Advice on live aboard for newbie

Paulg25

Paulg25

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Hello All. Just joined and need some advice and information if that's ok? Looking into buying a live aboard for river and inshore use. There's only me and my dogs. I currently rent a mobile home so am used to living in limited space. Having said that I have previously had a weeks holiday on a 60ft narrow boat and think the 'narrowness' would be a bit of a struggle long term (I'm 6'2" tall and 18st). So after doing some googling I've decided that a Fairline Phantom 32 or something similar is what I need. They seem big enough and can be had in my price range. I have yet so visit one, just seen pictures.

I live and work in Northampton where there are several places that offer moorings for wide beam boats.

All thoughts and advice would be welcome.
 
Have a look on the 'Live aboard' forum, this question comes up a lot.

Whether this boat is big enough for you is a question only you can answer, some things to think about....

1) Most marinas don't allow full time residence in there t&c's. Many quietly ignore the live aboard community in their marina but if you upset someone you could be 'homeless' quite quickly. If you've found a residential mooring, great.

2) You really need an address for your banking, doctors etc. If you start sending this to the marina office......see above.

3) UK winters onboard are quite tough going, particularly if you've got a day job. Keeping the boat working, warm, dry and your laundry done is a challenge. Stuff breaks a lot and needs your attention.

Not trying to put you off, worth considering the above before buying!
 
For a single person, a 32 foot boat will offer enough space, albeit a bit cramped. Beam is only one consideration: you also need to think about how high the boat is above the water (called air draft), as this will limit the bridges she will fit under. The canal system may be wide enough but many river and canal bridges are quite low, limiting where you can go.
Inland waterways are regulated either by the Canals and River Trust (CART) or the Environment Agency. In both cases, your options for living aboard are limited. You either need a marina berth or a mooring along with permission to use the berth for residential purposes. As Dave says, these berths are rare and expensive. Some marinas will turn a blind eye to people living aboard but you may get caught up in enforcement sweeps by either the river/canal authority or by the local council.
There’s nothing to stop you using a 32 foot boat as a live aboard, but you do need to do your homework first. CART have been clamping down on unauthorised liveaboards over the past couple of years, as their waterways have become overcrowded with folks seeking cheap accommodation, so it’s worthwhile making sure that you can find a mooring before you start buying a boat.
You’d also do well to join one or other of the canal user forums for more details: these forum are for the most part inhabited by sea going boaters.
 
A friend lived on a 26 foot sailing boat for a couple of years. He was fine in the summer, but a cold, wet week in winter, and he found himself going stir crazy. He did a lot better with a 32 footer and even better when he got a 40 footer. I reckon you should be fine on a motorboat.

Mailing addresses aren't hard to find - 2 minutes on Google came up with a few. The permanent mooring side is a much bigger issue. There's a thing called permanent cruising, where you don't need a mooring, but the conditions are designed to be onerous for someone who's just looking for cheap lodgings; you can't just go up and down the canal a couple of miles each week, IIRC, you have to go 120 miles before you're allowed to turn round and come back, and the rules are enforced. Once upon a time, it was an easy cheap way to live; no longer.
 
The main problem with not having a narrowboat on the canals is that narrowboats are narrow for a reason - you don't fit through the locks and bridges in a lot of the system north of the Midlands. Your chosen region is pretty rivery and good for a fatter cruiser, but bear in mind that if you want to go much further north you will need to do it with a lorry. I have lived on a cruising narrowboat for 8 years, have been to most places you can get to on it. Keeping one in good enough nick to live decently while cruising extensively is not particularly cheap compared to land based options and is a giant pain in the arse at times - you will find out pretty quickly if you like the lifestyle enough to justify the effort and expense.

Not sure of the liveaboard friendliness (this is usually a don't ask don't tell sort of relationship) of marinas and online mooring round there, midlands and northwest tend to be OK as nobody has pissed the landlubbers off too much, unlike say Oxford, Bristol or London.

On head height - depends on builder. Mine is low, but there are many narrowboats boats with good headroom - especially ex hireboat jobs.

You will need to fit a solid fuel stove if you end up living outside a marina where you can use electrical heating on a hookup, 24/7 diesel heating will cost you a fortune. doable in a cruiser but often not there by default.

Stemar said:
IIRC, you have to go 120 miles before you're allowed to turn round and come back
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20 :D, it's amazing that people find it hard to comply..
 
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Stemar said:
I used one for a while and my address was Mr & Mrs Stemar, 487 Edgware Road W2X 3YZ (number and postcode made up) A bank has no need to know it's not where you live.
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These days most organisations will look up your postcode as they enter your details into their computer system.
It gets awkward to tax and insure a car with no address. Or get a passport, sign up for a GP and so it goes on.

When I was between houses for a short while I found it best to use my Mum's address for some purposes.

I think the mention of dogs, plural might limit the options, it would certainly make the OP very noticeable in some places.
Assuming he can't take them to work (for all we know he could be a shepherd or something!), then there is a risk that they will annoy people while he leaves them.
As well as a boat having dogs cooped up on it all day taking MAB to a whole new level.
 
A few years ago, I was living in a VW van; just fine for the period that was my life. When I'd to renew my passport & driving licence, the address I gave was jamie N, c/o 2W car park, Farburn Ind Est, Dyce, Aberdeen. Not a problem for either institution!
 
Thanks for the replies.... all useful. Trying to find a map website where you can put in your route and find out minimum heights for bridges. Is there such a thing or am I just being lazy! :rolleyes: So if I find a cruiser I'll know if I can get it back to Northampton.

After more research it would seem a Sedan style offers good size living accommodation, any thoughts?
 
The OP should be aware that councils in Northamptonshire and the Environment Agency have been active in the recent past and as far as I'm aware continue to be active in tackling illicit liveaboards on the River Nene

And as already posted the Canal and River Trust has been and continues to pursue a zero tolerance policy on their canals

If you cannot find and / or afford a legitimate residential mooring then in all honesty my advice would be to forget the idea

If you can genuinely "Continuous Cruise" (and the terms of the CC Licence are such that it really is NOT a viable option for people in regular work or with other regular shore based commitments) or if you have a legitimate residential address where you are on the electoral roll and (crucially) can regularly spend days at a time away from the boat (at that address or elsewhere) it's feasible, with care but it has no security or certainty

And on a wider note. you really need to be on the electoral roll these days. Money laundering and national security legislation makes it VERY hard to live in the modern world without a legally legitimate "home" address. Mailboxes etc. don't cut it like they used to. At the very least you need a friend or relative who is prepared to be your nominal "landlord" ashore

I hate to pour cold water over anybody's dreams but the best advice to anybody considering buying a boat to live on is ... don't!
 
.....also be aware that suspect most of the stuff you might be looking to buy is at the budget end of the market.
It basically means its old tired and worn out.
Phantom 32. Its cheap because nobody who wants a boat that moves, will touch it with a "bargepole" due to the amount of maintance and expense involved with fixing those outdrives, think about the fact that the boat is supposed to come out of the water every 2 years to replace vital rubberware to stop the boat going into Davy Jones locker.
Repairs to the outdrives can be eyewateringly expensive and any replacement unit could cost you several thousands of pounds each, not much less if the leg can be saved and repaired......Beware . :)
Narrow boat makes more sense.
 
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Bru said:
If you can genuinely "Continuous Cruise" (and the terms of the CC Licence are such that it really is NOT a viable option for people in regular work or with other regular shore based commitments) or if you have a legitimate residential address where you are on the electoral roll and (crucially) can regularly spend days at a time away from the boat (at that address or elsewhere) it's feasible, with care but it has no security or certainty
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It's easy enough to comply and more while working, depending on your region. Needs a job close to a mainline train station though, as there is no way you are keeping a car while CC.

https://canalplan.uk/ Canal plan will allow you to calculate routes for a boat taking into account width and height.
 
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Residential moorings are council registered with a postcode (good thing is you only pay band A council tax) but they are like rocking horse shit.
My marina has another category called “live aboard” but on a boat which can be untied and leave under its own steam.
Other places may have a requirement whereby you only live there for 10 out of 12 months.

I enquired once about a marine mortgage on a mooring, was told that the mooring is worth considerably more than the boat
 
Crikey. There are so many different boats out there!!! Now thinking something like a Broom 37 Continental may be better. Also the variety of engines used is surprising. Lot more research needed me thinks. :)
 
If you havent seen and want some entertainment look at the entries for the Trader which was moved to the Broads and features some interesting footage and would give plenty of space and is hopefully broad enough for anyone
 
lw395 said:
These days most organisations will look up your postcode as they enter your details into their computer system.
It gets awkward to tax and insure a car with no address. Or get a passport, sign up for a GP and so it goes on.
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I contacted a bunch of Portsmouth GPs a few months ago, and although I never got around to signing up with any of them, two or three replied assuring me that they are obliged to register the homeless as patients.

At least one or two of my banks / brokers accept my address at Ghost Mail Drop.
 
Paulg25 said:
Crikey. There are so many different boats out there!!! Now thinking something like a Broom 37 Continental may be better. Also the variety of engines used is surprising. Lot more research needed me thinks. :)
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a much better bet than your previous choice, more useful useable interior space but beware once again the mechanicals....boat possibly 30 + years old, most fitted with Perkins horizontal engines,would recommend you really need to do some research on spares.
 
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