Which jobs go well with living aboard

[snappyfish]

Lots of interesting ideas here. I am very internet able, can set up web shops, understand cart software etc. Use eBay for business and personal accounts.

 

Like everyone though looking for something that has not been done is the real task ahead.

[Bettie Boo]

There's a gentleman on the GU that sells carved wooden figures he makes from wood he finds in and along side the cut

 

We've also come across a guy selling Vasp products, mostly the liquids & someone else that sells solar set ups and installs, a cruising welder, a couple of cruising engine machinist, a book shop & a couple of ice cream boats and a couple of cruising coffee shops, oh and another WB that does tatoo's & iron signs & then there was the woman we met last year that collects broken umbrellas and turns them into phone / tablet holders, she also designs & sells quilt patterns.

 

Point being, there are a fair few who have found a way to scratch out a living whilst living on a boat. I guess at the end of the day, it's comes down to where ever your talents lay and how much demand there is for either sharing your experience through teaching and or selling you product/service on.

 

To the best of my knowledge there isn't currently a pump out boat that covers north of 3 locks to Braunston, not sure if there would be enough call for it there or not, but other's seem to make a decent living doing it in other locations

Edited June 8, 2016 by Bettie Boo

[David Mack]

But how many of these floating business folk are earning a reasonable living? I suspect quite a few are making/selling things on more of a hobby basis to augment a pension or other income. Nothing wrong with that if you can make ends meet, but its not the same as a "proper" job.

[Bettie Boo]

But how many of these floating business folk are earning a reasonable living? I suspect quite a few are making/selling things on more of a hobby basis to augment a pension or other income. Nothing wrong with that if you can make ends meet, but its not the same as a "proper" job.

 

 

Ahhh, but there you have it. What you would consider a "reasonable living" might be way in excess of what someone else might consider it to be, or just as easy consider that amount to be completely downtrodden.

 

How much do YOU need to earn before you consider it to be a "proper" job?

 

It will be a different amount for each person or couple you meet living on a boat. Some will be on their own, some will be raising families, some will be trying to put a little away for their offspring's education and or inheritance, others won't have those needs. Some folk will need more to fund their entertainment needs. As in you'll more than likely to need a bit more in the bank if your someone who likes to go and weekly/monthly watch the football team you support than if your chosen pastime is spent bird watching or jogging. And on and on the differences go.

 

We currently live on about 55K less a year than when we were both working full time and living in a small terrace house. I can guarantee you we are both much happier and healthier now than we were 3 years ago. Has our life style & priorities changed? You can bet your bottom dollar they have - for the better IMO

 

Just because people can find ways of living without having the need for so much money, doesn't necessarily mean they aren't enjoying themselves as much as those earning "a reasonable amount" from a "proper" job.

 

Just saying

[magictime]

We currently live on about 55K less a year than when we were both working full time and living in a small terrace house. I can guarantee you we are both much happier and healthier now than we were 3 years ago. Has our life style & priorities changed? You can bet your bottom dollar they have - for the better IMO

 

Greenie awarded for making me feel it might actually be possible to go from a land-based life on £40k+, to a frugal life on board where we scrape by on a few grand a year...

[Witchword]

I am a complete evangelical for the smaller life. I'd much rather have time to spend with my daughter, than money to spend on her.

 

I also find that doing work you enjoy, rather than spending five or more days a week feeling you're in hell, is worth several thousand pounds a year.

 

If you were self-employed working from home, would you technically need a commercial boat licence? Or would that only apply, like insurance for a house, if you actually had an office or shop there? I mean, the people mentioned above, the translator for example, would they need a commercial licence?

Edited June 9, 2016 by Witchword

[KevMc]

We currently live on about 55K less a year than when we were both working full time and living in a small terrace house. I can guarantee you we are both much happier and healthier now than we were 3 years ago. Has our life style & priorities changed? You can bet your bottom dollar they have - for the better IMO

 

Just because people can find ways of living without having the need for so much money, doesn't necessarily mean they aren't enjoying themselves as much as those earning "a reasonable amount" from a "proper" job.

 

Am I jealous ?

 

You can bet your bottom dollar I am .... so new year resolution .... make the break !!!

 

Now all I need to do is decide which New Year to do it in

[Lady Muck]

But how many of these floating business folk are earning a reasonable living? I suspect quite a few are making/selling things on more of a hobby basis to augment a pension or other income. Nothing wrong with that if you can make ends meet, but its not the same as a "proper" job.

We both do the same jobs we did when we were on land - shoe designer and web designer. We're not exactly rich but we don't need to claim benefits either and we can afford to pay for a mooring (for now anyway - its going up, lots) and run a car. Most of my clients are abroad, I've never met some of them. It can be bizarre though. A job came in when we were at Cropredy last summer, daytimes at the laptop, evenings at the pub or having barbecues.

 

I have friends in similar fields of work who do jobs like this whilst travelling the world, we're the least adventurous.

 

So, if you have a land skill that is gonna work if you plan to travel it helps.

 

And I dont spend anywhere near as as much money as I did when I had a big fat salary as a design manager in central london, dont buy expensive breakfasts and lunches out anymore, or takeaways because Im too tired to cook, or need a wardrobe of fancy clothes anymore, or pay hundreds a month to commute, I reckon each of us were spending £1k plus a month just to work in town.

 

Have been self employed since 2003, can't imagine ever going back to an office.

Edited June 9, 2016 by Lady Muck

[cuthound]

I spent 42 years working hard to afford a property in the southeast, frequently suffering 3 hour each way commutes to were I was working at the time (as a project manager I had to work all over London and the southeast and occasionally further).

 

When I retired, I was able to move to a much larger house in the midlands, next to a canal and buy a boat with the proceeds of selling my small house in the southeast.

 

Although I enjoyed my job, it was at times stressful and always challenging.

 

For the first time in my working life I am really enjoying life and wished I had been able to give up work much earlier.

 

If you can afford it, do it, you won't regret it.

 

Edited to add the last sentance.

Edited June 9, 2016 by cuthound