Considering Living On A Boat

[Time2Change]

Hello ... I am considering buying a canal boat as permanent and all year round accommodation. Being a total novice about boats I would appreciate any advice on" ... size, shold i buy privately, should i have a survey, etc etc. I am a single male, know one end of a hammer from the other, self sufficient, but with no experience of boats.

 

Thanks for any help.

[bigste]

Where are you going to base the boat. If London you are in for some colourful reading.

[DeanS]

Welcome. Your location says France. Are you planning on moving onto the UK waterways?

[Laurie Booth]

I'd stick to French waterways, Canal de Midi comes to mind.

[Phil Ambrose]

Hi T2C, as Dean said, welcome. Survey? yes, it will save you a lot of possible grief. Size? well that will depend on you, have a look round boats if various lengths and judge for yourself how much space you would be happy living in, for me if I were single my choice would be minimum 40 feet this would give you a separate bedroom, a decent size saloon and an adequate bathroom and galley.

Familiarise your self with the various types of boat, Trad stern, Semi Trad stern and Cruiser stern, each has its merits and drawbacks.

Good luck, Phil

[Naughty Cal]

I would advise that you go and see as many boats as possible. You will then get a feel for what you like and what you don't. I wouldn't restrict your viewings to boats of a certain size until you have looked at plenty and decide what you need and what you don't.

 

You will need to consider where you will keep the boat. Certain waterways have maximum dimensions which are smaller then the largest canal boats you can buy.

 

I would always recommend getting a survey. Any good surveyor will find faults which enable you to haggle on the price and at least get the price of the survey back. They could also potentially stop you ploughing your hard earned cash into a lemon.

[Paul's Nulife4-2]

Hi ya, and Welcome to the Forum,

 

As Phil and others have suggested, I think you need to get out there and look at boats, lots of boats.understanding what you can get for your available budget, then choose a cruising ground that suits your intended way of life.

start by doing yourself a little list starting with what YOU consider important must have or can't do without items, These can then be binned as you realize,,,,you can infact do without them !.

I would say that there are a cpl of things to consider when looking at boats, and that depends on how handy you are with a hammer, or how deep your pockets are.

Good luck

 

 

Sorry cross posted with NC, same things Coverd.

Edited June 24, 2015 by Paul's Nulife4-2

[Naughty Cal]

It also might be worth hiring a few boats to check that you actually get on with being on the water, it isn't to every ones taste.

 

There are several firms that also do winter hire so you can get a taster for what it is like in the cold and wet winter months.

[bottle]

Time2change

 

First, welcome.

 

Canalboat, covers a lot of sins, what type were you thinking of, what canals were you hoping to keep it on.

 

Otherwise as above.

[pquinn]

If you are staying in France you should consider a wide beam.

[Mac of Cygnet]

You may think this is the best place to come for a query like this, but actually it isn't. It's great for specific questions and problems, and if you Google 'Living on a boat' (as I have just done), and digest all you find there, then come back in a month with your questions, I'm sure you will find lots of help.

[Steilsteven]

Hello ... I am considering buying a canal boat as permanent and all year round accommodation. Being a total novice about boats I would appreciate any advice on" ... size, shold i buy privately, should i have a survey, etc etc. I am a single male, know one end of a hammer from the other, self sufficient, but with no experience of boats.

 

Thanks for any help.

Don't do it, it's horrible!

 

Keith

[Time2Change]

Thanks for the replies .... I should have said that I intend staying in France but envisage summertime excursions northwards coming back south for the winter. I will google living on a canal boat as suggested .... I have wondered if a wide beam would be more cumbersome .... I have been downsizing for several years and at one stage thought of buying a large shed to live in ... (well the weather is a tad better over here!) ... I'm very minimalist by instinct and design, my cat would probably need more space than me! ... hiring first during the winter months sounds sensible but would require changing habits of alifetime! ... I'm sure I will be back soon with more dumb questions ... the 'Sea Shepherd' Captain who got me thinking about a canal boat gave a look of despair when I asked him which was the bow and which was the stern, but hey we all have to start somewhere ....

[bottle]

France is a whole new ball game, never been on their canals and really you need a specialist in French canals..

 

We do have one or two members that boat in France, hopefully they will pick up the thread.

 

ps. It has been said that a narrow-boat is not the ideal boat for over there but some do it.

[Phil Ambrose]

Hi T2C, ah so you intend staying in France, well that is a whole different ball game. For starters you will not have the same constraints of size that we do in England, that's a plus on the other hand you will find that you need to acquire some certification to comply with French rules and regs, suggest you Google CEVNI for a start. In England you simply pay for a licence and that's it however that is not the case in France, you have to sit an exam but the degree of certification is dependent on the length of your boat.

Don't worry about this side of things just yet, wait till you have your sights on a boat.

Phil

[Richard10002]

I spend 3 or 4 nights a week on a tube of steel about 33ft long, by 6ft6in wide, by about 6ft high. There is a bit of outdoor space at the front, although I have it covered by a cratch canopy, and there is an outdoor deck at the back about 8ft long.

 

I have to make sure that my batteries remain charged via the engine or generator, and that, when one gas bottle runs out, I go somewhere with it to change it, ready for when the other bottle runs out. When two of my toilet cassettes are full of "stuff", I take them somewhere to empty them, ready for when the third is full. My kitchen and bathroom are small, and the shower cubicle is cramped.

 

Compared to our house, the boat is inconvenient, awkward, and small....

 

But I love it and, if I didn't have a wife or a job, I would live on it, and travel the country, on a genuine continuous cruise. Boats have been a part of my life since before I could walk, (so I am told), both leisure, and work, so it's in my blood.

 

Most of my family, friends, and acquaintances, when they either hear my tale, or experience a day trip, or a couple of overnights, cannot understand what it is about this kind of life that I love.

 

So, if you are in the majority, I would expect you not to like long term life on a boat. Somehow, you need to discover whether you are in the minority, without committing yourself, if possible. It is a good start that you like small spaces.

 

Hiring costs a lot of money, but could be worth the investment. I was always able to find a friend with a boat who needed some crew to help, from time to time, so costs were generally only travel,food and drink.

 

Good luck, and be aware that it doesn't suit everyone.

Edited June 24, 2015 by Richard10002

[Time2Change]

THanks Richard for a very thought provoking insight into life on a boat especially your thoughts on "hiring" first which others have also suggested .... (if anyone needs a 'boat sitter' please let me know!)

[Mac of Cygnet]

Thanks for the replies .... I should have said that I intend staying in France

 

OK, then, Google 'living on a boat in France'. A whole lot of different results come up, because boating in France is very different from this country, although I have only hired in France.

[bargemast]

Hello Time 2 Change, if you're planning to stay in France and you are happy with a minimalist lifestyle, I have a pretty little (9m50) motor Tjalk for sale there.

 

It's a boat that's very easy to handle on your own, and economical to run with her 40 Hp Mercedes OM-636, she's quite basic which has an advantage because what you haven't got can't break down, and there's no substitute for simplicity.

 

With her cruising licence until dec 31th you can set of straight away.

 

If you're not too far away, you could always come an have a look, looking cost nothing apart from the cost of traveling to come over.

 

She is moored at Montargis in the department of the Loiret.

 

Cheers, Peter.

[Time2Change]

Hello Peter ... Can you send pics and info please ... I've done a quick Google and the images show a boat I could live with and you aren't too far away.

[bargemast]

Hello Peter ... Can you send pics and info please ... I've done a quick Google and the images show a boat I could live with and you aren't too far away.

 

I think that you need to have 5 postings before you can receive PM's, so after only writing something like O.K. I can do that.

 

Cheers, Peter.

[Time2Change]

OK!

[George94]

If you are staying in France you should consider a wide beam.

 

No, he should consider a proper barge.

[Guest]

Hello ... I am considering buying a canal boat as permanent and all year round accommodation. Being a total novice about boats I would appreciate any advice on" ... size, shold i buy privately, should i have a survey, etc etc. I am a single male, know one end of a hammer from the other, self sufficient, but with no experience of boats.

 

Thanks for any help.

 

Personally I have mixed feelings about 'full' survey's and whilst it is always a good idea to have at least a hull survey most things surveyors seem to pick up on could be picked up by any reasonably knowledgeable/experienced boater who knows what to look for. So if you don't know one it's worth becoming acquainted with one! - or to be more specific somebody knowledgeable about the type of boat you intend to buy.

Edited June 30, 2015 by MJG

[bargemast]

My lovely small Tjalk (9m50) didn't fit his wishes, as he wants to live on the boat all year around, he wants to find a boat with double glazing.

 

I may be wrong, but I don't think that many boats (specially the smaller ones 30' to 33') will have double glazing, and not even many bigger boats, after having read the topics with questions on this subject more than once in the past.

 

Peter.