Living afloat item on BBC News

[Guest User]

A report on the lack of "houseboat" sites in the UK on BBC1 breakfast now ... nothing earth-shattering other than they actually mention the shortage of residential morrings vs demand

Edited August 14, 2009 by Graham!

[Naughty Cal]

Thats the second time in as many weeks they have had a boaing story on BBC Breakfast. If they dont watch what they are doing everyone in the UK will want a boat

[smudgemuppet]

Thats the second time in as many weeks they have had a boaing story on BBC Breakfast. If they dont watch what they are doing everyone in the UK will want a boat

 

 

we do a bit of work for a brokarage company sometimes at the shows, and speak to loads of dreamers who are going to sell their house and live aboard! suppose now there will be twice as many at the national, most of them don't even realise that they have to have a mooring.

[bottle]

One problem with the piece, they showed a houseboat, a bl**dy big one, on the Medway and were talking BW about the canals.

 

RBOA spokesman person did quite well.

Edited August 14, 2009 by bottle

[carlt]

most of them don't even realise that they have to have a mooring.

And some folk who work in the waterways arena don't even realise that it's not a legal requirement

[Lady Muck]

Thats the second time in as many weeks they have had a boaing story on BBC Breakfast. If they dont watch what they are doing everyone in the UK will want a boat

 

Come to London and you'll see that it already happened.

 

 

Seriously, the biggest shock I got from boating up here (I'm currently on the Aire and Calder), is the lack of liveaboards. We've barely seen any.

[carlt]

Seriously, the biggest shock I got from boating up here (I'm currently on the Aire and Calder), is the lack of liveaboards. We've barely seen any.

Probably because houses are cheaper than boats, up there.

[Lady Muck]

Probably because houses are cheaper than boats, up there.

 

I'd say definately.

 

The other big shock I got is seeing big replica dutch barges and behemoth widebeam narrowboats and all kinds of widebeam gigantic craft actually on the move and actually being used to 'boat'. It is really nice to see, of course the canal here was built for big boats and our narrowboat looks a bit daft here.

 

In London, you barely see widebeams on the move (whether they have a permanent mooring or not), there are plenty but they are used more as floating 'flats'.

[MikeV]

One problem with the piece, they showed a houseboat, a bl**dy big one, on the Medway and were talking BW about the canals.

RBOA spokesman person did quite well.

The RBOA person's main point that people are living aboard boats but have no rights as you would have in a land dwelling regarding eviction, etc, and clearly the RBOA is campaigning for this situation to be "normalized" - as he put it. I would think that if they are successful then not only would the livaboard life be less precarious, it would also become more popular.

 

I know people livaboard for various reasons but it would be interesting to do a poll to see what the split is between those that do it just for the livaboard life, versus those that are forced into it by economic circumstances, and also those that see a boat as a moving home versus a floating home.

 

I know in our local marina some of the livaboards there get the marina staff to move their boats round for a pumpout. I've often thought there is a market for unconnected marina's for those that just want to live on a floating home and are not interested in cruising. In flood plain areas this could also make use of land that could not be built on without having the problems of blocking the natural flooding that might occur every 10 years or so. In Holland they have even gone the whole hog and built floating houses: clicky

[carlt]

The RBOA person's main point that people are living aboard boats but have no rights as you would have in a land dwelling regarding eviction, etc, and clearly the RBOA is campaigning for this situation to be "normalized" - as he put it. I would think that if they are successful then not only would the livaboard life be less precarious, it would also become more popular.

 

I know people livaboard for various reasons but it would be interesting to do a poll to see what the split is between those that do it just for the livaboard life, versus those that are forced into it by economic circumstances, and also those that see a boat as a moving home versus a floating home.

 

I know in our local marina some of the livaboards there get the marina staff to move their boats round for a pumpout. I've often thought there is a market for unconnected marina's for those that just want to live on a floating home and are not interested in cruising. In flood plain areas this could also make use of land that could not be built on without having the problems of blocking the natural flooding that might occur every 10 years or so. In Holland they have even gone the whole hog and built floating houses: clicky

The problem with "normalising" the liveaboard situation is that many long term moorings, that people are living on, will never get residential planning permission so it may become more popular but the number of sites, where it can happen, will become fewer.

 

Those Dutch houseboats look like the ones under threat, at Hartford Marina, btw.

[RLWP]

A report on the lack of "houseboat" sites in the UK on BBC1 breakfast now ... nothing earth-shattering other than they actually mention the shortage of residential morrings vs demand

 

Link to BBC video click

 

"Dump the mortgage, buy a boat and start living"

 

Richard

 

I'll bet his houseplants won't like being that close to the stove.

[smudgemuppet]

And some folk who work in the waterways arena don't even realise that it's not a legal requirement

 

that may be so but if you live aboard usually wide beam or bigger, and using it instead of a house or flat it would be a requirment to moor it somewhere on a permenant basis. alot of these people have no knowledge or interest in boats at all and like the rest of in this day and age are trying to save abit of money.

[Naughty Cal]

I'd say definately.

 

The other big shock I got is seeing big replica dutch barges and behemoth widebeam narrowboats and all kinds of widebeam gigantic craft actually on the move and actually being used to 'boat'. It is really nice to see, of course the canal here was built for big boats and our narrowboat looks a bit daft here.

 

In London, you barely see widebeams on the move (whether they have a permanent mooring or not), there are plenty but they are used more as floating 'flats'.

 

Welcome to the proper waterways

[carlt]

that may be so but if you live aboard usually wide beam or bigger, and using it instead of a house or flat it would be a requirment to moor it somewhere on a permenant basis.

That just isn't true!

 

It is a requirement that you comply with section 17 of the British Waterways Act 1995.

 

Having a widebeam or bigger makes this more complicated, if you don't have a permanent mooring but, even though you've moved the goalposts, the fact remains that you are still wrong.