Life on a Narrowboat | Why not to live on a Narrowboat
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 ก.ย. 2024
- Why not to live on a Narrowboat ? Alan at the age of nearly 70 has moved onto a boat from living in London. He explains some of the problems you face when living on a Narrowboat and its not as easy as people think. Please subscribe to see more of the " Life on a Narrowboat " series and more alternative living videos.
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Came here just for fun, thought I'd listen to the first 10 seconds, stayed for the whole video. This man is speaking words of wisdom, even to someone like me who's never seen a narrowboat from up close.
Thats great Captain, he has a book out now. Link in description :)
I love the cold. I love solitude. I love being off grid.
I live in a poxy house with a poxy mortgage and a poxy job, my life is hell, nothing can be any worse than that.
That pile of bricks is going to market in the new year and i'm going to get me some freedom.
anton notna to right, you and me both
Best of luck man 💪
If I could do the d.i.y thing I'd do same..... one thing I'm sure of is you need to be handy... don't think others will help coz you will be disappointed
how did it go?
@@johnclark3697
That's not true. The narrowboat community are very helpful and would never leave anyone stranded.
After taking me hgv licence 20years ago and making my living out on the road ever since . I think the narrow boat lifestyle will really suit me.
I am sure you would love it!
I have been thinking of getting one for a while now, lost two wives through cancer and on my own with the dog, just a couple of friends and kids grown up now, going to sell my 3 bedroomed semi and take a chance, Sod it, I'm 63 now and retiring soon anyway! What do you think guys ? Should I go for it ?
Most definately.
Stick 100K in the bank if you can.
Would love to know if I took the challenge.FROM CAROLXX
What I ment to say is Did u take the challenge not me xx carol
What I ment to say is Did u take the challenge not me xx carol
Good advice, I've been planning my new boat layout and equipment for over 2 years. I've actually changed career and now work in a canal boat yard. I get to see hmany of the better designed boats, speak with their owners and my plan has changed the more I learn. I'm buying a Sail away next year and my biggest cost is heating, double glazed windows and an air vent system. If nothing else my boat will be bone dry and warm which for me is the most important thing with living on a narrowboat.
Thanks Dan, sounds great and your getting good experience from the boat yard. Have a great Sail and all the best with your heating bits, it is costly, but in the long run your'll be saving on the gas when being well insulated.
Dan, may I suggest whilst you have the opportunity, to install good insulation as well as the double glazed windows ?
You can never have too much insulation and the time to insulate is in the build. I have spray foam with an inner lining of aluminium bubble wrap. doing it again , would probably go for several layers of multi layer al. I would also install under floor heating. Not difficult, just three (equal ) lengths of 10mm pipe with a control valve so that you take water from your hot supply , through the pipes back to your main water tank. You just open the valve to fill the pipes with hot water then close it. Aah the shear bliss of warm feet.
Ice on the windows, we had that when I was a kid in the 1950s in a house.
i remember it last year in my last flat :)
Me too
All the time as kids in the Fens in the 60s and 70s no double glazing, coal fire then natural gas, but no central heating when winters were real back then. Windows frozen shut from the inside.
You guys think you tough or something y'all.
So did we and the link was freezing with army coats on top of the blankets
Nailed it! Same as full time RV life. Freezing cold in winter and baking in oven hot in summer. My camper isn't connected to a septic system so I get the extra joy of dumping my sewage into buckets and hauling them into town to dispose of. Really brings you close to yourself, and our core humanity. The enlightenment and healing power of solitude and manual life is impossible to fully describe. It has to be experienced. And yes, most people won't value it or embrace the lessons of actively LIVING and not just existing via pushbutton.
Hi guys, just to follow up on my post from a few years back, I did buy a narrowboat is six years old, I still have the house at the moment but have spent lots and lots of time getting acclimatised to the boat and will eventually move on to it full time. Thanks for your advice 👍
Well done, squire...I, myself, lost my lovely wife to cancer.My heart goes out to you..having just come out of a disastrously ruinous relationship, I now find myself thinking of the boaty thing..I am /would be a complete novice..😱but...I am handy, and not afraid of adventure..I hope to be in a position to look at the market, around springtime next year.
I wish you well, mate...onward and upwards😎
@@garybuller5656 go for it it’s really not that difficult to master, if I can do it anyone can, it’s also great therapy and gets me away from the rat race, i’ve picked up a hell of a lot of advice by watching TH-cam videos on narrowboats, there are lots of Newbys on there that have also taken the plunge,, i’m sure it will be the best decision you ever make, best of luck 👍
@@pinkyman5155 cheers, matey...been binge-watching David on Cruising the Cut...it's definitely firing the imagination..I have a few bits and pieces to attend to,but as I say, next spring will be the moment for me to get going on seriously taking the plunge..😎..all the best👌
I was wondering how you were getting on. I replied to your comment you made about three years ago. Anyway, I think the real test is when you actually sell your house and live on the boat in true 'Liveaboard' style. At the moment, you have purchased the boat but still have the safety of your home to go back to if and when things get a bit rough. Perhaps another update when you're a true liveaboard boater and lived through a couple of harsh winters. Best of luck to you. 👍
I grew up in Northern Quebec and my grandfather's best friend was eaten by a bear, another lit up by a strike of lightening (one of several because we had great storms), there was the prevalence of terrible logging truck accidents, blizzards, hunting accidents, deer ticks, lyme disease, mosquitos that could carry off a small goat, etc. I think the advice in this video is well made. Excellent in fact. I would personally find narrow boating a lot of fun and I suspect I would become an alcoholic very quickly because I could dock beside a pub and crawl back to my deck knackered. I also note that you don't really travel far distances, the water is not deep, there are no rapids, and if you run out of groceries you can always cook up a duck or a swan (if you have guests in particular).
Wow!
Very useful, I had a narrow boat form some time and its not what most people portray on youtube, its difficult and can be expensive!!
Anyone that buys a boat without this basic knowledge is doomed to fail. Good vid but this is for people that are in love with the dream without doing any research
Glad you enjoyed it, these were early days, more to come!
Alan just found this randomly. What a lovely guy you are! I could listen to you all day x
Thankyou Timelord, i will pass that on. Lots more to come, subscribe to my channel for more :)
If you want to experience isolation, and cold, then is no different renting a room in 3 bed shared flat , illegally accommodating over 5 different households.. Welcome to East End slums Eastern European style...
i am sure that could be intense, hope all works out
basically, if you're soft, don't get one.
The Mighty Dash...I use lotion, can I not get a narrowboat or live in a tiny home?! HA! 😂
OH! Too late! 😋
very true! haha!
Good being on my own sounds brilliant!!
I think I prefer the depths of winter and ice on the inside of the windows to how hot it gets in the boat in summer “like a sauna” is not an understatement
Its certainly does Sam, please check out the latest video and Alan, discusses this.
Sam Tait...I agree with you there! I live in a tiny home (camper) and the summers and hot days can get pretty brutal...and I'm not a fan of cold in the least. But since moving tiny, I have become more use to the cold than waking up sweating my ass off in the summer months. 😝
😓😓😓😓😓
Good, sensible advice there. Thank you for enlightening us.
thanks John, all the best!
As a previous boat owner in the USA. I found that my social network increased as I made many a friend who were on the water. You are right! You need to do some soul searching and know yourself and your limitations! However, there are many perks of this lifestyle which I feel outweighs everything else. With that being said, I know myself and my limitations! I spent 20 years in the US Navy and served aboard Submarines.
Sounds amazing John, they are meeting people on a daily basis. I have always wondered what it would be like to live in on a Submarine. Life on a Submarine is my next project. Thanks for watching and your comment.
I would make sure I had central heating as well as a nice fire. I have lived on a caravan for a while now and I am quite sufficient. I would buy a boat and move. I mean why wouldn't I? A good composting toilet is the answer for waste disposal because one can simple dump the compost created onto riverside plants. it is good for them as is the urine for some plants. Loneliness wouldn't be a problem for me. I like being on my own.
Hi Flower, thanks for your comments, sounds great, Alan & Ayesha now have a composting toilet! video coming soon! All the best!
Nooooooooooooooo, composting is not what these loos do, its dessication at best.
Do not dispose of faeces on the towpath.
Who said anything about the towpath? I didn't read that in the comment.
I had wondered that myself. So composting toilets are an alternative on narrowboats? Seems like it would be a good way to save water and takes up less space for the blackwater waste. They require ventilation I believe. Are they easy to retrofit on to a narrowboat?
It seems like anything on water a lot of maintenance beside keeping supplies difficult. Reality versus dream of greener pastures.
there certainly is! but its worth it for the greener pastures!
So, in essence, get a proper, modern, customized, properly insulated narrowboat from the get go.
Some very interesting and sensible thoughts that have really hit home!
For example, I'm ok with the cold. My wife on the other hand....
Thanks for your comment Matt, colds not for everyone, but they do get very hot when heated! Next video will be on this.
Zachary Denman...Like the fires 🔥🔥🔥 of hell hot sometimes. 😋😓...I live in a camper, so yep, steel and metal. 😎✌️🖖🤘🙏🏽
WAIT! They are both metals, but I tried to paint a picture. HA! 😋
Get some blankets or get a new wife ......
In this day and age, IMHO there is no excuse whatever, for not using adequate INSULATION and double glazed windows on these boats.
itchyvet These days narrow boats DO have spray-on internal insulation on the hull, and layered internal insulation on the uppers. That’s why he didn’t talk about condensation dripping down the walls.
Getting money to live on out there is a good one .
The heatwave must be a KILLER sleeping
upcoming videos will explain this
Diesel fumes are never mentioned, particularly when in a deep lock, engine running to keep boat central
Thought one of the biggest deterrents to getting a Narrowboat is it's toilet tech n that would be a deal breaker for many.
Great video, thank you. I lived on a barge for two years with no heating, power or water so may be ok if I get a narrowboat
Thankyou, i'm glad you enjoyed. Well if you can survive that, i am sure you will be fine.
Great advice Thanks for your time and what you have said is exactly right. Cheers Jo
Very wise - We hired one for a week in October and were kinda shocked how cold it got in the early morning - a kind of damp sea mist poured in through the door when we opened it
Thanks for watching!
We lived in a house way out in the country and depended on a cistern for water and a woodstove for heat supplemented by kerosene heaters in a pinch when it got really cold. And forget anything like air conditioning. Sounds about the same except on water. None of this is a revelation to anyone who grew up in a rural area.
Being alone wouldn’t b a problem.. I hate people 😂
LOL!
Bet you love cats?
Good things to think about. Another concern regarding boat ownership in general is that in most cases it is a depreciating asset. On land you can buy a home and you are making money just by sitting on the couch surfing the web since your asset : ) is in most cases appreciating in value. Boat ownership seems to be more of a lifestyle choice, fulfilling a dream, maybe a break from the mundane for a while. If a person has 10-40,000 that is a good downpayment on land/home, and if the boat bug continues to bite, you could rent out your home and buy a boat with frugal living savings in a few short years.
Thanks for watching, yes i suppose your right, but the with house prices sky high, what do the next generations have? Alan will be going into costings in future videos and discussing this. A house is not really asset, its still a floating market and can change at anytime. We have been through recessions before and its the economies always fluctuate overtime. Isn't life all about the life we choose? life is about experience, not money.
lostinthekerf boats hold there money if looked after so why not use the boat as down payment rather than renting and trying to save for a place. My boat was 19k and cost me less than £200 a month to heat deisal ect and maintain.
Most people buying narrow boats in London right now are doing so as they cannot afford to rent their own home and are tired of sharing ...The property markets are so out of control ,and so out of reach of normal working people who can only afford to rent, which is dead investment...
Refreshingly candid. Well done.
Thankyou, glad you enjoyed, always refreshing :)
Hi Zac
I'm not a narrowboater more of a TH-cam gongoozler. Love your vids and your outlook on life. Although not a live aboard I have a 32 foot sailing yacht which I sail on the West Coast of Scotland and love the freedom and the sense of getting away from the rat race that that brings. Maybe you should keep secret the advantages that living on the water brings otherwise the canals will be full and the tranquility lost ha ha. Keep up the good work
Kev
Hi Kevin
Thanks for watching my videos and glad you like. Many more to come on many subjects. Sounds wonderful and what an amazing life, must be quite something up there. If you ever sail down south, drop me a line and I would like to interview you about your experineces. So many people are searching for alternative lifestyles at present, so i feel its good people know about this more, as people want answers.
All the best
Zac
Mm too late to purchase 1 and move in there is not a single space from kings cross along the canal to Victoria park and then up north to the lea valley. And no space. Mmm. How a re they doing the continuous cruisers...
Thanks for your comment. Would you consider to offer a short boating experience for those are interested in boating life but not yet very sure ?
How true! So well said. Thank you
thanks fox, glad you enjoyed it
mind you on the canal it is so peaceful chugging along till it rains and snows then the canal freezes so you cant move lol
Great video. Our boat will be surveyed on the 2nd October but we will keep our house ans start in a marina. A gradual introduction to the narrowboat life will be best for us. Who knows what lies ahead in the long term! Thanks for the insight.
Thankyou Sylvia. Thats the way Alan started, good to do baby steps and then set sail! Alan will be giving many more insights over the coming months, stay tuned!
I wanna get away from people. I wont be lonely. Good point that though, “moving from land to water if u don’t move.” That would be pointless I guess
Its a very peaceful place and you are in still environments, even if you are next to the M25..
This was filmed in Leamington Spa wasn’t it?! I recognise that stretch of canal from walking it so often when I used to be an addict
Your boat is lovely
I will pass that on to Alan and Ayesha, thanks for watching
I would think this way of living is the one of the least self sufficient ways of living.....not that there is anything wrong with living this way. It just isn't self sufficient....imo
Your right, but this is a step towards that. I am not sure anyone in the western world can be completely self sufficient.. If you can, please tell me?
Aren't the boats insulated? I have seen videos where the boats had a spray foam for insulation. What about insulated double pane window? I can see where the bottom of the boat would be a heat sink and the top of the boat would get hot enough to fry food on but there must be solutions. Solar panels seem to cover much of the tops of boats now. An awning or screen should be available to shade the top.
i think you can insulate boats in many ways, more videos to come on this, thanks for watching
LIKE WHAT YOU SAID IF YOU DON'T MIND WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO LIVE ON A NARROW BOAT AND WHAT SIZE IS YOUR BOAT AS ME AND MY WIFE HAVE A 40 ft NARROW BOAT BUT STILL LIVE AT HOME BUT ONE DAY HOPE TO LIVE ON OUR BOAT OR BIGGER BOAT
Thanks Kevin, Alan will be doing a tour of the boat and going into details in future videos to give you more of an insight. Subscribe for future updates.
Why are you shouting? To hide your catastrophically bad rhetoric and uselessness of your comment? Ok, I guess we all got it.
Thank you.👍
Pleasure Steve
thank you some time in california i might indulge ,looks prommissing
How many narrow boats have log burners.
i'm not sure Duncan, i will find that out
You need better insulation and a comb
Lol
So can you not bank the fire at night?
how do you mean bank the fire?
Cracking bloke!
A fine Video indeed.
Many thanks John
You. Inspire me looks great good look you two great videos maybe next year for me very interesting love the nature
Good points.
Sound advice, sign me up! Except I live in Texas, someday maybe.
Thanks Ryan, all the best!
This is Warwickshire isnt it? I thought I recognised the locations 😂
Sound advice , thank you. New to your channel but will return.
The question that's most interesting to me is how narrow boaters make their money!? Do they all have jobs, like beeing an author, so it doesn't matter where they are? Or do they just have the money in bank to retire early :D
not sure you could work an office job and live on a boat, but yes if you create an income yourself, its alot easier. I will be making videos on this in the future
Personally... I cruise from March to September and work in the Winter to save up the funds for the next Summer's cruising. I have an online mooring and in the Winter I work through an agency as an HGV driver, work is plentiful in the East Midlands where I'm based.
Get a fire or rads!....grow a pair as well!!😂
lol i will pass that on :)
I enjoy your videos. Thanks. You list your occupation as screenwriter and author. What movies have you had produced or books published. I'd like to read or watch your stuff.
Hi Roger, many thanks, you can search Alan Denman on google to see his films/books and he is in the process of setting up his website at the moment. Which he will have everything on. All the best.
Buy a boat with better heating system
I listened to this with the sound off. You said some very interesting things
What you say...is interesting...and fuel.. and gaz....is very expensive... any way it s a good expérience. ..we have to have these expériences before ...to die...the BERNARD who live near PARIS...
Cannot really agree with what you say. I have lived on my boat 3 years and thoroughly enjoy both Winter and Summer with my onboard heating and cooling systems. Seem to me you’re trying to stop more people joining our community lol
Its a Narrowboat Life same here 3 years aboard. Love every minute.
not at all trying to put people off, so amazing to watch and listen in this lifestyle
it is a beautiful lifestyle, but hard work!
There is no reason why you can't keep a boat warm.
Another heater out the back made all the difference.
very negative bloke with a smile
Good fit for me
thanks!
wrong framerate
Ok, thanks 👍
4:02 how close to a head bump?
very close, but the camera angle aswell :)
Advice for people who have problems doing their shoe laces up.
I am sure you can find something on youtube for that :)
Patricia Brooks...I don't tie my laces! I tie them and then kinda knot the ends closest to the shoe to be able to just slip them on or I prefer boots really...You just get creative is what I'm saying. 😋😎👍
Velcro who’s got time for advice
Challenge accepted. I didn’t appreciate the rat race anyway.
Not representative at all.