Should i buy a narrowboat with london mooring?

[Jen_P]

Weighing up a lot of options in my life right now (am divorced and unemployed and have no ties) and one of them is whether or not I want to live aboard a Narrowboat.

Ideally I want to live in the outskirts of London (I reckon I'm more likely to find both new work and a new romantic interest!) And I'd feel safer - at least initially - on a marina.

There's very little mooring available though.

Wondering whether it's worth trying to raise the funds to buy a boat with mooring. They seem to be considerably more expensive compared to a boat without mooring but presumably they hold their value a bit? I mean, people are always going to pay more for a boat with London mooring if I chose to sell on one day.

[Alan de Enfield]

Good luck.

But - just to point out (unless you pay £100's of thousands) you are not buying the mooring, you are paying a premium for not having to find a mooring for the boat you buy. You will still have to pay between £5000 and £15000 per annum rent for the mooring (depending on how close to the centre you go).

 

Is it better to pay £30,000 for the boat you want, and £10,000 per annum for a mooring, (say over three years £60,000) or

£60,000 for a boat (worth £30,000) and still pay the £10,000 per annum rent, (say over three years £90,000)

 

You are doing the 'right thing' by looking for a marina as there are supposedly huge changes in the pipe-line for the London Boating "Community"

 

There are marinas with residential moorings at Poplar and Limehouse (maybe too central for you ?) advertised at £10,000 pa - you could call and see if they have vacancies.

 

As you are unemployed, think very carefully before jumping in.

Some folks find it very, very, very difficult to get benefits paid when they are liveabaords - it may be financially better to stay on land.

 

Living on a boat is not only NO CHEAPER than in a flat, but is far more involved - unlike a house, with a boat you have to provide your own diesel, coal, gas, electricity (unless connected via landline) and water - and - empty your own toilet tank, it is not piped in any longer.

 

Keep asking questions and doing searches - just remember "the streets of London are NOT paved in gold"

 

All the information is on this forum, do a search (search box top right of page) maybe for a start using key words such as ;

 

Liveaboard London

[Grace and Favour]

Jennifer,

 

I do not have first hand experience of leasing a mooring in London, (or buying a boat there come to that!) However, I'm led to believe that many boats are substantially overpriced there (as a result of sellers confusing boat values with property values) and the premium for a mooring can be horrific.

 

Depending upon how far from the centre of London you are contemplating living, there are marinas such as Roydon Marina (in Harlow), which are substantially cheaper than more central London locations such as Limehouse, yet is on a regular train route to the City.

 

And you can then buy a regularly priced boat anywhere in the UK and drive it down there!!

[b0atman]

You can buy a boat in a marina with seller saying with mooring and upping the price BUT check with the Marina first that it is ok for you to be in his marina as a live aboard.

[Alan de Enfield]

Jennifer - just another pitfall to be aware of :

 

If you are looking to buy a boat with mooring - speak to the owner of the mooring - not the owner of the boat - to ensure that the mooring is actually transferable.

 

There have been cases where the boat seller has assumed that they can transfer any mooring agreement to the buyer, but once on board, and the mooring owner comes for his rent, things can "go down hill rapidly".

 

Once the new buyer has paid this huge 'mark-up' then the mooring owner (who knew nothing about the sale of the boat) comes along and says - NO - the mooring is not transferable and that extra £30k, £40k, or £50k you paid is 'lost'.

The old mooring rate maybe historical, and the 'new' rate may be more in line with todays market rates.

 

Repeat - speak to the mooring owner, dont assume anything.

[bottle]

As above but not only talk to the mooring owner (not boat owner) and get it in writing that they are willing for you to take over the mooring

 

Even then you will have no rights and they can chuck you off the mooring whenever they like.

 

 

one of them is whether or not I want to live aboard

 

If you have any doubts, do not do it, you must be totally dedicated to the way of life, it is hard work.

 

The only reason for living on a boat is because you want to live that way of life, nothing else is a good reason.

 

See post #2

[8 Hairy Feet]

You want to leave God's Own County to

go to London!!!!!!?

(i'm only teasing)

[youthoftoday]

You are doing the 'right thing' by looking for a marina as there are supposedly huge changes in the pipe-line for the London Boating "Community"

 

I've seen a couple of things hinted at round the forum to this effect. Is there a particular thread on the board that discusses the supposed 'huge changes'?

 

I'm not in the London system but have friends who are considering it, so I'm out of the loop. But very curious.

[Grace and Favour]

 

I've seen a couple of things hinted at round the forum to this effect. Is there a particular thread on the board that discusses the supposed 'huge changes'?

 

I'm not in the London system but have friends who are considering it, so I'm out of the loop. But very curious.

There's a few references on this thread about living in London

[Alan de Enfield]

In addition to G&F's link there are a number of threads where little snippets of things come out eg :

 

Problems with boaters obeying the rules (particularly mooring overstaying, & not moving enough) that C&RT have appointed an ADDITIONAL three Enforcement officers in London.

 

Enforcement of the rules has been very lax, to non-existent, but now with so many people taking up the "cheap way of life" the system can no longer cope. Somewhere between 2000 & 3000 boats in London (depending on how you define London) sharing (allegedly) 7 water points and 3 toilet emptying stations.

 

One Broker alone (Whilton) - claims to be selling one boat per week that is heading for London as a Liveaboard.

 

The migration of boats to "London" is unsustainable.

 

I'm not a facebooker but apparently London Boaters have a page which sums up the current problems and looks towards the future.

[baldlimey]

So Jennifer you are looking for a romantic interest and may have a boat! I'm short fat bald, hairy everywhere else and married, will I do? Seriously we did everything wrong bought the first boat we saw never even hired before and have not regreted it, people are right in ensuring you do not pay thousands for a mooring which is not yours but the only way to find out if it is for you is to do it. A boat, like a house or spouse, can be got rid of if it does not work out.

[MtB]

Weighing up a lot of options in my life right now (am divorced and unemployed and have no ties) and one of them is whether or not I want to live aboard a Narrowboat.

Ideally I want to live in the outskirts of London (I reckon I'm more likely to find both new work and a new romantic interest!) And I'd feel safer - at least initially - on a marina.

There's very little mooring available though.

 

 

I'd be up for that. Can you send me a photo please? (Of your boat, obviously)

 

 

 

MtB

[Alan de Enfield]

[smileypete]

If paying a premium for a resi mooring, it may be wise to also have a frank chat with a few of the existing moorers, to get an idea what the landlord is like.

 

Usually buying a boat on a rented resi mooring in London involves paying a big premium for something with no real security of tenure, so there is risk there.

 

cheers, Pete.

~smpt~

[junior]

 

I'd be up for that. Can you send me a photo please? (Of your boat, obviously)

 

 

 

MtB

Ditto please.

 

I'm due an upgrade in November.

[Jen_P]

Ditto please.

 

I'm due an upgrade in November.

Upgrade of boat or woman?

Don't have a boat yet so can't send that!!

 

Just to be clear: it isn't about cheaper living for me. I love boats. I love London. I can't stand being cooped up in a flat here.

 

Roydon would be perfect but someone I fell out with is moored there so I'd feel awkward. I love roydon!

[Dekazer]

Hi Jennifer,

 

You might be interested in this recent thread: http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=70155&hl=

 

Lots of people seem to want to live in London, but are only interested in the system East of Kensal Rise. There are residential moorings to be had on the Paddington Arm as far as Bulls Bridge, and between Brentford and Uxbridge. All pretty well connected by public transport and priced far more sensibly than central London moorings. I posted a few in the link above.

 

Best of luck, it's a lovely way to live.

 

Lucy

[Jen_P]

Hi Jennifer,

 

You might be interested in this recent thread: http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=70155&hl=

 

Lots of people seem to want to live in London, but are only interested in the system East of Kensal Rise. There are residential moorings to be had on the Paddington Arm as far as Bulls Bridge, and between Brentford and Uxbridge. All pretty well connected by public transport and priced far more sensibly than central London moorings. I posted a few in the link above.

 

Best of luck, it's a lovely way to live.

 

Lucy

Thanks Lucy! That's the very area I'd like to be in, the closer to Brentford the better. I spent many happy years in ealing before I lived in Yorkshire so it would be ideal to be in west London again!

[Dekazer]

There are currently 3 advertised at Willow Wren and 1 at Engineers Wharf. From experience (and talking to friends) Engineers Wharf is a nicer place to moor, but is further from Brentford. https://www.crtmoorings.com/auctions/search.php?search_type=basic&keywords=&min_length=&min_width=&county=&waterway=&mooring_use=2&postcode=&distance=&vacancy_type=2&sort_by=0&sort_type=asc&vsearch=Start+search

 

If you like the area I'd recommend Engineers Wharf as a good place for a newbie boater - on shore facilities are good and the neighbours are lovely! There are several people there who are really good with boat tech and would be happy to help you in your first few months.

 

The minimum lease is 6 months, so you can use that time to find another mooring if that's what you'd like, or to learn the ropes (and your boat) sufficiently to go CCing.

[magpie patrick]

Jennifer, I'm going to answer it from a different perspective - appraise your options but don't be too scientific about it. A year ago I decided I wanted to return to Frome which is hardly a seething metropolis but it was the right decision, I have found work and a happy life here. The important thing is not where you are but what you are open to and how receptive you are to good things happening (be prepared to turn away the dross - both work wise and romantically)

 

One big reason Frome worked for me was it is affordable, and with the weight of financial pressure off me the rest of life fell into place a lot more easily, when it comes to romance it helps not to be stressed to the eyeballs before you even start!

 

Statistically there are more jobs and more people in London therefore you might feel that the probabilities are better, it doesn't always work like that.