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no one told me I might experience motion sickness on a wide beam


Prue

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1 hour ago, Prue said:

Thank you Jim, you are right in that it is a very serious decision to make and my hubby is in a huge rush to buy the boat with out having spent a night on a wide beam, me neither but I am not so keen, the cost of mooring has put me off, seeing as we will be charged for everything else on top of the £1000 every 4 months! plus £1000 a year license. I also am not comfortable with living carefully as regards how often I poo! this boat has an extra brown water tank for another 600 ltrs so I guess that's a help but more pumping out maybe, anyway because its 60x12ft then that limits where we can travel to, the initial idea was to save money which one could do with a smaller narrow boat where its possible to cc, but this isn't an option if you are employed and must be on time. Its all the gadgets and gizmos that my hubby is excited by, and I have worked out that there is some tension between people who view flash boats with a degree of hostility. and this is a shiny flash top spec boat. The other residents at the marina were a bit off with us. The caretaker was very kind and welcoming but its definitely a closed community. We shall see what develops.

Don't rush a decision like this. If you have £100K to play with there will ALWAYS be a decent 2nd hand boat available out there. Have fun looking at different layouts -- to see what best suits the way you want to live on it. If you're new to boats go step aboard a couple of different Narrowboats as well with an open mind. Why not look at a small Dutch barge if there are any nearby.

I would have thought having an extra 600 ltr poo tank would mean going MONTHS between pump-outs!

A 12-foot beam is pretty maxxed out on a canal boat. I've had to back up some distance to find a gap in a line of boats to slip into, to allow a wide beam that size to pass. You'd need to become confident in backing up a 60x12- foot boat YOURSELF. Just something to think about when weighing up 'all that extra space' inside the boat against other factors.

 

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3 hours ago, Prue said:

 all the gadgets and gizmos that my hubby is excited by, and I have worked out that there is some tension between people who view flash boats with a degree of hostility. and this is a shiny flash top spec boat. The other residents at the marina were a bit off with us. The caretaker was very kind and welcoming but its definitely a closed community.

Don’t forget unlike a property boats tend to devalue fairly quickly especially at the top end, so if it’s not for you it could be an expensive mistake.

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I wonder if you've been a bit quick in ruling out the CCing option, Prue. Yes, a 60ft x 12ft boat is a pretty big beast and can't go just anywhere, but if that size has a 'home' anywhere, the Leeds-Liverpool is surely it - its native working boats, 'short boats,' were built at 60ft x 14ft to fit the locks, and the closest connecting waterway, the Aire and Calder, is still used (I think?) by commercial barges four times that size. I know commuting would be complicated by moving around, but there's no shortage of towns in the area with good mooring options and good public transport links: a possible cruising pattern if you wanted to stay with an hour of Bradford, say, might be Leeds - Apperley Bridge - Saltaire - Bingley - Keighley - Silsden - Skipton - Gargrave and back, extended in both directions (as far as, say, Liverpool or York) when you have a bit of holiday, which should easily qualify as 'genuine' CCing in CRT's eyes as well as striking a nice balance between a nomadic lifestyle and the nine-to-five. 

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But if somebody is not totally sold on the boaty life then CCing might not be the best option, it is hardcore boating. At least marina dwelling has some of the features of living in a house.  I have met a few people whos ambition really is to live in a boat in a marina, whilst others regard marina living as a necessary evil due to the constraint of jobs.

.............Dave

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3 hours ago, Prue said:

Thank you Jim, you are right in that it is a very serious decision to make and my hubby is in a huge rush to buy the boat with out having spent a night on a wide beam, me neither but I am not so keen, the cost of mooring has put me off, seeing as we will be charged for everything else on top of the £1000 every 4 months! plus £1000 a year license. I also am not comfortable with living carefully as regards how often I poo! this boat has an extra brown water tank for another 600 ltrs so I guess that's a help but more pumping out maybe, anyway because its 60x12ft then that limits where we can travel to, the initial idea was to save money which one could do with a smaller narrow boat where its possible to cc, but this isn't an option if you are employed and must be on time. Its all the gadgets and gizmos that my hubby is excited by, and I have worked out that there is some tension between people who view flash boats with a degree of hostility. and this is a shiny flash top spec boat. The other residents at the marina were a bit off with us. The caretaker was very kind and welcoming but its definitely a closed community. We shall see what develops.

Never mind the flash boat stuff, absolutely do not do this. You are planning too for all the wrong reasons and your vertigo is probably your brain trying to get that through to you.

If you really want to go ahead, you MUST hire a boat, any boat, now, this time of year for at least a week.

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1 hour ago, dmr said:

But if somebody is not totally sold on the boaty life then CCing might not be the best option, it is hardcore boating. At least marina dwelling has some of the features of living in a house.  I have met a few people whos ambition really is to live in a boat in a marina, whilst others regard marina living as a necessary evil due to the constraint of jobs.

.............Dave

I can see what you're saying. Personally I can't see what living on a £100,000 boat in a marina in West Yorkshire has to recommend it over living in a £100,000 flat in the same area, especially if the former comes with £500 a month 'housing costs' where the latter would be owned outright, and especially since the former might reasonably be expected to halve in value over the next 20 years while the latter might reasonably be expected to double. I guess there must be something about the idea that appeals to some people, but it doesn't seem like much of a lifestyle change, and I thought that was what Prue was looking for.

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9 hours ago, Jim Batty said:

Many people new to boats are bowled over by the fact that a good second-hand boat can cost one-tenth the price of a second-hand flat. As a result it seems emminently affordable and very enticing.  If you view a boat as an inexpensive flat, though, you'll soon discover that it isn't a flat in any ordinary sense.

In an earlier thread I seem to remember getting the impression that Prue was partly looking for a cheaper form of housing and a cheaper lifestyle, but if that's right I can only assume her thinking has changed. At £100,000, the boat she's talking about isn't any cheaper than a decent flat in the same area, and of course it comes with ongoing 'housing costs' in the form of mooring and licence fees.

Genuine suggestion, Prue: have you considered looking for a flat in the £70k-£80k range to live in, and a boat in the £20k-£30k range to go boating in? It would probably be cheaper all round, and you'd have the benefit of both a proper flat (mains services etc.) and a proper boat (able to cruise widely).

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1 hour ago, magictime said:

I can see what you're saying. Personally I can't see what living on a £100,000 boat in a marina in West Yorkshire has to recommend it over living in a £100,000 flat in the same area, especially if the former comes with £500 a month 'housing costs' where the latter would be owned outright, and especially since the former might reasonably be expected to halve in value over the next 20 years while the latter might reasonably be expected to double. I guess there must be something about the idea that appeals to some people, but it doesn't seem like much of a lifestyle change, and I thought that was what Prue was looking for.

I am a compulsive CCer but do try to look at things from other peoples perspectives. The side hatches are shut and the curtains are closed. It is still nicer in here than any house I have ever lived in. We are just about sat on the bottom but the boat still moves a little bit. This morning we has coots, swans mallards, geese and seagulls outside and you probably get a few of these things in a marina.

We had our boat in a marina for two years when we were weekend boaters (it took that long to ditch the houses, jobs and children) and although we were very "watched over" by the marina owner it still had a bit of a community. If the objective is a lifestyle thing rather than financial, and you are not able to CC, then I can see that a boat in a marina is attractive, its a sort of giant Wendy House for grown ups :D, and if you don't plan to move then a widebeam makes some sense.

and the real bottom line is that expensive boats in expensive marinas put money into the system without getting in the way of real boaters ! but then if they really want to subsidise my lifestyle then yes, it probably won't be cheaper for them.

...............Dave

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6 hours ago, Prue said:

Thank you Jim, you are right in that it is a very serious decision to make and my hubby is in a huge rush to buy the boat with out having spent a night on a wide beam, me neither but I am not so keen, the cost of mooring has put me off, seeing as we will be charged for everything else on top of the £1000 every 4 months! plus £1000 a year license. I also am not comfortable with living carefully as regards how often I poo! this boat has an extra brown water tank for another 600 ltrs so I guess that's a help but more pumping out maybe, anyway because its 60x12ft then that limits where we can travel to, the initial idea was to save money which one could do with a smaller narrow boat where its possible to cc, but this isn't an option if you are employed and must be on time. Its all the gadgets and gizmos that my hubby is excited by, and I have worked out that there is some tension between people who view flash boats with a degree of hostility. and this is a shiny flash top spec boat. The other residents at the marina were a bit off with us. The caretaker was very kind and welcoming but its definitely a closed community. We shall see what develops.

Prue 100K is a lot for a secondhand widebeam it has to come from one of the top flight builders to have that value. What I am trying to say is check its value carefully, because if you do go ahead with the purchase but then hate the life you will have to sell, and you dont want to find out at that point that you paid over the odds. Good luck with your decisions and as I said before other moorings are cheaper so running costs can be reduced

On the plus side I cruise my 12 x 57 widebeam all over the North as the canals were built for boats that size and not toy boats so you would have no problems constant cruising for most of the Northern nerwork

Edited by peterboat
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11 minutes ago, dmr said:

I am a compulsive CCer but do try to look at things from other peoples perspectives. The side hatches are shut and the curtains are closed. It is still nicer in here than any house I have ever lived in. We are just about sat on the bottom but the boat still moves a little bit. This morning we has coots, swans mallards, geese and seagulls outside and you probably get a few of these things in a marina.

We had our boat in a marina for two years when we were weekend boaters (it took that long to ditch the houses, jobs and children) and although we were very "watched over" by the marina owner it still had a bit of a community. If the objective is a lifestyle thing rather than financial, and you are not able to CC, then I can see that a boat in a marina is attractive, its a sort of giant Wendy House for grown ups :D, and if you don't plan to move then a widebeam makes some sense.

Fair enough, and I can see it to an extent. I suppose it's about looking at a 'static' boat in a marina as its own thing with its own appeal (community etc.), rather than as just a compromised version of a cruising boat, or of a flat. At the end of the day, though, that's how it seems to me - and to cap it all, this one's not even cheaper than the 'proper' version of either - or both!

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8 hours ago, peterboat said:

On the plus side I cruise my 12 x 57 widebeam all over the North as the canals were built for boats that size and not toy boats so you would have no problems constant cruising for most of the Northern nerwork

The difference between a 57ft widebeam and a 60ft widebeam is pretty significant, though. The former has the option of cruising via the Calder and Hebble to the Huddersfield Broad and the Rochdale; the latter doesn't. For the OP, that would mean no option of mooring in and commuting from towns along the Calder Valley Line - Brighouse, Huddersfield, Sowerby Bridge, Hebden Bridge etc.

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Hi Prue

you are right it is a big decision to make and especially if you have no experience of boating .There is no doubt but often men seem more enthusiastic about living on a boat and it is true in my case,My husband had always wanted a boat but fiances did not allow it for a long time , When times changed we talked and I said there was no way we were going to liveaboard but that we could have a boat and do extended trips as and when it was possible , it was all about compromise. Perhaps the option of a boat and a landbase would be a good idea.

I also suffer with motion sickness (never on the boat) so know how awful it is and I don't think people who have never had it understand. Even if the boat is moored in a marina it will still move so you need to know if this will be a problem.

I really advise you and your husband to hire a boat and give it a try otherwise you could be making a big mistake. There are challenges to living on a boat even a well equipped one .Our boat has central heating,a bath and shower,washing machine etc but we still need to fill it with water,empty the toilet ,make sure we have gas and solid fuel,diesel so we can run the central heating,make sure the batteries are charged or that we have enough electricity on the meter,transport all the food, fuel etc down the pontoon to the boat and lift it in . 

I am not trying to put you off just giving you a few things to think about.

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Also I forgot to say that at this time of year and if you are working ,all the things I mentioned have to be done in the dark and often in the rain and you can guarantee that the gas cylinder will need changing when it is cold,wet and windy !

Tizzie

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38 minutes ago, tizzy said:

Also I forgot to say that at this time of year and if you are working ,all the things I mentioned have to be done in the dark and often in the rain and you can guarantee that the gas cylinder will need changing when it is cold,wet and windy !

Tizzie

Tizzie, I certainly agree with your general gist that there's a lot to the boating life which needs a bit of thinking about but, when my gas bottle runs out, I simply change to the spare which takes seconds and then exchange the empty bottle at my leisure - e.g. when it's not dark.  Are you just illustrating your point or is there something about your set up which makes it difficult?

Oh, and I also agree absolutely with hiring a boat before buying one. If the OP is looking to spend around a hundred grand, about a grand spent on hiring a boat will not only help her to find out whether she's seasick even on the Grand Union, but also to define the 'must haves' and 'must not haves' of the specification or layout and help the boat they do buy be much closer to their 'right boat'. This could be a massive money-saver. 

 

Edited by Sea Dog
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31 minutes ago, tizzy said:

Hi Sea Dog

I was illustrating my point but it is true that it is a bit of a fiddly job to swap from one to the other in the dark ! 

I had visions of you lugging bottles about! :D

One reason why the OP should hire a boat in winter - so she knows to avoid gas central heating!

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14 hours ago, dmr said:

... not able to CC, then I can see that a boat in a marina is attractive, its a sort of giant Wendy House for grown ups :D, and if you don't plan to move then a widebeam makes some sense.

and the real bottom line is that expensive boats in expensive marinas put money into the system without getting in the way of real boaters ! ...

Ho ho!

Here's an expensive 57' x 10' Wendy House afloat on the K&A ... with jacuzzi. Hire fees are £1K for 3days or about £1.5K per week in March. Not really 'boaty' enough and a bit OTT for my taste, but might be justifiable in the name of research for those like the OP investigating a widebeam boating life? https://www.moonboats.co.uk/our-boats/moonshine

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9 minutes ago, Jim Batty said:

Ho ho!

Here's an expensive 57' x 10' Wendy House afloat on the K&A ... with jacuzzi. Hire fees are £1K for 3days or about £1.5K per week in March. Not really 'boaty' enough and a bit OTT for my taste, but might be justifiable in the name of research for those like the OP investigating a widebeam boating life? https://www.moonboats.co.uk/our-boats/moonshine

A bit nearer to Prue I am pretty sure that the hire company at Silsden on the Leeds/Liverpool hire widebeam boats , A friend hired one a few years ago :) 

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Hi, Prue

6 Pages with loads of good advice.  I cc'ed with SWMBO and now live in a house which we are restoring on the Welsh Borders.  I really miss the life aboard, but it absolutely isn't for every one.  Do hire for as long as you can.  A full month in the winter will show you what you have to put up with.  If you have to call out the hire company to sort a problem they will certainly do that but remember that you will have to sort it for yourself if you own the boat.  Being practical and willing to have a go can save a great deal of money...

Am I repeating the same advice that has already been given?

If you have a widebeam you won't be able to visit Llangollen at Christmas.  That would be a pity.  Lunch at the Corn Mill with the river running high and the canoeists having fun outside the windows has much to recommend it.

Nick

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Thank you everyone, I have a husband who is very hands on we have lived "off grid" for 11 years, we are going out again on Saturday to learn to manoeuvre and sail for a few hours and will have lessons from a local training boater who moors up next door. I am also going travelling for some time abroad so I dont intend on spending any time alone without learning how to change gas bottles etc. I have stipulated that if this does not work out the boat will be sold and a house will be bought instead.

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2 minutes ago, Prue said:

Thank you everyone, I have a husband who is very hands on we have lived "off grid" for 11 years, we are going out again on Saturday to learn to manoeuvre and sail for a few hours and will have lessons from a local training boater who moors up next door. I am also going travelling for some time abroad so I dont intend on spending any time alone without learning how to change gas bottles etc. I have stipulated that if this does not work out the boat will be sold and a house will be bought instead.

And you will have read, marked, learned and inwardly digested the fact that this venture will cost money, probably much more money than a flat, I am sure.

Good luck.  Keep asking the questions and I do hope that you enjoy boating as much as I do!

Nick (Who will  be boating tomorrow for the first time since July.  Doing up a house takes lots of time!)

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23 minutes ago, Prue said:

we have lived "off grid" for 11 years

 

That puts a very different light on things in my opinion. 

Now imagine living off grid but without the Klargester and only being able to park the car no closer than 150 yards away...

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