Narrowboats,Widebeams and Canal life.

[buzzer1]

Buzzer,me and the missus live on a narrowboat and have done for years now. We are on the Rochdale at the moment and move around between Sowerby Bridge and Todmorden but we also pay for a permanent mooring at Hebden Bridge just to keep British Waterways of our backs (they tend to hound continuous cruisers a bit because they don't get as much money out of them!)
We have a 50 ft narrow and we will get it extended to 57 ft to fit in a child's bedroom when the time comes,any longer than that and you wont fit through the locks!
My advice, go for a steel hull boat,not a wooden because they are easier to maintain.

widebeams do have more space but tend to be laid out in a way that doesn't make the most of it and like you say,you wont fit on some canals.I know you say you don't want to do much actual travelling but that really is the best thing about having a boat and you will miss out on so much by not going anywhere!

You might also want to think about power. being off grid is brilliant but you do have to change your lifestyle a bit,we have a solar panel and a composting loo.

The big downside is having to deal with British Waterways,they are right bastards but I for one intend to live on the canals for a very long time to come!

If you need any help or advice just pm me.

Thats brilliant Pinky, i have been over for a chillout to Sowerby as i deliver to Claude Hallowell, i think its in a place called Triangle, quite a big lorry firm tbh and what a lovely part of the world. We have been over to Fettlers and Scaribrick today and met the owner(Alan) who showed us 2 widebeams that were for sale. Having returned and had a minute, we are gonna give it 12-18 month and then we will snag us a boat, i just love the waterways and have a fabulous feeling when am around the Community, humbled,happy and a great sense of being alive, but we will deffo go for a Widebeam as i wanna make it as comfy as poss for the Little'n' and Mrs, it is also a condition of the Mrs. if she is gonna live-aboard. Thanks for the post Pinky, i will deffo be in touch if thats ok, not to mither you or anything but i will be in touch,thanks mate.

 

[Helmet Cole]

What's the depreciation like (if any) on these things? Say if you bought that widebeam off ebay for 60k now, what would it be worth 10/20/30 yrs from now?

 

[buzzer1]

What's the depreciation like (if any) on these things? Say if you bought that widebeam off ebay for 60k now, what would it be worth 10/20/30 yrs from now?

I've heard that you never make or even break even mate, a couple of Boaters have told me this.

 

[pinkwheeltrim]

Buzzer,me and the missus live on a narrowboat and have done for years now. We are on the Rochdale at the moment and move around between Sowerby Bridge and Todmorden but we also pay for a permanent mooring at Hebden Bridge just to keep British Waterways of our backs (they tend to hound continuous cruisers a bit because they don't get as much money out of them!)
We have a 50 ft narrow and we will get it extended to 57 ft to fit in a child's bedroom when the time comes,any longer than that and you wont fit through the locks!
My advice, go for a steel hull boat,not a wooden because they are easier to maintain.

widebeams do have more space but tend to be laid out in a way that doesn't make the most of it and like you say,you wont fit on some canals.I know you say you don't want to do much actual travelling but that really is the best thing about having a boat and you will miss out on so much by not going anywhere!

You might also want to think about power. being off grid is brilliant but you do have to change your lifestyle a bit,we have a solar panel and a composting loo.

The big downside is having to deal with British Waterways,they are right bastards but I for one intend to live on the canals for a very long time to come!

If you need any help or advice just pm me.

Thats brilliant Pinky, i have been over for a chillout to Sowerby as i deliver to Claude Hallowell, i think its in a place called Triangle, quite a big lorry firm tbh and what a lovely part of the world. We have been over to Fettlers and Scaribrick today and met the owner(Alan) who showed us 2 widebeams that were for sale. Having returned and had a minute, we are gonna give it 12-18 month and then we will snag us a boat, i just love the waterways and have a fabulous feeling when am around the Community, humbled,happy and a great sense of being alive, but we will deffo go for a Widebeam as i wanna make it as comfy as poss for the Little'n' and Mrs, it is also a condition of the Mrs. if she is gonna live-aboard. Thanks for the post Pinky, i will deffo be in touch if thats ok, not to mither you or anything but i will be in touch,thanks mate.

No problem mate,get in touch anytime. Just one more piece of important advice,buy one in the winter,there much cheaper and there are a lot more on
offer because although they are very warm and snug in winter,keeping them that way can be hard work!

 

[buzzer1]

No problem mate,get in touch anytime. Just one more piece of important advice,buy one in the winter,there much cheaper and there are a lot more on
offer because although they are very warm and snug in winter,keeping them that way can be hard work![/quote]
Cheers mate, invaluable advice indeed, along with the credit crunch and the winter then i should be set for a bargain. I envy you mate and cannot wait to get started, cannot fekin wait. I 'will' be in touch mate, all the best to you and yours, cheers Pinkster.

 

[toby]

buzzer look at <a class="postlink" href="http://www.midwayboats.co.uk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">www.midwayboats.co.uk</a> there is 3yr old narrowboat on there for I think it was 57,000

and yes I do have children but they are grown up ones (allegedly)

 

[buzzer1]

buzzer look at <a class="postlink" href="http://www.midwayboats.co.uk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.midwayboats.co.uk</a> there is 3yr old narrowboat on there for I think it was 57,000

and yes I do have children but they are grown up ones (allegedly)

Cheers Toby, i will check it out tomorrow as guess what, there is a whole nights viewing on Discovery Shed about Narrowboats, Yipppppeee.