I'm buying a boat part 32467243876

[BoatieBird]

Maybe when it's in dry dock?

That's usually when it's done. Our previous boat was called 'celtic dawn' when we got it. When we dry docked it we changed the name to 'salad days' as lots of people had told us that was what it had been called originally.

 

[Spion]

That's usually when it's done. Our previous boat was called 'celtic dawn' when we got it. When we dry docked it we changed the name to 'salad days' as lots of people had told us that was what it had been called originally.

So, how do costs work out for living on a canal boat? What do you have to account for - moorings, heat, fuel, maintenance? Anything else?

 

[BoatieBird]

So, how do costs work out for living on a canal boat? What do you have to account for - moorings, heat, fuel, maintenance? Anything else?

licence fee to British Waterways (ours is approx £600 a year for a 57' boat), insurance (you have to have 3rd party liability as a minimum).

It can be done really cheaply, especially if you don't have a mooring and can be bothered/have time to collect wood for heating/cooking. If you need to be in one place (i.e. for work) and you need a mooring then it's not necessarily the cheap option you might expect it to be.

 

[Spion]

licence fee to British Waterways (ours is approx £600 a year for a 57' boat), insurance (you have to have 3rd party liability as a minimum).

It can be done really cheaply, especially if you don't have a mooring and can be bothered/have time to collect wood for heating/cooking. If you need to be in one place (i.e. for work) and you need a mooring then it's not necessarily the cheap option you might expect it to be.

What do mooring fees cost? I'd never expect to be in a big city with it, and certainly not London

 

[sim667]

can u have t'internet and phone and stuff onboard?

Obviously a mobile and a 3g dongle would do, but its not the fastest of options.

 

[BoatieBird]

What do mooring fees cost? I'd never expect to be in a big city with it, and certainly not London

For narrowboats, our marina charges somewhere in the region of 60p per foot per week.

 

[pinkmonkey]

So, how do costs work out for living on a canal boat? What do you have to account for - moorings, heat, fuel, maintenance? Anything else?

We pay £3k a year for the mooring, £700 a year license, 2 bags of coal a week in winter for £9.50 a bag. £22 a gas bottle every 8 to 12 weeks. We are on the move this summer, spent about £100 on diesel and £50 on petrol for the genny in two months. £500 a year insurance (including 3rd party, vessel, contents and pushbikes and genny). Maintenance? Have had to get the engineer out a few times and had some repairs and a few bits n' bobs fitted, say £500 a year. We do our own engine servicing but the oil and fuel filters are specialist type and dearer than the car equivalents. £18 for a drive belt, cannot get one to fit from Halfords - I've tried! Also the boat has to come out for reblacking soon, say £500 every two or three years. We've our boat safety certificate next year, that can be quite expensive if there is lots of work they want doing in order to pass.

It's costing us about the same that it did to rent two rooms in a shared house in Zone 4 of London with all the associated bills.

It is only cheap if you rough it a bit. I know plenty of boaters who head up the River Stort in the Autumn to collect wood so they can avoid buying coal. We have a shed full of new wood that is seasoning in time for our return in the Autumn.

 

[pinkmonkey]

can u have t'internet and phone and stuff onboard?

Obviously a mobile and a 3g dongle would do, but its not the fastest of options.

Have managed to run a business from the boat using only a 3g dongle and a blackberry for the last three years, it's fast enough, I use skype to call people all the time. You ca get a skype 'landline' if you need one.

 

[Spion]

For narrowboats, our marina charges somewhere in the region of 60p per foot per week.

So, about £1700/year. Where in the country are you

We pay £3k a year for the mooring,

Same question

I'm trying to get an idea of what the cost of moorings is in different places.

It's likely we'd want to moor rural Lancs/Yorks and Wiltshire

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Here's a picture of b/f's sister's husband's boat (built 1895)

and it's history

http://heritageboatassociation.ie/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=125&Itemid=64

 

[Strumpet]

WOW fractionMan! That's fukn cool
I'd love to live on one.....guests welcome eh?

 

[fractionMan]

That's usually when it's done. Our previous boat was called 'celtic dawn' when we got it. When we dry docked it we changed the name to 'salad days' as lots of people had told us that was what it had been called originally.

Was that the one in bristol?

If so it's up for sale again.

http://houseboats.apolloduck.co.uk/feature.phtml?id=86637

 

[pinkmonkey]

So, about £1700/year. Where in the country are you

Same question

I'm trying to get an idea of what the cost of moorings is in different places.

It's likely we'd want to moor rural Lancs/Yorks and Wiltshire

Mines in London - its very cheap for London - going rate is usually about £6k

Main problem with moorings is availability - the wider the boat, the harder it is to find a mooring as most marinas cater for narrow and BW is trying to cut down online (bankside) moorings.

You can check out the auctions here...

https://mooringtenders.waterscape.com/search/search_vacancies.php?type=all

Useful info here http://www.waterscape.com/things-to-do/boating

 

[fractionMan]

So, about £1700/year. Where in the country are you

Same question

I'm trying to get an idea of what the cost of moorings is in different places.

It's likely we'd want to moor rural Lancs/Yorks and Wiltshire

It costs 1700 a year in bradford upon avon. More like 3k in saltford and over 2k in bath I believe.

That said, none of those have wide beam beths available and the waiting list for any that do exist is longer than your arm. + they cost more.

It's one of the reasons I went narrow in the end. In case I want a mooring in the future.

 

[fractionMan]

I'd love to do this.

With the cruising, can you just stop wherever for free or do you have to book in somewhere?

It's free (well, you need a BW cruising licence). You can stay in many places for 2 weeks at a time, but busy places have 24, 48 or 72 hour restrictions.

 

[fractionMan]

WOW fractionMan! That's fukn cool
I'd love to live on one.....guests welcome eh?

Guests that can show me how to drive the thing even more welcome!

 

[Boycey]

harold is feckin lovely lookin

click for hyowge pic of my mate's home to be wendyann2

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

No interest in the picture I put up of a boat that's over 100 years old

 

[pinkmonkey]

Guests that can show me how to drive the thing even more welcome!

Shame that we're in Cheshire right now, we plan to do the Kennet next summer.

 

[fractionMan]

No interest in the picture I put up of a boat that's over 100 years old

Def a cool boat

 

[fractionMan]

Fuck me.

I just put down the deposit. Oo er this is a bit weird.

I've never spent 44k before.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Def a cool boat

It's sunk a couple of times since he's had it though

He's a regular on boat rallies in Ireland

Maybe that's a way you can get to meet more boatey people. I'm sure they must have rallies here

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

I've never spent 44k before.

 

[ovaltina]

We pay £3k a year for the mooring.........<snip>........It's costing us about the same that it did to rent two rooms in a shared house in Zone 4 of London with all the associated bills.

Are you still near London?

 

[pinkmonkey]

The mooring is on Tottenham Marsh, not far from Tottenham Hale tube, but we are in Cheshire on our big long summer boat trip. ETA back in London, ummm October at some point?

 

[fractionMan]

Yeah, right at the top of my budget, but it is practically brand new. The cheapest new builds available are £1000 a foot and they're nowhere near as high specced as Harold. Apparently boats lose about 30% of value in the first couple of years then start to level out.

So bargain imo and I can always sell her for about the same as I bought her or at least 40k anyway.

 

[pinkmonkey]

Paid the same as us - it's better to get newer if you can as theres less repairs to be done.

A new one would be more like £90-£150k

 

[ovaltina]

It's free (well, you need a BW cruising licence). You can stay in many places for 2 weeks at a time, but busy places have 24, 48 or 72 hour restrictions.

That would be my dream lifestyle - if I could have a job that allows me to 'work' from home I could live on one of these boats and keep cruising around while tapping away on a laptop all day, instead of being stuck in the same smelly office.

It's something to aim for!

* bit of a wreck but within overdraft range: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BURLAND-27FT-...trkparms=65:12|66:2|39:1|72:1683|293:1|294:50

 

[fractionMan]

yup. I aimed for it and finally got there.

The banks will lend you 25k unsecured so you just have to find the difference. And I've seen perfectly good boats for 30k.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

So bargain imo and I can always sell her for about the same as I bought her or at least 40k anyway.

Guests that can show me how to drive the thing even more welcome!

Assuming you don't sink her first