Are you new to boating?? CLICK HERE

[Magic Potion]

Are you a newbie to boating?

 

Well introduce your selves right here!!

 

And everyone will get to know you!!!

 

 

Hi

A little about me .....

I'm Ross, originally found this site through reading various boat blogs. Thought I'd join

to get some info on my late in laws(David and Colleen Case) 2 boats, which has been successful.

These were Cleopatra, a motorised GUCCCO butty and Grange, a Braithwaite and Kirk converted FMC butty(they were liveaboards for 29 years).

My better half and I had talked of getting a narrowboat sometime in the future but now we have decided to sell up, sell everything and just go for it. We are at the stage of decorating the house before it goes on the market and I'm ebaying my large record collection

bit by bit to add to the fund. We have a week on a hire boat booked for easter, dragging along 13 yr old daughter.

Hoping to have our own boat later this year, marina based for the 1st year, then see what happens after that.

I'm spending time browsing this forum for questions and answers, gaining info all the time

and quizzing the boaters we know for tips and advice.

Happy days are ahead!

[UnrealAle]

Hi everyone,

 

I'm new here so is this where you introduce yourself?

 

I'm Matt, recently single after a 7 year relationship and looking for something to do, somewhere to live and getting on with my life. So, I'm thinking of living aboard a narrow boat. I'm booking a holiday afloat to test the waters so to speak, before I take the plunge.

 

Just one question to start with, with probably a complicated answer: If you want a live-aboard what do you do first? Buy a boat, get a mooring or get a license? I know moorings are hard to come by so do you live without a license until you get a mooring??

 

Anyway

Cheers everyone

 

Matt

[steelaway]

Hi everyone,

 

I'm new here so is this where you introduce yourself?

 

I'm Matt, recently single after a 7 year relationship and looking for something to do, somewhere to live and getting on with my life. So, I'm thinking of living aboard a narrow boat. I'm booking a holiday afloat to test the waters so to speak, before I take the plunge.

 

Just one question to start with, with probably a complicated answer: If you want a live-aboard what do you do first? Buy a boat, get a mooring or get a license? I know moorings are hard to come by so do you live without a license until you get a mooring??

 

Anyway

Cheers everyone

 

Matt

 

 

 

Hi

 

You need a mooring if you're going to live aboard. Depending where you want to be will determine the price (£1000 to £4000 / year) and availability.

You can become a continual cruiser but you will need to move the boat some distance, at least every 14 days, unless the moorings signs say less than 14 days.

Either way you will always need a Waterways Licence in place £500 - £800 / year and insurance approx £200 / year

 

Alex

[ex-member200218]

Thanks Ange! Look forward to catching up...chats and so on - Chrissie

 

 

Hi Ang,

 

Just to keep you up to date... we got the boat on the 24th February! Hurrah! There's a huge learning process going on; some of it a bit scary but mostly good fun, as you'll know. I'm hoping to have some driving (helmsman) lessons shortly so am looking forward to taking the tiller myself a bit more. Woohoo!

[Danica]

Hiya everyone :-)

 

Recently I've decided to take the plunge and get a narrowboat built. Seeing it's the most expensive thing I'll ever buy I've been reading and looking around like mad before I make my final choice on the boat and everything inside it.

Been reading numerous posts on this site and find it to be very informative as well as sometimes very entertaining.

I'll be asking you lots of questions and hopefully contributing to the site too.

 

All the best

 

Ian

[The Ents]

Are you a newbie to boating?

 

Well introduce your selves right here!!

 

And everyone will get to now you!!!

 

Hi All.

 

We're the Ents. After not owning a nb for 40 or so years we made a unilateral decision to blow our childrens' inheritance on nb Balthazar.

 

It was just what we had promised ourselves. Trad stern, Boatman's cabin, noisy old Lister in its' own room. And the rest.

 

Our boating experience consists of taking the boat from Milton Keynes to Middlewich in 12 days to beat the winter stoppages.

174 miles or so (in November), and the same number of locks. They kept closing the canals as we went along!!

 

So now we look forward to boating in real weather, not racing as much and stopping to look at the cows on the way.

 

We look forward to participating in forum discussion as we have a lot to learn!!

 

Mike & Jean.

[pomkitanner]

Hi I am Derek, i dont own a boat as i reside more than a few miles from the nearest canal ! And although i have completed a one week narrowboat trip i am only marginally less a novice than prior. My trip was however in the category of 'Best holiday ever ' to the point that i cannot wait for a repeat performance. If only i lived a tad closer, or were Air New Zealand to post fares comparable in dollar terms for me to fly to the UK at a similar figure as you would pay to come here !! Wishful thinking. But now i have a good excuse, - an impending 65th birthday. Surely any guy deserves to celebrate such a milestone ? So i am now planning a week on the Leeds Liverpool, having done Stoke Golding to Cropredy. I hope its a good choice, i like the idea of rolling countryside, having found Oxfordshire a little less so. Also new to this website so i am confidently expecting some useful advice.

 

Regards Derek

[lock hopper]

hi my name is Bib Hello every body,im new to the forum,we bought our boat last summer,first time buyers we have a 45ft springer wich im absolutly in love with

[vinealon]

Hi I'm Vince I don't have a boat yet looking at Dutch Barge so that I can cruise UK and then cross to france and germany when I retire. My only involvement with the canals was when I was younger my father a "Irish Navvy" at the time ( known as Big Vin, any body remember him?) was asked by the local Priest (to an Irish Navvy that was more like a command) to help tidy up the discarded waterways around the centre of Manchester I thought it was the bridgewater but I remember him talking about a Lock being particularly troublesome ( not the terminology he would have used I am sure) and I don't think the Bridgewater has Locks. Sorry I digress, I feel that the waterways are a particularly wonderfull way to experiance the country side and there seems to be great comraderie among boaters. I would be interested in hearing from any one who has experiance of cruising abroad, the Pro's and Con's and also if it possible to cruise North england to south in a Dutch Barge. I would also like to salute all who help us newcomers and hopefully we will all in return carry on that tradition.

[goodfortune]

Hello from goodfortune. goodfortune is my username on the Norfolk Broads Forum where we have (a share in) a 38 x 12 Broads cruiser. Right that's the background.

 

Later this month I will be helping to bring back a narrowboat from Middlewich to Rufford (Trent and Mersey, Bridgewater, Leeds and Liverpool to the Rufford Spur).

 

I seek your comments on places to moor near B&Bs, or hotels, and/or places to moor where I can pitch my tent by the mooring.

 

Many thanks,

 

goodfortune

[tree]

hi my name is Bib Hello every body,im new to the forum,we bought our boat last summer,first time buyers we have a 45ft springer wich im absolutly in love with

welcome Bib and Co. many happy boating trips wished to you all and welcome to the forum

 

Hi I'm Vince I don't have a boat yet looking at Dutch Barge so that I can cruise UK and then cross to france and germany when I retire. My only involvement with the canals was when I was younger my father a "Irish Navvy" at the time ( known as Big Vin, any body remember him?) was asked by the local Priest (to an Irish Navvy that was more like a command) to help tidy up the discarded waterways around the centre of Manchester I thought it was the bridgewater but I remember him talking about a Lock being particularly troublesome ( not the terminology he would have used I am sure) and I don't think the Bridgewater has Locks. Sorry I digress, I feel that the waterways are a particularly wonderfull way to experiance the country side and there seems to be great comraderie among boaters. I would be interested in hearing from any one who has experiance of cruising abroad, the Pro's and Con's and also if it possible to cruise North england to south in a Dutch Barge. I would also like to salute all who help us newcomers and hopefully we will all in return carry on that tradition.

 

welcome Vince to the forum and I hope that your dream of getting a boat and just enjoying our beautiful waterways here and the ones abroad, comes true very quickly Happy boating to you and welcome to the forum where I am sure that you will soon get a lot of helpful advice

[Ange]

Hi Ang,

 

Just to keep you up to date... we got the boat on the 24th February! Hurrah! There's a huge learning process going on; some of it a bit scary but mostly good fun, as you'll know. I'm hoping to have some driving (helmsman) lessons shortly so am looking forward to taking the tiller myself a bit more. Woohoo!

 

Hi!

I'm so sorry - I missed this post completely. Congrats on getting the boat - exciting times for you! I'll never forget picking our boat up the first time - I made myself ill with the worry! It was an incredibly steep learning curve for us but so worth it in the end - best of luck!!!

[lifes-a-boat]

Hiya!

 

Amy and Rob here We are brand new to this forum and brand new to canal boats. We have recently sold up the house and renting a house with a mooring on the canal for the summer, until we find the 'right' boat.- however long that takes

I'm sure we will be posting loads and asking many questions, I thank any of you in advance who are kind enough to help us along our way. I am also blogging about our experience if any one is interested in a read - or a laugh. I look forward to the helpful advice and look forward to making some new like minded friends

[bottle]

Hiya! Amy

 

welcome to the forum, a link to your blog would be good.

[AidanLincs]

Welcome to the madhouse, Amy and Rob

 

I'm just about to do exactly what you're doing, except that I have found the boat I want, and am just waiting for the survey to be done. I'll also be starting a blog when I move aboard. Would be interested in reading yours!

[Miracle]

Hello Everyone.

It took me a few tries to find where I was meant to do the introduction post, so Ive actually waded in a bit prior to posting here!

I'm on the narrow boat Miracle,with my cat, named Duck (who thinks hes a dog). We're full time live aboard on a 20ft springer. Yikes its tiny! But we came with NO Experience and lots of intrepidation! We moved onboard this October and have handled winter and looking forward to summer!

 

I'm planning to see the as much of the canal system as possible this summer and meet as many folk as possible. We're on a long term cruise for the next 3 months at least! I'm really looking forward to meeting EVERYONE.

Edited April 17, 2012 by Miracle

[Boat_Midwife]

Good afternoon everybody!

 

My name is Maryla and I'm afraid I'm not yet on a boat either. I do, however, spend a lot of my day sitting on my doorstep gazing wistfully at the Regent's Canal...

 

And, after a year, I've finally convinced my other half and we are now looking for a narrow boat to rent for a year or more, since we can't afford one to call our own yet. And this site has been amazing for completely overexciting me about our prospective boat... We haven't even found one yet! (Any ideas, anyone?)

 

So hello to everyone, nice to meet you, and hope to see you outside my house one day soon!

 

Maryla xx

[MadMrsScience]

Hello everyone!

 

Me and my husband are currently in the process of sorting our finances ready to get our first boat hopefully in the new year We can't wait, so we are spending most nights going over all sorts of sites and reading every last forum. Love the site already despite only having joined this week.

 

Looking forward to owning a narrowboat and meeting other boaters, both virtually and in reality!

 

-Emma & Neil from Northamptonshire

[Catrin]

Hello everyone!

 

Me and my husband are currently in the process of sorting our finances ready to get our first boat hopefully in the new year We can't wait, so we are spending most nights going over all sorts of sites and reading every last forum. Love the site already despite only having joined this week.

 

Looking forward to owning a narrowboat and meeting other boaters, both virtually and in reality!

 

-Emma & Neil from Northamptonshire

Hi, welcome to the forum.

There are usually several banters during the year - or the big boat festivals, where you can usually meet some forum faces.

Looking forward to meeting you.

Cath

[lifes-a-boat]

Hiya! Amy

 

welcome to the forum, a link to your blog would be good.

 

 

ooops! You're very a right, a link would be useful wouldn't it? http://www.lifesaboat.blogspot.co.uk/

Edited April 22, 2012 by lifes-a-boat

[trampyjoe]

Hello everyone!

 

Me and my husband are currently in the process of sorting our finances ready to get our first boat hopefully in the new year We can't wait, so we are spending most nights going over all sorts of sites and reading every last forum. Love the site already despite only having joined this week.

 

Looking forward to owning a narrowboat and meeting other boaters, both virtually and in reality!

 

-Emma & Neil from Northamptonshire

 

And I'm Neil, the husband

 

Everytime I've looked for information I've been bought to this site so I thought I'd better register too so I can ask questions I can't find answers for (and there are many).

[Ally]

welcome to the forum Emma and Neil!

[tree]

Hiya!

 

Amy and Rob here We are brand new to this forum and brand new to canal boats. We have recently sold up the house and renting a house with a mooring on the canal for the summer, until we find the 'right' boat.- however long that takes

I'm sure we will be posting loads and asking many questions, I thank any of you in advance who are kind enough to help us along our way. I am also blogging about our experience if any one is interested in a read - or a laugh. I look forward to the helpful advice and look forward to making some new like minded friends

 

welcome Amy and Rob, hope you find the right boat soon and enjoy many hours of boating

 

Hello Everyone.

It took me a few tries to find where I was meant to do the introduction post, so Ive actually waded in a bit prior to posting here!

I'm on the narrow boat Miracle,with my cat, named Duck (who thinks hes a dog). We're full time live aboard on a 20ft springer. Yikes its tiny! But we came with NO Experience and lots of intrepidation! We moved onboard this October and have handled winter and looking forward to summer!

 

I'm planning to see the as much of the canal system as possible this summer and meet as many folk as possible. We're on a long term cruise for the next 3 months at least! I'm really looking forward to meeting EVERYONE.

 

welcome Miracle and Duck enjoy your travels

 

Good afternoon everybody!

 

My name is Maryla and I'm afraid I'm not yet on a boat either. I do, however, spend a lot of my day sitting on my doorstep gazing wistfully at the Regent's Canal...

 

And, after a year, I've finally convinced my other half and we are now looking for a narrow boat to rent for a year or more, since we can't afford one to call our own yet. And this site has been amazing for completely overexciting me about our prospective boat... We haven't even found one yet! (Any ideas, anyone?)

 

So hello to everyone, nice to meet you, and hope to see you outside my house one day soon!

 

Maryla xx

Welcome Maryla and Co. I am sure that you will find a suitable one soon

[PartTimer]

Hi, I currently split my time between an apartment on the beach south of barcelona, and a rented, damp, infested shoebox of a studio flat in Kings Cross, and so am looking to upgrade the latter part of my life-work misbalance.

 

Looking to get onboard something in central london, commutable easily into holborn and the city.

 

I'm only around 4 nights a week most of the time, so will be investigating the non-residential mooring as well.

[Ainslo]

HI There

 

We are Glenn and Aisky, joined the forum a while ago and work swamped us again, so only now introducing ourselves, the forum looks great!!

We are currently living abroad and planning to come back to the UK and purchase a boat to spend a huge amount of time on, cruising as much of the system as a few years takes us, starting probably in the North as our land base is there.

 

I wonder if I might ask one of those embarrassing but needed questions? I have noticed some brokers stating NO TAX, does that suggest that on most boats there is tax to pay over the asking price?

 

regards

 

Glenn