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How often do you use your boat?


W+T

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Just a thing that has come up in another thread,

 

Just how often, as in all year round do you use use your boat, I have camped, caravan`d, boated etc all year round, no matte what weather, been in a camper van in the depths of winter, infact lived in one for months threw winter, aslong as i am cosy i am happy, Me and T go away in B&B`s in winter and plan to use the cruiser all year round to fish walk etc, .

 

So why would you not go boating in winter? To have anice boat sat there and not used in bad/colder weather which is a lot in this country is a waste.

 

 

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We love winter cruising, but that's in a well insulated Narrowboat with a good solid fuel stove alight 24/7 plus diesel central heating for an early morning boost whilst the fire gets back up to full output. I don't know how well sorted you are from that point of view, but I think fewer cruisers are well equipped for the cold months. Winter stoppages do seem to be becoming more of a problem year on year though and scuppered us early this year.

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We tend to live on the boat from late May until late September, then put it in the marina for the colder months. We tend to pursue other interests in winter such as visiting friends and relations in Germany. I would use the boat in winter but seldom do owing to other responsibilities.

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We use out boat at least once a month, often more in the winter.

 

We do have the advantage of winding holes 10 and 20 minutes away respectively, and also being on a 12 mile pound, handy in case of stoppages.

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Wait and see what it is like when your boat is in the water

 

Richard

 

 

if it sinks you mean lol

Edited by W+T
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No - You may be wildly enthusiastic now, wait until the boat is in the water and your next project comes along

 

Richard

 

why wait until it is on the water fro another project, already looking, life is to short;)

 

I myself just love being out and about in winter, as much as summer, Made of true northern stuff me :) But still want a cosy spot to lay my head after a days fishing or walking. Spent a few days in minus temps fishing and boating, loved it. Better than being stuck in the house when there is nothing to do.

 

This brings back memories when i lived on a 19 foot DC Dandy, worst boat you own IMO, between July and November, by eck it was cold as had no heating but for the hobs when lit. very damp but looking back i loved it, i got a name as pugwash as from the yellow mack i found on the boat when i bought it and used it when i had to cruise the boat 1/2 mile to get the tank water filled..........just chuckilng to myself now lol.

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I prefer to boat in the quieter months, I'm not a fan of queuing for locks and accompanying pantomimes. Again, we are well insulated, spray foamed, together with central heating in the forward saloon, galley etc whilst the Epping in the back cabin ensures toasty legs and the engine also adds to the warmth. I've never regarded boating as a seasonal activity, to be honest. Unfortunately, medical issues prevent me being aboard for long at the moment.....roll on August when normal service can be resumed!

 

Dave

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GRP cruiser

9Kw eberspacher heater.

2700 litre fuel tank

2x 6-cylinder engines

Solar Panel

2kw generator

1200 Ah batteries

Fridge

Freezer

Cooker

Comfortable bed

 

Why be at home ?

 

Year round use, maybe just sat in the marina for a day or two - its still a break & on the water. maybe just a couple of days up / down river, maybe 8 weeks cruise.

Never the wrong time to boat - just the wrong clothes.

 

Family 'problems' dictate the amount of usage at the moment.

Edited by Alan de Enfield
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GRP cruiser

9Kw eberspacher heater.

2700 litre fuel tank

2x 6-cylinder engines

Solar Panel

2kw generator

1200 Ah batteries

Fridge

Freezer

Cooker

Comfortable bed

 

Why be at home ?

 

Year round use, maybe just sat in the marina for a day or two - its still a break & on the water. maybe just a couple of days up / down river, maybe 8 weeks cruise.

Never the wrong time to boat - just the wrong clothes.

 

Family 'problems' dictate the amount of usage at the moment.

 

 

from that spec i guess its

 

All year round...

 

but then again, we live on ours and we are cc'ers

 

 

you dont get a say as you are hardend boaters ;)

not a Norman 20.

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I live on my boat so it's used everyday. A boat can be used for other purposes than boating and still be used. It all comes down to personal priorities and opinions. Some people think that boats which don't move are "wasted". That seems odd to me. My 82 year old mum hardly uses her car but nobody thinks of it as wasted. It's there when she wants or needs it.

 

Anyway, I can't help feeling that boats of a certain size that aren't lived on are wasted. Different folks, different strokes.

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I don't have a boat but I go boating at any time of the year when an opportunity to crew on someone else's boat comes up. This tends to happen more in the warmer weather, which I prefer a bit just because there are more hours of daylight to move a boat. But winter has its appeal too, as long as I'm on a boat that has a stove or some other form of heating; Foxy and I had an interesting week on the Rochdale at Christmas.

 

At the moment I have nothing lined up after 1st October if anyone's looking for help to get their boat from A to B in the autumn...

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For the first five years or so we did use our boat every weekend and for holidays all year round.

 

However in the last few years we have found we are bringing the boat out of the water for three months each winter as we were not really cruising much or very far for those three months.

 

We still stay onboard whilst the boat is ashore as we are more often than not tinkering with something or other getting it ready for spring relaunch.

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Sometimes, when the cut is frozen over, or it is just hissing down, we spend a day on the boat, but don't go anywhere.

 

Not sure if that counts as boating though?

I love being on my boat when it's like this but I'm always inside, next to the burner.

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Not nearly enough for the last couple of years mainly down to family ill health. In fact if we knew what we know now I doubt we would have invested in buying one.

 

Problem is selling the boat now would mean wasted effort building the thing and a financial loss. So holding onto it until health issues improve (getting there slowly)

Edited by bag 'o' bones
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