Space to rent on a boat?

[speirshannah]

Hi, My name is Hannah. I currently live in Norwich but I have always wanted to live on a boat. However, I don't know anything about living on a boat. I'm looking to rent a room/space on someone's boat so I can help them out, learn and have fun. I'm enthusiastic to get involved and to learn, and am easy to live with. If anyone has any suggestions of how I should go about finding a space on a boat to rent / who to contact then PLEASE let me know.

Thank you

[jillR]

hi hanna

there are regulations that you will need to check on before you rent a cabin on a boat, if you can find anyone who would consider doing that.

as i understand it you will need to see a landlords gas certificate and the correct hire license from the broads authority, insurance and boat safety certificate.

id also want to check under the floor boards to see if the boat is sound etc as a boat safety cerificate does not cover the condition of the hull.

i would sugest it might be an idea to rent a hire boat for a week and see how you like it to.

jill

[speirshannah]

Thank you so much Jill. This is really helpful to know these things. It's not a reality yet, as I don't even know of anyone that I could approach to speak to about doing this. Do people even do this? I just am very keen to experience living on a boat, at least for a few months, and I don't know how else to go about it. I'll keep all of what you've said in mind though. Can you suggest any way other way of me taking this forward (if I do decide that water life is for me)?

[senator]

Boats are quite restricted in space so joint living is difficult unless you are very close to the other person you will very quickly realise that there is no privacy on a boat.

You may be better looking to see if you can raise the money for a boat and trying it that way, as long as you are careful in your purchase you are unlikely to lose much money in buying and selling an older boat but there is a lot of research to be done first, type of boat, value, live aboard moorings etc.

[brandenjg]

Hi hannah

I looked into renting a live aboard earlier this year and had no luck. Occassionally you will find university students who live aboard whilst studying then rent their boats out when they finish uni but I've only come across this 2 or 3 times. The only way I could find to liveaboard is either to marry/ date someone with a liveabord boat or to buy your own. It might be worth considering buying a smallish boat with enough room for the basics and stay on it through the warmer months to get a feel for it and you'll soon get to know the other boaters around you who may have a friend of a friend who would appreciate the company (and rent ) on their large boat. :

[MBA Marine]

I know a girl looking to sell a 30' ish GRP narrow boat its Up at around the £13K its basic but sound set up for basic live aboard with woodburning stove, If she doesnt sell it perhaps she would let you 'Borrow' it (wouldn't want anyone to fall into legal trouble!) for a bit.

Mark

[bendall]

It might be worth considering buying a smallish boat with enough room for the basics and stay on it through the warmer months to get a feel for it and you'll soon get to know the other boaters around you who may have a friend of a friend who would appreciate the company (and rent ) on their large boat.

I resided in the boat, a "nomad," but built three berths instead of two! I spent 4 months on the boat moored in Fen Ditton (on the river Cam) in the hope of living in a caravan if the rental came to pass!

http://canal.bendall.de/fen-mm11.html

it was comfortable the summer as I had a job in Cambridge, and was able to use the facilities of the caravan site!

It was fitted out with a two burner stove, a parrafin heater (yes, I know! but the heater was elevated and had ducts in the open!) and a fridge...

As I relocated to a caravan in the winter I can't reveal what a winter would be like!

Peter