So You Want To Live Afloat?

[JennyMorgan]

http://www.thebroadsblog.co.uk/2017/10/planning-to-live-aboard.html

[Wonderwall]

The article started off quite interesting , but it ain't half long winded .

[Guest]

5 minutes ago, Wonderwall said:

The article started off quite interesting , but it ain't half long winded .

That probably because living afloat is complex , it shouldn't be but some folk  make it harder than it should be .

[Wonderwall]

14 minutes ago, Ricardo said:

That probably because living afloat is complex , it shouldn't be but some folk  make it harder than it should be .

Are you a live aboard Ricardo?

[Guest]

5 minutes ago, Wonderwall said:

Are you a live aboard Ricardo?

How did you guess , yep 12 yrs now 8 of them on Norfolk 

[Wonderwall]

Just now, Ricardo said:

How did you guess , yep 12 yrs now 8 of them on Norfolk 

How interesting.  I bet you have a few stories to tell. 

Do you move around the rivers much, or do you tend to stay in the same bit?

Dont mean to be nosey!!, just genuinely interested.  By all means, tell me to mind my own business !!!!

[Guest]

Just now, Wonderwall said:

How interesting.  I bet you have a few stories to tell. 

Do you move around the rivers much, or do you tend to stay in the same bit?

Dont mean to be nosey!!, just genuinely interested.  By all means, tell me to mind my own business !!!!

Na I'd not say that to anyone , short answer is yes I move around , iv only above PH bridge to do then iv covered it all really , that said I mostly stay south these days as o just can't do with the bun fight's over Mooring's in summer on the northern rivers life's too short for that .

Story wise yep I've a few now  , one thing I will say is every day is different , and as I love nature being right amongst it is to me an enormous blessing , one thing  I've learned a lot about and that's how to set up for living afloat as its very much different to occasionally use especially in winter , i still come out to play ( work ) as a contract joiner now and again but the balance of work to life is very much more important to me these days .

Other than that if you play by the rules then you tend to get left in peace here  , but occasionally you get resistance sadly that's more from forums than BA  , but not this forum I hasten to add .

Me in a house ? Er I'd be kicking n screaming that's for sure .

[Gracie]

How interesting Ricardo, I would love to hear more, unlike Neil I am nosy lol. I understand that spending your life on the rivers is totally different to the odd week or two but in my little world it is a dream to live afloat, failing that a little riverside shack with a mooring would do

Perhaps this thread could be dedicated to your life afloat, I for one would love to know more and read of your adventures

Grace

[MauriceMynah]

My circumstances are such that I shall soon be obliged to become a "liveaboard" I am thinking for about 3 to 4 years. I hope to meet Ricardo in the not too distant future for a shedload of advice (and boy am I glad I never came across as anti liveaboard. :) 

I agree totally with Ricardo's views that it should not be obvious that one lives on the boat, ie stuff building up on the bank, and that it is the boat hirers/owners responsibility to leave a spot as you found it. If every liveaboard just stuck to those rules then I'm sure the BA would have no problem accepting them (ok, us) Sadly it is as ever, the minority cause problems for the rest of us.

[Wonderwall]

Not that it would ever appear practical that I could " live aboard" , but could someone give me a rough breakdown of the costs per year  one occurs when they choose " the dream" 

 

Also, like most things in life , I'm sure there are many hidden downsides , apparent from the obvious ones . I'm really interested in the answers, but I'm too much a family guy, live too faraway, I wouldn't dream of asking my good lady to live aboard, as much as she adores the broads . Even if I was on my own, I'm not sure I could cope with my own company for days on end.

Financially as well its a non starter, but one never knows what the future holds I suppose.

It does however have a certain draw to it , I could cope with 10 months on the boat with a couple of winter months visiting " normal " people in their houses. 

One can but dream.............

[MauriceMynah]

I'm about to become "homeless" . trust me I do not see this as "living the dream."

[Cockatoo]

I lived aboard a Dutch barge on the Thames for a year when I was single sharing with one other. We were basically squatting on the mooring that the Port of London Authority thought was the responsibility of British Waterways and vice versa :)

[Wonderwall]

17 minutes ago, MauriceMynah said:

I'm about to become "homeless" . trust me I do not see this as "living the dream."

Sorry MM, I didn't mean to make light of your predicament. I hope it all works out for you.

[KaptinKev]

1 hour ago, Wonderwall said:

Also, like most things in life , I'm sure there are many hidden downsides , 

For me it would be the cold weather. I used to love riding a motorbike in the warm sunny weather, but when the rain and cold came along, the fun soon disappeared. I love the broads, the sun(British wise), warmth and time away, makes it so more appealing for when I return. 

[MauriceMynah]

Not a problem Wonderwall, in fact it should be I who should be apologising, I didn't mean to come across so sharply.

[Islander]

Hi Maurice Mynar. Sorry to hear you are about to become homeless. We became residential boaters out of choice some 17 years ago. The lifestyle does not suit everyone. Your first priority will be to find a mooring/marina that will let you live onboard. WRC has a few moorings available but with temporary planning permission. Other yards maybe sympathetic but you may have to have post sent elsewhere.

The boat you are going to live on is the next most important decision. Will it be the one in your avatar?

There are a few of us on the forum that live aboard. Some will like to keep a low profile, the rest of us will be only too pleased to answer any questions you may have if we can.

Colin

[Gracie]

Please don't keep too much of a low profile, I think you are a wonderful bunch and just as important as anyone else who uses the Broads rivers. Although to live aboard with a young family for me it's not an option but the more I learn about life afloat form you guys the more fascinated I become.

I hope you all stay warm and safe this winter, when I'm next your way, if you see a woman waving frantically like a demented duck, that will be me

Grace

[troutman62]

On Saturday, October 21, 2017 at 21:47, Wonderwall said:

The article started off quite interesting , but it ain't half long winded .

The never ending story.........

[ExUserGone]

4 hours ago, Gracie said:

if you see a woman waving frantically like a demented duck, that will be me

I'm not sure what's most worrying, the fact that you believe the ducks actually wave at you or how you check to see how demented they are....

[Islander]

Hi Gracie. Keeping a low profile is not an option when you live on Thorpe Island. We, I.e. Ruth and I, do our best to keep within the law but it doesn't help when your landlord has his own ideas. We came here having had to move from John Brooms yard at Brundall while it was redeveloped and consequently sold! Thorpe island was advertised as residential moorings. Having had open views of the river at Brundall, Thorpe was not perfect but then 'beggars can't be choosers' in fact you have to be very wealthy and know the right people to be choosy in the  Broads (not) NP. We have now been here for 13 years now and effectively have established use. That won't stop the powers that be making life more difficult than it has to be. That is the price you pay when you don't fit into their little boxes.

Keeping warm over the winter is not that difficult but you do have to find what suits you best. After many years of trying different forms we now have a multi fuel stove but we are lucky enough to have land storage for wood pellets, logs and coal. Diesel heating would be better for those who have to moor in marinas.

Vaughan I'm sure will be able to relate what life was like being brought up on a boat.

Colin

p.s. Off shopping now, back later

[Vaughan]

I am sorry, I have only just caught up with this thread and I suppose I should say something, as my parents and I lived on a boat for 41 years, starting when I was six months old. I wonder if that makes me the oldest surviving live-aboard on the Broads? In our case, the old gunboat was a pure houseboat and was bigger inside than the average bungalow, so perhaps not what we are talking about here? She had a Rayburn range in the galley, a brick fireplace with a coal fire in the saloon and a model railway that took up two cabins.

There are two ways of living aboard ; on a houseboat, or a boat with an engine. A houseboat doesn't have to be a garden shed on a raft; it can be what used to be a motor boat but now no longer moves. There are many barges like this, on the Thames. For me, and in my experience, I think that both types of boat need a permanent shore base, with shore facilities. There are those like Ricardo who love the freedom of moving around and being out in the country but you have to be very well adapted to that and put up with a certain discomfort due to having to go looking for services, especially in winter.

You can rent a mooring or you can rent a plot of land but I think in that case you would have to pay council tax. Islander could probably tell us more about that.

Not just because I grew up there, but I think those who live on the old Hearts yard on the Island have got the mixture right. They have a very peaceful and pleasant mooring where most of them have developed their own gardens in the wood behind. They also have the security of a like-minded community. You soon get used to the sound of the trains! Most importantly, they have the full facilities of a boatyard, with water, electricity and toilet pumpout all there on the quay, usually without even having to move your boat. Most of them have engines, so they can go for a cruise whenever they like - or not.

As to the type of boat, it depends how big you want it. Some people need more space than others. A good boat to buy is an old Solar 37, known as a Bounty. Because of the way they were built, you can happily take out a couple of bulkheads without weakening the structure. Richardsons Classic Gem is a classic example of this! The problem will alway be, how to heat the boat in winter.

Some people have wood burning stoves but you must be very careful with CO and CO2 and you have to have a supply of fuel. Webasto heaters are very effective but they are noisy, use quite a lot of fuel and need shore power to keep the batteries charged unless you are running the engine every day. In this respect, solar panels become very important if you are living aboard. Electric heating is "out" as you would need too much power to heat a boat and most shore power would not provide enough.

Just seen Colin's post by the way - we are of like mind!

The best boat heating system I know is the Kabola, which is basically a mini version of the oil fired central heating that you probably have at home. It runs hot water and radiators and "home heating oil", of course, is just red diesel, so it runs just as well on white diesel. It needs power on 24v, but this can come from shore power or suitably sized solar panels, to keep the batteries charged.

So it is a great life and a very different life, but you have to be prepared for some drawbacks and so it is probably not to every taste!

[MBA Marine]

I have worked on many a liveaboard boat, permanently static and constant cruisers, the basic set up is not hard, insulation is not hard but not cheap and time consuming, some stuff loft insulation everywhere, I cannot recommend this, retaining a ventilated space between the hull and cabin sides helps keep the living space  warm and stops damp building and rotting the timbers, foil covered bubble insulation is superb for pinning across battens and bearers with your lining panels on top.

Ability to pump out the black water tank is crucial,   those that cruise can go to a pump out and those that are static need the means to pump out/porta potty cassette empty.

From my side of the fence my biggest gripe is 'stuff' some liveaboards like a lot of stuff in a very small space, then they phone and ask you to fix something or add something, then I find a one hour job takes half a day but it's hard to charge half a day's money for a one hour job, I really like most of my customers and some are good friends but I am still waiting to find one that has cleared fully the space I need to work in.

[Guest]

2 hours ago, MBA Marine said:

I have worked on many a liveaboard boat, permanently static and constant cruisers, the basic set up is not hard, insulation is not hard but not cheap and time consuming, some stuff loft insulation everywhere, I cannot recommend this, retaining a ventilated space between the hull and cabin sides helps keep the living space  warm and stops damp building and rotting the timbers, foil covered bubble insulation is superb for pinning across battens and bearers with your lining panels on top.

Ability to pump out the black water tank is crucial,   those that cruise can go to a pump out and those that are static need the means to pump out/porta potty cassette empty.

From my side of the fence my biggest gripe is 'stuff' some liveaboards like a lot of stuff in a very small space, then they phone and ask you to fix something or add something, then I find a one hour job takes half a day but it's hard to charge half a day's money for a one hour job, I really like most of my customers and some are good friends but I am still waiting to find one that has cleared fully the space I need to work in.

My battery's are a problem to get to for checking for such as BSS etc as team dogs house is on top of that part of the cockpit floor but last yr when Tim came to visit all of it was temporarily outside and floor lifted ready , its not difficult its just good manners to prepare and not expect someone to do it for you , me I'd charge them to be honest as time is money and no one should have to waste their time shifting other peoples stuff to get to work on a boat or house .

[Islander]

I must agree with Mark, there is nothing more annoying than spending time clearing the area to access something that will only take me a few minutes to repair. Residential boats are the worst but a lot of private boats are not a lot better with fenders, ropes, mud weights etc etc. If we are due for a BSS, I will remove all the clutter and make all access easily removable or already open for inspection. Make it easy for your examiner and you stand more of a chance of passing, make it difficult and they will become more picky.

One of the biggest problem with moving from a house to a boat is where will every go and how much can you keep. Our last house had 10 bookcases 6 ft high. Ruth has her kindle but I still like a book in my hand but we do have to be strict over buying books now. Basically one book in another goes to charity. Clothes were not a problem for me but Ruth had to trim down to just the one small wardrobe but she is very good at getting rid of clothing she no longer wares.

Gracie, where would you put all your shoes. Could you manage with just five pairs. 

There is a lot more to living onboard but when keeping warm the key word is VENTILATE.

Colin

[WherryNice]

I have the same access problems with peoples cars, they bring them in for service or MOT stuffed full of allsorts in the boot or footwells or rear seats, makes doing the job a real chore at times.....