Live aboarders

[Rickent]

We have lived aboard since last may and love it. We have a mooring but are not in a marina, i wouldnt want to live that close to any one again.

[Ally]

11 years liveaboard

[Odana]

15 years so far and still get excited seeing my home on the towpath. 12 years in one mooring.

Couldn't imagine living any other way than afloat!

[cereal tiller]

27th year this year and still our first choice for living. We found the first twenty years the hardest We have at times owned houses as well but usualy lived on the boat with ocasional visits/ holidays to the house. We ended up not using the house enough so binned it in 2007. We are concerned about when we get old as my mum who visits us now struggles with the locks but has no problem getting on and off the boat etc...........mum is 95.

 

Tim

Pah, Newbies.!

 

43 years on May fifth 2016.

 

CT

Edited January 20, 2016 by cereal tiller

[bargemast]

44 years of almost 365/24hours/day with an occasional 14 days holiday of the boat.

Never had a house or appartment so far and don't think that that is likely to happen in a hurry.

If health and funds permit it, I may convert a van to do some stealth camping while travelling to places that I can't (reasonably) go to by boat.

 

Peter.

[Ange]

We moved aboard in June 2009, telling friends and family it was for two or three years. Now coming up for 7

[dogless]

Pah, Newbies.!

 

43 years on May fifth 2016.

 

CT

44 years of almost 365/24hours/day with an occasional 14 days holiday of the boat.

 

Peter.

Looks like you two win hands down ! To stay onboard that long I'm going to have to be well into my nineties.

 

Having said that, we enjoy the boat as much today as we did when new to it. Actually more now. We've encountered and usually overcome the many obstacles and pitfalls. You start to take things more in your stride as time goes by.

 

May we all enjoy many more healthy happy years of boating, however we do it.

Cue a drink

Rog

[Sabcat]

15 years aboard, got a camper van for holidays as well which doubles as a guest bedroom.

[blackrose]

Coming up for 14 years. I have a mooring and don't do much cruising compared to others (re. OP), but I'm not sure what that's got to do with anything? I work in one place and CCing wouldn't really be possible. Having a mooring doesn't mean one has given up living aboard. CCing and living aboard are two different things.

Edited January 20, 2016 by blackrose

[lexicon]

3 months aboard and loving it so far , was always what we wanted to do so dont see us going back on land , I never felt right in a house to be honest must have been a sailor in a previous life .

 

 

FYI there is a liveaboard couple on marina near us she is 101 and he is 98 .. still going strong although they dont cruise anymore and are frail , everyone keeps an eye on them

Hoping that is near Aylesbury?

[metanoia]

Coming up for 14 years. I have a mooring and don't do much cruising compared to others (re. OP), but I'm not sure what that's got to do with anything? I work in one place and CCing wouldn't really be possible. Having a mooring doesn't mean one has given up living aboard. CCing and living aboard are two different things.

I thought living aboard and spending some time on a boat but going back to a house for days/weeks/months were two different things too?

 

Doesn't being a liveaboard mean it's your home (i.e. you live on it as opposed to stay on it) - whatever you choose to do with it?

Edited January 21, 2016 by metanoia

[Drayke]

10 Years in March, hopefully lots of cruising this year. Loving it.

[nbfiresprite]

Looks that I take the 'bronze' with 31 years.

[dogless]

Coming up for 14 years. I have a mooring and don't do much cruising compared to others (re. OP), but I'm not sure what that's got to do with anything? I work in one place and CCing wouldn't really be possible. Having a mooring doesn't mean one has given up living aboard. CCing and living aboard are two different things.

I did say live aboard either cruising or on a mooring, full or part time. We've all been bitten by the same bug in different forms.

I don't see it in any hierarchical scale.

Just idle curiosity on a quiet icey mooring.

From all the answers so far it would appear there is little hope for a cure from the boaty bug.

Rog

[Dave_P]

5 years here. Split my time between my mooring and cruising. I'm heading off on Saturday and don't expect to return until after Easter.

[blackrose]

I thought living aboard and spending some time on a boat but going back to a house for days/weeks/months were two different things too?

 

Doesn't being a liveaboard mean it's your home (i.e. you live on it as opposed to stay on it) - whatever you choose to do with it?

Yes, I think living aboard means it's your permanent home all year round, not that you go back to a house when it suits.

[blackrose]

I did say live aboard either cruising or on a mooring, full or part time. We've all been bitten by the same bug in different forms.

I don't see it in any hierarchical scale.

I didn't see the bit where you said either cruising or on a mooring in your original post? it just came across that you thought those with moorings were losing interest. Perhaps just the way I'm reading it.

 

"Over the years we have met a number of live aboards who seem to sell up and move on to other things after 2 to 4 years. We've also noticed that a number take a mooring, and then subsequently do very little cruising. We'd assumed our interest would wane, and by now we'd have moved on."

Edited January 21, 2016 by blackrose

[comfortably numb]

We're just coming up to 3 years. We bought an older boat so managed to keep the house in case we didn't take to life afloat. We rent it out and the income has helped allow us to retire early. We love life afloat so much I can't see us ever going back to live there.

 

We're marina based because the wife likes to have a base, but we do go out for weeks and sometimes months on end. I'd love to CC all year round but the misses doesn't so I can't see this happening.

[Dekazer]

Nearly seven years for us.

 

As young (ish) boaters, I'm increasingly feeling the pressure to buy some bricks, so this year or next may see us moving onto land. However, we are consoling ourselves with the idea that in a couple of years' time we can rent out the landhouse and move back onto the water. I don't think the waterways will have seen the back of us!!

[bargemast]

Coming up for 14 years. I have a mooring and don't do much cruising compared to others (re. OP), but I'm not sure what that's got to do with anything? I work in one place and CCing wouldn't really be possible. Having a mooring doesn't mean one has given up living aboard. CCing and living aboard are two different things.

I have a home mooring too on a riverbank, nice and quiet, no shore power and water connections.I haven't had the chance to do much cruising for the last couple of years, mainly due to health and money problems, hope to be able to do some more this year.The many years onboard in my case are because it was my living, and because I don't like bricks and morter, this isn't likely to changePeter. Edited January 21, 2016 by bargemast

[blackrose]

Nearly seven years for us.

 

As young (ish) boaters, I'm increasingly feeling the pressure to buy some bricks, so this year or next may see us moving onto land. However, we are consoling ourselves with the idea that in a couple of years' time we can rent out the landhouse and move back onto the water. I don't think the waterways will have seen the back of us!!

 

People in this country don't feel secure unless they own (land-based) property. It's so ingrained in the culture. I suffer from it too sometimes and am filled with regrets for not buying property years ago when I could afford it. However, I think security is one of those elusive things that a Buddhist monk might tell us is unattainable, and I think a mortgage is probably just another route to more worry. Anyway, I'm sure when I'm on my deathbed property ownership won't be one of the things I'm thinking about...

Edited January 21, 2016 by blackrose

[hilaryb]

So how many of you live aboard as single boaters?? And down south?

[StarUKKiwi]

Third year - currently stuck in one place as I was admitted to hospital with renal failure and now waiting for further treatment. This would be OK if you could get hold of said enforcement officer for this area

[MtB]

Third year - currently stuck in one place as I was admitted to hospital with renal failure and now waiting for further treatment. This would be OK if you could get hold of said enforcement officer for this area

 

 

Oh blimey that's bad news. Wish you a speedy recovery, assuming that's a possible outcome.

 

I'd be inclined to get in touch with CRT in writing if I were you. Phone calls are not worth the paper they are written on. Email is as good as snailmail, then you have a durable record you've told them what's going on.

[DaveP]

So how many of you live aboard as single boaters?? And down south?

Single-handed for the 8 years, 3 down south on the Oxford, 5 up here where the dragons are...