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Post by JohnV on Apr 20, 2020 5:55:07 GMT
Friends of ours were live aboards for twenty years on a 35ft Springer. It's not whether it can be done, rather whether you want to do it. Rog Next to me in Benfleet there was a couple that lived for two years on an Ormalite cruiser (same as my Shapfell) 25' 6" and 6' 5" beam They were saving a deposit for a house, don't know how on earth they survived ...... but they managed it (they were on shore power which must have helped a bit ..... but still. I enjoy long cruises on Shapfell, sometimes for several months at a time ...... but permanently and in the winter ?
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Post by lollygagger on Apr 20, 2020 8:32:46 GMT
You want small? I lived in my tiny 70's VW camper for 6 months through the winter while looking for a boat/recovering from an op. That was ok really, but moving from that to a 50ft boat was as Stabby says, like moving into a mansion.
I would be happy with the bed/sofa thing but you have all the bedding to stow/air during the day and for that reason it doesn't seem such a practical use of space as it first appears.
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Post by patty on Apr 20, 2020 9:02:23 GMT
You want small? I lived in my tiny 70's VW camper for 6 months through the winter while looking for a boat/recovering from an op. That was ok really, but moving from that to a 50ft boat was as Stabby says, like moving into a mansion. I would be happy with the bed/sofa thing but you have all the bedding to stow/air during the day and for that reason it doesn't seem such a practical use of space as it first appears. I used to use the duvet as a sofa throw covered with a blanket..didn't have pillows just couple of cushions. Suspect inside me theirs a grubby urchin trying to sneak out.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 20, 2020 9:04:45 GMT
Space wise I rarely used my bedroom less folks visited then they got it. I preferred sleeping on the settee..Im small enough not to have to make it up as a bed. I wasn't live aboard ..wish I could have now but things didn't work out as I wanted them to. I didn't like the cassette toilet as they were heavy to carry..I would have preferred pump out A lot of motorhomers have this decision between a full time bed, and one you make up each night. Like you, I dont mind a make-up bed if its a 5 min job. A 35ft hire boat we used had one, and I didnt find it much of a chore, although I do also get why people dont like them. If you dont have any heating to the bedroom, there is also the bonus that in the winter, you dont have to leave your warm saloon and dive into a freezing bed (although I imagine people use low-power electric blankets maybe to take the edge off the cold?) Its all preference, but if I had a 12ft length of boat for sleeping and living, I would rather combine it into one all-purpose space than put a bulkhead in and have a small saloon. A small saloon was also something I tried the 35ft hire boat, and to be honest I think it was the worst aspect of the whole trip. It just felt very cramped and uncomfortable, and a generous saloon is something I feel I have to have. A boat with a tiny saloon will have to try very hard hard indeed to pick me!
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Post by lollygagger on Apr 20, 2020 9:13:46 GMT
Walk through bathrooms. Looks ok on paper but... I hate mine. Probably because that's not what the shell was designed for and so I have a side hatch in the bathroom.
Side hatches - avoid the ones with a top lid. Stupid and unnecessary. Difficult to seal and insulate well. If I didn't have the top hatch I'd replace the whole thing with a window.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 20, 2020 9:20:45 GMT
Boat in question is raw water cooled. Fine for rivers but I wouldn’t want it on canals. I've had a bit of a look and it seems that, with craning out etc, an external tank could probably be fitted to the swim thingy, but its a case of Bring Out Another Thousand. I could maybe ask for a price reduction based on this, but its already pretty cheap to be fair. I dont think its been blacked since new, so that would need doing whilst it was out. Add in two 300w +solar panels and a new charge controller, and the 'on the road' price (ok, 'on the cut' price) is probably £5k extra. Still worth considering though, if I can find ways of adapting to smaller storage space. If its still available in 6 weeks time I'll email them to ask if they would consider a discount based on the need for a skin tank to be fitted. I do quite like the idea of a smaller, nipper boat if I can make it work.
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Post by Jim on Apr 20, 2020 9:29:12 GMT
Ours is 35 ft, powered with a Honda 20 outboard, (so the seagull 40+ mentioned earlier is ample). Self fit out with the innards of a caravan, we have oven, hob and grill, a dometic/waeco compressor cool box. Cross bed for the double, the central slats side into the step. The single seat makes into a single bed, we've never used it but it's there just in case. Cassette toilet, I have one spare cassette, if needs be I can bring the one from the caravan too. But that's been adequate for the two of us. Never mind an expensive Pyrex jug, Andrew is a flash posh twat. Application of pen knife to 2ltr milk bottle makes a container with handle. There's a small back cabin where tools, coats boots, electrickery gubbins are stored. 135w flexo solar on roof, mppt controller, 450ah batteries, all lights led, so we have quite a bit of capacity. I have a cheap 1. 5k inverter, mostly for running power tools or laptop, everything else is 12 volts. On the roof is a Magic tardis roof box, admired by all. Spare wood, coal, etc etc goes in there.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 20, 2020 9:32:13 GMT
ELECTRIC BLANKET ... ELECTRIC BLANKET !
Are you sure you're not thinking of a cruise liner ?
Rog
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Post by Jim on Apr 20, 2020 9:35:13 GMT
ELECTRIC BLANKET ... ELECTRIC BLANKET ! Are you sure you're not thinking of a cruise liner ? Rog Wouldn't a Woman suffice? Ah no I'm being silly they're ALL freezing when they get in bed. Mr Stabby fills Shania with hot water.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 20, 2020 9:44:45 GMT
ELECTRIC BLANKET ... ELECTRIC BLANKET ! Are you sure you're not thinking of a cruise liner ? Rog No no no, not for me, you understand. Noooo.... In fact I'll be putting some ice cubes into a water bottle and throwing that in bed half an hour before I get in, to get it down to proper Yorkshire temperature. I was merely speculating on what mere mortals might be doing.....
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Post by Deleted on Apr 20, 2020 9:48:38 GMT
Ours is 35 ft, powered with a Honda 20 outboard, (so the seagull 40+ mentioned earlier is ample). Self fit out with the innards of a caravan, we have oven, hob and grill, a dometic/waeco compressor cool box. Cross bed for the double, the central slats side into the step. The single seat makes into a single bed, we've never used it but it's there just in case. Cassette toilet, I have one spare cassette, if needs be I can bring the one from the caravan too. But that's been adequate for the two of us. Never mind an expensive Pyrex jug, Andrew is a flash posh twat. Application of pen knife to 2ltr milk bottle makes a container with handle. There's a small back cabin where tools, coats boots, electrickery gubbins are stored. 135w flexo solar on roof, mppt controller, 450ah batteries, all lights led, so we have quite a bit of capacity. I have a cheap 1. 5k inverter, mostly for running power tools or laptop, everything else is 12 volts. On the roof is a Magic tardis roof box, admired by all. Spare wood, coal, etc etc goes in there. I have to say Jim, I think that is absolutely brilliant. For me personally, I would only add a bathroom area (if it hasnt got one tucked away somewhere). It looks incredibly spacious. Are you sure you didnt use a funny lens for this, and really its 4ft long?
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Post by Jim on Apr 20, 2020 9:56:33 GMT
Ours is 35 ft, powered with a Honda 20 outboard, (so the seagull 40+ mentioned earlier is ample). Self fit out with the innards of a caravan, we have oven, hob and grill, a dometic/waeco compressor cool box. Cross bed for the double, the central slats side into the step. The single seat makes into a single bed, we've never used it but it's there just in case. Cassette toilet, I have one spare cassette, if needs be I can bring the one from the caravan too. But that's been adequate for the two of us. Never mind an expensive Pyrex jug, Andrew is a flash posh twat. Application of pen knife to 2ltr milk bottle makes a container with handle. There's a small back cabin where tools, coats boots, electrickery gubbins are stored. 135w flexo solar on roof, mppt controller, 450ah batteries, all lights led, so we have quite a bit of capacity. I have a cheap 1. 5k inverter, mostly for running power tools or laptop, everything else is 12 volts. On the roof is a Magic tardis roof box, admired by all. Spare wood, coal, etc etc goes in there. I have to say Jim, I think that is absolutely brilliant. For me personally, I would only add a bathroom area (if it hasnt got one tucked away somewhere). It looks incredibly spacious. Are you sure you didnt use a funny lens for this, and really its 4ft long? I fitted the whole bathroom/toilet/shower unit from the caravan. Had to reverse the slide out cassette, I fitted the little door in the internal wall, slides out into the walkway. I prefer big windows, not to everyone's taste, troglodytes like portholes.
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Post by naughtyfox on Apr 20, 2020 11:48:26 GMT
I'd estimate that if you are living on your own, once every 2 weeks would do, for emptying a 'Thetford' ('elsan') toilet. I wouldn't even consider anything else: 1. Compost toilets - yeah, yeah - but it has to go somewhere, right? Where? We have never had an honest answer on this forum about this. Probably put into plastic bags and chucked into a Biffa bin. 2. Pump-outs. Sounds vile to me. Out and about use toilets in pubs, restaurants, cafes, etc. I walked past Enterprise in Newbury on our last trip and used theirs. Why not - we have rented cars from them a few times. Airports also have relatively clean toilets. I've watched videos by a few very popular youtubers about their experiences installing and living with a compost toilet, but now you mention it, I dont recollect them mentioned where they empty the 'solids'.... Yeah, they never tell you. Bit I will tell you that 2 weeks ago the elsan disposal hole at Little Venice on the Regent's Canal was blocked by the contents of a boater's 'compost loo'. A 'Thetford' toilet can be emptied in any conventional toilet also, such as in a pub or at Tesco's - you can pour a third in at a time and flush.... and flush.... OK, if it blocks, just walk away and pretend it was nothing to do with you.
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Post by naughtyfox on Apr 20, 2020 12:04:24 GMT
Space wise I rarely used my bedroom less folks visited then they got it. I preferred sleeping on the settee..Im small enough not to have to make it up as a bed. I wasn't live aboard ..wish I could have now but things didn't work out as I wanted them to. I didn't like the cassette toilet as they were heavy to carry..I would have preferred pump out and dive into a freezing bed (although I imagine people use low-power electric blankets maybe to take the edge off the cold?) The Witch often moans it's too warm in our boat. We have 2 hot water bottles but have never used them. But a hot water bottle (or two!) is great - you chuck it under the quilt a few hours before you go to bed, and move it around a bit. I am often up early (5am-ish) and our kitchen is the coldest area, so I can give it a blast with a Camping Gaz stove for a few minutes (saves the gas for the cooker - of course, I could light all 4 rings and the oven too if I wanted). A good trick is to keep a candle alight in the kitchen sink where, if it were to fall over (and it isn't likely to), it gives out a constant heat. Or two or three or four candles for extra blast. I also put kitchen towel in the gaps of our back doors to keep the draught out. If not using the hot water bottles in bed, they can be filled with hot water and left anywhere to give off a mild warm glow in that corner. It all helps. We also have a small electric fan heater (DEFA - Made in Norway) used for heating cars in Scandinavia, it's about 800 Watts, and we can have that on too when we have 240v from the shore. But it's a bit noisy. Great for drying out the water tank for painting, and in winter I'll have it in the engine room to 'heat the engine up' (15 degrees Centigrade in the engine hole is better than minus 6).
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Post by patty on Apr 20, 2020 12:16:46 GMT
ELECTRIC BLANKET ... ELECTRIC BLANKET ! Are you sure you're not thinking of a cruise liner ? Rog We didn't get electric blankets..what cruise liner provides them?
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