10 reasons you should NOT buy a NARROWBOAT
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ม.ค. 2023
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Episode 19 - Ever wondered if boat life is for you? Here are 10 reasons why you should NOT buy a narrowboat
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Hey there! We're Nesha and Mike and we are restoring a 45 foot narrowboat and turning it into a tiny floating home. Subscribe to follow our journey as we show the highs and lows of boat restoration, travel the British waterways, and live slow, wild and free.
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Update: We will do the 10 reasons you SHOULD buy a boat vid as I mentioned at the start of the vid. But we're focusing on finishing the boat build first! What are the reasons YOU are glad you bought a boat? And would you add to any of the reasons someone shouldn't? :)
Very useful info. As I approached retirement, I discovered canal narrowboats and became rather obsessed with the idea of retiring to a narrowboat. Retirement being a few years away, at the time, I had time to study and discovered that narrowboats depreciate in value about as quickly as the giant bus motorhomes that many USA retirees buy. One might buy a new narrowboat at £170,000.00 and only five or eight years later it might be worth only £40,000.00.
I also have a fractured vertebrae and history of abdominal surgeries and saw that some locks and some circumstances could be risky to me. I decided that I might only get a few years of cruising before deciding to sell the boat, and would I then be able to sell it for enough to buy a flat?
I pictured telling my kids, "So sorry, your dad blew your inheritance on a dream, on a narrowboat that is now worth only £40,000."
It is still very appealing to me and though I've given up the dream, I still enjoy watching channels like yours,
Alex
Hi Alex! Thanks for sharing your research :) Sometimes we've struggled with locks and such and we're only 28 and 29 years old, so that is something you were very right to take into consideration if you have a fractured vertebrae!
a 170000 boat in 8 years would be 4 times more valuble than 40 k
Well some nice advice for people thinking about buying, one thing I would mention though is about your point 9, there is no resale value whatsoever in a rented house, you were renting which is money you never get back, but your boat although it may decrease in value will still have a resale value, if I pass you on the cut one day I will give you a wave.
Yes, I was referring to buying a house vs boat but I agree, it’s definitely better than renting. Rent is money you’ll never see again, which to me is okay temporarily but not best long term if you have other options and can afford them
I have been on my Narrow boats for about 35 years , I do agree with all the comments,A great video , You have to be the right person to adapt to the way of life,
My boats have gone smaller over the years Which are better to handle when you getting old
Keep up the good work 👍
Good tip about smaller boats being easier to handle! Thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts 😊
This is a great, honest account of your experience so far with your new home.
This is why I love your vlogs so much. You aren’t afraid to show the highs and lows of your progress so far and if you make a mistake you show it.
This is far more useful than someone saying that boat life is all roses rather than showing that it can be hard work and without a permanent mooring you will have to keep moving when you might need to be working instead.
Thank you for this impartial insight and keep up your amazing work 😊
I agree with all your points except losing money on resale. New boats costing 70k ten years ago are holding their value as long as they're looked after. Don't forget houses need maintenance as well. Great vlogs,thanks.
Might be best to use a day hire for a week or two per year, instead. No fuss, no muss. (Bring Out Another Thousand) love it! We say in he states, that "The two best days of boat ownership are the day you buy it, and the day you sell it." subsribed.
I'm from Brazil and I'm a Yacht owner.
I'm folliwing your progress.
I love how thorough you are. Makes me understand boat life in a whole new way.
Hey- thanks for the vid! Just one thing - in terms of losing money. That is now not the case. The price of steel has skyrocketed- I recently sold my boat and made £25,000 on it after 4 years on it.
Also my friend bought a cheap boat. Did it up and resold for double the price .. unfortunately this also means that boats have gone up in price with most now being over £50,000 - also I cannot overstate how much you should get the hull surveyed before you buy a boat. As overplating a boat can cost £20,000 … so a survey is necessary if the boat is over 15 years old .. and hasn’t been blacked in a while
Hi Nisa, there are several videos on TH-cam that explain and demonstrate how you build a recirculating shower system which you can shower for as long as you want with 6 litres of water. These systems aren’t for everyone, but I would urge you to view them to get an idea of what you can manage. Great, helpful and informative video, thanks.
Live in Australia and will probably never experience a narrow boat, yet I watched this to the end. I picked up in you a gentleness in your soul and it was relaxing to listen to you. I am an introvert like you. While I enjoy people, I crave nature, quietness, slowness and simplicity of lifestyle. I live in busy Sydney and if I am honest I am not suited to living here. I moved to this big busy city for my husband's work. Despite living here for nearly 8 years I still haven't settled. The little I watch of you says that your soul probably suits the narrowboat life. I think I watch youtubers like "Floatingourboat" etc as it is a place where I can slow down from busy Sydney. I am an artist, when I paint I slow down.... however, I have to find the time and energy to paint. I hope you have a wonderful time on the canals. What a empowering experience learning how to renovate. I look forward to seeing more videos.
I’m so glad you found this a relaxing video! And that painting gives you your own way to slow down ☺️
A very fair summary, my findings are depreciation is so slow that over time it starts creeping back up for boats well maintained.
Great vlog, thanks
David.
That's a good finding! I really hope that's the case for ours
My husband has worked on boats off and on his entire life we are both retired now but he still works on his project boats. One of our favorite sayings is a boat is a hole in the water you pour money into. The life can be great but always go into with the understanding of the boats.
Yeah that's one of my favourite sayings too haha
I have owned several boats, small, but have found that they are whole in the water that you throw money in! Sometimes enjoyable.
Yeah that’s accurate
What a fantastic idea for a video. As a boater myself I am all too aware of the seemingly constant litany of problems and dirty jobs that, as you point out, are expensive. When you tell people you have a boat they always respond with a romanticised, " WOW".
Glad you made that video & hope many people get to see it.
May I be personal and compliment you on your beautiful, luxurious hair. X
Thanks so much, Carolyn! 😊
I live in New Hampshire, USA. It is GORGEOUS!! It is idyllic countryside, with bear, moose, deer, raccoon, bobcat, world-class trout and bass fishing- skiing... and SO MUCH MORE!
As a result? People from NYC, CT, and other states move here...for 4 years....lol
Why? Because they end up finding that their bucolic little town doesnt have pizza, they have to drive 32 miles to go shopping...The 6-8 feet of snow, -22F and white out blizzard conditions, lacknof housing, jobs... as well as not being ABLE to do even simple things, like fix their roof, or replace a window, or work on their truck... You MUST be 100% self-reliant!
I've done a lot of research on narrowboating in the U.K. Compared to the way I currently live? EASY PEASY! Ive been living partially off-grid now (stream for water, solar)
And this just calls to me.
I can weld, work on engines, do carpentry, I cut 4 trees down a year, cut and split 6 cords a year...(6 pickup truck loads) ...and Im 59 this August.
No issues here...I'll probably end up welding and doing work for other people on the canal...lol
Ill marina-up in the winter...cruise 5 months, perform music along the canals...and pick up side jobs.
I'm an Army Veteran, so...yeah. Hooah.
Im not going to live to "84" years old...statistically, most men die in their mid-70s...So I've got 15-20 years left...and Im not dying in the wilderness of N.H....lol.
You bring up some valid points, and as an avid narrowboat vlog viewer, I think being a DIY type person helps as it also attracts viewers for this type of content plus your saving money fixing stuff yourself. As an introvert you did very well presenting this, 👍. 16:56 😊
Aw thanks! 👍
Nice video. I've been 18 years on board now. 55ft narrow boat. Constant cruising. You gotta love the life and live VERY cheap. For me it's a solo thing. I think the space is just to small to cohabit full time. Good luck to you. See you out there.
See you out there, Phil!
I’m 13 and have lived on a boat all my life and I haven’t run into a negative apart from water/power
Nesha you are such a boss! This is really hard labor but I can’t wait to see the total refit. Happy 1 year of narrowboat/home ownership. Love the vlogs, thank you for sharing this with us! Stay safe and well.
Thank you so much!!
I started watching your videos a few days ago on the Telly and enjoy them. I spent most of my adult life building houses for folks. Always hoped some one would want us to build a Hobbit house. No luck that way. Round doors and windows, arches etc. Holly narrow boat channel might give you ideas. They turned it into a cafe boat. I think you are doing a good job. Your not afraid to get dirty. That is a compliment by the way. I am in Alaska. Nice to hear the song birds in your videos.
Thank you! We sometimes watch the Holly cafe boat vlog but we’ll have to go back and find their old renovation vids. Thanks for watching!
Another awesome, informative vlog guys 👍 keep em coming and stay safe and well.
Thanks John!
🤣🤣 poop in a bag! Been there done that in my van! Love that you mentioned it! I've just sold my flat, waiting for all the conveyancing then I'm heading to the waterways! Nothing you said puts me off. I'm realistic about the life but the pros far outweigh the cons. Just found your channel and love it! You're a natural in front of the camera girl! Hugs from a new subscriber. Tracy 🤗🙏
Aw thanks Tracy! Hopefully see you on the waterways one day then 😄
Exceptionally well thought out and perfectly presented. Thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Another lovely video, Nesha. It amazes me how so many of my favourite TH-camrs would seemingly rather die than get 'caught' videoing in public!
I'm predicting that while the list of 'don'ts' is mainly pragmatic issues, the list of 'dos' will be more emotional and soul-feeding. Can't wait to see them.
Yeah filming in public never quite loses its cringe-factor haha
Very good video..Point 1. Hull condition.. highly recommend a boat that as been grit blasted and epoxied from new.. these are much more likely to have minimal exterior hull corrosion..it's also worth noting that a poorly insulated steel shell will happily rust from the inside out due to condensation cycling..
Very good points!
We found these tips so interesting - we’re currently living in our van and travelling but would love a boat as a full-time base in the UK. Thanks for the great advice 😊
Glad it was helpful! I’d love a van to get a van to travel in after we finish our boat so maybe see you on the road or waterways one day 👋🏾
I think you covered it pretty well, your doing great and most of the hardest part of your rebuild is mearly done. From here on out it will be fun. cheers!
Yeah we’re almost at the fun stuff now!
Thank you for this sound advice. Great channel.
Thanks for watching! 😊
Liked, loved and subbed. Peace from Berkshire.
A lot of good advice . You look and sound very comfortable talking to camera and Mike is making big strides in his presenting skills judging by the previous vlog.
I’m used to talking to a camera because it used to be a part of my work but Mike isn’t so he’ll be very pleased when he reads this! 😄
Love your honesty, great video 💕🤗
Thanks Jeannie! Always appreciate your comments 😊
Thank you that was really useful to know 😊
This is such a great list!! I can be an introvert too and boat living has forced me to engage with strangers more regularly which has really benefitted me! But it’s one thing that puts it off marina living in a way 😂 when I was in the boatyard I had a neighbour who would come knocking a lot and it was impossible to get him to leave - he didn’t take polite hints at alllll - I can be quite bad at saying no and I think it’s harder in a boat to create those boundaries (and certainly to pretend you aren’t home haha!). Great video :)
Yesss same, it’s nice being pushed to socialise more and I’ve met some incredible people. But at the same time it’s hard, especially when someone is very chatty and wants an hour long convo haha
Awesome vlog well thought out !
The added bonus is most your footage is near my mooring ...
I'm not residential but I live on my boat here , which is the option you left out ! We can live on a canal and river trust mooring that's not residential, however technically we can't use the mooring as a permanent address nor have mail sent to it ..
I advise any new boaters to continuous cruise first. I did for 17 years !
Thanks! Oh wow! I love Oxford, it’s where my boyfriend and I first got the idea of living on a narrowboat! You live in a lovely area 😊 And great point about leisure moorings! After almost a year of being a boat owner I’m still not totally sure how leisure moorings work and if you can “live” on them so I don’t mention it in vids
Hi I just came across your channel and this video. Well done this is a really great review. I have lived on a boat for a number of years and so many TH-camrs skip over these points.
Thanks for watching! I'm glad you enjoyed it :D
Hi we live on a 70 feet narrowboat and apart from a very small section on the uk canal we can take our home pretty much everywhere xx
Hi, see you made a trip to Oxford recently, strolled past my old neighbours boats. It's a lovely spot there, one of the very few permanent moorings in the city.
I did! It’s beautiful there 😍
Great, informative video, beautifully presented by an equally beautiful young lady!
Thank you! 😊
I definitely know this is not the life for me , and although you want this life for you and your boyfriend, all I will say is all the very best to you 👍
Very useful and hasn’t put me off my dream of living on a boat. It would be interesting to do a comparison with owning your fist house especially an older property which from experience has just as many hurdles to overcome. Very different but still no walk in the park and also from personal experience you can’t just move your house if the new neighbours are a bother.😊
I don’t know anyone that owns an old house but that’s a great idea 😊 I imagine it’s not easy to maintain but very rewarding!
Great advice Good points made keep up the good work 🤗 🤗
Thanks David! Appreciate your comments as always 🤗
Thank you
Went into this video thinking "ooh here we go" but actually really glad I did. Great video and actually let some air out my bubble a bit 😂. Thank you for the slight reality check, still want to give it a go
This is the time of my life babe.
I love that
Fantastic vlog,,,,
Ur so honest in ur review 👍👍👍👍
Keep it going,,,
Nice to see ur smile 👍
Well done,,,
Look forward to ur vlogs ,,
Thank you so much!
Since covid the price of a new boat as gone up considerably
Definitely
I think all these points you make are valid for old boats but not new ones 😊
No matter what age your boat is, you'll still have to be wary of what length boat you get, have to do your business in a bag if your toilet gets full, have to spend money on maintenance like blacking etc etc, have a lack of privacy, have limited amenities, have to do physical work, and experience limits on residential moorings. So no, most of these points apply to newer boats too :)
In the US we have a saying too "A boat I a hoke in the water you keep throwing money into"
This is one of the first things someone said when we took on this project and I've never heard something SO TRUE! Hahaha
❤ your videos❤ love your gorgeous curly hair too ❤
I would definitely give this life a go. It looks a good fit for me
I hope you get the chance one day!
No, this video hasn't put a hole in my plans. Thanks though, great well thought out video.
That’s great!!!! I’m excited for you 😊
An excellent pragmatic summary
Oh thank you!
I seen people take narrowboats and widebeams across the channel to Europe. If I had a narrowboat I would want to try and reach India with traveling across Europe.
Oh wowww
I've always said after 60 years involved in Canal Boats it not cheap anymore even a 50 ft leisure boat can cost £5000 a year.
Great point there!
I can cope with the maintenance, the lifestyle, the Cost etc, but the one thing I can't cope with is the SPIDERS.
I’m used to spiders now because I find sooo many in my home 😂 but this is a VERY good point
Have you considered a composting toilet? I hear from RV and sailboaters that they are quite nice and don’t smell bad like the old ones did.
Squeezing into an engine bay or a gas locker is also called “boat yoga”
I guess I can count it as a workout then!
I am a short bald old man. In my mind you will be a greater focus of people wanting towpath conversation than me.
Item 3: and of course, even if you black the hull yourself, you have to put it somewhere dry first, such as a drydock. Are you still hoping to save money?
Item 4: or you can tow a rowing boat to sit in by yourself...
😂
Excellent and very informative, still hasn’t put me off my dream of selling up and buying a live aboard in the next two years and becoming a floating hermit. Maybe I’ll have to man up a bit with the 1’s and 2’s though 😮or buy masks and gloves.
I’m glad to hear that! You got this 💪🏽
Thanks Nesha, that was very informative, what was the forum you were going to link to in the description please. Looking forward to the positives now, thanks again. Raymond
Canalworld.net 😄
@@DriftwoodFolk thanks..
You can make money on an old boat if you don’t go to mad doing it up but a lot lot more doing a sailaway properly .
Hi did you do your video on 10 reasons TO buy a narrow boat? I cant find it 😢 ❤
Not yet!
I can't imagine raising a family on a narrowboat.
I once had a boat neighbor who was selling his house and moving onto their 60-something foot boat with his wife and 2 kids. I'm not sure I could do that myself but it was very interesting and brave of them
👍
Did you get any lessons/training on manouvering the boat?
No we didn’t but we did ask a CRT worker to show us the ropes before we set off. You can get lessons though, a Google search will probably show some available near you!
What about having a smallish hot tub on board?
❤ how much is a new narrow boat approx ❤
Depends on the age, condition and size :) You can get a liveable one from around £35K+ I'd say
Like all things there are pros and cons. Like people think living on a life style block of land will be fun. There is always work and maintenance and animal care. Learning to put your hand up a sheep or cows bum to rearrange legs of birthing lambs or calf's. Burying animals.(you need good deep holes). Winter feeding don't mind the weather!. I could go on.hmm vet bills, fencing, tree felling, trying to get a trades person (without a bottomless money bag. ) Or your block of land is too small the jobs not worth their while. Sigh. But still a wonderful life style especially for childern.
What is this 'block of land' that you speak of, where is that a thing?
Exactly! Pros and cons to everything. Your way of life sounds like it has its hard points but definitely it’s great ones too. And like you said, it’s such a wonderful way of life for children, growing up on land and learning to care for it and for the animals
Fantastic information from the prettiest girl on the internet!
For £10,000 more I'd get one all done 👍🏻
That’s great if that’s what suits you 👍 Some people would rather fit the boat out exactly how they want it, with a good electrical system and double glazed windows which is what £15k of the renovation costs would cover. 99% of old boats that are ready for you to move aboard right away won’t have DG windows or good electrical systems, and will probably need some welding, so you might want to budget for those. They also will likely still need some work because they’re old - the interior may be ok but always check for work that might need to be done to the engine bay, bilges, engine, water tank, gas locker and hull. It’ll be an older boat at £35k so although you can live on it right away there will always be some work to do. If you wanted a brand new boat you can move aboard instantly it would be about £160k - £200k
hello Nesha
Hi!
Hi
👋🏾
Am I too tall for boat life at 6’4?
Heyya ... Not too tall at all!! I'm also 6'4 and our boat has 6'6 headroom ha there are some which are even taller just gotta look for them
You're ADORABLE! What's your ethnicity? New Zealand? 😃
I think she is too 😅 we are both British. Nesha has some caribbean in her family and im as British as they come 😂
You need to take the boat out of the water to black the hull. £1500 all in is more realistic.
Depreciate in value? A boat your size and condition in about 2012 would have been about 5-10k.
It varies with steel prices and housing market. But as long as maintained well, it really shouldn't depreciate and could increase in value.
Yeah it *could* but after renovating it I’m likely only going to get back the money I put in, and that’s if it’s still in good condition. (I certainly wouldn’t complain if I made a profit tho! 😁) What I’ve heard from boaters I know and from Google when purchasing our boat is that boats depreciate in value, but I would take back comparing it to a car like I think I said in this vid because I don’t think they depreciate as bad as cars do. As far as I’ve heard, you *might* make a profit when you sell your boat depending on the market at the time you’re selling, but you shouldn’t buy a boat banking on that, and I wouldn’t feel comfortable advising anyone to do so. I’ve had boater friends who bought boats for around £70k and lost about £10-20k on resale because of issues that came up in the survey for the new purchasers. That’s why I said you have to be *prepared for the possibility* that you could lose money on resale, not that you’re guaranteed to. I’d rather people go into it knowing that that is possibility. For me with finances, I like hoping for the best and preparing for the worst. It sometimes makes me pleasantly surprised!
@@DriftwoodFolk
Just add money you save in rent to your final valuation, don't think you'll ever be out of pocket.
I understand your point but with the housing market changing. It also seeming to be socially acceptable alternative to you not being able to afford property.
Prices will keep rising well in my opinion and we all have those don't we 🙂.
@@claire4486 Agreed. I mentioned it in the video but if you lose money on resale then some or all of the money you save (from no rent, whoop whoop) could cover it (depending on how long you've lived aboard), it just means you lose those savings. But that is still way better financially than the money lost on rent which I'll go into in the 10 reasons you should buy a boat vid x
Absolutely agree
The vibe I get is that NB prices were a lot lower pre-pandemic. With the cost of living, the housing crises, and WFH everyone wants to get on the water as it’s perceived as a cheaper way to live or WFH enables boat life. This has forced up NB prices.
Up to 70k for a new boat !!!! You must be joking , double it and you are in the ball-park
That’s not what I said. I said £35-70k+ for a boat you can move onto right away instead of a project boat like ours, and I said it's *more* for a new boat 👍 So to be crystal clear: I was saying £35-70k+ for a second hand boat you can move onto as soon as you buy it. If you want a brand new boat you can move onto right away, they can be about £160k more or less, as far as I've seen at boat shows like Crick. (They are stunning though!)
You obviously wasn't listening @glenn sunman
excuse me but this video is just a try to keep the people away for travelling the canals. If they have the money and being retired - just let them. the world is for everybody not only you...
No, this video isn’t. Something tells me you didn’t listen to the intro or outro very well.
Do you experience racism in life living on a boat? I'm asking because I'm from the US
I've only ever seen one/two other people of colour on a narrowboat. So when I first bought the boat, I was nervous that I'd experience a lot of covert racism as one of the only colored people in a very white male world, and that it would make me feel too uncomfortable to enjoy boating.
So far, no one has said or implied anything racist to me and I've met mostly lovely people. I’ve encountered a handful of boaters who’ve seemed to dislike me (as everyone experiences from time to time, you can't be liked by everyone) but if it was because of racism then they’ve kept that to themselves.
Here in the UK, if people are racist it's either covert or they say it among themselves instead of attacking you verbally or physically so I don’t worry about *literal* threat as much as I might in the US, but I do experience a little social anxiety when I'm cruising, walking the canals or I go into country canalside pubs because I don't look like everyone else there. So I get a little anxious that some folks feel narrowboating is only for you if you're British and don't see me as British (even though I am and it shouldn't matter if I wasn't anyway.)
The potential for racism is also something I was afraid of when starting this vlog too. But I've learned to care WAY less. I can’t live my life not doing what I want because I’m afraid of what others will think. And I'm not going to live a small life to make others feel more comfortable. I've met mostly friendly boaters! But if anyone thinks I don't belong then that's their problem, not mine xx
I really wanted to watch this but the music was just too loud and annoying. And completely unnecessary!
🤘
Love the video ❤ I'm from the U.S
How cool! Thanks for watching :D
You are a really nice girl, very practical and sensible, only just found your channel, really nice
So pretty