Are you new to boating?? CLICK HERE

[BoatyMacBoatface]

On 11/12/2004 at 14:42, Sam said:

Are you a newbie to boating?

 

Well introduce your selves right here!!

 

And everyone will get to now you!!!

We're just (hopefully) about to buy our first nb.

Don't want to say too much about that in case I jinx it.

But you can be sure we'll have lots of questions and I'm going to pitch straight in with "What alternatives are there for getting the internet?" which I will also post as a question in its own right.

[NB Lola]

Welcome Boaty

[rusty69]

1 hour ago, BoatyMacBoatface said:

We're just (hopefully) about to buy our first nb.

Don't want to say too much about that in case I jinx it.

But you can be sure we'll have lots of questions and I'm going to pitch straight in with "What alternatives are there for getting the internet?" which I will also post as a question in its own right.

Welcome. Are you David Attenborough? 

[BoatyMacBoatface]

1 hour ago, rusty69 said:

Welcome. Are you David Attenborough? 

No, I'm waiting until we get the boat to choose a decent handle

[The Grumpy Triker]

8 hours ago, BoatyMacBoatface said:

We're just (hopefully) about to buy our first nb.

Don't want to say too much about that in case I jinx it.

But you can be sure we'll have lots of questions and I'm going to pitch straight in with "What alternatives are there for getting the internet?" which I will also post as a question in its own right.

Not jinxing anything so  .....good luck

[Forget Me Not]

Hello Everyone, I'm Catherine and I've not got a boat yet but I am seriously thinking about it.

I'm considering selling my house and getting a residential mooring. I've visited a friends marina and spoken to a few owners there and I've been researching online. It's very early days for me. This will be part of my research and I want to find out the down side to  narrow boats and the problems there can be, so that I can make a balanced decision as some of my family think I've lost the plot 

I want the biggest boat possible as a home but I would also like to be able to travel, I live near the Grand Union/ River Soar and I have family near the Leeds/Liverpool and family near the Kennet/Avon so my first question is what's the biggest boat I can get that can travel all these waterways?

[rusty69]

1 hour ago, Forget Me Not said:

Hello Everyone, I'm Catherine and I've not got a boat yet but I am seriously thinking about it

Welcome to the forum. 

[Marley Blue 6]

6 hours ago, Forget Me Not said:

Hello Everyone, I'm Catherine and I've not got a boat yet but I am seriously thinking about it.

I'm considering selling my house and getting a residential mooring. I've visited a friends marina and spoken to a few owners there and I've been researching online. It's very early days for me. This will be part of my research and I want to find out the down side to  narrow boats and the problems there can be, so that I can make a balanced decision as some of my family think I've lost the plot 

I want the biggest boat possible as a home but I would also like to be able to travel, I live near the Grand Union/ River Soar and I have family near the Leeds/Liverpool and family near the Kennet/Avon so my first question is what's the biggest boat I can get that can travel all these waterways?

Hi Catherine, welcome to the website, I've only just joined here and it's a really great place for advise. Ive just bought my first boat and your not mad, it's the best move you will ever make.

Im at Warwickshire on the Grand Union if you want to ask any questions or visit my boat and have a look around, there is a great residental marina at long Itchington where I keep my boat. 

Welcone to give me a shout if you have any questions 

Aj 

 

[Alan de Enfield]

6 hours ago, Forget Me Not said:

my first question is what's the biggest boat I can get that can travel all these waterways?

7 foot wide (ie a Narrowboat) no 'fatties' will get from 'North to South' due to a narrow bit in the middle (roughly a line across from Birmingham to Leicester.

Length - 70 foot will be OK.

[Tony Brooks]

But if Forget Me Not moors on the actual Soar and is happy with a tidal river trip then a fat boat could get to Liverpool and Leeds. I think i would still go narrow though but she needs to consider the 60ft (or is it 58ft) length limit on the Leeds & Liverpool and some other northern canals.

[Alan de Enfield]

10 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:

But if Forget Me Not moors on the actual Soar and is happy with a tidal river trip then a fat boat could get to Liverpool and Leeds. I think i would still go narrow though but she needs to consider the 60ft (or is it 58ft) length limit on the Leeds & Liverpool and some other northern canals.

But to get from the Soar to the K&A ?

[Tony Brooks]

Just now, Alan de Enfield said:

But to get from the Soar to the K&A ?

That is why I said that I would go narrow. It all depends what Catherine wants to do and what compromises she is willing to make.

[Alan de Enfield]

8 hours ago, Forget Me Not said:

my first question is what's the biggest boat I can get that can travel all these waterways?

 

1 minute ago, Tony Brooks said:

That is why I said that I would go narrow. It all depends what Catherine wants to do and what compromises she is willing to make.

To achieve her aim then there is no option - it MUST be a NB (unless she intends to crane it out, truck it around the 'narrows' and crane it back in)

[David Mack]

16 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

To achieve her aim then there is no option - it MUST be a NB (unless she intends to crane it out, truck it around the 'narrows' and crane it back in)

And depending on what part of the Leeds and Liverpool she wants to get to it may need to be no more than 60 ft long.

[SteDogg]

 

 

Posted 1 minute ago · Report post

Hi i'm Steve with my pooch Bailey , We are in Lancashire and new to Boating .In Fact so new that  we don't have a boat yet . Ive got upto £15,000 to spend ,but guys this is my dream ,to wander the canals of England with my dog  meeting new people and making new friends . So i need a boat ? Advice on where to look and what kind of boat . Now my plan is to use the boat all spring and summer and return home for winter . Tho i'm not shy of roughing the winter aboard my boat . So hi once again , and hope to hear from you soon 

 

Posted 1 minute ago · RepHi i'm Steve with my pooch Bailey , We are in Lancashire and new to Boating .In Fact so new that  we don't have a boat yet . Ive got upto £15,000 to spend ,but guys this is my dream ,to wander the canals of England with my dog  meeting new people and making new friends . So i need a boat ? Advice on where to look and what kind of boat . Now my plan is to use the boat all spring and summer and return home for winter . Tho i'm not shy of roughing the winter aboard my boat . So hi once again , and hope to hear from you soon 

[LadyG]

8 hours ago, SteDogg said:

 

 

Posted 1 minute ago · Report post

Hi i'm Steve with my pooch Bailey , We are in Lancashire and new to Boating .In Fact so new that  we don't have a boat yet . Ive got upto £15,000 to spend ,but guys this is my dream ,to wander the canals of England with my dog  meeting new people and making new friends . So i need a boat ? Advice on where to look and what kind of boat . Now my plan is to use the boat all spring and summer and return home for winter . Tho i'm not shy of roughing the winter aboard my boat . So hi once again , and hope to hear from you soon 

 

Posted 1 minute ago · RepHi i'm Steve with my pooch Bailey , We are in Lancashire and new to Boating .In Fact so new that  we don't have a boat yet . Ive got upto £15,000 to spend ,but guys this is my dream ,to wander the canals of England with my dog  meeting new people and making new friends . So i need a boat ? Advice on where to look and what kind of boat . Now my plan is to use the boat all spring and summer and return home for winter . Tho i'm not shy of roughing the winter aboard my boat . So hi once again , and hope to hear from you soon 

Have a look at youtube, Dan Brown and his channel "sort of interesting life", he lived on a tight budget, working only a few days a week, and it was pretty tough at times.

Biggest thing is .............. there are ongoing costs.

Ideal scenario is that you can work from home [the boat], and a few lucky guys can manage that but many are essentially tied to a workplace, making travel far from carefree.

I too am considering a liveaboard livestyle, but more luxury than rugged, see "cruising the cut" and others on youtube.

I am not sure about the options for winter, costs and availability are bound to be a big issue here.

Edited June 1, 2017 by LadyG

[Calranthe]

Hello,

A lot of you already know us as I have been asking many questions and getting some amazing advice, we are just waiting for the cheque to clear on Kathleen but everything else is in place.

This forum has already helped us so much and every answer seems to lead to another question

Jason & Paola 

BTW I got to pilot Kathleen for about 10 minutes and turns so well, over-steer seems to be my main problem.

[Peter X]

On ‎30‎/‎05‎/‎2017 at 06:37, Forget Me Not said:

Hello Everyone, I'm Catherine and I've not got a boat yet but I am seriously thinking about it.

I'm considering selling my house and getting a residential mooring. I've visited a friends marina and spoken to a few owners there and I've been researching online. It's very early days for me. This will be part of my research and I want to find out the down side to  narrow boats and the problems there can be, so that I can make a balanced decision as some of my family think I've lost the plot 

I want the biggest boat possible as a home but I would also like to be able to travel, I live near the Grand Union/ River Soar and I have family near the Leeds/Liverpool and family near the Kennet/Avon so my first question is what's the biggest boat I can get that can travel all these waterways?

As others have said, to reach all of those with one boat you're looking at a narrow boat of up to about 60 feet. But that's a reasonable amount of space if it's just for one (or two) people, and some residential moorings might come with a bit of storage space e.g. a shed. If you'll be away for a chunk of each year a leisure mooring may be better, as you'd meet the requirements and they're more plentiful.

[You could of course add a butty to double your boat space, but you really would need crew to move a pair, even on cross straps. Including someone strong enough to pull the butty into a narrow lock]

Broadly speaking houses and boats both have maintenance costs, but houses usually go up in value while boats don't, which is a long term downside and perhaps why some of your family have their doubts. But if you'll be happier on a boat, and many people are, just do it.

[WotEver]

53 minutes ago, Calranthe said:

BTW I got to pilot Kathleen for about 10 minutes and turns so well, over-steer seems to be my main problem.

Planes and boats have the same thing in common when turning. You have to start to finish the turn before you've got to point where you want to point. It'll take you, oooh, at least 5 minutes to get the hang of it

[David Mack]

1 hour ago, Calranthe said:

 

BTW I got to pilot Kathleen for about 10 minutes and turns so well, over-steer seems to be my main problem.

Very common with beginners.  You'll soon get the hang of it. Unlike a car, the boat carries on turning after you have straightened the wheel/tiller, so you have to straighten up before you are pointing in the direction you want to go.  Judging how much before, and how to correct it when you get it wrong, comes with experience.

Good luck!

[The Grumpy Triker]

On 02/06/2017 at 18:00, Peter X said:

As others have said, to reach all of those with one boat you're looking at a narrow boat of up to about 60 feet. But that's a reasonable amount of space if it's just for one (or two) people, and some residential moorings might come with a bit of storage space e.g. a shed. If you'll be away for a chunk of each year a leisure mooring may be better, as you'd meet the requirements and they're more plentiful.

[You could of course add a butty to double your boat space, but you really would need crew to move a pair, even on cross straps. Including someone strong enough to pull the butty into a narrow lock]

Broadly speaking houses and boats both have maintenance costs, but houses usually go up in value while boats don't, which is a long term downside and perhaps why some of your family have their doubts. But if you'll be happier on a boat, and many people are, just do it.

My alternatives are renting a square box in some grimy metropolis or buying a boat with all it's trials and tribulations yet with freedom, changing scenery, nature and a good community on my doorstep.....hmmmm 

No choice really.

[Dingle]

Morning all!

I'm Matt. I've been lurking here for a little while, joined up to post in the "Fenders up/down" thread (Something I feel very strongly about). Oh, and stowed for cruising, out for manoeuvring and down for mooring is the correct way to use fenders 

I've been out and about a few times with my folks helping them with their holidays but have been around boats since i were a boy. Sadly it does look like my days of getting salt in my G&T are behind me now as I have moved inland.

So far getting a canal boat has been nowt but wistful meanderings of misguided want and fancy until recently. Luckily/unluckily my parents have asked me to buy myself a boat that they will be able to use whilst they can (very sad).

I've stuck an add in the wanted section, got Apollo Duck saved to my favourites and will be looking for a leisure mooring somewhere between the big smoke and Bedford, I might even stretch to Milton Keynes!

I do hope to bring a little humour and maybe even be helpful! Catch you out on the boards 

Matt

 

[Mattyn]

Afternoon All

Finally moves are afoot to move to Bray - with the main driver being getting a boat to explore the river. 

Experienced?  Well I did go on a Canal holiday in 1988, but have sailed the seas for years in the RN - but someone else drove those boats! Now semi retiring and looking forward to relaxing and chilling out.

Not got a boat yet - jury is out but have a few quid to spend. I want more than a day boat - we (wife, me, youngest daughter) are looking for overnight trips etc building up to longer more adventurous trips.

I don't really like narrow boats - I would love a trawler type boat (something looking like an Aquanaut Adante) but have no idea on the suitability!  Will be visiting some yards next time we are up there, but any advice here would be great. 

Anyway - hi!

Matt

Edited June 4, 2017 by Mattyn

[The Grumpy Triker]

On 04/06/2017 at 16:29, Mattyn said:

Afternoon All

Finally moves are afoot to move to Bray - with the main driver being getting a boat to explore the river. 

Experienced?  Well I did go on a Canal holiday in 1988, but have sailed the seas for years in the RN - but someone else drove those boats! Now semi retiring and looking forward to relaxing and chilling out.

Not got a boat yet - jury is out but have a few quid to spend. I want more than a day boat - we (wife, me, youngest daughter) are looking for overnight trips etc building up to longer more adventurous trips.

I don't really like narrow boats - I would love a trawler type boat (something looking like an Aquanaut Adante) but have no idea on the suitability!  Will be visiting some yards next time we are up there, but any advice here would be great. 

Anyway - hi!

Matt

Hmmm...moving to Bray!?...slumming it now eh? 

It is a beautiful stretch of the Thames and some AMAZING properties, and some great cruising up and down, although I would guess that up to Goring and down to the tidal Thames would be your haunt on a new jallopee like the Aquanaut....not in my class for sure 

Good luck with everything and you are in a good place on here.....genuine people with great advice.

[Mattyn]

On ‎05‎/‎06‎/‎2017 at 19:52, The Grumpy Triker said:

Hmmm...moving to Bray!?...slumming it now eh? 

It is a beautiful stretch of the Thames and some AMAZING properties, and some great cruising up and down, although I would guess that up to Goring and down to the tidal Thames would be your haunt on a new jallopee like the Aquanaut....not in my class for sure 

Good luck with everything and you are in a good place on here.....genuine people with great advice.

Thank you Grumpy.  I have done nothing else this week except fawn over differing boats.  But we (as a family I must add) have come to a decision.  We rather like the look of the vintage fast commuters rather than the modern Aquanaut.  Much like this:

http://www.classic-boats.com/en/motor-yachts/andreyale-15-m

We also realise to do this properly is unlikely to happen this year - so are entering a serious planning phase and aim to hopefully be up and running in about 12 months.