What is so great about living aboard?

[PaddingtonBear]

I may soon have to live aboard, somewhat against my better judgement. I have been a regualr on this forum for some time and have yet to see many negative comments about life aboard. Most comments are just too positive to be believed, all very starry eyed (except sueb nothing can be that good can it? What is a more realistic, worts and all appraisal? and no I am not a troll, whatever that is.

[Robbo]

Only negative things I can think of are...

 

You may not have a postal address, depending on your mooring, etc...

Winter can be hard when iced in, water points frozen, etc..

You have to think about where you get your electricity from.

You have to empty your own sh.t.

 

Edit to add..

 

Lack of storage, solid fuel is cheaper in summer but you have no real place to store it!

 

Er, I'm struggling now. I'm on a wide dutch barge, so don't know if a narrowboat would feel too narrow to live on.

Edited August 6, 2011 by Robbo

[PaddingtonBear]

The issue of a postal address is not a problem, something of a blessing actually.

The cold does not worry me, I spent early December iced in at Great Heywood. Water not a problem either as the boat has 1000 litres of fresh water and it is not used much.

Don't need much electrickery, have much more than I need (one battery's worth).

Am used to sanitary issues but am forced to go over to the dark side - used to be an avid pump outfanatic.

Plenty of space to store solid fuel but nothing to burn it on, in my area at least.

 

Practical issues are not my concern, it is the messianic glint in peoples eyes that I don't understand.

[mrsmelly]

The issue of a postal address is not a problem, something of a blessing actually.

The cold does not worry me, I spent early December iced in at Great Heywood. Water not a problem either as the boat has 1000 litres of fresh water and it is not used much.

Don't need much electrickery, have much more than I need (one battery's worth).

Am used to sanitary issues but am forced to go over to the dark side - used to be an avid pump outfanatic.

Plenty of space to store solid fuel but nothing to burn it on, in my area at least.

 

Practical issues are not my concern, it is the messianic glint in peoples eyes that I don't understand.

 

Its hard to explain why but we sold our boat this week and have to wait till end of next week before we get our next boat and we are now living in a house. We have all lived in houses, indeed we owned totally our last house but after years of living aboard we hate this house living it just doesnt feel at all right. We are in a fab 17th century cottage with garden etc but its not even remotely as nice as being on the canal. So to sum up I feel you will love it and your only problem will be being too warm in the winter with the stove on.

[Lady Muck]

I have been living in a house for two weeks and I've had enough. I can't sleep for a start.

[Scooby]

I have been living in a house for two weeks and I've had enough. I can't sleep for a start.

 

Almost 2 years on our boat as liveaboards, and as i like my internet i wouldnt give up the boat just for that cos everything else beats a house hands down...got my long johns ready for the winter lol....

[sueb]

Negative Humping gas bottles.

Positive taking your home to the supermarket.

Sue

[Ex- Member]

Negative Humping gas bottles.

Have to agree with that LOL

Fortunately we have enough room for 3 bottles, we had to replace 2 a couple of weeks ago although they had lasted well over a year for mostly weekend use. The third bottle is strictly back up though and would normally never be used but just rotated. Fortunately being on dry land at the moment it was easy to go get 2 refills in the van, on the canal though would be a drag. However the idea is to replace each bottle as it runs out so in the future only having to replace one bottle at a time. But if hampered by bad weather there's plenty there to get by on. I've even sometimes fired up the gas oven for some instant heat rather than having to fire up the stove / boiler.

Just to add, the last time we bought a refill it was £17.00 the refills we bought 2 weeks ago were £26.00 each.

Edited August 6, 2011 by Julynian

[dove]

The best thing about living aboard?...your right next door to one of your hobbies. ( the other boat)

 

Andrew

[Ex- Member]

And you can move away from bad neighbours

[DeanS]

Life on a boat is terrible.

 

You have to refill things, empty other things, charge some things, paint things, untangle things, assemble things, steer things, heat things, ignite things, store things, insulate things, isolate things, and tie things.

 

or you could just live in a house and do nothing with your life.

[Ange]

Life on a boat is terrible.

 

You have to refill things, empty other things, charge some things, paint things, untangle things, assemble things, steer things, heat things, ignite things, store things, insulate things, isolate things, and tie things.

 

or you could just live in a house and do nothing with your life.

 

Have a greenie Dean! Lived aboard just over two years, two very harsh winters. If I want to look on the negative side it'd be lack of storage, confined space so there's nowhere I can stomp off to with a door to slam in between, lack of privacy in some places - first thing in the morning when I've got my grumpy head on I don't want to smile and say hello to people on the towpath or fellow boaters, I want a private place where I can sit, in my nightie with hair askew and have my morning fag without having to be personable. Would rather like a freezer but don't have the power for one at the moment. Apart from that, sorry, no regrets at all - in fact after visiting the in-laws for a week we couldn't wait to get back to our boat - too much space!!

[TimD]

I'll tell you in a few months time :-)

[Smelly]

If you look at it objectively it's a pretty tough existence; slim on space and thick on carrying things, filling things and emptying things; some of them rather <ahem> smelly, but there's a positive feedback loop in the look in the landlubber's eye when they find out...

 

There's an analogy with the lad who grew up to drive trains; loads of people wanted to grow up to become train drivers but only the lucky few had the gumption and opportunity!

 

We are the lucky few... I woke up to birdsong and two boats went past at tick over; it was a good start to the day

 

Sadly, now to head back into Birmingham

[Robin2]

... the utter silence when waking up in the night moored in the countryside, and it's so dark you can't tell whether your eyes are open or closed;

 

... feeling your house move when the wind blows;

 

... not being able to hear the radio due to torrential rain beating on the roof;

[Chagall]

Practical issues are not my concern, it is the messianic glint in peoples eyes that I don't understand.

 

It is a bit of a revelation, and, like faith, you have to want to do it rather than have to.....

 

...... and its also rather like Marmite, you either like it or hate it but you cant know till you taste it.....

 

......and with prior apologies if I sound patronising, but you will understand that messianic glint when you see it in your own eyes.

 

......and what Robin2 said too...

Edited August 7, 2011 by Chagall

[Chickadee]

Last night was our first night house sitting for a week.

 

good points,

Bath

Massive TV loads of channels

Instant hot running water

Big kitchen

big garden for the dog to have a run around in.

30 minutes to work instead of an hour.

 

Bad points,

Loads of space for the dog to run around in (i'm sure theres lab in her somewhere, she loves stealing stuff and running off with it she never gets far on the boat but here she can run and hide with stuff)

Dog next door barks at our dog all the time getting our dog on edge (why do people leave their bloody dogs in the garden all day! I'm guessing because they are to lazy to walk it properly)

You cant move when your neighbors dog is pissing you off.

We could never afford a house this size with the massive tv and all the channels.

Beautiful dog walks are a car ride away instead of up the canal or over the bridge an up the lane.

Pubs are rubbish in the city. I miss the excentric old dudes.

So much space to keep clean in a house!

 

We were thinking of moving back on dry land as we have out grown this boat (42ft with two of us and a dog) but I can't do it. It would suck to move off the canal now.

 

edit - also forgot the boat is like a sauna in the summer but it seems easier to get a good breeze going through the boat in the evening than the house does. I felt like there just wasn't enough air in the house last night.

 

Also the stove. I love it couldn't be without one now.

Edited August 7, 2011 by Chickadee

[steveiom]

WELL i CANNOT wait!!to escape the rat race race,and get aboard my own boat..(2yrs and counting down)

[Dignity]

12 months on and I'm still rolling alongwith it.Much more in touch with nature which I find suprising for a city boy.The seasons all seem to mean something more.Occasionally stay over at the ex's house,theres more space but thats about it.Who needs a spacious house when theres the outside to walk around.Some of the views out of my boats window well I'd have to be a millionaire to have those in a house.

[nb Innisfree]

After 5 years full time liveaboard ccers we have been forced to live ashore for the last 12 months and the big thing we miss is the option to move on when we want a change. No decisions about which direction to take, just cast of and go and stop as and when.

[PaddingtonBear]

Well, I am not leaving the rat race - I have never been in it. My original post was obviously badly phrased as all those with a glint in their eyes have posted with their usual paeons to boating, doesn't anyone just think it is ok. Life itself is just about ok why isn't boating just about ok. I can understand the eulogies if many years plans have come to fruition , as is the case with The Moomins but with most people it just seems like a good idea at the time.

Edited August 7, 2011 by PaddingtonBear

[Sunset Rising]

Living aboard is crap.Living aboard is crap.Living aboard is crap.

 

just keep telling yourself. You will get to believe it eventually.

[Guest User]

Dust

Mosquitos

Spiders that don't/won't eat mosquitos

Ducks in hobnail boots on roof at 4.30 am

A long, unlit and unevenly-surfaced path for all the fetching and carrying

Solitude

Dust

There's always at least one window frame that leaks when it rains

Utterly preoccupied with tending the fire in winter

Random power cuts in shore power

Forever collecting coins for the meter

Did I mention dust ?

Price of diesel/coal/gas keeps going up (... actually the price of everything seems to keep going up)

Rust ... er ... dust ... er, both

Edited August 7, 2011 by Graham!

[Robin2]

Well, I am not leaving the rat race - I have never been in it. My original post was obviously badly phrased as all those with a glint in their eyes have posted with their usual paeons to boating, doesn't anyone just think it is ok. Life itself is just about ok why isn't boating just about ok. I can understand the eulogies if many years plans have come to fruition , as is the case with The Moomins but with most people it just seems like a good idea at the time.

 

The noise outside has just been reminded of something unpleasant - Canada Goose sh*te on the towpath ...

[system 4-50]

Less great: Digging the dog shit out of the grooves in your shoes. About once every two months. And out of all of the parts of the boat you visited before you noticed. Yes I look carefully where I put my feet. Usually. But it started to rain just as I got into the last lock of the day, having gambled and not got waterproofs on, on a lock with not much grass... and I had to travel with a great stink for the next half hour. That was last months dose.

 

Less great: Having a mainline train system or motorway in your ear at night.

 

But if I could go full-time, I would.