Newbie questions.....

[Sy-Revolution]

Hi Everybody,
I'm a regular at the PBO & Liveaboard forums but new in here. I'd like to pick your collective brains....

Currently we live on a 37ft sailing yacht in the Med, been sailing around for a while and we're both pretty competent skippers.
We sold up two years ago in the UK and have no home there now. My mother has been taken seriously ill and we have to return for an indeterminate period. Finances are tight so we can't afford to rent a house. Plus I'm not too keen on going back to dry land.
So we're thinking of buying a narrowboat or some kind of live-aboard river boat. We'll need to be near Cambridge, ideally on the Cam.

Are there any pitfalls that we should be aware of? How difficult/easy would it be to find a semi-permanent mooring on the Cam, nearish (<5 miles ) the town center?

Apart from the boat safety test what hoops would we be likely to have to jump through when buying a boat to make it legal?

If we bought in, say, the Thames area how tricky would it be to move the boat to our desired location?

Any tips 'n' tricks that a sea skipper, new to the inland waterways, could do with knowing?

Cheers,

C.

 

[rafiki_]

There are many people who happily live aboard a narrow boat. Not my cup of tea, but each to their own. There are probably better rivers than the Cam to dock on, like the Nene. If you look at Earith, north of Cambridge, this is a really nice part of the world with plenty of opps to cruise up and down.

If you buy on the Thames, you should be able to navigate up the Grand Union and across to Cambridge.

Good luck

I think a half decent narrow boat is going to cost £50k ish. You might get an older 40ft cruiser for £30-£40k, with a bit more space, light and less claustrophobic.

 

[mikemanor]

No moorings on the Cam

Unfortunately, I have to say that you will not get a liveaboard mooring within 5 miles of Cambridge on the Cam. There is at least a 3 year waiting list for the few moorings in that area. You may be lucky further afield at say Ely or on the Great Ouse as suggested at Earith or Hartford. There are certainly residential moorings available at Priory Marina in Bedford.
For more info on the issues take a look at:
http://www.camboaters.co.uk/
There is also a lot of info on living aboard on the Inland Waterways here:
http://www.canalworld.net/forums/

A top tip is find the mooring first, and then buy the boat. Happy for you to PM me. I keep my boat on the Great Ouse at Huntingdon.

Regards

Mike

 

[TrueBlue]

I wouldn't buy a NB on the Thames. If cruiser prices are any guid it's cheaper to buy elsewhere and move it.
Therer aer plenty of brokers around - get yourself a current copy of Waterways World magazine. You'll be spoilt for choice.

Simple if tedious to move it around. You can always get a BW short term licence if you're going to the Nene (EA waters).

 

[Sy-Revolution]

Thanks for the replies.
I guess the Ouse would be close enough, perhaps the Cam at Ely but the Nene would be too far out.

I'll look into marina places at Earith/St Ives and Ely. Also look at perhaps a steel cruiser as the 'yacht' layout might offer a little more space.

What's the procedure RE obtaining licenses, Do I need separate ones for each waterways system, Thames/Cam Conservators etc as I'm passing through or does a British waterways license cover for transits? What are the rules for short stay mooring along riverbanks, Say we wanted to visit Cambridge/St Ives on a weekend or odd week?

Thanks.

C.

 

[TrueBlue]

OK, I'm biased, but I think that nb's or broad barges lend themselves to liveaboarding better than cruisers.

The former type of craft are more likely to have domestic radiator type of heating or a multi fuel stove, a small domestic cooker with oven and other creature comforts; whereas cruisers are much more limited.
You will find a steel cruiser more expensive anyway.

The best compromise IMHO is a "broad narrowboat", especially as you are on a tight budget.

Licences.
Each navigation authority has it's own licences and there is little or no provision for transits. However, all have short term licences which do the job adequately.

There's a large choice of nb's available - mostly on the canal system. If you look only at available boats where you want to settle you may find a poor choice.

 

[kesh]

moving your newly bought nb to your mooring location is one of the joys of the inland waterways.

though sometimes boats are sold with their mooring if you want it (if it's a private mooring). this might be an option in somewhere as crowded as cambridge.