Living on a boat

Who are inside track? They sound like some sort of get rich scam that arrives in the post. Usually involves you parting with lots of money for information that's either obvious or freely available if you're prepared to look.

Interest only mortgages have their place, dpends on what you want or can budget for, but critical that property goes up. Even if it does go up in value then at the end of the term you either have to have the cash or sell the house to repay the loan.

Advantage of repayment is that you own the house, and any equity rise, with no outstanding debts at the end. With present interest rates, if you shop around there isn't that huge a difference between interest only and repayment (certainly manageable). If you aren't confident about rates then long term fixed rates, whilst more costly, offer a security that allows you budget accurately for the life of the mortgage.

Lot's of options available, but all dependent on individual circumstances, goals and aspirations.

If the property market remains stagnant, you may as well not bother as go the interest only route.
 
I'm going to do it. Bought the boat in April and am refitting her. Didn't know much before April about boats, blanking well know a little now! It's great!

Cardo, I hate to sound like a nike advert, but just do it! Lifes too short, and as someone else 'clever' said, this ain't a practice.

Good luck,

Simon
 
Visit www.housepricecrash.co.uk - Property prices do not always go up besides can you afford one at the moment (something you actually want as opposed to a pokey broom cupboard)? We can't either! We have decided to go down the route of living on a boat because we want the freedom to move about and frankly, life is too short not to enjoy it! We are taking a slightly different approach to you in that we are purchasing cutting plans for a motor yacht and we are going to build it ourselves. Good luck, I will watch this thread with interest.
 
I've had a lot of positive feedback to this, and it seems I'm not alone in my thinking. Have also considered some of the practical aspects, too, and have some ideas. I could "officially" move in with a friend of mine, and have my bank, driving licence, voters register etc. address as that. Then setup a mail redirect to whichever marina I'm staying at at the time. Has anyone done this before? Does it work out?

As many have said, life's too short to do things just because it's the sensible thing to do. I'm going to live life the way I want to live it.
 
I'm sure the "official address" and mail re-direct would work out fine. Just remember that if your friend lives alone he/she will lose single occupancy council tax discount. No big deal, but worth remembering.

If it's what you want I'd say go for it, not much to lose in reality, and as you get older you'll realise when you look back that your regrets largely consist of things you didn't do rather than those you did.
 
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I'm sure the "official address" and mail re-direct would work out fine. Just remember that if your friend lives alone he/she will lose single occupancy council tax discount. No big deal, but worth remembering.

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Yeah, I've spoken with her and she's said she doesn't have a problem with it. At the moment, she lives with her partner, so there wouldn't be any extra council tax, but if when the time comes, she's living alone, I'd be quite happy to pay the extra council tax.

What about internet and stuff like that? How do people get these kinds of services on a boat?
 
Internet is increasingly less of a problem, since marinas begin to install WIFI.
I used to live for a while on board of a ship and liked it. It was in a small marina without facilities. I had to shower under a hose and there were no toilets. This was acceptable till the temperatures began to be below zero. The hose was closed of to prevent freezing and it became difficult to keep the boat warm. I almost daily had to buy gas. On a boat that is not well insulated you'll get a lot of condensation, especially in winter, which makes living unpleasant. Drops falling on your face while you sleep, blankets getting wet etc. I would most certainly live on a ship again, if I did not live in a very nice house in Galicia, with a view of one of the rias, but would be very carefull in selecting the ship. Make sure that it is well insulated(to prevent condensation against roof and sides) and that you can stand upright in the cabin. Since height is related to length this means that the ship should be at least 30 feet and more likely 34 feet. Much bigger means that you'll have problems to sail the ship singlehanded. From the thread it would seem that you are someone who likes to do things on his own and then you'll often have to sail singlehanded. I wish you lots of luck, Henk
 
Hmm, insulation. This is something I hadn't really thought of. Are some boats well insulated from the factory? Or have they had layers of insulation added by the owners? How can a boat be insulated?

As for heating, I've read that a decent electric heater of some sort is a good idea, as electric at marinas is often flat rate?

The boat I'd be looking at would be around 32 feet, or so.
 
Hi Cardo,

I followed the advice of buy young (I say followed I was practically frog marched into an estate agents!).

I was 21 when I bought my flat, at first I thought yeah! this is the _right_ thing to do. After a while it started to depress me, the constant bills, the responsibility, the maintenance I was 21 going on 40.

I went on the piss etc. with my friends however, coming back to my flat just made me feel old even after a good night out. After a while even though I had lots of friends (who were at uni, house sharing or still with their parents) I started to get a bit lonely.

It got so bad I simply stopped paying the mortgage and did a runner, I didn't think of selling or anything because I just didn't want the hassle of the sale, the parents everyone. Everyone expected me to have a life plan at 21. All I wanted to do was have adventures and have a good time I shacked up with a girl and had (still have) a great time (she's now my wife /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif).

It wasn't until I reached 28 that I started to think about a house again as I'd explored a bit, had lots of fun and saw a bit of the world.

It's funny though, thinking back the only people who were behind the "do the right thing" choice were my parents and other elderly sages.

My advice... feck the mortgage, feck the responsibility and have some fun.

At that time If I could I'd have got a boat sooner.

As others have said cruise a bit it's a big world and of course all the ladies love a sailor /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
In winter the bigger the boat the better as then the condensation is further away. Heat, a dehumidifier and boom tent help to keep it at bay but you need to accept that in a few weeks time (and until April in the UK) home comforts are not so easy but well compensated. You just have to work at it a bit more. You can easily add insulation, we have not yet bothered but on a smaller boat might well have done.

Lots of related threads on this site may be worth a read.

It’s not the best time of year to start out, consider waiting until the spring. Otherwise just go for it. We have no regrets.

Life on a boat is not as efficient as in a house. They are not set up for being at work 9-5. Consider changing more than in/on what you live. London is great but full on work, commute and living on a boat? It would not work for me. Try to arrange things so that you row to work and only sometimes..or work at home. Then you can be around to dry the bilge etc.

We get the web by wifi in our marina– its free if a little unreliable but then most things are and we come to prefer it that way.

Best wishes.
 
Would strongly recommend insulating/ If boat not already insulated, buy 6' closed cell foam (this is basically bed roll, but don't buy that as it's very expensive in any quantity - got to a plastics supplier) and stick it on the inside of the hull everywhere above the water line. Also on the underside of the locker lid under the berth you sleep on.

Check that the electricty is flat rate before you decide on your heating options - I've never lived in a marina where it wasn't metered. We do use an oil filled electric rad when it gets cold, but also have a deisel fired hot air heating system (eberspacher) which is crucial for the winter.

If you will be in South Quay or another marina you won't be rowing anywhere to commute. I think it would be very difficult to do that on a regular basis. But we have run two businesses (incluidng one which involves suits and heels!) off our boat for getting on for three years and its perfectly possible. A different kind of planning really.

Good luck
 
no, in general boats are quite badly insulated.

Easily the most important bit of kit is a dehumidifier IMHO for boat living in a cool (eg uk winter) climate. You need to shut up the boat each day and run the dehum to remove the damp in the air caused by you (about a pint each night). The warmer you (temporarily) make the boat each day, the more water it can take up, and this too need to be removed.
 
I guess I should point out that I won't be getting this boat for about 2 - 3 years yet. Unfortunately, I have debt and stuff that needs paying off before I can go out on my own.
On the upside, it gives me plenty of time to think this out and make sure it's done properly when the time comes.
So, another bit added to the list: Insulation, heating
 
Yes you do it. If you do and it doesnt work out, so what at least you tried. And if it does work out, GREAT ! ! ! Everyone has their own choices/preferences so go out to as many marina's as have brokerage, and do the rounds, just like looking at flats and houses but afloat. then when your ready you will know what you like and what you dont, hopefully ? But be prepared to fall in love, you may think you know exactly what you need/want and then one day your browsing the web and, there she is . . . some little craft that really says "Me Me Me" (By the way, apparently boats are always 'HE' in Germany but 'SHE' in England and southern Europe, something to do with the romance languages having gender for everything - La Plume etc )
What ever you do do with both feet, and jump in, even if the water is freezing around here, it will certainly open your eyes
Good Luck
/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
Hi Cardo, I lived on my steel spray which I built about 10 years ago, I lived on her for about 3 years. they were the best 3 years of life I am now 49 and have come to the conclusion that selling her to buy a 2 bed flat was the biggest mistake of my life, I have now come to my senses and I am in the process of building a steel 32 footer on which I intend to end my days. We are on this world but for a short time and I intend to see as much of it as I can in the remainder of my life, which i might add will no doubt be lengthend by the fact that the cruising life is a simple fulfilling way of life, free of the entrapments and stress of todays "keeping up with the Jone's life style" so my friend as others have said GO FOR IT you can always come back to what you left.
Regards Rachel.
 
Checking out boat prices, I'm wondering how much I should be thinking about spending when I buy this boat to live on. If I get a pretty long term loan, I can probably spend a relatively large quantity.
So, from those of you that are experienced in this arena, what figure should I be looking at to get a boat that's going to be comfortable to live in?
 
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