Life on a narrowboat! gimme the truth please!?

Question

am close to paying the deposit & going ahead with the build & purchase of a 50 footer.would appreciate some honest feedback from current liveaboards on any pitfalls.

Answer 1

Have you a residential mooring ?

You should secure this before you sign up for a boat. They are very few and far between and BW has started a clamp down on illiegal "continuous cruisers" and live aboards.

Most marinas do not even bother with waiting lists anymore, such si the demand for residential moorings. And bW only had ONE on the network, it was on the LEEDS and LIVERPOOL when i asked in the summer ( for someone else, not me ), and even they said "its vacent for a reason...."

You will look forward to the quiet season, many of the canals are too busy these days.

boats are warm and cosy in the winter.

you probably know the rest ( costs, practicalities about electric, water, waste , parking a car etc )

Answer 2

I don't live aboard now but I used to. Are you going to cruise, or are you getting permanent  moorings? The length of your boat is the same as mine was, and you should manage fine. With you getting it built to order you at least will have a lot of input on your layout etc. I had mine built, but before i finalised the interior I went round many marinas with boats for sale, and cherry picked them for ideas. You will find that most boaters are more than happy to give you advice. Hope all goes well with you.

Answer 3

well good luck,do try and get a permanent mooring with your puchace,as this is the hardest thing to do,I personally would have gone for a wide beam,10'6'' rather than narrowbeam 6'10'',as you not only get more living space,but more choice on funiture layout,but this would limit you as to where you can go on UK rivers.

I am in the process of buying a dutch barge to live on,but also for cruising Europe,if you do go narrowbeam,they say  a maximum of 57'  if you want to tour everywhere in UK.

You would normally take it out of the water for cleaning every two years,and any rust repairs to anodes,and then reblacking the hull.would be nice to see how you get on

good luck

Answer 4

Doh!!...I was really interested to see some answers, we're in a similar position.

Boats are great, and would have another one like a shot given the right circumstances and time...looked at narrow boat builders and came close to signing ...business got in the way.

Our conclusions were: 58 footer ticked all the boxes, Tagus was the design by "Merlin" good quality build and price to match mooring somewhere in the midlands.

Let me know what you decide and I would also be interested in any answers to your question from those...living the dream :)

Answer 5

I have spent over 4 years of my life living on a boat. Just moved off my last one and am back "on the hill". My last was a 44 ft aft cabin motoryacht with a 14 ft beam and was on her for 2 1/2 years. Didn't really do a lot of cruising after I moved aboard as you  have to square away all moveable items prior to cast-off. I have to admit that she started to close in on me at the end and it started feeling a bit tight. I am in a 4 season environment (North Carolina) and had to shift clothing to  remote storage each season. I had a nice galley, queen sized berth in the aft cabin, 2 guest cabins and 2 heads w/showers. The main salon was spacious with a love seat, 2 chairs, 20" tv and a Bose stereo. The aft deck was spacious for entertaining and provided the most beautiful back yard I've ever had. I'm not sure what a "narrowboat" is but am assuming it is one of those that negotiates the canals of the Uk and other parts of Europe. In any event, a boat requires a lot of regular maintenance as there a lot of systems including pumps, plumbing, HVAC, steering, propulsion, electronics, AC/DC electrical, brightwork, paint, lubrication, waste, leaks, etc. So, be prepared for this! One general rule: "Everything in its place and a place for everything!" If you don't really need it or use it that often, get rid of it as space will be at a premium. You'll be very surprised at the stuff you have that you will completely forget about and realize you don't need. Good luck to you in your new venture. I hope it will be as pleasureable for you as it has been for me. Only a select few of us get to do this you realize!

Answer 6

Had a 40 footer for a few years for weekends and holidays and knew loads of people who lived aboard., and whilst I loved every minute aboard after about 3 weeks enjoyed going home.

The main point was that you would have a complete home in a 50 foot tube. Living, cooking,bathroom and bedroom, although they are partitioned off and if you need some quiet space, it`s somewhat limited.You can always go on deck, either stern or bow of course, weather permitting.

Unless you are having a good electrical system to run such items, you have to think of the laundry and drying clothes.

With a 50 footer you will probably have pump out for the loo, when this is getting ready to be done you can detect a bit of pong.

During wet weather, you are directly off the towpath into the boat, so you have to think of that.

You would need good moorings with hook up and water supply.

Rubbish disposal is another thought.

Distance of your boat from the access point.

All in all if you are a person/ couple who can live closely together and don`t mind not having the everyday space of a conventional home it could be ideal.

There is a contributor on Q&A called The Happy Murcia who has lived on a narrowboat for years, if you can e mail him I`m sure he will give you a true picture of living your dream.

I wish you the very best of luck.