Living afloat

[canals are us?]

Many of you talk about the virtues of living aboard and how it has imporved your quality of life etc, but I'd be interested to hear what you miss, if anything, from your life living on the land. Surely even you most dedicated livaboards must miss something.

 

As somebody who is about to embark on life afloat there are 2 things I shall sorely miss - my electic blanket in winter, and being able to have a soak in a deep hot bath. Obviously the other benefits of life aboard will more than make up for this but I shall miss them nevertheless.

 

We'll for me I was living with Grandparents and my narrowboat is my very first home away, so a whole new way of life .

I really love my home and look forward to getting out the marina to explore the network as I feel from my journey thats where the fun of exploring the network and canal atmosphere really is.

Really enjoyed my 53 mile maiden voyage single handed and was the first time I had steered my own boat or found out about all the various controls and mechanisms aboard. No owner or broker showed me so a case of pressing and figuring it out yourself

 

The things I missed initially was proper heating and waking up cold. Bubble oil stove was faulty and now warm as toast with new solid fuel stove.

 

I feel content in life and find my fellow liveaboards helpful and friendly in the marina. I would love a bigger freezer but I can't have everything yet. Probably eventually install a fullsize washer/dryer in the galley too.

 

Gradually changing the boat to suit me. I want to change the carpet in the salon (easier to keep clean!!) to a reclaimed parquet floor and stain/wax it and install a battery charger to enable me to charge the batteries on shorepower rather than having to use the engine. Had a nice long shower from the water heated by my new boiler stove and lovely heat

 

 

James

Edited February 16, 2013 by canals are us?

[Serenity Malc]

Yello,

 

Very cool James ! ..... you'll go far.

 

Cheers Malc.

[Philippe]

My drumkit...

[Homer 123]

My house is sold and boat bought. Things I'm going to miss most will be just opening the door to let the dogs out, I'll have to go with them- but the exercise will do us all good!

Ill also miss my CDs and am still not sure what to do with them. Apart from that I'm looking forward to a new life living out in the countryside and meeting new people. Things I won't miss are getting up to my lodgers week long pile of washing up and £750+ a month for mortgage repayments!!

[DaveP]

What i miss most is not as a result of living on the boat, but more of a lifestyle change. However, since the London pollution, commuting, overwork, heavy drinking and take-away diet was probably killing me, I'll put up with the wildlife, home cooking and lovely neighbours on the mooring, and all the friendly folk out on the cut.

[Simple Things]

Ill also miss my CDs and am still not sure what to do with them.

 

Convert them all to mp3s and take them all with you on you laptop/ipad/ipod etc etc etc.

Edited February 16, 2013 by jeff_ggg

[comfortably numb]

I've transferred all of my 950 music CD's onto an ipod, my bulky video cassettes onto DVD discs, and my old pre-digital print photos I've scanned onto a DVD and chucked all the big photo albums away. But just in case, I'm keeping my CD's and old photo prints in a suitcase in my son's loft.

 

Thanks to you all for you're interesting answers to my OP. I've another one to add but this is from the wife. She reckons she is going to miss her freezer. The boat has a fridge with a small freezer compartment but she would ideally want something much bigger. I think she just needs to be more organised with the shopping

[Pykebird]

God, this thread makes me feel really lucky! I have a freezer(but full of chicken for the dogs), sold my dishwasher as kept running out of plates, have both washing machine and tumble dryer.In fact the only thing i miss about being aboard is no one nags me to cut the lawn and keep the garden tidy, not easy with dogs that love to dig. Give me life on the boat anyday

[matty40s]

nothing.

[mrsmelly]

I've transferred all of my 950 music CD's onto an ipod, my bulky video cassettes onto DVD discs, and my old pre-digital print photos I've scanned onto a DVD and chucked all the big photo albums away. But just in case, I'm keeping my CD's and old photo prints in a suitcase in my son's loft.

 

Thanks to you all for you're interesting answers to my OP. I've another one to add but this is from the wife. She reckons she is going to miss her freezer. The boat has a fridge with a small freezer compartment but she would ideally want something much bigger. I think she just needs to be more organised with the shopping

 

Hi

 

Unless you live in a field without a car and 30 miles from anywhere which I doubt then a freezer is a totaly useless piece of kit. Fresh food can be bought within minutes of every location I know on our inland waterway system and frozen food is generaly crap. We have never had any need for a freezer or the other useless piece of electronic kit the Microwave oven. The lifestyle change will hopefully make swmbo no longer have need of such items

 

Tim

[Grace and Favour]

Hi

 

Unless you live in a field without a car and 30 miles from anywhere which I doubt then a freezer is a totaly useless piece of kit. Fresh food can be bought within minutes of every location I know on our inland waterway system and frozen food is generaly crap. We have never had any need for a freezer or the other useless piece of electronic kit the Microwave oven. The lifestyle change will hopefully make swmbo no longer have need of such items

 

Tim

 

One wouldn't need a breadmaker either then . . . . ?

[Caprifool]

Ok, I don't have a boat......yet. But would actually miss having a freezer. I NEVER buy frozen foods though. I cook in batches and freeze in portions. I buy meat from farms and hunters. I freeze goats milk if and when I can get it. I freeze mushrooms, berries, nettles and other things I have foraged. And I'd like to keep on doing some of those things.

 

And whilst I'm at it, I would miss the joy of watching the seasons change in our yard. Yes, I can see the seasons anywhere. But it's a special joy, seeing the same apple tree bloom every year. Or the bulbs you planted popping up again like they did every year since you planted them 8 years ago. They turn into friends, almost. First day sunny enough to sit on the kitchen steps, squinting with a cup of tea :-)

 

But apart from those two things, I guess nothing.

[Alanji]

Thanks to you all for you're interesting answers to my OP. I've another one to add but this is from the wife. She reckons she is going to miss her freezer. The boat has a fridge with a small freezer compartment but she would ideally want something much bigger. I think she just needs to be more organised with the shopping

Yes, freezer is going to be a big miss. I have two at home and do not buy much frozen food. I will also miss my fantastic butcher. I have bought one of these Ebay. According to the butcher beef will easily keep 3 weeks in the fridge and chicken two weeks. Will also be OK for stews etc but not sure about soups. They were selling vacuumable containers but withdrawn probably be available elsewhere but I'll wait until it arrives and a bit of experimenting.

 

Will also greatly miss my wet room power shower with rainfall head and body jets. When I looked at the boat I stood in the shower and decided I could put up with it. Unfortunately, I did not close the door while in it - I can only fit sideways! Would still have bought the boat though.

[madcat]

I missed a garden in one of my previous liveaboard existances. The things I would miss now are my greenhouse which is 12' by 8' so holds a lot of tomatoes and chillies and the garage/workshop. The actual house just encourages hoarding.

[Bordergirl]

Only room for loads of books (kindle isn't great for all books) and lots of room to do yoga, that's about it after 7 years.

[AidanLincs]

I miss my nice kitchen and dining room, with many nice kitcheny- and dining-roomy-things therein. I miss throwing extravagant dinner parties. I'm not yet in a state to entertain on the boat (but I will be by summer, I hope), but I know that the the much smaller galley will make things much more... challenging. I miss being able to walk sideways. I seldom used the bath at home, but it was deep and wide, and I miss the occasional long soak. I miss having a garden to let the dogs out into at 3am when they're desparate. Still looking for a dog attachment for a skin fitting. Also, a plumbed-in toilet.

 

But really, in the grant scheme of things, even after the horrible wet and cold winter we've had (are having?), I have not seriously entertained a thought of "I'd be better off in a house".

 

I love my boat.

[DaveC]

There is no need to miss a freezer. Get a compact one and dispose of the packaging that frozen food comes in and it is surprising how much you can get in a small freezer. We don't live aboard but we do go on cruises for up to four months at a time. We make our own bread - but not with a breadmaker!

 

 

Dave