Great boating experience. I am a convert.

[Ex-SolentBoy]

We have just spent several days boating.

Two hours cruising morning and two hours in the afternoon, broken up by regular visits to pubs within easy level walking distance from the boat.

Stop almost anywhere, moor up and no one asks you for money.

No need for a dinghy. At a moments notice you jump ashore. Very handy for when the spaniel's tired of crossing his paws.

80 square metres of internal space. Sofas, full size beds, hot tub, proper appliances in the galley.

Great wildlife in a tranquil setting with overnight mooring out of sight of everybody.

Two ropes to tie the boat up. No springs, no fenders. Deploy or depart in 2 minutes.

No swell, strong winds, tides or rocks.

No passage planning, radar, chart plotter.

Just a quietly throbbing diesel at 700rpm.

 

[nathanlee]

A friend bought a 30ft narrawboat last year and I help on the delivery trip. Basically did a good chunk of the LL, and all the Rufford Branch.

Aside from him not wanting to stop at every pub on the way (which upset me), I really rather enjoyed it. Had a couple of evening beers, warmed up by the fire, and generally relaxed. Lot to be said for narrow boating.

 

[Sgeir]

A few months touring Victorian England by narrowboat is something I quite fancy, but "When?" is the problem.

 

[ClaireW]

Agreed - there's a lot to be said for it, but there are downsides too .... mozzies, mud, backs of factories, abandoned shopping trollies, waiting for the lock, unwanted visitors coming aboard in town areas. I prefer the sea!!

 

[Mikaela]

That's a lovely looking boat, but hope you've not been converted for good!

 

[Lakesailor]

We have just spent several days boating.

Two hours cruising morning and two hours in the afternoon, broken up by regular visits to pubs within easy level walking distance from the boat.

Stop almost anywhere, moor up and no one asks you for money.

I read the Narrow Dog books just recently and thought it seemed a nice way to pass the time. Liveaboard seems a bit extreme though. (am I right in thinking that boat was a widebeam one?)

We did blag a ride on the Lancaster Canal

 

[sailorman]

We have just spent several days boating.

Two hours cruising morning and two hours in the afternoon, broken up by regular visits to pubs within easy level walking distance from the boat.

Stop almost anywhere, moor up and no one asks you for money.

No need for a dinghy. At a moments notice you jump ashore. Very handy for when the spaniel's tired of crossing his paws.

80 square metres of internal space. Sofas, full size beds, hot tub, proper appliances in the galley.

Great wildlife in a tranquil setting with overnight mooring out of sight of everybody.

Two ropes to tie the boat up. No springs, no fenders. Deploy or depart in 2 minutes.

No swell, strong winds, tides or rocks.

No passage planning, radar, chart plotter.

Just a quietly throbbing diesel at 700rpm.

was it ever a "White knuckle ride"

 

[[70521]]

I have a pal who owns a brewary and he and some other brewary owners spend a week in a narrow boat. The comments about the pubs and their treatment of beer are fun to follow.

 

[Davy_S]

We did blag a ride on the Lancaster Canal

How did you manage to knock a cyclist off the towpath?

 

[Salty John]

A very pleasant and un-threatening form of boating.View attachment 31260View attachment 31261

 

[Sgeir]

That reminds me, there was an interesting article in one of the mags, a few years ago, about someone who motored a small boat from London to the Severn via the Thames and canals, and then sailed round Lands End and the south coast back to the Thames.

 

[chewi]

Agreed - there's a lot to be said for it, but there are downsides too .... mozzies, mud, backs of factories, abandoned shopping trollies, waiting for the lock, unwanted visitors coming aboard in town areas. I prefer the sea!!

not on the kennet and avon I tried last september. green fields and trees abound.

 

[uxb]

Had a couple of evening beers, warmed up by the fire, and generally relaxed. Lot to be said for narrow boating.

So, do Narrow-boatists not cool their beer in the fridge?

 

[sailorman]

So, do Narrow-boatists not cool their beer in the fridge?

The must surely be "Real Ale" folk with flat at n whippet

 

[chinita]

To the OP; this is a nice little site:

http://www.billybubbles.demon.co.uk/index.html

 

[mjcoon]

The must surely be "Real Ale" folk with flat at n whippet

Quite; it's lager drinkers (louts or not) who put their "beer" in the fridge...

Mike.

 

[dylanwinter]

the best thing is when you turn the darned engine off at the end of the day

I can stick canals for about four days....

then I am dreaming about sailing, the gentle chucle of water around a bow, the beauty of sea-birds in flight, the pull of the tide, the peaceful anchorages

 

[duncan99210]

My brother just moved on to a narrow boat. He roped me in to bring it up from Tamworth about a month back. I nearly froze to death on the back end of it, even when we were doing hour on hour off. And you couldn't let go of the tiller for a moment. However, the promised pubs appeared each evening, as did the hot meals. All in all, I ain't going to swop Rampage for a narrow boat just yet but you never know.

 

[johnalison]

I can stick canals for about four days....

That's about my limit too. We regularly find ourselves having to cross the Netherlands against bad weather outside and I get get more and more peeved as the days go by. When we finally make it to sea, the boat comes alive again and my good humour returns.

On the other hand, the implication of the OP is that we should not be patronising about those who choose a less challenging form of boating. My neighbour part-owns a narrow-boat and several of her regular guests are past ocean-sailors and current offshore cruisers, who no doubt share the OP's joy in the simple life.

How do you compare the pleasure of seeing the flash of a kingfisher with that of being circled by a fulmar? I hope we can all enjoy both equally.

 

[josephmoore]

I nearly froze to death on the back end of it

The apparently sociable cruiser stern boats are awful for this, hence the traditional sterns were tiny so you could drive with your body tucked down in the companionway and the engine keeping you slightly thawed.

I grew up holidaying on our "narrowboat" which was little more than an old 23' wooden BW punt which my dad built a cabin on and put an outboard in the back. It wasn't entirely conventional, but it met our budget and it worked. Not that I remember much of it, but apparently the trip up the Thames from the Lea was rather exciting...