eager to buy a NB but my mum's put off as they've also had their infirm times and if they were to return then the physicality of NB life would soon become tiresome. Unless you're on a fully serviced marina mooring which to my mind equates to a council estate then it's hard work sometimes. A good example is when, on my first boat, we were iced in and the coall delivery arrived. Even with a sack truck lugging 250 kilo's of coal a couple of hundred yards down the towpath is no mean feat...

 

You've probably noticed that "get the mooring first" thing mentioned and I don't know whether the glut of new marinas may have stemmed that advice where you are looking to base yourselves, however the other option is to CC until a mooring becomes free and again it can be difficult unless you're retired.

 

Good luck whichever way you decide to go!

[ditchcrawler]

When we visited Devizes Marina we asked them how long the waiting list for moorings was and they said they had one available then, so we took it. Similarly, when we wanted a residential mooring we casually commented that it looked like the resi moorings had all sold, but were offered one there and then. Did we take it? What do you think?

 

Moral? Putting your name on a moorings waiting list has infinitely less value than visiting private moorings and asking - not once, but repeatedly.

 

It hurts me to ask, but have you looked at BW's moorings tenders site? You never know!

 

Please pass on our best wishes ("Mr & Mrs nb Epiphany"!) to Devizes Marina staff if you remember. (Have you had a look at our website? Feel free to contact us if you want any advice off list).

 

Go for it! Good luck. Oh, and we loved the K&A.

 

And how many years had you been boating before you commited to being a live aboard?

[flowerofshona]

I have many mooring websites to hand and have spoken to a few people about the kind of mooring we want ect.

We have looked into this very hard !! Its only due to illness we have not been on a boat yet, I have costed it all out and done worse case problems, allowed for the blacking, service of the engine, boat certs ect and storage for the caravan ect.

If we dont think its for us we will not do it ! having spent 3 weeks at sea on a boat 18ft long and 6ft wide i do know what its like to sleep in a storm and get so wet and not be able to get dry again for days !

We will see what we think tomorow and go from there, i have a site that does a day on board which teaches handling ect so will have to do that as well.

[Theo]

I have many mooring websites to hand and have spoken to a few people about the kind of mooring we want ect.

We have looked into this very hard !! Its only due to illness we have not been on a boat yet, I have costed it all out and done worse case problems, allowed for the blacking, service of the engine, boat certs ect and storage for the caravan ect.

If we dont think its for us we will not do it ! having spent 3 weeks at sea on a boat 18ft long and 6ft wide i do know what its like to sleep in a storm and get so wet and not be able to get dry again for days !

We will see what we think tomorow and go from there, i have a site that does a day on board which teaches handling ect so will have to do that as well.

 

It's comforting that you have been on a boat for a few weeks! However a sea boat is not a canal boat. If it is money that is putting you off hiring then think of how much it might save you. Take the hire fee as part of the cost of ownership.

 

Pretty please. Do follow the advice and hire!!

 

Nick

 

PS I am going to move this to "New to boating" or whatever. There is lots of good sadvice here which should be read by anyone contemplating NB Purchase.

[Albion]

flowerofshona wrote:

I have many mooring websites to hand and have spoken to a few people about the kind of mooring we want ect.

We have looked into this very hard !! Its only due to illness we have not been on a boat yet, I have costed it all out and done worse case problems, allowed for the blacking, service of the engine, boat certs ect and storage for the caravan ect.

 

snipped

 

It does sound as though you've been unusually thorough and that all you need is some experience on a narrowboat. Please understand that a lot of the, very cautioning, comments have arisen because experienced boaters see so many people wearing rose tinted glasses who haven't got a clue and are about to buy a boat with no idea of all the down-side of owning and living aboard at all.

 

I concur with all the other comments particularly those recommending hiring but I also repeat my earlier advice about walking the canals and chatting to people as they will often offer a look round if they understand that you are trying to 'design' your boat. View lots of boats and chat to lots of owners to gain design and layout tips.

Good luck with your boat search and don't be afraid to view and reject unsuitable ones........it's a buyer's market at the moment and the brokers/private sellers have to accept that. Having said that, be realistic about the boats that you are viewing, if you can't afford them (ie they're way out of your league) then don't waste the vendor's time. I've just sold my nb last November and we had a tyre-kicker who kept us on the hook for a couple of months before finally admitting that they couldn't have afforded the boat anyway. That was rather frustrating but, luckily, we sold soon after that.

Roger

[Charlie Breakfast]

Hi

 

Try going to some of the "honey spots" ...Braunston, Stoke Bruerne , Stratford etc . Walk the towpath and talk to people on their boats. Explain what you are thinking of doing and ask them if you can see inside. Some gits will probably say no but I bet a lot of boaters will invite you in to see their pride and joy and maybe make you a cup of tea....the advantage is that you will not just be looking at boats but with luck get the feel and gossip about whats going on. The responses you get might also confirm/ challenge your ideas about how friendly the boating community is going to be!

 

CHeers

Chas.

 

Sorry Roger just seen your post above...still at least we agree!

Edited May 10, 2009 by Charlie Breakfast

[Albion]

Sorry Roger just seen your post above...still at least we agree!

 

 

No probs Charlie, the more of us that suggest it, the more likely it is to be accepted

Roger