We are in England or could be Ireland. We know nothing about boats but wonder if the lifestyle would suit us. We wonder about the costs involved, doctors, poll tax, where do you get rid of your household rubbish. where does the fresh water come from - we know absolutely nothing, so all you can tell us would be much appreciated.
2007-01-06 06:24:51 · 16 answers · asked by Curious39 6 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Boats & Boating
To SMD:GB poor you - how bored your life must be
2007-01-06 07:37:35 · update #1
Thank You to you all - I have found your experiences a lot of help.
I've had so many good answers that I find it very difficult to choose a best one so this question will have to go to vote.
Once again - Thank you
2007-01-10 20:53:03 · update #2
Its always wet onboard. Larger boats have all the systems a house would have available. You will need a generator if you are not at a marina with electric. If you are traveling you will need to work out transportation into town etc. A taxi is one way to go. Water is held onboard in a tank as is sewage( there are pumpout stations) There are plenty of books and magazines about the live aboard livestyle. Before you leap try renting a boat for a time.
Good luck
2007-01-06 06:33:48 · answer #1 · answered by mark t 7 · 2⤊ 3⤋
Living on a Yacht? there are several advantages and disadvantages. Advantages: It is a peaceful experience if you are riding at anchor, or a mooring ball. Living at dock, you miss the movement of a boat that gives the peacefulness. it can be less costly that living ashore, depending on your location. If you are still working, your family sedan will be exchanged for a dinghy, land transit will be public transportation. Friendship and camaraderie is great Disadvantages: If at dock in a marina, this can be a hassle with other boaters, and the general public. There are costs that creep up on you, hull cleaning, boater insurance, hauling out, general boat maintenance, whether or not you are using your boat or not. We found that our best experiences were underway in the Bahamas, costs were about half that in Florida, but we did provide our own sources of entertainment. We also had a pretty nice swimming pool. It is essential that both you AND your partner really want to do this (that is why I am now ashore). Enjoy
2016-03-14 02:24:59 · answer #2 · answered by Ellen 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
LIved on my beloved Dutch Sailing Barge for 15 happy (mostly) years.
At first it was cheap. Moorings about 20 pounds a week for a 45 footer. But residential moorings on the Thames from Richmond up are going through the roof! Last year I was paying 100 quid a week for a crappy mooring in Twickenham. So I sold the Barge and left the Country.
Be prepared for agro from greedy and unpleasant Mooring owners. Moorings they know are almost impossible to find.
So you have to buy a boat that already has a nice relatively secure mooring.
Don't buy a wooden Boat and if its steel be careful. It may be a rust bucket. Surveys are reduculously expensive but you do need one. Trouble is the surveyor will probably turn you off by being too critical. I cant say I would recommend anyone to live aboard today. Its too expensive.
2007-01-12 22:58:15 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Advantages; When you want to go touring, there's little or nothing to pack. No grass to cut. You tend to accumulate less junk.
Disadvantages; You can't have as much stuff readily accessable (workshop, garage space, etc). There is regular maintanance but any house, boat, or recreational vehicle will have some type of maintanance. You have to empty your sewage from time to time. (there may be services that come up to your boat to make it easier).
As for costs, services, and rubbish, that will vary from one marina to the next. But it exists because other people do it.
If you know nothing about boats, your first real step would be
1) Determine if you even like being on a boat for extended periods of time.
2) Choose between power and sail
3) Choose from the thousand models, sizes, and layout styles.
Recommendations; There are one or more magazines that are about living full time on a boat. The only real thing to decide isn't wether or not it has (dis)advantages, but do you like it enough to do it full time. I love my RV but I don't want to live in it full time like some people do. Rent a boat for as long as you can practically afford. Like a try before you buy.
2007-01-07 15:11:02 · answer #4 · answered by diesel_pusher2 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Living on a baot is a great way to live. For the bulk of your needs it all depends on weather or not you plan on being on a fixed mooring or being mobile.
If you are on a fixed berth then it will be the same as if you lived in a house apart from the tides makes the views change a bit. You regester with teh local council for tax and also with the local GP. You either buy a mooring or you pay rent.
If you plan on being mobile then you can have a different view every week, The services you will need are supplied in most marina's such as water and rubbish disposal. But they will charge for these .
As for being damp as is stated in some of the previous answers , Easily fixed with the right materails and a de-humidifier.
All the best. It might be an idea if you see if you can rent a house boat for a few weeks to give it a go as it is a large investment to make.
2007-01-06 06:49:05 · answer #5 · answered by Dirty Rob 3 · 3⤊ 1⤋
Hi,
I assume that you mean Inland as oposed to , say, coastal
It is more difficult than a land-based home, but I have lived on my narrowboat on & off for years, and there is a lot off stuff you need to know, but it can be very functional, and of course great fun.
Sort of in order of your questions :
Costs include feul, gas, licenses, mooring fees, maintenance - which takes in not only stuff that always goes wrong, but hailing it out at a marina to black the bottom & fit new anodes, insurance,
That is just for the basics.
Immediate medical help is is DIY, so it is 1st aid until someone gets you to ambulance access.
The garbage gets stored in bags until the next tow/village/marina.
Same when you fill your huge fresh water tank but there all always pubs & canal/riverside taps dotted around.
There is no council tax, driving licence, etc. - a bonus !
A really freindly bunch of boatie folks, and we all stop and help each other out. A fine aquatic lifestyle.
A bit nippy in winter, when you run out of bottled gas in the middle of nowhere though.
From many such an experience if all is prepared, will a spare everything, you will enjoy. Go to all the festivals, and moor up in places that you what normally visit. Make bags of freinds, that you may not meet from one your to the next, but when you do - It's party time!
Visit a boatyard, and just chat to everyone. You will be welcomed and advised.
Happy boaty things !
Bob the Boat
2007-01-08 08:00:13 · answer #6 · answered by Bob the Boat 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Thinking of narrowboats in the uk....
the overall cost is about the same as renting a small house.
Be aware that British Waterways are embarking on a major program of clearing up illigal permanent moorings, live aboards and "continuous cruisers" who are not actually CC.
residential Moorings are very hard to come by, and therefore command a high price. Residential mooring in London are dearer than small houses or 2 bed flats...just for the mooring.
redidetial moorings are based in marinas, they will have water, rubbish and elsan/loo emptying. Many have electric hookup.
There are almost NO spare/availabe residential moorings in the UK at the moment. Perhaps you can live on the BCN in the middle of birmingham....but i wouldn't recommend it.
If you are thinking of boat-living just because of cost, you'd be better off with renting a small house.
2007-01-07 22:11:36 · answer #7 · answered by Michael H 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Really the cost of living on a boat doesn't really make a difference... it depends on your lifestyl ... some people are happy living in their 22' cabin cruiser or sail... but some are really uncomfy living on their 50 + feet yacths. First you have to like the mother nature and the sea offcourse. One day yall might love living in a boat but the next day yall might hate it too. It really depends on how much you like the sea. I would get some experience before living on a boat. Most people prefer a 20+ feet sails but it's all up to yall. Most marinas provide boat owners everything they need with certain fees ... depends on the marinas. Some cheap some overpriced. Good Luck
2007-01-13 12:31:55 · answer #8 · answered by Blaredtx 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
depends where you want to live.
I live on a boat on a canal in northern England, we pay a British waterways licence the price depends on the length of your boat.
we also have to have a safety licence ( like a car mot) every 4 years, you will need insurance in order to get both of these.
we have a mooring on a marina with phone line, (so can have the Internet) we have mains electricity. Both of these we can unplug if we want to go cruising,and just plug back in when we return.
We fill our water tank on the boat with a hose pipe from a tap on the mooring.
We love it I wouldn't want to live any other way now,
We always owned house before but I love the boat life.
even when the canal froze it was snug and cosy inside.
you can see a photo I took of someone going past pushing through the ice here,
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b397/todber/bargeinice012.jpg
2007-01-07 02:53:12 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
Living on a boat is pretty marvelous most of the time. I have been doing it on various boats I have owned since 1963. Do you plan to settle in the Mediterranean or in U.K. waters ? Many ex pats move from the U.K. to live on their boats in the sunshine where the cost of living is also cheaper in many places. If you don't like one Marina or your neighbors you can just move on to another marina.
My wife and I are reluctantly selling our "Floating home" in Gibraltar as at 73 I have to accept my limits as far as serious cruising any more although my cruising includes crossing the Atlantic and living in the Caribbean, Venezuela, and many many years on the Costa del Sol.
If you are serious email me and I'll give you lots more answers, but don't let anyone put you off if you fancy it - I wouldn't have changed my nautical life for anything.
2007-01-06 23:17:24 · answer #10 · answered by Barry G 2 · 6⤊ 1⤋