Has this cold spell put anyone off living aboard?

[weeble]

Whenever anyone new joins the forum with thoughts about living aboard they are always given the sage advice to "try before you buy", and hire out out over winter to see how hard things can get.

I was just wondering if the exceptional cold spell, and some of the hardships described here on the forum over the past couple weeks, have put off any prospective live-aboards -- or indeed made any existing live-aboards think twice.

I must confess to being very much a fair weather boater although I always enjoy a challenge, and have great respect for the way some of you are coping.

 

Stay safe....

Mike

[casper ghost]

I do hope so, more space for the rest of us...

[Lady Muck]

I'm a fair weather boater as in I'm not mad on winter boating, but winter staying put is a different kettle of fish altogether. I think it depends on your boat and if you have a mooring and shore power tbh. The showers in the shower block have not worked properly since before Christmas - those boaters without showers onboard (and there are alot) are suffering. Same with water - our water tank can be made to last a month if needs be - got about 3 weeks left of water, I filled up the tank the day before the pipes froze (thank you bbc weather). The only PITA will be if/when we run out of coal. We don't have a car, so it'll be a mile walk with the sack truck to buy more. I'm definately not cold - I keep the stove in overnight and the other heating is on a timer to come on an hour before I get up. I think it is warmer in here than in large draughty houses - I wasn't that warm at mums over Christmas. Plus a smaller space is alot cheaper to heat.

My main advice is to keep a very close eye on the weather in the winter and try to buy more fuel than you think you need.

So no, I'm not put off this boating lark, at all.

[Jim and Paula]

We wouldn't want to live anywhere else. This is our 4th winter living on our boat and CCing and we wouldn't want to go back to living in bricks and morter. The weather doesn't bother us either, it's lovelly curled up in front of the stove with a good book.

[captain rosie]

Its my 4th winter living aboard and although this is the coldest winter it is no harder than any other year! I don't have a car, live in a fancy marina or have off-shore, and I cope very easily. Taps freeze and you run out of fuel and water,it's boat life! I'm not put off. It does make me chuckle that family & friends ask if I'm coping when my boat is warmer than some of their houses! Just off to add more wood to the stove! Stay warm people!

[Travis]

Is it cold outside?

[captain rosie]

Is it cold outside?

Apparently. London is the coldest place on earth if you listen to the bbc!

[nb Innisfree]

The missus and I are actually enjoying being iced in! When the ice is coming and going and us being CCers and wanting to stay within mooring limits then it is a prob whether to move or not. But having anticipated ice, prepared and modified our boat and then positioned ourselves within a few hundred yards of facilities, finding we are well and truly stuck things take on an adventurous and survivalist feel which we find quite satisfying. I suppose it gives us a feeling of power over nature by using our wits. I would love to be stranded in the depths of Scotland in a log cabin with a stock of food and fuel. I think it's all to do with having evolved to survive raw nature we now need some of that to feel 'right' in this modern safe boring world.

Edited January 8, 2010 by nb Innisfree

[Lady Muck]

I would rather be here on Tottenham Marsh than living in some slush filled Tottenham street, that's for sure.

[foxhound_mike]

Theres nothing better than being on the river in this weather

 

warmer and happier than ever being in some cold miserable flat with noisy neighbours.

 

Also lived in a narrowboat on tottenham marsh some years ago - beautiful spot and 10 minutes from the tube.

 

keeping the burner stoked up.

-3.5 outside // 25 inside.

[Bones]

Is it cold outside?

 

 

I took a peak out the window, I don't think it is cold but it is ever so clean out there! I even ventured out to investigate and the foot of snow on the canal has frozen solid.

 

This is perfect weather - we are iced in so we can't go anywhere and I am moored on an electric point with water and an elsan nearby - sometimes breaking down isn't SO bad! There was a coal delivery just before it snowed too! Perfect.

[mrsmelly]

I took a peak out the window, I don't think it is cold but it is ever so clean out there! I even ventured out to investigate and the foot of snow on the canal has frozen solid.

 

This is perfect weather - we are iced in so we can't go anywhere and I am moored on an electric point with water and an elsan nearby - sometimes breaking down isn't SO bad! There was a coal delivery just before it snowed too! Perfect.

 

And bloody good neighbours !!!

[Bones]

And bloody good neighbours !!!

 

 

absolutely - I can only agree that your neighbours are the best... so are you of course.

[Night Hawk]

Quite the opposite!

 

Our central heating broke down on Christmas Eve of all the luck....we had to boil a pan for washing and so forth...house was 'baltic'!

 

Ended up nipping to the boat at Swanley for hot showers and a warm fire.....

 

Give me winter on the boat any time - easier to keep warm!

 

Andrew

[Guest wanted]

Having lived in trucks, buses, trailers, ols cottages and big warehouses, I'd say that this is one of the warmest winter's I've had for a while. No plans to change

[Bones]

Quite the opposite!

 

Our central heating broke down on Christmas Eve of all the luck....we had to boil a pan for washing and so forth...house was 'baltic'!

 

Ended up nipping to the boat at Swanley for hot showers and a warm fire.....

 

Give me winter on the boat any time - easier to keep warm!

 

Andrew

 

mm.. hot water.. that would be nice. I am hoping my new immersion heater will arrive tomorrow! I am on the best mooring in the area with more electric than I can shake a bit stick at and nothing to plug in - apart from this when it arrives... woo hoo. I will be clean (er)

[Mac of Cygnet]

I would love to be stranded in the depths of Scotland in a log cabin with a stock of food and fuel. I think it's all to do with having evolved to survive raw nature we now need some of that to feel 'right' in this modern safe boring world.

 

Well, we are, actually (stranded in the depths of Scotland with a stock of food and fuel, that is - but not in a log cabin). The internet has made a difference since our last big freeze-up, though - I e-mailed the puzzle editor of The Times yesterday to query the Polygon in Monday's paper (the last one we got), only to find that a mistake had been made - previously I could have been wrestling with it for the next fortnight! Don't know about the last part of your post, though - perhaps I would have felt the same thirty years ago, but now all this snow makes everyday living that much more difficult (e.g. the piles of frozen logs melting and hopefully drying around the stove).

 

I would rather be here on Tottenham Marsh than living in some slush filled Tottenham street, that's for sure.[/unquote] Didn't get that right, did I?

 

I loved your pic of Tottenham Marsh on the 'Winter Pictures' thread. It looked positively medieval - no sign of civilisation, and right in London.

 

Another wet log on the fire. I'll have to sweep the chimney tomorrow, and right now it's minus 16 and falling.

 

Cheers

 

Mac

[Kate and James]

Nope, we're still not on the water yet, but have not been put off, we've been practicing with our multifuel stove in the house and find it so much better than centeral heating!! The only thing troubling us is whether the government are really going to sell off BW and leave us in a beautiful boat... in a stinky ditch!

[Ange]

This is our first winter aboard as ccers, so we're on the towpath, just where we happened to be moored when the canal froze over. We were very lucky that this happened when we're very close to a BW marina for elsan, toilets and water, and in a small town with good amenities.

 

We've run out of water and have brought an aqua roll aboard which we'd put into storage after installing our water tank. Dragging it to the marina and back on the icy towpath is interesting but not too big a deal. Fortunately we have a portapotti as back up for our pump out toilet, so that's not an issue. We ran out of diesel yesterday - Dave bought some today at the marina but now the lift pump seems to have gone again so we can't recharge the batteries. We're lucky that my mum & dad live nearby, so dad's collecting the batteries tomorrow and will put them on charge in his house to tide us over till we can sort out a new pump on Monday.

 

None of this has put us off at all, definitely no regrets. Whether I'd feel the same if we were stranded in the middle of nowhere, or if my dad didn't live nearby I can't say, but I would hope we'd still have the same attitude.

 

Tis all part of the experience

[Ally]

nope, loving it! just wish we were REALLY snowed in as well as iced in! We's cozzzzzzzzzy bunnies

 

On the other hand, our new neighbour has struggled......first boat, not long got it....his toilet and shower are out of action and then his heating system died, terminally. Brave man struggled on for ages, but has gone to land briefly, till he can get a solid fuel stove fitted next week. If you're out there.....it will be good to see you back.....and warm!

Edited January 8, 2010 by Ally

[FrigateCaptain]

Been aboard 3 months and this is our first winter, we're running out of water and have shite central heating.

 

We are loving it, melting snow for cuppa's and washing up. Awesome!!

[gilby]

3rd winter aboard and it's no real hardship although the water supply tap has frozen now. (Rural shropi farm mooring). Just have to jerry can from work to keep topped up.

This winter has been a bit harder as the mrs slipped and fractured her arm and hasn't been able to help with the normal day to day chores.

People always ask how we 'put up' with winter living on board, we don't put up with it, we just get on with it.

Think the pros of being a live aboard greatly outweigh any cons.

[bottle]

Live aboard, continuous cruiser for 4 months, we both fell in at different times just before Christmas.

 

Nearly ran out of fuel and water, circumstances beyond our control, scraped most of the blacking off the boat ice breaking, needed to move for water and fuel.

 

Now moored with two other boats near Braunston and coping, batteries or charging causing a few thoughts.

 

Have enough 'coal' for about ten days diesel, a month, water a bit low.

 

We are hating it going back to the land, stupid idea to buy a boat.....................................................only joking

 

Edit:tipoo

Edited January 8, 2010 by bottle

[matty40s]

second winter on the cut, and I thought last year was cold in deepest Northants.

Stove has been lit constantly since Boxing Day, and took the good fortune of a morning off to fill up with water on the 30th, and move a bit so my solar panel is picking up some rays. That was the last ice free day. The towpath is the easiest way into town instead of the frozen slush and half cleared footpaths, recovered daily with a fresh flurry. I have three resident coots and a flock of at least 9 different varieties of little birds feeding daily, so I am not going to go hungry... ;-)

It's wonderful weather, and my daughter loves it when she comes down, she doesn't get told, "it's too cold to go out, come in and watch TV"!!!!

[Guest]

Whenever anyone new joins the forum with thoughts about living aboard they are always given the sage advice to "try before you buy", and hire out out over winter to see how hard things can get.

I was just wondering if the exceptional cold spell, and some of the hardships described here on the forum over the past couple weeks, have put off any prospective live-aboards -- or indeed made any existing live-aboards think twice.

I must confess to being very much a fair weather boater although I always enjoy a challenge, and have great respect for the way some of you are coping.

 

Stay safe....

Mike

 

That's a pretty reasonable question and one we've asked ourselves in the past so we hired last Nov to get a bit of a feel for winter boating, and it was windy but not really cold. We did however love it.

 

We are (Hoping to be) on the Ashby for 1 week from the 6th Feb just to add to our winter boating experience and to confirm what it is likely to be like if we live aboard. Of course if it's as bad as it is this week and last we are unlikely to be out on a 'iced in' hire boat so we are unlikely to feel what it's really like to be iced in on the cut at -10 and lower but we hope to confirm we are likely to be able to cope with winter boating

 

- we reckon summer boating is easy, doing it in the winter is a little more challenging.

 

Lets not lose track of the fact though that this is an extreme situation - not witnessed for many a year so to answer your original question, no it's unlikely to dissuade Jan and I from becoming live-aboards. If we experience a similar winter after we have become so I reckon we would just about cope as others are doing on here.