Just to put a spanner in the works (are we up to episode 2 yet BTW?).
Many CC'ers run a cheap campervan with the boat instead of a car. That opens up many other possibilities.
It's a back up if anything serious on the boat fails.
You can go off and explore somewhere away from the waterways for a few days.
You can sleep in the camper when visiting family and friends rather than put on them.
You can use it as a van and maybe even store a proper motorbike in it.
I mean, two man caves have got to be better than one (if you can afford it, which I can't)
Ah, if only...Â
I must admit that did occur to me, but my DIY/vehicle maintenance skills are very poor, so I'd want to go for a newer van to convert, or a ready-converted vehicle, and also a youngish boat, and I just cant afford both.Â
I reckon without selling my house I'll probably have about £60-65k for boat+car/bike, or boat+campervan.
I've looked at what motorhomes you could get for around 30k, and they were usually 7-10 years old and had at least 20k or 30k miles, so I just wasnt that tempted by them.
And my impression so far is that the boats you can get for around 30k would be at least 15 years old, often with highish engine miles (so maybe engine bills to pay in the next couple of years), plus ageing and deteriorating fixtures and utilities that would needing replacement or repair within a few years, etc)
All in all, my thinking was that splitting the cash that way wasnt going to get me a really nice boat or a nice campervan, and it also wouldnt leave any spare cash for a really major bill for either one.Â
If I had even another 15k I'd be looking harder at that option, but I'm moving away from the idea of a campervan as I'll explain below- so I reckon it makes more sense to spend more on getting a really nice boat, as I'll be spending 90% of my time based in it. Â
Its a very interesting topic this, and I for a few years I ummed and ahhed between a boat and a motorhome to live in after retirement.
The freedom of a motorhome is brilliant,it really is. You can visit mountains, sea shores, towns- you name it, you can get there. And if we were still able to travel freely around Europe I might well have gone that way instead of getting a boat. But after 1st jan we'll be limited to a maximum of 3 months out of every 6 anywhere in the EU, and I just dont fancy motorhoming in the Uk that much.Â
The UK is generally more crowded than Europe, and not set up as well for motorhomers, and people are generally more hostile to vans rocking up and taking the best parking places in nice locations for a few days (which I can understand). Plus I think it can be a more lonely lifestyle for a single guy, whereas on a boat you have plenty of opportunities for a chat or whatever waiting in locks, or when you moor up somewhere.Â
My niggling doubts about getting hassle from locals and police living in a van has been borne out during the pandemic- I read a couple of 'wild camping' campervan forums, and still watch the odd youtube video about van living, and apparently the risk of van dwellers bringing coronavirus into rural areas has made the locals suddenly much more hostile towards them.
Local vigilantes have descended in gangs on van dwellers, threatening damage or even violence, publishing their location on local facebook groups, and generally forcing them back to their own towns and cities. It will eventually go back to normal I'm sure, and van dwellers will be allowed to park up without threats, but the fear created by the pandemic has revealed and intensified some unpleasant attitudes to motorhome/van travellers, and I'm not as sure about long term van or motorhome living any more, especially with the freedom to explore Europe taken away.Â
The other thing worrying me about motorhomes is that they are almost all diesel, and as we know the government are starting to increasingly punish the use of diesels. I think a big increase in diesel prices is coming for private diesel users in the next few years (maybe not for commercials), and I'm not sure what the long term future is, but I don't think its good.Â
Hopefully boaters, as a small group in National terms, won't be affected by the tougher line on private diesel use.Â