Economical living....

[Supermalc]

It would be much too hard a life for me to live aboard. However I have discussed this with many people over the last few years.

 

It appears there is one cheap way. Buy a cheap boat and moor on a tidal river. Speaking to a man with a 60ft wide beam barge last year, he pays £10 a year in total on the river Ripple.

 

A large GRP boat can be bought for between £6,000 to £10,000. This will allow much more living space than a conventional NB. With minimal maintenance, these will last at least 10 years. In fact it is now a problem getting rid of old GRP boats, as at 30 years old many are still sound.

 

Obviously if you move around it will cost more, but even given the relative expensive cost of generating electricity etc. this must be one of the cheapest methods of living. Be prepared for some hard work though.

[Alastair]

It would be much too hard a life for me to live aboard. However I have discussed this with many people over the last few years.

 

It appears there is one cheap way. Buy a cheap boat and moor on a tidal river. Speaking to a man with a 60ft wide beam barge last year, he pays £10 a year in total on the river Ripple.

 

A large GRP boat can be bought for between £6,000 to £10,000. This will allow much more living space than a conventional NB. With minimal maintenance, these will last at least 10 years. In fact it is now a problem getting rid of old GRP boats, as at 30 years old many are still sound.

 

Obviously if you move around it will cost more, but even given the relative expensive cost of generating electricity etc. this must be one of the cheapest methods of living. Be prepared for some hard work though.

 

The man you met is in an extremely unusual situation. I live on a river, know many other people (through the DBA) who live on a tidal river. Our mooring fees are similar to those on canals.

 

I have a 28ft yacht in a marina - this is very cheap by comparison, it costs 560 per year. However, I don't think they'd allow livaboards, and most marinas charge a lot more than that.

[Pat]

 

 

A large GRP boat can be bought for between £6,000 to £10,000. This will allow much more living space than a conventional NB. With minimal maintenance, these will last at least 10 years. In fact it is now a problem getting rid of old GRP boats, as at 30 years old many are still sound.

 

 

10 years? As you said, my Grp beast is 30 years old and still sound. they used to layer the glass fibre on so thick when they first started building them, that the old ones have hull's that are about twice as thick as the new GRP cruisers. I don't see why my boat shouldn't last another 30 years at least. Its just a question of maintanance. In fact she's being craned out next week. I'll try and post some pictures.