Best automobile for a liveaboard

[fergyguy]

Jim batty that's exactly what I ment....brilliant if it's possible on a nb then a wb should be simple enough? I will let my builder see this when I'm trying to explain what I want him to do. Thanks

[Keeping Up]

Oh, how splendid. Is this dynamic duo still to be seen on the waterways? I wonder what make the boat is - it doesn't appear to be a Springer.

Sadly I doubt it. I took that photo in the early 1970's near Leighton Buzzard, my first sight of them was the surrealistic vision of the Robin rising in Town Lock followed by the boat. Not sure what type of boat it was, definitely not a Springer.

 

Around then the Reliant factory was next to Glascote locks. There always seemed to be car wheels floating I'm the canal there, we used to reckon they came in sets of 4 and threw the spare one from each car into the cut.

[rasputin]

Obviously it has to be a Reliant Robin, towed on a platform that can turn to allow the car to drive straight on to the towpath - like this:

 

 

 

That is a Reliant Regal, not a Robin

[roland elsdon]

Hire car. Hire van. No questions re insurance no tax no maintance. Available on line delivered to boat or collected by bike. Just booked a weeks use £ 68 plus a bit on top as we return to a different base. Actually cheaper to do 1 days hire daventry to Heathrow than go on the train when we leave the uk to return to work overseas every year.

[Athy]

Sadly I doubt it. I took that photo in the early 1970's near Leighton Buzzard, my first sight of them was the surrealistic vision of the Robin rising in Town Lock followed by the boat. Not sure what type of boat it was, definitely not a Springer.

 

Around then the Reliant factory was next to Glascote locks. There always seemed to be car wheels floating I'm the canal there, we used to reckon they came in sets of 4 and threw the spare one from each car into the cut.

 

 

That is a Reliant Regal, not a Robin

It's just the right weather for wearing an anorak. Well spotted!

[peterboat]

Renault Twizy fits on the front of my widebeam when modded can be charged on the move only weighs 450 kilos and can carry a couple of bags of coal!! What more could your heart desire

Edited April 27, 2016 by peterboat

[fergyguy]

Nice one peterboat having seen the vehicle in question we can not wait to see you put you engineering skills to the test producing the platform on your boat to house her...cracking idea.

[Keeping Up]

In Holland once we followed a boat that had a small Mercedes saloon on the roof. They also had a small crane whose cables were attached to the car on each wheel. As they passed through a small lift bridge the wife and 2 kids leapt ashore from near the bows, then the husband swung the winch out sideways to place the car on the road. The wife unhooked the two front-wheel cables and the kids unhooked one rear wheel each, then they got in to drive away while the husband swung the crane back in and carried on up the canal. The amazing thing was that the boat never slowed down from about 3 mph.

[fergyguy]

Hey keeping up don't be telling peterboat that you will have him up all night designing a quick release system to get his car on the towpath now....

[peterboat]

Spring loaded catapult maybe steam driven oohhh

[bargemast]

In Holland once we followed a boat that had a small Mercedes saloon on the roof. They also had a small crane whose cables were attached to the car on each wheel. As they passed through a small lift bridge the wife and 2 kids leapt ashore from near the bows, then the husband swung the winch out sideways to place the car on the road. The wife unhooked the two front-wheel cables and the kids unhooked one rear wheel each, then they got in to drive away while the husband swung the crane back in and carried on up the canal. The amazing thing was that the boat never slowed down from about 3 mph.

 

Hi Allan, it's quite amazing to see people that are very experienced with the use of their car-crane picking up, or putting their car ashore.

 

I don't know how far you were behind them while following, but the barge must have stopped (very briefly) to enable the team (kids and wife) to unhook the wheels, as it's impossible otherwise simply because as soon as a wheel touches the ground while the barge is still moving (even at only 3 mph) the wheel will turn and is impossible to unhook.

 

I've done this procedure many times and know what is involved.

 

http://www.trossen.nl/autohijsband_ce_34.aspx

 

Peter.

Edited April 28, 2016 by bargemast

[chris667]

They're getting on a bit, but I really rate the humble Vauxhall Agila.

 

Mine is on its last legs really, but has been a pleasure to own. You can carry an astonishing amount of crap in one.

[Keeping Up]

Hi Allan, it's quite amazing to see people that are very experienced with the use of their car-crane picking up, or putting their car ashore.

 

I don't know how far you were behind them while following, but the barge must have stopped (very briefly) to enable the team (kids and wife) to unhook the wheels, as it's impossible otherwise simply because as soon as a wheel touches the ground while the barge is still moving (even at only 3 mph) the wheel will turn and is impossible to unhook.

 

I've done this procedure many times and know what is involved.

 

http://www.trossen.nl/autohijsband_ce_34.aspx

 

Peter.

Only just spotted this reply, sorry. We were quite close behind them, and it appeared to us that they put the car down facing along the road, ie at right angles to the boat, so that it didn't roll along at all, and kept the crane swinging around as well as paying out the line so that the boat didn't have to stop. But it may have been an illusion caused by our amazement that they did it at all.

[carlt]

Stop! Think! What is the biggest load that I am likely to want to shift? Tailor decision around that.

 

 

Though for day to day shifting I found a SWB land rover to be ideal for ccing.

Edited May 29, 2016 by carlt

[larkshall]

Mk2 jag, currently an Overfinch

[canals are us?]

For me I own and use a 1989 240 GLT auto estate. It's a great reliable car and so roomy! Very easy to service and very reliable with K jetronic fuel injection. A bit heavy on petrol but cheap to buy 6 years ago at £350.00. Now on 225,000 miles so run in.

 

The 240 seems to be going up in price so look for a 940.

 

James

[Peter-Bullfinch]

Fiat Doblo. Rear huge hatch is a splendid weather canopy. Two sliding side doors. You can fit nine empty pallets in it. Cheap, frugal and reliable but a bit slow and steady.

[RichM]

 

 

Though for day to day shifting I found a SWB land rover to be ideal for ccing.

 

Do you mean a Land Rover Defender 90? I love those and have always wanted one. I owned a Discovery 2 TD5 at one point and was a member of a Land Rover forum. There were frequent posts reporting Defender's being stolen due to being easy to break into. Because of this, I figured it wouldn't be suitable for my liveaboard lifestyle. I guess you've not encountered any problems in this regard?

[carlt]

 

Do you mean a Land Rover Defender 90?

I cced with a 1969 series 2a 88" and a 1958 S2 109" because I couldn't afford a Defender.

 

Now I'm looking at buying a 110" Defender because I can't afford an S2.

[RichM]

I cced with a 1969 series 2a 88" and a 1958 S2 109" because I couldn't afford a Defender.

 

Now I'm looking at buying a 110" Defender because I can't afford an S2.

 

What would you do in regards to security though? They are ridiculously easy to steal by no exaggeration. They are lucrative in parts and due to their simple construction, they can be stripped down by amateurs with ease.

 

If you look on the Land Rover equivalent of Canalworld, you will see weekly reports of them being stolen and my guess is they would be more at risk parked up near the canal side somewhere.

 

https://www.landyzone.co.uk/forum/stolen-land-rovers.43/

 

If it wasn't for this I'd buy one tomorrow.

Edited June 5, 2016 by Armitage Shanks

[carlt]

What would you do in regards to security though?

 

To be honest I've never really thought about it.

 

I never bothered locking the doors as they tend to be one key fits all but I did hide an immobiliser switch so nobody could take the whole thing.

 

someone once got in the 109" and stole a bin bag full of dirty washing which was quite funny.

[DrJohn]

For me I own and use a 1989 240 GLT auto estate. It's a great reliable car and so roomy! Very easy to service and very reliable with K jetronic fuel injection. A bit heavy on petrol but cheap to buy 6 years ago at £350.00. Now on 225,000 miles so run in.

 

The 240 seems to be going up in price so look for a 940.

 

James

What about a V40- there's loads of 'em around...?

[eye high skipper]

I got chatting to a liveaboard a couple of weeks ago, while on a canal walk 10 miles from where I live. He was mooring for the night and was going to cycle to pick his car. By coincidence he was parked yards from where I live so I gave him a lift to his car. This got me thinking about what would be the best sort of vehicle to have while being a NB liveaboard. What about a van that's big enough to live in? If you wanted to moor/store the boat and spend a couple of winter months driving down to Southern Europe. There are lots of things you could move from boat to van and back, depending which you are using at the time.

[Rickent]

It's just the right weather for wearing an anorak. Well spotted!

 

 

It's actually a Reliant Regal supervan.