Aaaaaaah Moment!

[Moonchild]

Hi I just thought I would share my freak out moment with all you people! About to exchange on my house and buying a boat,had a total panic attack about it last night although much calmer now.Ive done loaaaads of research, including being on here. Also various books including 'Living afloat' (vg book,positive and negative!)Narrowboat maintenance manual etc,lived on a very small cruiser in France with x and steered boat through Camargue even the Rhone...still v nervous!!

Any reassurances,soothing welcome!!!!!

[sassan]

It's easier than you think. You'll spend the first few weeks convinced that you're about to sink (you're not), but then it's very very pleasant.

[Moonchild]

sorry not 'Living afloat', for anybody that wants more info in book form vv good 'The Liveaboard guide' Tony Jones.(adlard coles nautical, bloomsbury publishing) I think Living afloat was another not v informative read!

llol,thanks..I'll look forward to that

[DeanS]

What exactly are you nervous about

[Moonchild]

Also..been a toss up between two boats first one kinda dropped out for awhile but back in picture,the main negative with that is..bedroom is a walk through between 2 living spaces which obviously creates more living a positive but doesnt give me a quiet separate area to sleep in(have 2 dogs now 2,i could put swing half doors there to block off at night maybe curtains..any other design ideas welcome!!!)sep living spaces obv good from a dog perspective too i think..eg i could work at one end and they could be at other if i need quiet time!

[deckhand]

It is a big move but hopefully it is excitement nerves you are feeling rather than panic. Great times ahead on the boat, loads to learn, loads of new experiences, how exciting. Life is too short to waste any energy on any negatives so be thinking about the good and just think about anything else as it crops up. Hope you have a great time. Enjoy )

[Moonchild]

Hi Dean i think i met you at Roydon marina once am i right?Looked at your widebeam for sale?Ending up with 70' narrowboat instead! MMMmm...nerves i guess its the total change in everything...think biggest thing possibly is change in space....carbooted loads,giving away a lot too....totally into the closeness to nature,seasons etc and obviously moveable aspect is a massive plus....locks freaking me out slightly at mo...just need to get experience i know..

Aaaaw thankyou deckhand your absolutely right..and thats exactly why im doing it!! Happyboating to you too!

[Sade]

Good luck and how exciting!!!!!

 

We are a bit farther back in the process as not sold yet but hopefully have some other finances coming into play before the sale of our house - all in all we hope to be aboard by October and we've both had moments of "aaaahhhhhhhh" as you put it! you obviously WANT to do it so just do it.....as with everything in life, the "what-if's" are a waste of good energy and you're doing all the right things.....just go with the flow, I'm sure it will all work out fine and hope to bump into you (not literally.....another "aaaahhhhhhh" moment hahahaha!) one day!

 

[Trento]

What exactly are you nervous about

 

Rivers in flood

Overstaying on VM's

Perhaps ?

[Mike Tee]

Preparation and reading-up on boating is fine and will give you loads of info - but don't over-think it. Knowing what to do in a worst case scenario is one thing, but don't expect that worst case to happen every trip you make.

 

Be aware but ENJOY IT.

[Stormbringer]

We felt a bit nervous when were in your position, but everything turned out ok in the end.

You will find the great majority of your fears will fade away once you have moved aboard. Living on a narrowboat is a great life and we wouldn't swap back to a house. I think our kids will be canal dwellers too, they love life afloat...

Good luck with your move etc...

[canals are us?]

_{Hi, welcome}

 

_{I found doing a Helmsmans course really beneficial as it gave you a great insight into lock operation, river travel and operating the boat, steering, winding etc.}

 

_{I really enjoyed going out on the River Severn at Stourport and then turning round!}

 

_{I had decided to buy a narrowboat to live on and have done so since last November. I really like it. I hadn't ever been on a narrowboat and then 2 weeks after the helmsman course I brought my 50ft boat 53 miles single handed. I took my time with the 27 locks and really enjoyed it, It certainly boosted the confidence after the first few hours and several locks later.}

 

_{Go for it and enjoy!}

 

_James

[Beaker]

When I saw the thread title, I thought, oh, no, not another toilet post!

[DeanS]

Nope, it wasnt me selling my widebeam

 

Yes there is a lot to learn. When we started, we knew nothing. It didnt take long to gain the confidence...and then you have the Eureka moment, where you realise WHAT YOU HAVE DONE.....and you begin jumping for joy. .........and then of course you remember you have to empty the elsan, fill the water, wipe up the dogs muddy paw marks. ;-)

[Sade]

Reading threads like this just makes me get all the more excited!!! Aaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh !!!! lol

[dmr]

It's easier than you think. You'll spend the first few weeks convinced that you're about to sink (you're not), but then it's very very pleasant.

First few weeks????

We've lived aboard for three years now and I still check the bilge every morning.......but you are correct...we haven't sunk!

but yes, its surprisingly easy and "pleasant" is a bit of an understatement.

 

.............Dave

[mrsmelly]

the first twenty years are the hardest. You will start to get the hang of it after that.

 

Tim

[Capt.Golightly]

I am in exactly the same situation and however much research you have done the reality may sometimes seem suddenly daunting for no particular reason, particular in the wee worrying hours after midnight. The thing is to bear in mind that you will be joining a community of people who are far more cohesive and friendly than is generally encountered, and it isn't the Heart of Darkness, it is just the Inland Waterways of England full of some similar minds and friendly faces and small Dogs. Make a point of always looking at pictures of your boat again in the optimism of a morning coffee, under a blue sky, and you will smile at your sudden terrors.....it's worth a go anyway ..you' ll love it!! If you are the sort of person who has taken it to the point of pushing the button, you'll push the button anyway as you never really had a choice, so you may as well relax and enjoy the ride...thats what I tell myself anyway, hope it helps.

Edited August 5, 2013 by Capt.Golightly

[Sunsoup]

When I saw the thread title, I thought, oh, no, not another toilet post!

LOL you did another funny.

[Beaker]

[Captain Fizz]

 

First few weeks????

We've lived aboard for three years now and I still check the bilge every morning.......but you are correct...we haven't sunk!

but yes, its surprisingly easy and "pleasant" is a bit of an understatement.

 

.............Dave

 

 

Nothing wrong with checking the bilge every morning Dave, much better than wet slippers!

As for locks, we met a family on a hire boat last week. The dad was pretty much having to do it all and was about to turn round rather than negotiate a lock. We just gave him a hand with a couple and he carried on without a hitch.

There is always help out there and we were all new once!

[onionbargee]

man up ?

[Ange]

We did a humungous amount of research before we moved aboard, but the first 6 months were an incredibly steep learning curve. The biggest one was electrics - you spend your life buying gadgets and plugging them into those magical sockets in the wall and it comes as a massive shock when suddenly you have to learn how much life they'll suck out of your batteries.

 

We climbed that learning curve and it's well worth it when you get there! Good luck to the OP - we're 4 years in and still loving every minute of it. We told friends and family we were doing this for a year or two and they ask occasionally when we're moving back to land. The answer nowadays is "when we're not capable of lifting a gas bottle out of the gas locker".

 

[StarUKKiwi]

We are also at the AHHH moment - we complete on the house sale a week on Friday and collect our 52 foot boat then - we are tehn doing half the Cheshire Ring anti-clockwise, so we get tunnels, locks, wide and narrow canals - cannot wait - we also have two dogs and cats; so cosy! We are going to be moored in Macclesfield Marina as i still have to go to work

But it will all be OK I know because it feels right (and we have no furniture left!)

Edited August 5, 2013 by StarUKKiwi

[Biggles]

I dabble between the 2. Given the choice right now I would dump the house.