Wanting to live full time on a narrow boat

[Sunsoup]

Hi all

 

I'm looking to living full time on a Narrow boat due to the fact that being single it's getting harder and harder to pay my way. I have been doing loads of research and walking along the Huddersfield Canel talking to some boaters, most are helpfull, some are rude. But what I would like to know is; what would be the best size for living full time, is it best to have a mooring or is it better to cruise? what sort of cost is involved? surely there must be a minimum cost.My boss informed us all at work that he could only offer employment untill April 2014 so can one claim benefits whilst living on a boat?

 

Whats the differance between a Trad style and a Semi trad style?

 

Sorry for being a bore.

Thanks in advance.

 

Life's all work, if we don't stop once in a while and take a look around we'll miss it.

[Bobbybass]

Hi all

 

I'm looking to living full time on a Narrow boat due to the fact that being single it's getting harder and harder to pay my way. I have been doing loads of research and walking along the Huddersfield Canel talking to some boaters, most are helpfull, some are rude. But what I would like to know is; what would be the best size for living full time, is it best to have a mooring or is it better to cruise? what sort of cost is involved? surely there must be a minimum cost.My boss informed us all at work that he could only offer employment untill April 2014 so can one claim benefits whilst living on a boat?

 

Whats the differance between a Trad style and a Semi trad style?

 

Sorry for being a bore.

Thanks in advance.

 

Life's all work, if we don't stop once in a while and take a look around we'll miss it.

 

Well...I generally work mine out..that after the cost of the boat..its about £5000 a year...license...mooring...fuel..coal..regular oil/filter changes...bloody things that go wrong...need replacing and cost the earth being a sodding boat.....insurance...blacking every 2 years...with dry dock...paintwork repairs....and a slight loss in value.

Some will be less...some more...

Its not a cheap thing...

Boat stands for : Break ..out..another..thousand..

That's what mine costs. Others will come up with different figures..

Edited January 19, 2013 by Bobbybass

[Ray T]

Information Here:

 

http://www.canaljunction.com/boat/liveaboard.htm

 

Types of narrowboat here:

 

http://rugbyboats.co.uk/styles.php

[Tuscan]

Hi all

 

I'm looking to living full time on a Narrow boat due to the fact that being single it's getting harder and harder to pay my way. I have been doing loads of research and walking along the Huddersfield Canel talking to some boaters, most are helpfull, some are rude. But what I would like to know is; what would be the best size for living full time, is it best to have a mooring or is it better to cruise? what sort of cost is involved? surely there must be a minimum cost.My boss informed us all at work that he could only offer employment untill April 2014 so can one claim benefits whilst living on a boat?

 

Whats the differance between a Trad style and a Semi trad style?

 

Sorry for being a bore.

Thanks in advance.

 

Life's all work, if we don't stop once in a while and take a look around we'll miss it.

 

 

If your reason is purely financial then please think again , ignoring the cost of boat , I would say the running costs are the same or higher than being on land, more if you want to stay in a marina. If you cruise you need to move a reasonable distance evey two weeks which can make getting to work difficult. As you have 15 months to get another job hopefully you will be successful.

[Sunsoup]

Well...I generally work mine out..that after the cost of the boat..its about £5000 a year...license...mooring...fuel..coal..regular oil/filter changes...bloody things that go wrong...need replacing and cost the earth being a sodding boat.....insurance...blacking every 2 years...with dry dock...paintwork repairs....and a slight loss in value.

Some will be less...some more...

Its not a cheap thing...

Boat stands for : Break ..out..another..thousand..

That's what mine costs. Others will come up with different figures..

 

 

Thanks Bobbybass for the info.

[Grace and Favour]

Hi all

>>My boss informed us all at work that he could only offer employment untill April 2014 so can one claim benefits whilst living on a boat?

 

>>

 

Life's all work, if we don't stop once in a while and take a look around we'll miss it.

 

It IS possible to claim benefits whilst living on a boat, but as far as I know - it's NOT easy, depends upon the vagaries of the council where you're moored - and it certainly won't cover costs for your life aboard!

 

Much, much better to work, of course........

[Phil Ambrose]

Best size for living on, very hard to say as everybody has different ideas about how much room they have and how much stuff they need to live their lives. A pal of mine lives very happily on a 30ft Sea Otter, another on our Marina lives on a 40 footer while a few boats down from me a couple live on a 35ft boat.

So look at boats of various lengths and imagine what it would be like to spend all your time on them,

I prefer semi trad as in my case there is easy access to the engine 'ole and I have bench seats either side which on one side contain the batteries and on the other the gas bottle, makes life easy when you need to maintain the batteries or to change a gas bottle.

 

Best of luck

 

Phil

[Sunsoup]

Best size for living on, very hard to say as everybody has different ideas about how much room they have and how much stuff they need to live their lives. A pal of mine lives very happily on a 30ft Sea Otter, another on our Marina lives on a 40 footer while a few boats down from me a couple live on a 35ft boat.

So look at boats of various lengths and imagine what it would be like to spend all your time on them,

I prefer semi trad as in my case there is easy access to the engine 'ole and I have bench seats either side which on one side contain the batteries and on the other the gas bottle, makes life easy when you need to maintain the batteries or to change a gas bottle.

 

Best of luck

 

Phil

 

Thanks Phil that's a big help. some of them boats are 60 feet and would cost loads on the up keep.

[Kyloe]

Best size for living on, very hard to say as everybody has different ideas about how much room they have and how much stuff they need to live their lives. A pal of mine lives very happily on a 30ft Sea Otter, another on our Marina lives on a 40 footer while a few boats down from me a couple live on a 35ft boat.

So look at boats of various lengths and imagine what it would be like to spend all your time on them,

I prefer semi trad as in my case there is easy access to the engine 'ole and I have bench seats either side which on one side contain the batteries and on the other the gas bottle, makes life easy when you need to maintain the batteries or to change a gas bottle.

 

Best of luck

 

Phil

 

I find my 30 footer quite adequate for single person live aboard, plus the fact that moorings and marina's are cheaper for the shorter vessels

[bottle]

Thanks Phil that's a big help. some of them boats are 60 feet and would cost loads on the up keep.

 

All boats cost loads on the upkeep.

 

Good luck but if the only reason for 'living' on a boat is cost, forget it, the only reason to live on a boat is for the way of life.

 

ps. I have reported this thread only because it is in the wrong place and a mod can move it to a more suitable one

Edited January 19, 2013 by bottle

[Guest]

Thanks Phil that's a big help. some of them boats are 60 feet and would cost loads on the up keep.

 

Some costs would be less on a shorter boat - eg licence, moorings, things like hull maintenance but things like engine servicing and maintenance and up keep on the battery systems are unlikely to be much if any cheaper.

[Tonie]

Hi,

 

If you are single I would have thought a 40 foot boat would have been fine. I live with my husband on a 57 foot but if I was single a shorter boat would suffice. We stay at a marina where the cost is £30 per week, its basic but the people are great! In 18 months the only other costs have been servicing the engine which my husband did for about £40 a time and the licence £800 a year for ours but a smaller boat is cheaper, and insurance about £10 a month.

 

It doesn't matter where you live to claim benefits but you will need a postal address and if you are claiming jobseekers be available to look for work. You can use any address even a friend or a local charity organisation with their permission. Hope that helps!

 

Regards

 

Tonie

[Sunsoup]

All boats cost loads on the upkeep.

 

Good luck but if the only reason for 'living' on a boat is cost, forget it, the only reason to live on a boat is for the way of life.

 

ps. I have reported this thread only because it is in the wrong place and a mod can move it to a more suitable one

 

Thank you bottle. living on a boat will be a fantastic adventure. I'm trying to get some idea of cost because my mortgage is £450 per month plus council tax and water rates and I find it a struggle. so it would be cheaper to rent a bedsit but where is the fun in that. On a boat I can move from place to place.

 

Hi,

 

If you are single I would have thought a 40 foot boat would have been fine. I live with my husband on a 57 foot but if I was single a shorter boat would suffice. We stay at a marina where the cost is £30 per week, its basic but the people are great! In 18 months the only other costs have been servicing the engine which my husband did for about £40 a time and the licence £800 a year for ours but a smaller boat is cheaper, and insurance about £10 a month.

 

It doesn't matter where you live to claim benefits but you will need a postal address and if you are claiming jobseekers be available to look for work. You can use any address even a friend or a local charity organisation with their permission. Hope that helps!

 

Regards

 

Tonie

 

Thanks Tonie. That's good news because I can buy a forty footer outright so would only have the running costs.

[DHutch]

Moved to general boating.

[Tobymonster]

If you already have a mortgage then why not rent your place out and let someone else pay for your boating adventures? It may mean getting a boat mortgage, but then you still got the equity locked in the house as security for the loan. Hopefully the house should rise in value over the long term, and don't forget inflation can play a part in the rise of house prices. What money you owe on your house gets smaller, what it's worth gets bigger. Boats depreciate - end of story.

 

Generally, its about 70 to 80 pence per foot, per week, on average to moor a boat. Less if there are no services, more the greater ammenities and closer to big cities. You pay more for electric per unit in a marina than in a house, but then council tax is usually negligible which can be a big saving. Water is cheap too. Licences are also done by length and cheaper still if you're in a mooring, more expensive if you're not. However moorings can be hard to come by. As said before servicings are generally the same over each boat (unless you have a special engine), as is the boat safety cert that's done every 4 years. To get a boat out of the water costs the same if using slipways and dry docks and varies if using a crane, (a bigger boat needs a bigger crane and therefore a greater cost). Once out of the wet stuff, a shorter boat requires less blacking, and less money for a surveyor to look at it.

 

So in summary a 40 foot boat is probably best for minimal cost, but I'd definately recommend going around some brokers and getting a feel of what size boat you would be comfortable with. All the best in your search.

Edited January 20, 2013 by Tobymonster

[Robbo]

Thank you bottle. living on a boat will be a fantastic adventure. I'm trying to get some idea of cost because my mortgage is £450 per month plus council tax and water rates and I find it a struggle. so it would be cheaper to rent a bedsit but where is the fun in that. On a boat I can move from place to place.

 

 

 

Thanks Tonie. That's good news because I can buy a forty footer outright so would only have the running costs.

 

Don't skimp on a boat survey when/if you find a boat, it may be tempting to save the money but its not worth as even the newest boat has issues - be there when the survey is done as you learn more.

[junior]

Someone told me a few years back that i should get a minimum 40ft if i want to live on it. I've been looking at boats recently and decided hat i am not going to go smaller than 50ft. But then again i'm not really looking for a cheap way to live so dont need to worry so much about the regular costs being more in a 50 footer than in a 40ft boat.

[DaveC]

 

You pay more for electric per unit in a marina than in a house, but then council tax is usually negligible which can be a big saving. Water is cheap too.

 

I think you are wrong about the cost of electricity.

 

Licences are also done by length and cheaper still if you're in a mooring, more expensive if you're not

 

Cheaper licence in a mooring - wrong on that as well..

[mrsmelly]

Hi

The electricity costs on my marina mooring are about sixty percent CHEAPER than in my mothers house.

All in all though it is definately not cheaper to live on a boat

Tim

Edited January 20, 2013 by mrsmelly

[luctor et emergo]

I live in a 14 foot cabin, on a 68'6" boat. I love it, but it is what I want, not because it's cheap. If you want to live cheap, try living in your car.

[junior]

Just to give the OP a bit of a different perspective, i have seen plenty of people on here say that they have found living on a Nb cheapER than living in their house.

[Chris Pink]

It costs exactly what you have. (and a little bit more)

[Guest]

Just to give the OP a bit of a different perspective, i have seen plenty of people on here say that they have found living on a Nb cheapER than living in their house.

 

This is true which is why now I have no real idea whether it is or it isn't any longer, circumstances are so different it's probably actually not possible to say either way with any great accuracy.

 

I've also spoken to people who say it is and people who say it isn't.

 

There is no real reason why 'house keeping' as in food/drink costs should be any different (unless somebody can tell me other wise) so it should only come down to a straight forward comparison between the costs of owning and running a boat compared with the costs of running a piece comparably sized land base accommodation.

 

I think most people would say though the decision to move aboard was not driven by costs but rather a life-style choice.

[Bobbybass]

Hi..

 

Further to my last post..

 

I would look through items on the 'equipment'..and 'maintenance' ..sections of these forums.

That also gives you an idea..of problems that boaters come across...

Failed pumps...engine and gearbox problems etc..

 

Look at some of the 'Midland Chandlers' online sales sites...and see the price of various parts..and give yourself an idea of costs that could potentially come up.

You need to be able to get the spanners out...and do your own repairs...as otherwise you are paying an engineer for the time he drives to and from you and does the repair.

 

In an ideal world..you enjoy going from place to place...and nothing goes wrong with the engine etc...but with a boat this isn't (Mainly !!) the case..

Engine service intervals vary...but many..like mine are around 200 hours..

That means that if you move a lot....(in summer I do 7-10 hours a day)..I can easily be changing oil and filter every 6 weeks....and that is 10 litres of oil..and and well overpriced filter...

 

Re: a boat survey.

 

Canal boats are not like sea going...or 'plastic' river cruisers.

When a buyer requests a build..the boat gets chucked..(sorry ..'put'..) together...with a mish mash of parts and design. Hardly any two boats are the same. The gearbox/engine varies...drive belt pulleys vary...plumbing varies. Many builders are good at doing this..but others do their best to accommodate the new owners and you may find all sorts of problems..like accesss to critical engine parts. My boat...has a Reeves hull...and many in the know say..'that's a good hull'. Aesthetically it is..but when mine was built..the plate they used for the bottom was not good. It has been widely acknowledged with my boat..that it has unusual pitting on the bottom plate caused by sub standard steel...and so it will need overplating soon..at a cost of around £6000.

My boat has a Beta engine...but they had problems with the way they designed the drive pulley assembly...and so I am just paying £400 to change that...to a system..which although it will fit....may not have long life...and will cost at some future point.

 

Overall...(and not wishing to hear the song..'always look on the bright side of life')..I would say :

 

Use this forum (as you are )

Weigh up the obvious costs..survey..buying...mooring..license...blacking..fuel...heating.

Get a survey...and consider it carefully...

Use these forums to get an idea of things that go wrong...use the 'online' to get projected costs...and ask yourself 'can I do these repairs..and servicing myself'..

 

Then..after all these careful considerations :

Buy these first boat that comes along...that doesn't fit any of these things..because you liked it !!!....

[lewisericeric]

I have a two bed flat that I rent out in the city. We bought a boat as we wanted to be back in the country and were 'romanticised' with the idea. Some things have been tough, yes, but it was definately the right decision for us, we've never been happier!

 

Regarding costs, maybe it has cost us a bit more , especially in the last few months, as we've been having lots of work done inside to make it really nice (see blog), but then again in the flat, which is a 2 bed, the electric bill was around £160 a month!! We've gone solar on the boat and in the summer that costs us nothing now!

 

There's also a greater satisfaction to living on a boat I think as you're more involved in the day to day - things you wouldn't even think about in a flat/house/bungalow, but that you just take for granted. These day to day things that you need to do on a boat can p*ss you off or you can embrace them as part of the lifestyle. It just depends what kind of person you are, I guess!