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Post by JohnV on Dec 12, 2019 8:09:02 GMT
You've opened up another question there - widebeam or narrow boat? Too many questions! Feel free to ask away 🙂, me personally, narrowboat all the way altho I do miss the room of a widebeam if anyone visits. So where & how often have you hired? Plans to own or live aboard in the future? Its normally quiet at night on here but the rabble do wake up and join in about 7 ish. Huh !!! that's your card marked youngster !!!
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Post by naughtyfox on Dec 12, 2019 8:13:41 GMT
Only now thinking maybe we can enjoy that again. Quaysider/Ellis, as Patty mentioned, could be a good bet for you - I believe he will let you operate his boat all by yourselves, although he will be present to supervise and help. You'll find him and his website on Thunderboat.
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Post by JohnV on Dec 12, 2019 8:30:36 GMT
Been around boats and boating of one form or another all my life. 10 years of it at sea. Had a spell living on a narrowboat long long time ago but relationship imploded and I left (her boat) Then another girlfriend with a boat for a couple of years but mostly living ashore working/holidaying on boat (narrow) Then a long spell of mostly crewing on various yachts/cruisers belonging to various acquaintances. Also owned a couple of small salty water boats for a while but they were pretty ripe and I didn't dare take them far. Then in the 90's bought a sunken Humber barge and that firmly brought to an end my dreams of being rich Live aboard full time, plus lots of trips on commercials, occasional trips on a mates gaffer and also own (though not been used for a few years but hopefully next summer) a narrowbeam yoghurt pot on which I have managed to do a fair proportion of the system
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Post by cygnus on Dec 12, 2019 8:49:23 GMT
Lived aboard for 22 years. We bought an unfinished project narrowboat in the 90s and lived on it for 13 years, and then a wide beam shell which I am still working on, easier to do on a widebeam.
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Post by Clinton Cool on Dec 12, 2019 8:49:35 GMT
6 1/2 years living aboard for me although I do take a 2 month break each winter. While I don't enjoy every minute of it, I don't look forward to evenings once the clocks have gone back, overall, its a lifestyle that suits me. Cruising itself I find rather dull but I love waking up to different views every couple of weeks or couple of days. I also love upgrading the various systems in the boat, making and fixing things for it, making it nice and homely. I can live on the boat and not have to work but if I chose to live in a flat or something, even in a really shitty area, I'd have to think about doing some work. It's changed me, I'm less tolerant of noise, traffic, crowds and possibly people in general, but there you go.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 12, 2019 8:59:49 GMT
Got my first boat (a"nipper" grp dinghy on our large garden pond) in 1981 when I was 7. Fortunate enough to move and live in a house beside the Thames from 1986-1994 during which time I played with a variety of boats and I bought my mum's 32ft narrow boat in 94. Sold the house (big error) in 1996. Upgraded to a 55ft in 1996 and my mother also bought a 55 ft narrow and we spent the next few years traveling around the system on our boats. Being the posh hippies, as you do. Lived on various boats full time since then apart from a few months renting a flat with the new woman and baby which I couldn't deal with so managed to get them onto a boat as well. No property interests anywhere it's just boats but I do have 3 boats which are comfortable for living on so quite spoilt I suppose. If I had my time again I would have bought property of some sort as an old age insurance policy. But I do intend to live on boats for as long as physically possible
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Post by Deleted on Dec 12, 2019 9:22:45 GMT
We had a share in a narrow boat whilst we were working. An older boat, so the 12th share was only about 3k and that gave us four weeks a year in various seasons, plus a few extras in winter months when other sharers didn't fancy the weather. The idea was we'd get a more realistic view of life afloat, and it may put us off. It didn't work ... in 2004 we bought our own boat and now spend nine months a year onboard generally meandering around the system. We kept the house (we're lucky to be able to manage both) and work Oct, Nov, Dec in retail as christmas temps. We considered the share idea was a great way of establishing if boating was for us ... cheaper than hiring and the chance to get to know a specific boat in good weather but also in bad. Good luck with your dreams ... if a thing's worth having it's worth working and waiting for Rog
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Post by Deleted on Dec 12, 2019 9:31:52 GMT
Only now thinking maybe we can enjoy that again. Quaysider/Ellis, as Patty mentioned, could be a good bet for you - I believe he will let you operate his boat all by yourselves, although he will be present to supervise and help. You'll find him and his website on Thunderboat. Mark, the owner/operator of narrow boat Ellis has a web site at www.narrowboatellis.comA holiday would be an excellent opportunity for you to spend time afloat (on a beautiful boat) whilst having one to one time with a live aboard boater ... it's not a traditional hotel boat, more a live aboard experience and Mark is terrific ... you'll not want to leave But feel free to ask away on here, we all like chatting. Rog
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Post by Mr Stabby on Dec 12, 2019 9:32:38 GMT
Good luck with your dreams ... if a thing's worth having it's worth working and waiting for Very pithy, but I prefer...
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Post by Deleted on Dec 12, 2019 9:36:08 GMT
Says Mr Stabby who's working all hours so he can go off boating for half the year . You see, we're all as bad as each other as far as boats are concerned. Rog
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Post by Mr Stabby on Dec 12, 2019 9:39:45 GMT
Says Mr Stabby who's working all hours so he can go off boating for half the year . You see, we're all as bad as each other as far as boats are concerned. Rog Well, "working" is a bit of a subjective term. At the moment it would be more accurate to say I'm being paid £11.50 an hour to go on the internet.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 12, 2019 9:41:35 GMT
40 hours a week of that's a win/win ... hope your wrist brace holds up Rog
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Post by Telemachus on Dec 12, 2019 12:34:29 GMT
Started off with dinghy sailing as a kid, then aged about 10 my school mate asked me if I'd like to go out on his dad's tiny canal day cruiser on the GU near Warwick. That progressed to a centre cockpit cruiser, which me and Chris were allowed out on without parents once we were in our early teens. That progressed to a steel narrowboat fitted out by Chris, his dad and uncle (who had a joinery business conveniently right alongside the canal!) That progressed into my family hiring and then borrowing Chris' dad's boat. Aged 18 me, Chris and another chap did a big trip from Warwick via the Trent up to Ripon, back over the L&L including Bingley 5 rise (no lockkeeper). The boat broke down somewhere near Wigan. Then after repairs me and Chris took it back to Warwick via the Wigan flight (mercifully, volockies hadn't been invented then) etc. How did we cope? Hmmmmmm
Then off to Uni and out of touch with boating until about 25 years ago when I contacted Chris to see if he still had a boat - he did, but it was a new narrowboat. Jeff and I borrowed it for a couple of weeks each September for about 15 years until finally we decided to buy Telemachus. Certainly very nice to have your own boat with your own stuff on it, as opposed to borrowing someone else's. Although of course the latter is MUCH cheaper!
We live in Aberdeen but the boat is near Tamworth, so a fair commute. But we still manage to spend plenty of time on it, last year was 100 days or so, including 2 months solid in the summer. Personally I don't think I want to live on a boat full time especially over the winter. I have too many other hobbies including gliding at the best site in the UK (in Scotland), electronics (for which I need a huge amount of space for mess!) and various other things that are incompatible with living on a boat.
We really enjoy our boating but I would worry slightly that turning it into a full time occupation might take the shine off it, especially in winter. Others of course are quite content to not have much "stuff", but I need a house as well to hold all my "stuff" - stuff that is needed for my hobbies, not just stuff serving no useful purpose and just collecting dust (although we have a fair bit of that too!).
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Post by brummieboy on Dec 12, 2019 12:41:23 GMT
We use the boat at the boat club lots of weekends, but in better weather cruise often, for short runs, with a 6 to 10 weeks cruise in summer. Would not like to live full time moored in one place, as boat is considered as holiday outlet. Needto move to fully appreciate it.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 12, 2019 14:05:17 GMT
Quaysider/Ellis, as Patty mentioned, could be a good bet for you - I believe he will let you operate his boat all by yourselves, although he will be present to supervise and help. You'll find him and his website on Thunderboat. ... one to one time with a live aboard boater ... So much better than a dead one...
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