List - what i think is needed

[grahoom]

Hello,

 

someone on another thread suggested i should compile a list of what i think is needed for a Narrowboat (ultimately in the long run i would want it a liveaboard)

 

so here are my initial thoughts - this is mostly focusing on fuel / energy consumption and water.

 

water :: so some sort of tank that would accommodate my water usage, and plumbing that would cope.

galley (sink)

bathroom :: shower / sink

 

electricity :: i could imagine using battery power for this so some sort of battery management system would be required

lighting

laptop / phone / tv / radio

fridge

 

heating ::

solid fuel stove

 

gas used to :: only two things i can think i'd need the gas for

heat water

cook on

 

// toilet (porta potti / possible composting)

 

a lot of the boats i've seen advertised seem to have most of what i think i need, my only real confusion is with the electrics. - but i am getting my head around that (from reading various threads on here).

 

i am a pretty simple living person, so i don't really need to many mod-cons.

 

the reason i am doing this is because i am very serious about buying a narrowboat, and i don't want to jump in with out doing my proper research

 

if anyone can think of anything else, then please let me know.

[bottle]

The basics that are required are the same as living anywhere, heat, light,waste disposal, food and water. (not necessarily in that order)

 

How sophisticated you want them is the question, most if not all narrowboats will have the above in some form or other.

 

Happy hunting.

[SoggyMoggies]

I'd consider more options for heating and hot water. You might find the solid fuel stove would struggle to heat the whole boat (depending on length), so you could consider a back boiler from the stove or some form of central heating. A calorifier would also give you hot water from the engine.

 

I think the most important thing about planning living aboard (particulrly if CCing) is flexibility e.g. providing mains electricity when there's no shore power, or at night when you can't run the engine. Also a stove with a back boiler might not be a good source of hot water in the middle of Summer. As Keith said, the basic requirements are pretty obvious, what

complicates things is providing a level of sophistication.

 

Tony

[honey ryder]

Hello,

 

someone on another thread suggested i should compile a list of what i think is needed for a Narrowboat (ultimately in the long run i would want it a liveaboard)

 

so here are my initial thoughts - this is mostly focusing on fuel / energy consumption and water.

 

water :: so some sort of tank that would accommodate my water usage, and plumbing that would cope.

galley (sink)

bathroom :: shower / sink

 

electricity :: i could imagine using battery power for this so some sort of battery management system would be required

lighting

laptop / phone / tv / radio

fridge

 

heating ::

solid fuel stove

 

gas used to :: only two things i can think i'd need the gas for

heat water

cook on

 

// toilet (porta potti / possible composting)

 

a lot of the boats i've seen advertised seem to have most of what i think i need, my only real confusion is with the electrics. - but i am getting my head around that (from reading various threads on here).

 

i am a pretty simple living person, so i don't really need to many mod-cons.

 

the reason i am doing this is because i am very serious about buying a narrowboat, and i don't want to jump in with out doing my proper research

 

if anyone can think of anything else, then please let me know.

 

most boats i looked at when shopping last year had two systems for electricity and heating.

 

so, imagine you have a gas boiler and a stove back boiler for the central heating, or you can heat your hot water tank via the engine or a gas boiler.. or a back boiler... each one can work without the other so you can choose the most appropriate method.

you can also have solar and wind power to charge your batteries with a generator back up. or you can have 240 volt power via your engine with a special added on generator alternator.

 

our boat has dual systems and i think we are covered for almost all eventualities, although we havent sorted our solar power out yet.

we have a solid fuel stove and it heats all the boat really well in winter, but it is a double door stove so its quite big.

we've got gas powered central heating too, that takes the chill off but wont keep the boat toastie and warm on really cold days.

the same gas boiler also heats our water.

 

I could go on and on.. and every boat is slightly different but they all seem to work for their owners.

 

making a list of what you want is fairly irrelevant because you will usually find when you look at boats that they have some of the system you want and some of another system you arent so keen on. plus your list can complicate things.

its a case of adapting to the boat or changing it over time to suit you better.

 

the best thing is to go and look around as many boats as you can. go to big brokers such as those around braunston on the grand union. this will give you a chance to see as many variables as possible and decide which you one you can live with easiest from there.

 

another thing to look for is storage.. useable storage. narrowboats can be shockingly bad in this area. especially ex hire boats, they consist of mainly beds and simple storage to accommodate a weeks worth of clothing at best. havng said that, narrowboats arent like real boats, ie you can put house furniture in them fairly easily, so you could gut one and then go for open plan with loose furniture.

 

toilets are always a good conversation point, discussing the merits of various systems is often a pub theme.