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Are they big enough?

James Mcsharry

By James Mcsharry
in Living Afloat

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Delta9 Experienced

Delta9

Posted
Posted (edited)

Hi James, welcome to the forum.

 

You have used the term 'barge' in your post when talking about narrowboats. You are technically correct (the best kind of correct) as a narrowboat is a specific type of barge, but many narrowboaters will try to tell you otherwise.

 

In answer to your question, it really depends how much stuff they own and how much space they need. Will they need a spare bedroom for visitors etc.. so it's hard to say. It's quite possible for a couple to live in a 40ft narrowboat if they really like each other. I would suggest that they rent a boat for a weeks holiday and get a feel for how much space they need..

Edited by Delta9
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Troyboy Community Regular

Troyboy

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Posted

I'm not sure a narrowboat is an investment although much more fun than a building society / bank book with thousands of pounds in it . My dictionary defines invest as 'to lay out money in an enterprise with the expectation of profit . '. If that is the aim my advice would be to stick with bricks and mortar .

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James Mcsharry Explorer

James Mcsharry

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I'm not sure a narrowboat is an investment although much more fun than a building society / bank book with thousands of pounds in it . My dictionary defines invest as 'to lay out money in an enterprise with the expectation of profit . '. If that is the aim my advice would be to stick with bricks and mortar .

Ok so i now realise that my post was completely inaccurate in terms of what I actually meant to say, but what i really meant was that they wanted to save some money, because they didn't' need the 4 bedroom house any more, and it is now getting to be a waste of money. I'm not really sure what word covers that! :)

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deckhand Proficient

deckhand

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Posted

Hi James, Are they going to live aboard, assume they are if they are finding their 4 bed house too big. My husband and I (just a tad younger than your mum and dad) are about to liveaboard. Selling our house and changing our lifestyle. this is the important thing, it is a complete change of lifestyle, is this what they want or are they just looking to downsize. have they any boating experience? Also, going from a 4 bed house to a boat is a massive change. Basically EVERYTHING has to go. No room for wardrobes, cupboards, loads shoes, bags, coats etc etc.

We are having a 59 foot narrowboat built, but there are many out there that they and you can go and see and that's what I think you need to do first. Then, speak to people who already live on a boat, and ask as many questions as they can. THEN, the guys on here can give you more answers to your questions.

Next thing to ask is what do they do if a) they don't get on with being on the water cool.png they get to an age where they find it too much.

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Laurie Booth Veteran

Laurie BoothDonate to Canal World

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Posted

Ok so i now realise that my post was completely inaccurate in terms of what I actually meant to say, but what i really meant was that they wanted to save some money, because they didn't' need the 4 bedroom house any more, and it is now getting to be a waste of money. I'm not really sure what word covers that! smile.png

They only need one bedroom, so their house has 3 bedrooms they could rent out. This will give them £240 a week income, now that's an investment.

:)

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James Mcsharry Explorer

James Mcsharry

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Hi James, Are they going to live aboard, assume they are if they are finding their 4 bed house too big. My husband and I (just a tad younger than your mum and dad) are about to liveaboard. Selling our house and changing our lifestyle. this is the important thing, it is a complete change of lifestyle, is this what they want or are they just looking to downsize. have they any boating experience? Also, going from a 4 bed house to a boat is a massive change. Basically EVERYTHING has to go. No room for wardrobes, cupboards, loads shoes, bags, coats etc etc.

We are having a 59 foot narrowboat built, but there are many out there that they and you can go and see and that's what I think you need to do first. Then, speak to people who already live on a boat, and ask as many questions as they can. THEN, the guys on here can give you more answers to your questions.

Next thing to ask is what do they do if a) they don't get on with being on the water cool.png they get to an age where they find it too much.

Very intuitive post, thanks a lot, i will show this to them and get the ball rolling on some viewings :)

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bottle Veteran II

bottle

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Posted

James

 

Buying a boat is not an investment it is like throwing your money into a hole in the ground and burying it, it will rot away.

 

The only reason your parents should look at buying a boat is that they actually want to live the life, it ain't cheap.

 

Will they CC or have a marina birth, residential moorings are like hens teeth. (rhetorical)

 

I do not know their experience but if they have little or none, get them to hire a boat in the off season January, February tend to be the hardest months.

 

This all sounds a bit negative but better go in with their eyes wide open and their brains in gear.

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ditchcrawler Veteran II

ditchcrawlerDonate to Canal World

Posted
Posted

James

 

Buying a boat is not an investment it is like throwing your money into a hole in the ground and burying it, it will rot away.

 

The only reason your parents should look at buying a boat is that they actually want to live the life, it ain't cheap.

 

Will they CC or have a marina birth, residential moorings are like hens teeth. (rhetorical)

 

I do not know their experience but if they have little or none, get them to hire a boat in the off season January, February tend to be the hardest months.

 

This all sounds a bit negative but better go in with their eyes wide open and their brains in gear.

Unless they love boating, in which case they will know what they want, sell the house and buy a 2 or 1 bed bungalow and go on a boating holiday with the change

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