Living in a car or on a narrowboat

[stephec]

You would, unless you're well enough off that you wouldn't have to sell a house to buy a boat.

A decent one will set you back over £100k which is just the start of a pretty expensive way to live.

Hiring one for a couple weeks is definitely the way to go.

I like the look of a widebeam Dutch barge, some of them look like they've got the floor space of a bungalow, and cost nearly as much.

If I hired one for a holiday I'd definitely get a skewed idea of what life was like as I'd plan my route around the canal side pubs. 🍻😊

 

[Bonzothechippy]

Only time I’ve slept in the car is when I’ve had a few to many beers and thought I’d put the tent up later🥴
On a serious note, we have a massive affordable housing problem (lack off) around Surrey, some of the rivers are now packed with people in narrow boats or similar . One or two have been well maintained but others are in terrible condition and a few half sunk.
Seems some dreams turn to nightmares.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

I always liked the idea of a narrowboat
I did have an idea when I was in my 20s, of buying a narrowboat and mooring it wherever I could get an IT contract and working from there during the week
then coming home at weekends
Bastards where I worked kept promoting me and giving me pay rises so it never happened

But if I wasn;t married ete etc - and old - then I might consider it again
I don't think my wife would be overjoyed at the idea nowadays!

 

[Jameshow]

I've been watching a few videos of folk who live in their cars, vans etc. Not only dry land transport, but folk who live on narrowboats as well, but more about the cramped living they experience in their cars. I've never lived in a car, though I've slept in many of my cars over the years, sometimes for a few days on end. Most of those car sleeping experiences happened in my teens and 20's. I definitely couldn't do it these days in my mid 60's! Though I've seen videos of folk in the USA who've lost their homes due to job loss, divorce, family breakdown etc who are in their 60's even 70's and living in cars and vans. Most are decent set ups, with clothing items, cooking utensils etc neatly stored in their vehicles. Have you ever lived in a car and would you, could you live in a car, or on a narrowboat both all year round? 🤔


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlKbFMzOEEw



View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NgILOZxtac

Really loved the narrow boat diaries 👍

 

[tyred]

I think the novelty would soon wear off.

Years ago before I got into cycle touring, I did make the sort of tours I do on my bike by Peugeot 205.

I always said I'd just sleep in the car to save money, but when nightfall came, I always looked for B&B. I was lucky enough to be able to afford it and sleeping in a small car wasn't very appealing.

 

[Accy cyclist]

Then of course you have to already own or buy, even hire a Jack Russell if you're going to live on or hire a narrowboat! Those boats just seem to be missing something if they don't have happy, snappy, yappy JR on the front of the boat, yapping, snapping and snarling at other dogs on the canal towpaths, acting all cocky as they seem to know they can't be reached on that boat!

 

[stephec]

I've just remembered a bloke who, I wouldn't exactly say that I used to work with him, although he worked at the same place as me we had no professional interaction, and to be honest I'm quite happy with that as he was a bit of a knob.

He had a narrow boat that he was planning to retire with, but a couple of years before that his wife died.

He came back to work for a while and then must have had one of those, 'fark it, life's too short moments,' as he suddenly packed up and disappeared on the boat.

I'm quite happy with my own company but I can imagine it being a very lonely life if you're not, even though he was a dick hopefully he enjoyed himself for a while as I imagine he's no longer with us now.

 

[HLaB]

I quite often pass (or at least I did last year) a car in a layby on the Old A1 west of Peterborough with its window/ windscreen shades and I suspect that someone is sleeping in it. At the moment its the middle of nowhere so they'll get peace but 1000s of houses are due to be built next to the car.

 

[AndyRM]

Only time I’ve slept in the car is when I’ve had a few to many beers and thought I’d put the tent up later🥴
On a serious note, we have a massive affordable housing problem (lack off) around Surrey, some of the rivers are now packed with people in narrow boats or similar . One or two have been well maintained but others are in terrible condition and a few half sunk.
Seems some dreams turn to nightmares.

You need to know what you're doing with them for sure. Mine (well, ours) was in pretty decent nick, but we could never figure out how to get the heating to work properly, even with help, so it was pretty grim in autumn/winter.

 

[mikeIow]

Been on a couple of canal boat holidays in the past: loved them!
Guess it might get boring after a while, but pretty relaxing.
Only slept in my car once, near Edinburgh…..cold!
Did sleep in a camper in the States, & once with a gf in the back of a flat nose truck….

Pretty sure I could live on a canal boat for a while.
A car? Nope….
A campervan? A lot less space (than a canal boat), but I’d give it a shot!

 

[I like Skol]

I reckon if push came to shove, I could live in my car in reasonable comfort, for a while at least.

 

[Jotheboat]

My wife and I, lived on a narrowboat for 3 years and an old barge for 9 on the continent.
We did it for an adventure, not out of necessity.
Spring, summer and autumn we cruised, winter we laid up in a marina.
Winter is the time your boat needs to be properly geared up for living. Adequate heating, fresh water supply, toilet emptying, power supply etc etc.
Done properly, which is not necessarily cheap, its great. Done on a tight budget with a compromised set-up, it would be tough.
Never tried a car.

 

[Drago]

View attachment 762506

I reckon if push came to shove, I could live in my car in reasonable comfort, for a while at least.

My car is a campervan with night heater, running water, hob, grill, bed, off grill solar and battery...I could live in it well enough.

 

[AndyRM]

My wife and I, lived on a narrowboat for 3 years and an old barge for 9 on the continent.
We did it for an adventure, not out of necessity.
Spring, summer and autumn we cruised, winter we laid up in a marina.
Winter is the time your boat needs to be properly geared up for living. Adequate heating, fresh water supply, toilet emptying, power supply etc etc.
Done properly, which is not necessarily cheap, its great. Done on a tight budget with a compromised set-up, it would be tough.
Never tried a car.

A barge sounds lovely!

There have been a couple of boat builds on Grand Designs and from what I remember they didn't go well, largely because of hopelessly optimistic budgets (not uncommon on the show).

The Eco Barge was a particular disaster, which was abandoned, although I've read that someone then picked it up and spent a pile of money doing it properly.

 

[AndyRM]

View attachment 762490
Car or Narrow boat ?. Here’s someone who couldn’t decide.

I actually saw this once! Absolutely bonkers.

Feels to me like a feat of engineering capability over sanity.

And why would you use a Touran? There are a lot of low bridges out there which I don't think it would fit beneath.