Holding down a job and continuous cruising

[MtB]

 

If your Mum is on her own, make sure that any reasons that you use her address will not impact on her benefits / allowances/ Council Tax etc, if by using that address you are thought, by the 'powers that be' to be living there.

 

 

 

Good point.

 

Anyone blagging a shared address from a mate might also be reasonably expected to contribute to the council tax bill for the house or flat in return for the favour.

 

Particularly if they are the sole occupier, as it will mean them losing their 25% 'single occupancy' council tax discount.

 

 

MtB

[Lmcgrath87]

 

If your Mum is on her own, make sure that any reasons that you use her address will not impact on her benefits / allowances/ Council Tax etc, if by using that address you are thought, by the 'powers that be' to be living there.

 

Edit - pressed 'send' too soon.

 

These things are, again, not insurmountable but do need resolving before "it happens"

 

That hadn't even crossed my mind - thanks for the heads up. She won't want to lose her single person's CTax discount just so I can have my junk sent to her house!

[MtB]

 

That hadn't even crossed my mind - thanks for the heads up. She won't want to lose her single person's CTax discount just so I can have my junk sent to her house!

 

But it might still be cost effective to pay her the lost discount, so you can use here address for stuff like car insurance. Insurance companies are very touchy about customers with no fixed address and load their premia accordingly, if you can find one to accept you.

 

MtB

[John Williamson 1955]

Before buying a boat, hire one for a couple of weeks. It will give you a flavour of living on a boat and either convince you that it is the right thing for you or give you cabin fever!

I'd suggest at least a month in Winter, so the various tanks will need emptying/ filling at least once in the pouring rain, and it's a pretty good chance the gas will run out at an inconvenient moment, and the coal boat will not be passing when you've just run out of stuff to burn, so coal or wood will need to be carried from the nearest car parking area, and...

 

If you still want to do it after all that, then welcome to our club.

 

But it might still be cost effective to pay her the lost discount, so you can use here address for stuff like car insurance. Insurance companies are very touchy about customers with no fixed address and load their premia accordingly, if you can find one to accept you.

 

MtB

They're touchy even of you *do* have a fixed address of the form "Proper residential berth X, Marina Y, anytown."

 

I've only found one company willing to quote, and they are expensive. On the other hand, if you do give your address as "Mum's house, Some street, Anytown", and they find out you aren't actually living there, then they can and will cancel your insurance pretty darn fast in my experience.

[Alan de Enfield]

Just remember - there is more to "just living on a boat" than you think. - the implications for 'dropping out of normal society' can be huge.

 

Its not a cheap way of living !!

 

Its a complicated way of living, and not for the faint-hearted.

[GUMPY]

 

But it might still be cost effective to pay her the lost discount, so you can use here address for stuff like car insurance. Insurance companies are very touchy about customers with no fixed address and load their premia accordingly, if you can find one to accept you.

 

MtB

Not forgetting car insurance proposal forms now have the question where is the vehicle normally kept

How do you answer that, if you put your mums address it could invalidate the insurance in the event of a claim

[Sabcat]

 

But it might still be cost effective to pay her the lost discount, so you can use here address for stuff like car insurance. Insurance companies are very touchy about customers with no fixed address and load their premia accordingly, if you can find one to accept you.

 

MtB

The chap who's moored next to me has tried to renew his trike insurance and he can't get cover at all at this address.

Not forgetting car insurance proposal forms now have the question where is the vehicle normally kept

How do you answer that, if you put your mums address it could invalidate the insurance in the event of a claim

 

If you decided, in a fit of conscience, to scrawl "I'm a filthy lying water pikey" in crayon across the bottom of the claim for it might. Otherwise everything will be just fine.

[John Williamson 1955]

The only company I've found who will quote to insure your car if you tell them live on a boat is Sabre Insurance, who aren't on the panels of the cheap insurance brokers.

 

If anyone knows anyone cheaper, let us all know, an I'll move next renewal day.

 

For information, Land Rover Series II, kept in a Tesco car park 200 yards from my boat in UB2 postcode is costing me North of £700 per year.

 

I used to be with Lancaster, an when I told them I had moved onto a boat, they cancelled the policy with 7 days notice.

Edited September 16, 2014 by John Williamson 1955

[GUMPY]

The chap who's moored next to me has tried to renew his trike insurance and he can't get cover at all at this address.

 

 

If you decided, in a fit of conscience, to scrawl "I'm a filthy lying water pikey" in crayon across the bottom of the claim for it might. Otherwise everything will be just fine.

Having just had to deal with a no fault claim the company were very thorough in checking details like that, questions included purpose of journey, where from and to, where had ar been the night before etc, that was my company and they weren't involved as other co admitted liability.

[Sabcat]

Having just had to deal with a no fault claim the company were very thorough in checking details like that, questions included purpose of journey, where from and to, where had ar been the night before etc, that was my company and they weren't involved as other co admitted liability.

 

In asking or in checking? Because unless you think an insurer is going to pay a PI to sit outside your claimed address and catalogue a lack of your comings and goings (pro tip, they won't) then you have nothing at all to worry about.

[Alan de Enfield]

 

 

For information, Land Rover Series II, kept in a Tesco car park 200 yards from my boat in UB2 postcode is costing me North of £700 per year.

 

I used to be with Lancaster, an when I told them I had moved onto a boat, they cancelled the policy with 7 days notice.

 

Big difference but much could be to do the the postcode.

 

Land Rover Discovery 1996

Fully Comp

Kept on our Drive

£106 pa fully comp

Saga Insurance

[TheyAllFloatDownHere]

Guys, thank you SO much. Very useful comments. An excellent suggestion of being in a marina for a bit whilst I get used to the idea of being a boater. Also love the 'giant metal pet' analogy. And the bike - I shall keep him inside so he doesn't go for an unauthorised ride.

 

Also, the physical humping around of gas, coal, wood etc - I understood that there is a boat that delivers all this and that they will even change gas/ fit it for you. My upper body strength is crap, though my fitness is good.

 

Just for some context, the boat I'm looking at has great security and I have an office address (a coworking space), so the address thing is sorted.

 

Christmas - that's an excellent point. Can one moor in a marina as a leisure boater for a week or so?

 

Also, any intel on the winter moorings? Understand that it is quite a new thing.

 

P,

 

p.s. Thanks for the suggestion about facebook, but I hate the bloomin thing. Twitter...now that's different.

[Lady Muck]

There are only two fuel boats at the moment, seeing as their routes only cross over in certain areas and we had five last winter, it's not enough, so you are going to have to do a certain amount of humping bottles etc around.

Some boaters book a marina at Christmas, some book it when they plan to be away and give the marina a list of jobs they need doing, this is a good way to get major repairs done when you live onboard.

Winter moorings aren't new, for more info, go here.

https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/boating/mooring/winter-moorings

Not forgetting car insurance proposal forms now have the question where is the vehicle normally kept

How do you answer that, if you put your mums address it could invalidate the insurance in the event of a claim

We use swift cover, it allows us to nominate our mooring ( which isn't our postal address, but is a secure, gated, compound) as where we keep our car.

[KarlosMacronius]

We live aboard in London. Both my partner and I are archaeologists so our place of work (building sites) tends to be variable. Any extra travel hasn't been noticeable compared to living in zone 3 in a house. at the moment we are both based in the office and we just make allowances for travel time, some weeks we need to leave half an hour earlier for work than others. You just deal with it.

The fuel boats might connect up your gas bottles for you but they wont be there when you need to get a bag of coal off the roof. You will gain upper body strength. And excellent balance.

 

It is getting crowded, this weekend was the first time in a year that we had to travel for 8 hours to find a mooring spot, though we did move on a Saturday and usually don't...

 

P.S. I can think of 7 taps in London

[Alan de Enfield]

 

 

It is getting crowded, this weekend was the first time in a year that we had to travel for 8 hours to find a mooring spot, though we did move on a Saturday and usually don't...

 

P.S. I can think of 7 taps in London

 

7 taps between how many boats ? (seen figures quoted as 2000+ is that true ?)

How many elsan emptying stations are there ?

[Tuscan]

7 taps between how many boats ? (seen figures quoted as 2000+ is that true ?)

How many elsan emptying stations are there ?

On the London boaters site today , 2 boats moored abreast on the water tap, locked up. So that's 6 taps.......

[RLWP]

Also, the physical humping around of gas, coal, wood etc - I understood that there is a boat that delivers all this and that they will even change gas/ fit it for you. My upper body strength is crap, though my fitness is good.

 

 

 

They may deliver gas, perhaps change a bottle, and deliver coal and diesel. I doubt they are going to empty your cassette toilet for you

 

They are definitely not going to carry your shopping half a mile down the towpath for you, or your washing to the laundrette

 

Richard

Edited September 16, 2014 by RLWP

[blackrose]

I think one problem is that if you are seriously career-minded, living as a CCer on a boat might interfere with your work. It's not just the day to day things like getting water, coal, gas, etc, it's also the almost constant maintenance that can turn into an obsession if you're not careful.

 

Perhaps boats should come with some sort of cautionary advice?

 

WARNING: LIVING ON BOATS CAN SERIOUSLY DAMAGE YOUR CAREER!

Edited September 16, 2014 by blackrose

[KarlosMacronius]

 

7 taps between how many boats ? (seen figures quoted as 2000+ is that true ?)

How many elsan emptying stations are there ?

I think the boat numbers depends where you consider to be London, if its the M25 then probably yeah, but there are a couple of marinas in there I think, plus it probably includes all the boats using the Thames, clippers, ferries, ribs, police boats, Belfast etc.

As for Elsans, 4. assuming they haven't been blocked or otherwise put out of action by chimps who have no idea what they are doing.

 

 

[John Williamson 1955]

 

Big difference but much could be to do the the postcode.

 

Land Rover Discovery 1996

Fully Comp

Kept on our Drive

£106 pa fully comp

Saga Insurance

Saga will not cover a car older than 30 years, (I asked, as they were already covering the boat for residential and cruising use) and my Land Rover is 46 this year. Also, when I used to live in Stoke on Trent, I kept it on the drive, paying £180 fully comprehensive with an agreed valuation. I expected to pay more, what with moving to London and my premium isn't *that* much higher than some of my colleagues at work.

 

When I moved onto the boat, the fact I was going to be living on a boat was given as the reason they ( Lancaster) were going to cancel the insurance after the statutory 7 days notice. The *only* company quoting for insurance while I am living on a boat was Sabre. I tried a few brokers, who all came up with the same answer. I have since renewed, and once again, Sabre are the only company willing to cover me. The postcode doesn't matter as far as getting cover is concerned, it's living on a boat that matters.

[Sabcat]

Saga will not cover a car older than 30 years, (I asked, as they were already covering the boat for residential and cruising use) and my Land Rover is 46 this year. Also, when I used to live in Stoke on Trent, I kept it on the drive, paying £180 fully comprehensive with an agreed valuation. I expected to pay more, what with moving to London and my premium isn't *that* much higher than some of my colleagues at work.

 

When I moved onto the boat, the fact I was going to be living on a boat was given as the reason they ( Lancaster) were going to cancel the insurance after the statutory 7 days notice. The *only* company quoting for insurance while I am living on a boat was Sabre. I tried a few brokers, who all came up with the same answer. I have since renewed, and once again, Sabre are the only company willing to cover me. The postcode doesn't matter as far as getting cover is concerned, it's living on a boat that matters.

 

It's not even because living aboard presents a significant risk. There's little/no data available and it falls outside of the "norm" that off the shelf policies are written for which leaves a small gap for an insurer to offer cover and pull your pants down for it.

 

Anyone living aboard in a position to register to vote and have their post sent to an address would be mad in the head not to use that address for insuring cars, banking etc. - Try applying for a credit card/bank loan and tell them you're effectively a gypsy. You've got zero chance.

 

The flip side of that is you've got zero chance of being "caught out" if you have to claim on your car insurance if you do use a land based addressed. It's simply not something insurers are looking for.

[John Williamson 1955]

 

It's not even because living aboard presents a significant risk. There's little/no data available and it falls outside of the "norm" that off the shelf policies are written for which leaves a small gap for an insurer to offer cover and pull your pants down for it.

 

Anyone living aboard in a position to register to vote and have their post sent to an address would be mad in the head not to use that address for insuring cars, banking etc. - Try applying for a credit card/bank loan and tell them you're effectively a gypsy. You've got zero chance.

 

The flip side of that is you've got zero chance of being "caught out" if you have to claim on your car insurance if you do use a land based addressed. It's simply not something insurers are looking for.

I can register to vote. On the boat. Mine is a fully official address, with planning permission for residential use. i even have to pay (Hock, ptooey!) Council tax. The only other address I can use is 200 miles away, and the postal forwarding is, to put it politely, unreliable.

 

The bank keep offering me loans, as do Barclaycard....

[Sabcat]

I can register to vote. On the boat. Mine is a fully official address, with planning permission for residential use. i even have to pay (Hock, ptooey!) Council tax. The only other address I can use is 200 miles away, and the postal forwarding is, to put it politely, unreliable.

 

The bank keep offering me loans, as do Barclaycard....

Do you mean "offering" or do you mean "sending junk mail to my address on the electoral roll" ? Two very different things. I too can register to vote here (but don't) and I too pay council tax but I have nothing at all posted here, not even council tax bills.

[John Williamson 1955]

Do you mean "offering" or do you mean "sending junk mail to my address on the electoral roll" ? Two very different things. I too can register to vote here (but don't) and I too pay council tax but I have nothing at all posted here, not even council tax bills.

Offers to transfer balances (AKA Junk mail) and increase my current lending by extending and increasing my current loan.

 

Then again, I am in the situation of owning property landside, so I'm not just someone who lives on a boat.

[Sabcat]

Offers to transfer balances (AKA Junk mail) and increase my current lending by extending and increasing my current loan.

 

Then again, I am in the situation of owning property landside, so I'm not just someone who lives on a boat.

 

You'd find the situation very different if you were. Someone renting a house is in a much better position to borrow money in the normal way then someone who owns a boat they live on.