Making the leap

[smudge837]

HI all.

 

(can i off topic my own post? i dont know. ) Shame to do this, but firstly I think I need to state.

 

I am not connected to any other Smudge.

 

I am a Smudge because that nickname was given to me day one at my first unit by a very scary man. (so it kinda stuck)

 

OK then if I may, I would like to ask if this sounds like a plan?

 

Purchase a 55 – 59 foot NB. In the region of 30k. This is for a single guy to live on and cruise the networks. This is a one off purchase looking at lasting 20-30 years. I understand the need for running maint and will have a budget for this. (10K) I am able to service my own engine and can wield a hammer with ish results.

 

I would aim to have a BWW “home” mooring for the first year, while I find my feet, then cut loose and be a real CC'r.

 

The sticky bit is. Does it seem reasonable to be able to live on £800 a month. I have worked out at rule of thumb of 1.5-2 Lph for fuel, with CC'ing 5 ish hours per day every 2 or 3 days. Evne at very rough reckoning 120l per month even a bad prices £180 a month for fuel. £100 per month for boat costs, keeping her running/ services/ insurance and the like. I will be more than happy to find wood and bits for keeping warm in winter, and I am very much into free energy, wind and solar so we should be pretty much OK for power and hot water.

 

This will leave me with ish £580 so £145 a week. Is this a realistic figure for feeding and the odd new pair of jeans / shirt? I will be happy to do the odd job, agency and the like but I will look to be pretty much just on the hoof.

 

So please feel free to crush my little dream. I did a lot of my figures a few years back and it worked then, I suppose I am interested in real time yearly running costs, for boat plus 1.

 

cheers and have fun all

 

(The real) Smudge

[Sunset Rising]

I ( for one ) am quite happy to accept that you are a different Smudge. Writing style speaks volumes and is not that realistically changeable.

 

However the type of question you have asked is just as difficult to answer as no two people are the same or have the same expectations of life.

 

If you do the things you say you will happily do, ( find wood, agency work if needed etc ) then yes it would be possible to live on that amount. Many must be doing it ashore ( though not perhaps from choice )

 

I personally have always doubted the practicality of finding wood for fuel. Lots of people looking for it, needs seasoning etc etc.

[Ally]

It depends on lifestyle, but you sound perfectly capable of living a style that will cope on that money, so long as you have few unexpected hiccups.

2 of us and a hungry puppeh manage on very slightly more than that, and are still fitting our boat around ourselves, marina based, though go out when the old engine behaves, run a car too, though work pay most of the petrol, and use solid fuel in winter, supplemented with wood. So long as your holidays are boat based, and you are creative in many ways, I see no reason why you wouldn't cope.

Welcome to the forum!

[Burgiesburnin]

HI all.

 

(can i off topic my own post? i dont know. ) Shame to do this, but firstly I think I need to state.

 

I am not connected to any other Smudge.

 

I am a Smudge because that nickname was given to me day one at my first unit by a very scary man. (so it kinda stuck)

 

OK then if I may, I would like to ask if this sounds like a plan?

 

Purchase a 55 – 59 foot NB. In the region of 30k. This is for a single guy to live on and cruise the networks. This is a one off purchase looking at lasting 20-30 years. I understand the need for running maint and will have a budget for this. (10K) I am able to service my own engine and can wield a hammer with ish results.

 

I would aim to have a BWW “home” mooring for the first year, while I find my feet, then cut loose and be a real CC'r.

 

The sticky bit is. Does it seem reasonable to be able to live on £800 a month. I have worked out at rule of thumb of 1.5-2 Lph for fuel, with CC'ing 5 ish hours per day every 2 or 3 days. Evne at very rough reckoning 120l per month even a bad prices £180 a month for fuel. £100 per month for boat costs, keeping her running/ services/ insurance and the like. I will be more than happy to find wood and bits for keeping warm in winter, and I am very much into free energy, wind and solar so we should be pretty much OK for power and hot water.

 

This will leave me with ish £580 so £145 a week. Is this a realistic figure for feeding and the odd new pair of jeans / shirt? I will be happy to do the odd job, agency and the like but I will look to be pretty much just on the hoof.

 

So please feel free to crush my little dream. I did a lot of my figures a few years back and it worked then, I suppose I am interested in real time yearly running costs, for boat plus 1.

 

cheers and have fun all

 

(The real) Smudge

 

I have done this same calculation several times and taking into account the odd unexpected event. The amount that you have stated even without the odd jobs and work that you hope to find is more than enough. Maybe you "extra income" could just be put away for rainy day expences.

 

Good luck, I,m sure that it will all go well, keep the good attitude!

[Athy]

Smudge, presumably you have a job at present so you know whether you could live on £800 per month or not!I shouild yhink that, barring major expensive mechanical breakdowns, most people could.

[MoominPapa]

I've tried to answer this question and related ones many times over the years, but in the context of a couple living on a boat. My conclusion, such that it is, is that difficult bit is not basic living expenses, but hobbies, for want of a better word. With both of us working full time, there are lots of things we'd like to do but can't because we don't have time. Once we have the time, it would be a tragedy not to be able to travel, buy books and music, visit places and people, etc, etc because, though we have time, we no longer have sufficient money.

 

That makes "how much is enough" a very hard question to answer.

 

MP.

[The Bagdad Boatman (waits)]

Mr Macowber thrum states income £1 expenditure £1.6p result disaster Income £1 expenditure 19shillings.6pence result happiness. Quoted form Dickens holds good still using £1.5p and 97p. Question do you realey need that bottle of wine or that new lipstick buy what you can from car boot and charity shops. Don't run the generator to watch tv that costs money. only use one light at a time. On a boat all you buy is fuel coal, derv, gas. and food make to live on 150 a week then you have a reserve for rainy days.

[Guest]

HI all.

 

(can i off topic my own post? i dont know. ) Shame to do this, but firstly I think I need to state.

 

I am not connected to any other Smudge.

 

I am a Smudge because that nickname was given to me day one at my first unit by a very scary man. (so it kinda stuck)

 

OK then if I may, I would like to ask if this sounds like a plan?

 

Purchase a 55 – 59 foot NB. In the region of 30k. This is for a single guy to live on and cruise the networks. This is a one off purchase looking at lasting 20-30 years. I understand the need for running maint and will have a budget for this. (10K) I am able to service my own engine and can wield a hammer with ish results.

 

I would aim to have a BWW “home” mooring for the first year, while I find my feet, then cut loose and be a real CC'r.

 

The sticky bit is. Does it seem reasonable to be able to live on £800 a month. I have worked out at rule of thumb of 1.5-2 Lph for fuel, with CC'ing 5 ish hours per day every 2 or 3 days. Evne at very rough reckoning 120l per month even a bad prices £180 a month for fuel. £100 per month for boat costs, keeping her running/ services/ insurance and the like. I will be more than happy to find wood and bits for keeping warm in winter, and I am very much into free energy, wind and solar so we should be pretty much OK for power and hot water.

 

This will leave me with ish £580 so £145 a week. Is this a realistic figure for feeding and the odd new pair of jeans / shirt? I will be happy to do the odd job, agency and the like but I will look to be pretty much just on the hoof.

 

So please feel free to crush my little dream. I did a lot of my figures a few years back and it worked then, I suppose I am interested in real time yearly running costs, for boat plus 1.

 

cheers and have fun all

 

(The real) Smudge

 

Do you smoke and/or drink alcohol?

[smudge837]

Thanks for the replies.

 

I do see it as a bit of a "how long is a piece of string" question as well. I guess i was trying to think up costs i have not thought about.

 

 

"Do you smoke and/or drink alcohol?"

 

I do like a beer or 3. But gave up the evil smokes a while back now.

 

I have a few strings to my bow, so not over worried about making up extra cash if / when it is needed down the line. There will always be agency driving and MHE type temp jobs to top up the coffers.

[Lady Muck]

The two of us need to earn about £1500 a month after tax. But we have a London mooring (£3k a year), a Gold license, and we run a car and have a dog. Plus there are all of the expenses that come with running our own business.

 

So I think you will be fine on £800.

[Cosmic]

I think that if you're spending 5 hours cruising every 2-3 days, you'll find your feet in no time. You'll have no need for the home mooring, and that should save you a couple of thousand, which will mean you'll have more like a thousand a month.

 

This is pretty much what I did last year, starting with virtually no experience, and a mooring would have been a complete waste of money.

 

Just go for it

[Daiboy]

This is what I have accounted for. Please tell me it's enough.

 

I will be continuous cruising without a mooring.

 

Monthly pension £1,200.00 £1,200.00 £13,075.50 Starting balance in bank

 

MONTHLY OUTGOINGS

Orange top up -£5.00

Mobile broadband -£15.00

Cigs -£165.00

Tesco shop -£230.00

Bank cash -£300.00

Mooring fee (max £5.00 /day say 14 days) -£70.00

Fuel -£180.00

Pump out -£12.00

Gas -£25.00

TV licence -£12.12

-£1,014.12 £185.88

 

ANNUAL OUTGOINGS

Insurance £310.00

Maintenance £250.00

Boat safety certificate £75.00

Gold licence £904.00

 

£1,539.00

 

Need to save £128.00 per month to cover annual outgoings

[Flocal]

gh

Edited October 13, 2011 by Flocal

[Daiboy]

Sorry Flocal, what the hell does "gh" mean

 

Daiboy

[ditchcrawler]

This is what I have accounted for. Please tell me it's enough.

 

I will be continuous cruising without a mooring.

 

Monthly pension £1,200.00 £1,200.00 £13,075.50 Starting balance in bank

 

MONTHLY OUTGOINGS

Orange top up -£5.00

Mobile broadband -£15.00

Cigs -£165.00

Tesco shop -£230.00

Bank cash -£300.00

Mooring fee (max £5.00 /day say 14 days) -£70.00

Fuel -£180.00

Pump out -£12.00

Gas -£25.00

TV licence -£12.12

-£1,014.12 £185.88

 

ANNUAL OUTGOINGS

Insurance £310.00

Maintenance £250.00

Boat safety certificate £75.00

Gold licence £904.00

 

£1,539.00

 

Need to save £128.00 per month to cover annual outgoings

Forget the fiver for moorings, use visitor moorings on the canals.

Forget the Gold Licence and go for standard BW one, save the difference and also paying to moor on the Thames

Give up smoking

Don't buy a TV licence

Bucket and Chucket loo

Diesel 4 hrs a day engine running save £30

The gas looks high to me but I don't use gas so don't know

If your boat is already in good nick the BSS should be half that

[Daiboy]

Cheers Ditchcrawler,

 

Will take your comments into account.

 

Little bit worried obout TV licence though!! and I'm going to start smoking a pipe!!

 

Daiboy.

[matty40s]

Cheers Ditchcrawler,

 

Will take your comments into account.

 

Little bit worried obout TV licence though!! and I'm going to start smoking a pipe!!

 

Daiboy.

 

If I didn't pay maintenance and boat mortgage, (both due to end in 5 years)I would have absolutely no problem living on £800 a month, in fact, that would allow me to splash out a bit more.!!!!!

[Gillie]

Hi Daiboy...

I think your estimate for gas is a bit high unless you are heating by gas as well as cooking...

There are 2 of us with big appetites & I love cooking & baking & we don't use that much..

we probably use a £25 canister every 2 months if that

Edited October 15, 2011 by Gillie

[Spangle]

We only use gas for cooking, and a 13kg propane bottle lasts 12 weeks. We always have one ready to go in, but we use 12 weeks as a rule of thumb. The last gas we bought was 19.95 from near Br 117 (Trent & Mersey, Stoke on Trent) - a brilliant price, especially when he knows you are a boater! Everywhere else seems to be about 25.00....

In winter we use approx 30 bags x 25kg coal, though we prefer petcoke which stays in overnight very nicely. A bag costs approx 8.00 - 10.00 depending on where you get it from.

We are CCers, doing approx 1000 miles a year, so we cruise all year winter & summer. We reckon as a rule of thumb that a litre of diesel gives us 1 hour cruising/running time on days when we don't move.

Hope these figures help!

[Midnight Rider]

 

Little bit worried obout TV licence though!!

Afaik, you can't get a TV licence even if you insist, not without a postcode.

[matty40s]

Afaik, you can't get a TV licence even if you insist, not without a postcode.

 

They can't get the detector vans down most towpaths.........

[bizzard]

I'd keep things simple Smudge,and as Ally says be imaginative,make and mend,its surprising what you can make out old bits and pieces.

I'd avoid complicated electrics,unless electrics are your thing and are able to understand it or you'll get caught up in an expensive vicious circle and become one of the perpetual Elecprob posters on here.Use gas if pos for the main appliances.

Edited October 15, 2011 by bizzard