wannabe liveboard

[huymog]

Hi all,

 

I've just registered but have been reading up a lot on here about buying and living aboard a narrowboat. A lot of good advice and even more I don't fully understand. Anyway, to my question.

 

We are a couple recently and about to retire and are contemplating going liveaboard on a narrowboat for a few years. There are many of you who advise trying it first. Sounds sensible to me. As we would be aboard all year I thought it would be a good idea to do this in the winter, with the idea that if we like it then we should enjoy be OK for the rest of the year. One way to do a try out would be to hire a boat for a fortnight. Do any of you know a hire boat company who hire out boats well equipped for winter cruising in february? We will not necessarily need to move very far - but would wish to experience some cruising and mooring on the cut for a few nights at a time. If there is choice of hire boat bases, which area would you advise for the test.

 

Thanks for your help.

 

huymog

[magpie patrick]

Welcome to the forum, and good luck

 

For winter hire, you need the big players (in canal terms, we are not talking Holiday Inn here). Anglo-Welsh, Alvechurch and Black Prince all offer hire 52 weeks a year on some of their boats. You will obviously end up with a boat laid out for a holiday not for living aboard, but if you want to know what the canal is like in Winter, that's the best bet

 

Pleased you have the sense to try before you buy, it is sensible. Try, but don't be too rational. If you get frozen in for a week on your hire boat but your heart still says do it, let the heart win.

[huymog]

Thank you for the reply.

 

We are the adventurous types but do need to have some confidence we can take the winter before we dive in the deep end and buy our own boat. Umm - do canals have deep ends?

 

Any suggestions for good areas to cruise in winter, and are there any must have pieces of equipment for winter survival? I mean anything less obvious than a well fuelled functioning heating system, rations and a good supply of beer and wine for those long dark nights.

 

huymog

[alan_fincher]

I'm not quite sure how "available all year" hire companies handle things if the canals ice up ?

 

Last year much of the canal system did ice up for quite an extended period, and most hire boats will not be the best for breaking through ice, even if you feel brave enough to try.

 

I think if booking some-way in advance you do need to be philosophical and realise you could end up really going nowhere at all! It must happen, but I can't recall hearing from people it has happened too.......

 

Weather of course is largely unpredictable - what is far more so is the winter "stoppage" program of major works on the canal system. Some locks, for example may be taken out of action for multiple weeks, whilst gates are replaced, or other repairs done.

 

Once you have your target date and area, you need to consult the list of BW planned stoppages, so you can see which bits of the canal, if any, are denied to you at that time.

[David Mack]

Umm - do canals have deep ends?

 

Some definitely have shallow ends!!

 

David

[The Pipe]

Most hire boat companys will start hiring again in March next year, you may be lucky and find someone who is willing to hire you a boat in Febuary but they are not going to be pleased if you are thinking of going ice breaking with it!

[Barry]

Good windproof and waterproof clothing with room for lots of layers

 

You can get very chilled standing at a tiller for hours at a time

[Guest]

Most hire boat companys will start hiring again in March next year, you may be lucky and find someone who is willing to hire you a boat in Febuary but they are not going to be pleased if you are thinking of going ice breaking with it!

 

We hired from the Ashby boat company in Nov 2009 and Feb 2010.

 

On the second trip we got iced in and broke out at Newbold (not hugely thick admittedly) but then broke some pretty thick ice on the way back up the south oxford - occasionally dictating our course around bends.

 

I explained things when we returned the boat....their response????

 

No problem, see you again soon..

 

oh and to the OP it confirmed living aboard in winter is not the lovely cosy bed of roses it might sometimes appear...

[Grace and Favour]

Welcome to our forum, Huymog.

 

And full marks for your logical approach . . . .

 

and cruising for two or three weeks in the winter will give one a fair idea of living aboard in the winter . . .

 

However - there's more than one way of spending winter aboard . .

 

One can continually cruise - exploring the waterways during both the winter and summer months - and then you will certainly learn of all the necessary aspects of that method.

 

 

 

On the other hand, we, for example, choose to take a temporary base in a marina for the winter (just exploring the locality for the periods of clement winter weather) but having access to a (marina) bolt-hole with power, fuel and facilities for those weeks/months when continuous cruising means being stuck in ice, immovable, for some weeks.

 

Please, do rent an hire boat for a few weeks - - you'll experience some wonderful moments, just remember that, if you wish - there are always more winter options .. .

[FrigateCaptain]

Defo hire a boat for winter.

Living aboard full time can be very difficult at times and a lot of hard work.

Weather its worth it or not is how you decide, we've have a fun time but are looking a getting off in the spring

[huymog]

Thank you all again for the useful advice, and I will keep in mind that canals do have shallow ends.

 

Our intention is to live aboard for a couple of years, our major concern at the moment is our ability to cope with life in a corridor. Two weeks in winter where the great outdoors is not so hospitable and available for relief seems a good way to test this. We both are used to cold weather, I've lived a long time in Switzerland, and my new better half is from New England (it snowed over there yesterday) so are used to cold winters and have the gear. It is the cold damp grey English winter I remember from my youth that worries me more rather than the colder clear blue sky winter days we're used to. But as has been said, solid water may cause some problems in a really cold spell.

 

From what I gathered reading all the words of wisdom on this site, I suspect that it is unlikely a hire boat will have the battery capacity to last even a couple of days without extended use of the engine. My thoughts are to have a word with the hire company to see if they would allow us to moor up and hook up at their base should we be unlucky and hit really bad weather during our test weeks. Thanks for the reminder that hooked up to mains on a mooring is a viable winter alternative.

 

Thank you all again for your advice and tips, and the words of encouragement and the warnings. We want the sense of adventure of living on a narrowboat - reading extensively on this site has not put us off, with descriptions of the many ways of sinking the boat, narrowboat neighbours from hell, and malfunctioning equipment notwithstanding. We will also use our test time on the canals to look at a few boats for sale to get an idea of what you get for the money, and how the various boat layouts look in real life. We have budgeted around £40k for the boat with another 5k reserve if needed to add the extra creature comforts (preferable not as a recent divorce severely dented the bank balance). I'm thinking we should be able to get a boat well suited as a liveaboard in good condition for that money. I will no doubt come back on here for detailed advice on the finer details of equipment and boat purchasing if need be, although I am impressed at the amazing amount of information already on this forum.

 

huymog

[Jo_]

Two thoughts in my head:

 

1. you can always find a hook up in a marina as you travel. You just pay the overnight charge and electricity charge and stay on if the weather's bad. So you don't have to stay close to the boat's base necessarily.

 

2. when/if you do hire for your test run, find a boat with a stove. Some companies do them and a stove with its heat, smell and cheerful blaze makes a seriously dramatic difference in the winter afternoons, evenings, mornings ....!

 

Jo

[Guest]

We have budgeted around £40k for the boat with another 5k reserve if needed to add the extra creature comforts (preferable not as a recent divorce severely dented the bank balance). I'm thinking we should be able to get a boat well suited as a liveaboard in good condition for that money. I will no doubt come back on here for detailed advice on the finer details of equipment and boat purchasing if need be, although I am impressed at the amazing amount of information already on this forum.

 

huymog

 

There is no reason why your budget should not get you a boat to live on in the current climate - BUT and it's a big BUT don't forget to budget for other essentials such as licence costs and a contingency for running repairs and regular servicing.

 

When your boat is your home you may not have the luxury of the time to save up replace that broken alternator or knackered batteries, especially in the winter.

[The Bagdad Boatman (waits)]

Hire out of Middlewich http://www.middlewichboats.co.uk/middlewich_narrowboats.htm which will give you a taste of Trad cabins and other things people rave about. We did one Christmas and had a great time, stopped at Church Minsull and attended a lovely candlelit carol service where the children did all the singing and we where in old box pews. We where thinking of going narrow from our fibreglass cruiser but decided to go full width.

[Alan de Enfield]

.... you can always find a hook up in a marina as you travel. You just pay the overnight charge and electricity charge and stay on if the weather's bad. So you don't have to stay close to the boat's base necessarily.

 

.

 

Maybe the companies doing winter hiring do provide a 'hook-up' - I dont know !!!

Whenever we have hired (Summer time) I've never seen a 'hook-up' lead on the boat - I'd suggest that its something you would need to confirm that the company will supply one / allow you to use one.

[huymog]

Once again thanks for all the tips.

 

Taking the advice I will look for a boat with a solid fuel stove, and try a trad. I had a cruiser stern in mind but can see the advantages of a trad as a Morgan owner. I drive occasionally in below zero temperatures, not a problem at all with the heater at full blast keeping the lower half warm, the top half is kept warm with a flying jacket and a silly hat. By that you can tell it is a newer model (bear in mind the model first came out around 1935), the heater didn't heat on the old one. I'm assuming there will lower body warming when steering a trad boat.

 

We will likely use winter moorings with electricity and water if we are positive after the trial, so mooring in a marina or two on our trial weeks will be part of the plan. I was surprised that a "hook-up" is not standard equipment on hire boats, and will check that the boat has one before booking. I have looked at the hire boat pages mentioned in your posts; it looks like we will be able to find a boat well equipped for winter cruising.

 

huymog

[Pykebird]

You will be very lucky to find a hire boat with hook up facilities. Most are designed to be crusing most of the day so they have the power needed over night. The private boats will usually be set up for cruising or living in a marina not usually both. The thing about boats is everyone uses them in a different way and they work for the person on board (or should do in an ideal world). Obviously circumstances can change and if possible it's best to plan your boat so changes can be made if needed with the least distruption. I also think its a good idea to have 2 ways of doing things, eg, heat water and cook. That way when something goes wrong as it always seems to on a boat, hopefully you will still be able to get on with it.! By the way I am still living on my boat that I bought 9 years ago and I had never even stayed on a boat before, just sold the house and moved on, a very steep learning curve but still love the life . Good luck

[Guest]

I noticed that at least some of the Shakespeare Classic line boats based at Mercia have a facility for 240V hook up.

 

As to if this was just for easing the 'changover' jobs and/or battery charging I don't know TBH. May be worth giving them a bell though to see if the facility can be made available to customers out cruising.

 

http://www.narrow-boats.uki.net/findus.php

 

But their boats won't meet your other requirements I don't think. (eg no stove)

[Flocal]

Moonboats on the Kennet and Avon hire 52 weeks a year, the boats are Widebeam though, not Narrow, a tad bigger than a 'corridor' boat

[FrigateCaptain]

Moonboats on the Kennet and Avon hire 52 weeks a year, the boats are Widebeam though, not Narrow, a tad bigger than a 'corridor' boat

And very poorly run

[luctor et emergo]

No Kapitan, you are thinking of the 'John Rennie"...

 

 

 

 

[Flocal]

And very poorly run

 

What the Canal or the hire company?

[David Mack]

Most hire boat companys will start hiring again in March next year, you may be lucky and find someone who is willing to hire you a boat in Febuary but they are not going to be pleased if you are thinking of going ice breaking with it!

 

Waterways World produce an Annual that includes a list of hire boat companies, and for most of them giving the periods when they hire out boats. While the majority only hire between about March and October, several say they do all year.

 

David

[sebrof]

Moonboats on the Kennet and Avon hire 52 weeks a year, the boats are Widebeam though, not Narrow, a tad bigger than a 'corridor' boat

 

If living aboard, there is a lot to be said for going wide.

[huymog]

Going wide is tempting for the extra space, but then we would have to decide North or South for wide canals and rivers. We will want to explore but there seems to be enough to keep us happy both in the North and in the South. The North would tempt us more if it were possible to get into the fens through the Wash, I believe it is, but how difficult is it?

 

Anybody like to weigh in on the pros and cons of going wide, apart from the obvious space advantage. We did want to move around and explore, so apart from the obvious impossibility of going from North to South are there any factors we should consider before deciding on a widebeam. Topics such as running costs, ease of handling, width restrictions (10 foot or wider still) come to mind.

 

huymog