Houseboat Living
- Thread starter gary r
- Start date
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Drago
Legendary Member
- Location
- Suburban Poshshire
I've a friend who owns one. Takes some heating the winter, but he loves it.
Dave 123
Legendary Member
- Location
- Cambridgeshire alps
The ones on the river Cam in Cambridge are in a never ending stand off/war with the powers that be (or don’t be).
Personally I think they add a bit of life to a canalised river.
Personally I think they add a bit of life to a canalised river.
ColinJ
Puzzle game procrastinator!
- Location
- Todmorden - Yorks/Lancs border
I saw a report on the news recently about a riverside community. (I think it was somewhere on the Thames?) The residents had been there for years and loved it, but were starting to have problems with the council who were apparently finding reasons not to renew the mooring rights on the grounds of 'health and safety'. (Not having had houseboats inspected often enough, that kind of thing.) The owners of the boats suspected that the council wanted rid of them to allow them to get on with swanky new prestige riverside developments. A lot of the dwellings were not really very mobile so could not be towed elsewhere. As one owner put it - a boat that you can't moor and can't move is worthless, so they would not only lose their home, they would lose nearly all the money that they had invested too.
It looked like a nice lifestyle, but I wouldn't like somebody being able to do that to me!
It looked like a nice lifestyle, but I wouldn't like somebody being able to do that to me!
Have two friends who live on them and I hire barges regularly, had one out on Saturday, Skipton to Gargrave from Pennine Cruisers, be sure to holiday in one.
GRP cruisers can provide more economical space with mooring charged by length.
Narrowboats hold value better.
Widebeams can't utilise all the network.
All are depreciating assets.
Insulated properly, none should be difficult to heat.
Cheap living if you are a continuous cruiser.
My friends both bought theirs after marriage splits, it was a boat, a caravan or mortaging at 50+ for a tiddly terrace. Both love the boat life and live near the 5 rise locks at Bingley, permantly moored. I visit often and think it's like living in a corridor, narrowboats send me bonkers on a day trip, where would I put all my shoes? Never mind bikes!
I could live on widebeam though and MrsF and I have done a lot of costing for a marina mooring near to Leeds centre but we wouldn't expect to have significantly reduced living costs, if any at all.
GRP cruisers can provide more economical space with mooring charged by length.
Narrowboats hold value better.
Widebeams can't utilise all the network.
All are depreciating assets.
Insulated properly, none should be difficult to heat.
Cheap living if you are a continuous cruiser.
My friends both bought theirs after marriage splits, it was a boat, a caravan or mortaging at 50+ for a tiddly terrace. Both love the boat life and live near the 5 rise locks at Bingley, permantly moored. I visit often and think it's like living in a corridor, narrowboats send me bonkers on a day trip, where would I put all my shoes? Never mind bikes!
I could live on widebeam though and MrsF and I have done a lot of costing for a marina mooring near to Leeds centre but we wouldn't expect to have significantly reduced living costs, if any at all.
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Pumpkin the robot
Guru
My girlfriend's brother has been living on one for about 10 years now. He has a wide beam, a little wider then a normal house boat, but you cannot use all the canals with it.l There is very little room for more than one person on the boat, but there are couples that live on them and have pets, but it must be very cramped!
It's very cold, especially in the winter. I made him a wood burning stove and he has that on the go all through winter with a long burning coal so that it is warm when he gets in from work.
The best part for him seems to be the social side of things. He is on a small mooring and it is a very close knit communityl
It's very cold, especially in the winter. I made him a wood burning stove and he has that on the go all through winter with a long burning coal so that it is warm when he gets in from work.
The best part for him seems to be the social side of things. He is on a small mooring and it is a very close knit communityl
Build your own, a guy near Leeds has, it's on a pontoon and literally made from junk, washing machine doors for windows etc He offers yogo sessions for office workers early morning, lot of creative folk on the Yorkshire side of the canal, it's very nice.
Edit:- Like a lot of folk, he seems to be abusing the mooring facilities, I get used to the boats as I am cycling on it so often. I think it is a 2 week maximum stay, but he's been there all summer, he was in Saltaire for months before that.
Edit:- Like a lot of folk, he seems to be abusing the mooring facilities, I get used to the boats as I am cycling on it so often. I think it is a 2 week maximum stay, but he's been there all summer, he was in Saltaire for months before that.
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Its a nice idea and boats are fun ( i have one on the Thames and one on the driveway ) Would i live on one , not unless i had no where else to go ! I have loads of mates that liveaboard but its not for me , i can do about four days on board then i want to go home .
Cycleops
Legendary Member
- Location
- Accra, Ghana
Never lived on one but had many narrow boat holidays.
I would love to try especially at my time of life. I imagine you would need to be a minimalist for obvious reasons. Just you or you and a partner would be ideal. You need to be aware about mooring rights and any ongoing mechanical costs and maintenance but apart from that it should be a viable alternative to a rented flat or house.
I should try it for several weeks if you can and see how you like it.
I would love to try especially at my time of life. I imagine you would need to be a minimalist for obvious reasons. Just you or you and a partner would be ideal. You need to be aware about mooring rights and any ongoing mechanical costs and maintenance but apart from that it should be a viable alternative to a rented flat or house.
I should try it for several weeks if you can and see how you like it.
snorri
Legendary Member
- Location
- East coast, up a bit.
I think it's tenure of the mooring that would put me off the idea, I wouldn't be happy living in the fear of a 'move along now' letter arriving.
I am not sure that's an issue, there are plenty of marinas (in competition) and you pay for a week, a month, a quarter or a year, people live happily on them permanently, and unlike with a caravan, it's easy to just move off to another location should you wish. Looking at a boat in a good marina to save you money v a small house or apartment is a waste of time IMO, you've got to be continuously cruising to enjoy a cheap way of the good life.
Grant Fondo
Guru
- Location
- Cheshire
Richard Branson started out in one, but suspect the novelty wore off. I used to spend a week on my boat which was ok then happy to get back to the house. Great fun but when you are 6ft 4 ......
accountantpete
OAP
I have two friends who made the plunge into owning a narrowboat on the local canal. The lifestyle and social aspects were great but ultimately unexpected health problems arose which necessitated a move back into housing - and with house prices having risen considerably it was a move into council housing in less desirable environs.
