living aboard in UK

[craigbalsillie]

I find myself in a position where I am separating from my wife and have found that the cost of renting a flat or even a room is astronomical..

I am thinking of buying a boat and living aboard. The boat will have to be moored on the Clyde somewhere.

Can any of you offer me any advice on how to go about this?

My sailing experince is limited to 4 months aboard HMS Bristol and 3 days on the Solent in a Foxcub. (both over 12 years ago)

I plan to use the time living aboard to take courses etc so that eventually I will be able to take to the high seas... (or at least coastal waters!)

Any and all thought will be much appreciated...

thanks craig balsillie..

 

[castlevar]

Hi craig
I found myself in a similar position 12years ago at the time I owned a 34ft trawler yacht similar to a grand banks I found it very comfortable even in ireland in the winter.
I think bthat a motor boat is much more comfortable than a sailing boat when you are living aboard in scotland but it must be a displacment boat the bigger the better.
when you get more confidence in your sailing ability you can cruise further south I cruised Biscay in a similar boat for about 8 years returning home every september ex wife got 50% of original boat.
good luck

geoff

 

[Gunfleet]

ex wife got 50% of original boat>>
Must have been very tempting to saw it off and send it to her.
John

 

[castlevar]

Hi john
yes it was Geoff

geoff

 

[mainshiptom]

I tried that , Found the boat in holland ( alot cheaper) brought her back !

And now she wants me back with the boat !

Bingo,,

But what you really want is a large dry and warm place, I would go for a newish boat otherwise there is allways work to do and it is hard when you live on the boat !

Tom

 

[craigbalsillie]

Any tips on what type of boat to go for..?

There's a Macwester 26 for sale at the moment at Inverkip for £9000.
Built in 1970..

Not sure how Marine Mortgages work etc so I may be on to plums from the off.
Have contacted The Bank Of Scotland, (They give you extra apparently), about finance etc, will have to wait and see..

Thanks to everyone for their advice and replies thus far..

 

[ccscott49]

Marine mortgages are very difficult if you dont own a house, but £9k is not a big loan, so they may do it as a private loan.

 

[Trevethan]

Personally, I'd look for somethinmg a bit larger, but then I am pretty tall so need lots of headroom.

Regarding financing, most companies will not give you a marine mortgage below £15,000. The the deal is 10% down rest over around 10 years.

No company will give you a mortgage for a liveaboard yacht - some will for canal boats /barges, but not for a yacht.

Your best bet is likely a personal loan. Mercantile credit aka Barclays marine finance offer a personal loan up to £15k over ten years at around 8%, however you will need a good credit rating and a permanent address whieslt applying - best not mention you're separated either!

Directline will lend up to 25k - they offered me 25k personal loan over 7 years though interest rate was 11% - I ended up using Barclays.

Hope this helps a little!

The other thing to remember is that boats don't to appreciate like property - all they do is cost money!

Anyway good luck and hope you find something worthwhile.

regards,

Nick

She had a deep, throaty, genuine laugh, like the sound a dog makes just before it throws up

 

[mainshiptom]

I would go for a bigger boat but thats up to your budget !

A biiger boat would come with bigger bills but you must think if you want just to sleep on the boat or actually live on it ?

spending a weekend on a boat wihout say a shower or space for living could be quite harsh, would you look to inite people back to the boat ? you will need a fridge maybe awashing machine ( even guys keep clean?)

I would go for lots of comfort since it can get quite hard otherwise.

Have you spent a week or two living on a boat ? if the answer is no I would suggest to hire one out for two weeks and see what it irs really like !


Tom

 

[FerrymanR]

On a similar vein I am about to go liveaboard in the med as am retiring. During discussions at work someone else expressed a similar interest to live aboard, but in uk. The conversation drifted and we wondered just where the most popular liveaboard area is in uk for the likes aof a 32' sloop rigged yacht. Canals are generally out due to the mast etc. so where, and why? Cost? Scenery? Good pubs? Distance from nearest Inland Revenue office?
Richard

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[mainshiptom]

I have seen lots of sailing boats on canals with the mast down and stowed away off the boat or on, so not a problem.


Tom

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[Trevethan]

if you moor on a canal in the UK your boat neeeds to comply with the boat safety scheme... really disigned for ditch crawlers and as I see it, a way of getting more money out of boat owners.

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