Am I the youngest?

[Chris Lingwood]

I decided this summer I wanted to live on a boat. I've always loved boat and its a heluva lot cheaper than getting a flat. Two months later I moved onto my brand new aquisition! I surprised myself by how fairly easy it was to find a mooring and the boat itself. Granted it took a month and a half to find, but within two weeks of seeing the advert it was moored up 300 miles north of where I bought it ready for me to get aboard.

 

She's pretty old (built in 1972) but the surveyor was quite happy with the state of the steel and the fit out is brand new (well a year old) quite modern and exactly what I was after. It was higher quality and more suitable than boats we saw for 15-20k more.

 

http://www.dingle.nildram.co.uk/barge/

 

 

I'm pretty chuffed AND I'm only 21.

[Nb Unity]

I decided this summer I wanted to live on a boat. I've always loved boat and its a heluva lot cheaper than getting a flat. Two months later I moved onto my brand new aquisition! I surprised myself by how fairly easy it was to find a mooring and the boat itself. Granted it took a month and a half to find, but within two weeks of seeing the advert it was moored up 300 miles north of where I bought it ready for me to get aboard.

 

She's pretty old (built in 1972) but the surveyor was quite happy with the state of the steel and the fit out is brand new (well a year old) quite modern and exactly what I was after. It was higher quality and more suitable than boats we saw for 15-20k more.

 

http://www.dingle.nildram.co.uk/barge/

I'm pretty chuffed AND I'm only 21.

 

Well done! my son whos 20 has his own narrowboat but wants a bigger one to live on, his is 30ft. Enjoy your life on your boat chris , best of luck trish

[AJLintern]

That's a nice looking boat Wish I could do that, but I'd be too worried about spending all the money I've saved for a house deposit!

[Moley]

Well done Chris,

 

I considered buying a boat when I was your age and you could get a decent craft for £100 a foot, and have regretted it ever since. At 47 I've finally bought one, and my son (who's 13) wants a liveaboard for his 18th birthday (which could be cheaper for us than student digs).

 

Enjoy it,

Ade.

[DHutch]

That looks grand!

- I like the bow shape espcially, its bit diffrent, little bit like ours.

 

Owning you our boat and living on it at 21 is pritty cool, im 18 at the moment, and just started uni at loughborough, which is on the canal, it would be so cool to have our boat there to live on next year! Be a bit diffrent from you average student house for sure!

 

Anyway, well done, i hope you enjoy it!

 

 

Daniel

[Gary Peacock]

Hi Chris

 

Good look with the life on water!

 

 

 

 

I like the look of the boat it looks strangely familiar to what we BUILD

Edited November 4, 2005 by Gary Peacock

[Maffi]

That's a nice looking boat Wish I could do that, but I'd be too worried about spending all the money I've saved for a house deposit!

 

 

Why worry you will only spend it on bricks and mortar, and I dont think you will have half as much fun.

[Stephen Sugg]

I decided this summer I wanted to live on a boat. I've always loved boat and its a heluva lot cheaper than getting a flat. Two months later I moved onto my brand new aquisition! I surprised myself by how fairly easy it was to find a mooring and the boat itself. Granted it took a month and a half to find, but within two weeks of seeing the advert it was moored up 300 miles north of where I bought it ready for me to get aboard.

 

She's pretty old (built in 1972) but the surveyor was quite happy with the state of the steel and the fit out is brand new (well a year old) quite modern and exactly what I was after. It was higher quality and more suitable than boats we saw for 15-20k more.

 

http://www.dingle.nildram.co.uk/barge/

I'm pretty chuffed AND I'm only 21.

 

you lucky lucky lucky etc etc. I wish I did it when I was 21 ! I am now 34 and installed in a house for the forseable future. We had the chance to move to a boat early this year but had misgivings about the boat and the mooring it came with so we ditched the plan. We are expecting a baby soon so the boat will have to wait for a while (I'm not made of money!) But it will happen.........eventually

[Chris Lingwood]

I've just started on a Phd so technicaly I am still a student! Its admittedly not quite as tidy and smart as in those pictures, it could do with the paintwork touching up in a fair few places and the roof needs a repaint. Fun for the spring me thinks!

 

As long as I look after it I should get back what I paid for it, shes pretty big at 60foot and well laid out so I shouldn't have any problems. Also the square walls and flat roof make SO much more extra space. Especialy when you compare it to some of the otherones we looked at. Good lord they were shoddy! I'm not really intending to buy a house in this country either, you pay a fortune for rubish ones nowadays. I'll live aboard for a few years then move abroad somewhere nicer.

 

The thing I'm finding the biggest pain at the moment is heating the thing. I've been scrounging wood off the banks of the canal but you don't half get through it fast! I've only the stove for heating aswell, it works really well, when its got wood

 

I am enjoying living on it, theres nothing like opening the hatch in the morning on a beatiful day looking out over the basin and feeding the ducks and swans.

 

It is pretty similar to your boats gary, but mines a bit more square . It was built by GM Engineering in 72 then extended by 20ish foot in the 80s I believe. Then gutted and repaited and battoned to sailaway condition in the late 90s, then sold to the previous owners who took a trip or 12 to ikea and fitted it out to what its like now. I think they ran out of money trying to start a widebeam based cafe so sold it to me

Edited November 4, 2005 by Chris Lingwood

[DHutch]

That all sounds fair enough!

 

For stove fuel have a look around the local area and see if there somwhere you can get wood without paying for it.

- We get though a lot of wood for kindling which was get from a pallet manufactorer.

- We get plank off cuts, which are great, there clean dry stright grained softwood in handy neatly stacking sizes!

- And for free, becuase otherwise they have to pay to have it taken away!

 

 

Dainel

[anthony]

Buy a chainsaw and go for a walk in some woods and fill your roof up with logs.

[David Schweizer]

Buy a chainsaw and go for a walk in some woods and fill your roof up with logs.

 

Not a good idea without the consent of the owner. I have a friend who has a small amount of woodland adjacent to the canal, and he is fighting a constant battle with residential boat owners stealing his wood. The stupid thing is that he would probably give permission if asked politely.

 

Seriously, going onto someone else's land except on a footpath is trespass if you do any damage, and taking wood without consent is theft. You could be prosecuted for both offences.

Edited November 6, 2005 by David Schweizer

[tomandsophie]

That's a nice looking boat Wish I could do that, but I'd be too worried about spending all the money I've saved for a house deposit!

 

What's the point in a house if you can get a boat! My wife and I are 24 (oops, no, I'm 25 now) and we live afloat on the River Avon near Bristol and Bath. Month-by-month it's no cheaper than renting a house or owning a flat, but the big difference is that our mortgage is 12 years rather than 40 and for our money we get a gorgeous 2-bedroom place which we can move anywhere rather than a grotty ex-council flat which we'll be paying off until we retire!

[Chris Lingwood]

we live afloat on the River Avon near Bristol and Bath

I bought heron from down there off a nice couple called Steve and Hayley, they used to moor it up around bathampton. In fact if you are around there they are trying to open a widebeam cafe but were having planning permission problems. you might have noticed the blue widebeam moored on the corner with display cabinets inside.

 

As far as pinchign wood goes I've been only taken the stuff which BW have already cut down on the sides of the cutting. I've no need to start trimming trees! BW anihilate any tree which gets too big/rotten for its own good and leave it in nice managable piles

[tomandsophie]

I bought heron from down there off a nice couple called Steve and Hayley, they used to moor it up around bathampton. In fact if you are around there they are trying to open a widebeam cafe but were having planning permission problems. you might have noticed the blue widebeam moored on the corner with display cabinets inside.

 

Interesting - I was wondering what that boat was there for! I noticed the display cabinets inside and thought it must be some kind of cafe or something like that. Bl**dy planning permission!

[Chris Lingwood]

They should have had planning permission by now. Sounds like they got turned down then if its still like that. Shame really as it would have been really nice. They were intending to live on heron but had to sell her to pay for that. I hope it does get going, otherwise they have just wasted a hell of a lot of time and money!

[bramley]

When me and my girlfriend bought out canal boat we was both 19

 

and althow people (especialy older people) put us in a sterio typical type of 19 year old lots were plesently suprised!!! we was more of a good boater than a lot of others met (very grumpy live a boards etc)

 

sadly we sold out boat a year later, ( i worked for rover and was made redundant at my local dealership for which iv worked for 3 years

 

this was may

And only now have i found myself in a stable job where i can safly say im happy there

Wish we still had it but oh well all the best

[Carrie]

 

.. my son (who's 13) wants a liveaboard for his 18th birthday (which could be cheaper for us than student digs).

Ade.

 

My daughter's off to Uni next summer and we've been discussing the possiblity of her living on a small narrowboat. The first year, I'd like her to be in Halls, but after that, it might end up being cheaper than renting a flat, I reckon.

[DHutch]

My daughter's off to Uni next summer and we've been discussing the possiblity of her living on a small narrowboat. The first year, I'd like her to be in Halls, but after that, it might end up being cheaper than renting a flat, I reckon.

Yeah, i would deffonatly suggest being in halls for the first year, you really need to be, imo.

 

 

Daniel

[John Orentas]

They were intending to live on heron but had to sell her to pay for that. I hope it does get going, otherwise they have just wasted a hell of a lot of time and money!

 

 

"They were intending to live on heron"

 

Wouldn't advise that, I find it a bit stringy and has a fishy flavour, ducks are ok.

Edited November 13, 2005 by John Orentas

[DHutch]

"They were intending to live on heron"

 

Wouldn't advise that, I find it a bit stringy and has a fishy flavour, ducks are ok.

Thankyou john!

 

[Chris Lingwood]

Yeah, i would deffonatly suggest being in halls for the first year, you really need to be, imo.

Daniel

No question! I would even be hesitant about not sharing a house for the next two or three years. It would be very easy to get cut off from all your friends. Mine all left at the end of last year anyway so it didn't make much difference to me.

[Cris P]

No question! I would even be hesitant about not sharing a house for the next two or three years. It would be very easy to get cut off from all your friends. Mine all left at the end of last year anyway so it didn't make much difference to me.

 

No! The food is lousy, and you're bound to meet people anyway on your course.

[Chris Lingwood]

No! The food is lousy, and you're bound to meet people anyway on your course.

my halls were self catering so the food was even worse You'd be surprised how antisocial some courses can be. It depends on the year. I definitly wouldnt have moved onto a barge on my own before now. It would have been a big mistake.

 

Back "on topic" though...I seam to have been soundly beaten in the youngest stakes. Ah well...such is life! I'll just have to wait untill you get older!...oh hang on

[polly cotton]

Hey there... it's a shame the link to the photographs doesn't work anymore... I have a feeling this Heron is the Hayhead Heron I spent a lot of time on during the early 90's. We covered a lot of miles and she was sold on the K&A-flat roof, straight sides, built by GM engineering. Do you have any pictures-I'd be really excited to see if this is the same old Gal!

 

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