Living On Boats Blog

Changes to the website and newsletter

2007-07-16T12:54:00.000+01:00

Hi,

If you do not already know we have redesigned the Living On Boats website and it now runs on the Wordpress blog platform.

For this reason we will be closing this Newsletter blog in the next few weeks and all newsletters will be available on the main website.

To view posts and subscribe to the RSS feed for the new website please visit:

www.livingonboats.co.uk

We hope you like the new site. Please do subscribe to the RSS feed to keep up to date with new post.

Regards

Martin

May 2007 Newsletter

2007-05-30T09:03:00.001+01:00

Keeping Costs Down On Projects and Refits.

If you are undertaking a large project boat or even a smaller refit to your existing boat you will want to keep the costs down as much as possible.
In this months newsletter I am going to give you some tips on how to keep more of your money in your pocket and not through it in that hole in the water where your boat sits!

I have a system that seems to prove me right every time. When I want to carry out some work on my boat I hazard a guess at how long it might take and how much it may cost. Now, what I do next (my system) is I multiple the time and cost by 3.

Does that sound like a lot?

Well, it seems to work every time for me but you may be a better estimator so it could be different.

What’s interesting is a friend of mine that is renovating a narrowboat experienced the same thing, time and cost was three times his original estimate. Something to think about when planning your project.

So, how can we keep down costs on projects and general boat repairs?

Here are some hard won tips from the field.

Tip 1
Anything that has the word Marine associated with it is going to be twice the price. Buying from a chandlery is going to cost you an arm and a leg and its worth noting that much of the same things can be purchased from other non-marine places at much reduced prices.

Take for example a 12 volt water pump to run your domestic water system. Most chandlers will stock these and happily sell you one at a cost.

Can you get it cheaper?

Think about other uses the pump may be used for, maybe to run the water system on a caravan?
Go to a camping and caravan store and I bet you could find the same pump cheaper.
If you think about it boats use many of the same systems that caravans use so check out prices in these stores before you buy from a chandlers, you could be surprised at how much money you can save.

Tip 2
Some times the type of boat can have an effect on how much money you can save on a project.

Let's look at an example of refitting a galley.

We will use an example of a sailing boat first. Sailing boats can be small and have a rounded hull shape so the inside of the boat is rounded. For this reason refitting the galley would require a custom build by a carpenter or boat builder and would be expensive.

Now let's look at refitting a galley on a Dutch barge or narrowboat. These vessels have a very flat bottom hull and straight sides much like found in a house so buying kitchen units from MFI or Ikea could fit nicely and work out much cheaper.

As you can see some boat types offer savings in areas you would not expect just because of there design.

Tip 3
If you are doing a major project, lets say converting an old open barge where you need to build the superstructure and layout of the interior, you could design everything yourself and employ welders or do the welding yourself if you can.
Now I'm not saying this can't be done successfully but experience shows that this major work is best left to professional boat designers and builders. Employing these services will cost more money so how will that save you money?

Well, if you get these major things wrong then it will cost you many times more than you would have originally saved.
That lovely looking, well constructed superstructure you built on your open barge may be many hours of hard work then when you set off on your maiden voyage you find you can't get under the first bridge because you built it to high!

It happens, believe me, and the cost to put this right will be far more than employing the right people in the first place.
This is just one example and there are many others that could go wrong if you or your builders do not have marine knowledge.

Tip 4
If you are doing a complete refit inside your new or current boat you can save a great deal of money on heating costs by making sure you insulate your boat well.
This is very important on steel, ferrocement and GRP boats. Wood is a natural insulating material but you should still add more whilst you have the chance.

The best type of insulation is the spray foam, of course any insulation you use must be fire retardant or if an accident does happen you will be very warm!

You will see a large reduction in heating costs by insulating your boat well. Don't forget you will be living aboard so heating is always going to be a cost in our lovely English climate!

Tip 5
If you need to carry out work on the hull of your boat below the waterline then you may need to remove your boat from the water using a crane or dry dock. This will obviously cost you money but there are cheaper ways if the work you need to do is not a major job.

As an example lets say you want to give the hull of your steel boat a new coat of paint.
Find a slipway that dries out when the tide goes out and put your boat on the slipway at high tide. As soon as the tide goes out and the hull has dried out (a warm summer’s day is best) start painting.
The paint should be dry enough by the time the tide comes in again if you paint quickly!

If your boat will not stand up on a slipway you should let the boat dry out against the slip wall if there is one and then paint one side of the hull on one tide, move the boat around and paint the next side of the hull on the next tide.
The same applies to say a harbour wall.

Other situations where you could use this technique is replacing anodes or changing a through hull fitting such as a seacock.

You could save yourself a lot of money paying for cranes or dry docks as use of a slipway is cheap and using a harbour wall or riverbank can be free.

Finally...
These are just a few ways to save money on projects and refits and I hope these are of use to you and save you some of your hard earned money.

Do you have any money saving tips?

If so please share them by commenting below.

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© 2005. Living On Boats.
www.livingonboats.co.uk

Martin Chinery has lived on boats for over 7 years. He writes articles for and runs the Living On Boats website.

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Feel free to reprint this article in its entirety in your ezine, blog, autoresponder, or on your site so long as you leave all links in place, do not modify the content and include this resource box.
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'Bargain Basement'

I often look around for boats that are for sale at a reasonable price and could make a suitable liveaboard boat. It is surprising what you can find so I thought I would feature one vessel in each edition of the newsletter to show what can be found. I'll call this 'Bargain Basement' and see what little jems we can come up with.

This months 'Bargain Basement'
Houseboat & Freehold Land/Mooring with Swimming Pool!! £250,000

Beautiful site in Kent, comprising of static thames lighter barge converted houseboat with freehold land and own moorings.

Houseboat consists 2 levels; first level, porch, fully equipped kitchen, dining room leads out onto decked area, second level, living room, 3 bedrooms, study, bathroom with shower. Double glazed and central heating throughout, plus huge log burner approx 23 x 6.8m. Plenty of room to moor another cruising boat alongside also.

Large garden, with lawn and flowerbeds, gravel drive, 3 large outbuildings with electric, swimming pool with covered poly tunnel, land area approx 16,900.00 sqft.

This could be a very good investment for both a houseboat and freehold land and mooring. You would need to check out the legal status carefully so you know exactly what is being sold but this could be a free mooring for life! A very hard thing to come by these days.
I would suggest that this will increase in value also as moorings become harder to find.

I found this on Apollo Duck website with Ad ID: 56563

April 2007 Newsletter

2007-05-17T22:09:00.000+01:00

Getting Your Postal Mail Aboard Boats

This month I am going to explain about receiving postal mail as a liveaboard together with some of the legal issues with regards to your home address.

OK, living in a house is easy when you need to receive post, every house in the UK has a post code and most are easy to find for the postman. Living aboard a boat can be more difficult but it really does depend on where you are moored and to some extent what type of boat you liveaboard.

If your boat can be reached easily from the canal or river bank and the mooring is a permanent residential mooring then you may find the postman will deliver directly to your boat. Many owners assist the postman by erecting a post box on the canal or river bank for mail to be placed into, a bit like the ones you see in the USA. Doing this makes sure the postman doesn't have to climb onto your boat, and of course many postmen won't due to safety and insurance issues.
An address like this may have a post code and if recognized as a permanent residential mooring you can use this on legal documentation such as passports and driving licenses. One sure way of finding out if your mooring is recognized as a permanent address is to check it out on the electoral role, if it's listed that’s great, if not you could have it added.

Having a recognized permanent address as above can make legal issues much easier such as bank accounts, schools and any other of the mountain of burocarasy we have to go through.

Now on to other situations you may encounter.
We have covered bank side canal and river moorings but what if your mooring is within a marina or boatyard?

Generally, if you are moored in a marina or boatyard the postman will not venture down the pontoon or jetty to deliver your post. The usual way this is handled is that the marina will take all post and you collect your post from the marina office. Some marinas may have a collection point for each residential boat, this could be something as simple as a pigeon hole system.
Post is normally addressed to the boat name followed by the marinas address.

This form of address is generally acceptable for legal documents but if you have problems you could still register the boat name and marina address on the electoral role.

If you live in a marina or boatyard that doesn't have permanent residential status but allows liveaboards on a casual basis then you may find that you can not use the marinas address for post.
In this situation you will need to make other arrangements.

So what other alternatives are available to receive your post?

PO Box

You could pay for and use a PO Box. Your address is a post office box that is located as close to your mooring as possible.
The disadvantage of this is that you will have to physically go out and collect your post and legal documents could be a problem as a PO Box is not really a permanent physical home address.

Use a family or friends address

This can be a simple option if your family or friend does not mind. You simply have all post sent to their address and then you collect it. This should be no problem for legal documents either but do remember if you are classed as "living" there make sure it doesn't have an effect on them. As an example if your friend or family member lives on their own they may get a 25% reduction in council tax and if you are registered at that address they will have to pay full price.

Accommodation Address

There are companies that operate an accommodation address service where they receive your post and forward it on to a different address that you supply them. This could be your local post office if you want.

You have to pay for the service and it may not be that suitable for legal documents. Ask the individual companies about having there address on passports, driving licenses and bank accounts.

So that has covered the main options for receiving post as a liveaboard boater. There could be other options I haven't covered so if you have any suggestions or do something different that works well please leave a comment.

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© 2005. Living On Boats.
www.livingonboats.co.uk

Martin Chinery has lived on boats for over 7 years. He writes articles for and runs the Living On Boats website.

'Bargain Basement'

This months 'Bargain Basement'
31' PROUT RANGER Multi Hull £8,795

Early 70's catamaran, solid dry boat. 9.9 yamaha outboard- electric start and charging coil. Various sails. Marine toilet. 4 berth plus possible saloon conversion. Needs much work but a solid base. Mooring in lowestoft possible. £8,795

If you are looking for a sail boat that has some liveaboard space then this 31 foot multi hull could be a good investment for someone that is prepared to do some work.

It looks like it is a solid vessel but needs much work to bring her up to a suitable standard but at the price I think it is a good bargain.
The same vessel in good condition would fetch around £17,000 - £20,000. Not a bad price in my book!

If you are interested I found this vessel on the Boat Shop 24 website under Boat Ref: fwo7837712

March 2007 Newsletter

2007-03-26T19:50:00.000+01:00

Houseboat Project Mistakes

I don't know if anyone watched a program called Grand Designs on Wednesday 14th March but if you did you will know that it was about a couple that purchased an old Thames lighter to convert into a houseboat.
The program was very interesting for me to watch because I could see them making one mistake after another, I almost found myself wanting to shout at them through the television!

Well, I thought I would talk about some of the mistakes they made so anyone that is starting or thinking of starting a project like this can be more aware of potential problems.

Now, this couple had a buget of around £50,000 to complete the houseboat project. They were eco-friendly and had decided that they wanted to build the houseboat completely of scrap and secondhand materials. This would also keep the cost down.
The Thames Lighter was moored at the boat builder’s yard ready for the start of the project.
The first mistake was the fact they had not found a permanent residential mooring for the boat before starting the project. As we know moorings are difficult to find and when the builder has finished the job he will want the boat moved so he can start on his next job. Having no mooring will be a problem at this point.

The next mistake was that they did not have a proper contract with the boat builder. The owners would give the builder some money and when it had run out would give him more.
The reason given by the owners was because they were not going to have any formal plan or design and take the project forward based on what they wanted and what scrap and materials are available.
The owners came up with a design for the superstructure that was very unusal and very high! The houseboat was going to look very different to a normal one which could cause problems getting a mooring.
Work started on the superstructure with the steel frame being built and the cladding was going to be some aluminum curved sheets of scrap.
The next mistake they made was deciding to use scrap and secondhand materials. The problem is you can never guarantee it’s available in the quantities you need. Of course, they ran out and found it difficult to find more of the cladding. Fortunately more cladding was found but at a cost of time, travel and money.
The owners found some secondhand windows and had them delivered to the site. Again as no plan or design was in place the windows were to large and the boat builder had to cut the structural steel frame to get the windows to fit. More time and more money spent.

As you can image with no plan the boat builder could not keep up with the amount of changes and the owners were getting tight on money. The relationship broke down and the boat builder pulled out of the project.

Fortunately, the boat builder allowed the owners to keep the boat on the mooring and the owner employed two unskilled guys to continue with the work.
Another mistake made here was using unskilled labor on a project of this size. Work continued very slowly costing more money and final the owners realized their mistake and brought in a new skilled boat builder.

The new boat builder had much to put right after the unskilled labor had left but he also made one mistake that would change everything.
The boat builder moved the boat and someone else’s boat on the mooring without the permission of the boatyard owner. This really is not acceptable so make sure you never do this yourself. If something happens you will be liable, a big risk to take.
Because of this the boatyard owner asked them to leave the mooring and the boat was still not finished.

The owners had to tow the boat to a new temporary mooring where the boat could be completed.

By now the project was over budget and the owners decided to cut down on the fitting out of the interior to save money.

Whilst the boat builder continued working the owners went out to look for a permanent residential mooring.
Now here's the kicker, because the houseboat looked so unusual with its high superstructure, strange cladding and ugly windows many residential mooring owners turned them down for a mooring. Nothing like making it difficult for yourself!
You can do some great conversations but make sure your boat still looks like a boat.

The owners did finally find a residential mooring but to get the boat on the mooring required a very high spring tide and they would have about half an hour to get the boat in or be stranded in the River for 3 months before the next spring tide!

A hired tug boat got them onto their new mooring OK and the owners moved aboard the boat with no heating, plumbing or electrics but made the best of it.

So as you can see they made some mistakes along the way, spent around £80,000 and the boat was still not finished.

Not content with that they made one final mistake. They did not protect the boat from the poonton mooring and the boat badly damaged the pontoon. Because of this the owners were evicted from the mooring and a court case brought between the two parties. The lesson here is always secure your boat and protect your boat and the mooring with fenders. It’s your responsibility as the owner of your boat.

The program ended at this point with the court case pending and the owners looking for another mooring. The owners were evicted from the mooring so could not live on the boat so had to find other accommodation. The owners were confident they would find another mooring and get the boat finished and I am sure they will.

The lessons they learned along the way were valuable ones if not expensive ones.
If you are embarking on a similar project then make sure you have a solid plan for completing it on time and within budget.

To recap on some of the points.

1. Always locate and secure your residential mooring before starting your project.

2. Have a design plan and a contract with your boat builder.

3. Make sure materials can be sourced easily in the quantities you need.

4. Use skilled labor for a large conversion project.

5. Never move other people’s boats without their permission or the permission of the mooring owner.

6. Try not to make your boat look to wildly different or you may have problems finding a mooring.

7. Always protect your boat and the mooring from damage with fenders.

I hope you have found this interesting and you do not make the same mistakes.
If you have any comments please do comment below as I am always interested in what people think.

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© 2005. Living On Boats.
www.livingonboats.co.uk

Martin Chinery has lived on boats for over 7 years. He writes articles for and runs the Living On Boats website.

'Bargain Basement'

This months 'Bargain Basement'
Lighter to convert 78 - 90' £9,000

In keeping with the theme of this months newsletter if you are looking for a large project you could check out one of these barges.

Various lighters to convert from 78' to approx. 90' long ranging from thames lighters to river lee lighters. These are very popular conversion objects as they can be made into an attractive spacious home with all mod-cons on a realistic budget.

Come along and choose one, then you can reserve it for a ten percent deposit, it will be cleaned, any holes repaired and thin spots reinforced. it will be painted with red oxide paint and you can then pay the balance, all included in the the quoted price of £9000. A real bargain home. Hurry, they always sell soon after we advertise them

If you are interested I found this vessel on the Apollo Duck website under Advert ID: 20848

February 2007 Newsletter

2007-02-25T12:58:00.000Z

How much is a residential mooring worth?

I've been helping a friend this week, he has been looking for a boat on a residential mooring in the city of Oxford for a few months now. Last week he found a suitable vessel so we both went to have a look at it. The boat has not been lived on for many years so is a bit rundown but on first inspection the Hull and Superstructure seemed in good order although the interior could probably do with a new refit. The boat was on a residential mooring on the Oxford Canal and this residential mooring is operated by British waterways.

The interesting thing with this vessel is that nearly 70% of its cost was a premium for the residential mooring. In places like Oxford residential moorings are few and far between so boats are normally sold on residential moorings and the price of these boats can be very high.
This boat my friend was looking at was not a particularly well fitted out vessel but it was on the market for quite a high price, like I say about 70% of the cost of the vessel was a premium for the residential mooring. Premiums on these moorings were running in at approximately £10,000 to £15,000 just for the mooring alone but you could not buy the mooring alone, you would have to buy the vessel that was moored there and then transfer the mooring agreement over to the new purchaser.

My friend really wanted to live in Oxford and also works there so the location and status of the mooring was very important. The vessel itself can be renovated and will make a very nice home. It's worth bearing in mind that if you come across a boat that is rundown and does need renovating on a very desirable mooring you should not discount this as you could purchase the rundown boat on the mooring and then put a new boat on the mooring at any time you wish. The important bit is that you have the rights for that residential mooring. In places like London and other major cities where people really want to live and residential moorings are very hard to find this could be a real option if you can find a project boat up for sale.

A fully fitted out vessel on a desirable residential mooring could run into hundreds of thousands of pounds but a similar vessel that is rundown on the same mooring could be half or even a quarter of that price. The art here is to find those vessels on the good moorings.

If you are looking for a mooring in a particular area and you really want to stay in the area then the only way to find these moorings is to go out and look at the local boat yards, marinas and moorings on the tow path and find out whether these residential moorings are. You should speak to people and find out if there are any boats for sale. If residential moorings are within marinas and boatyards and you could always leave your name and telephone number with the marina office and get them to contact you if any suitable vessels come up for sale. Again it does not matter if it's a rundown vessel that needs lots of work because you can always purchase another suitable vessel and move it to your mooring and sell the old vessel for a cheap price.

It's really interesting to see how much premium there is on residential moorings. As residential moorings are getting so few and far between particularly in the sought-after and desirable areas then purchasing a project boat on a suitable mooring could be a real option. Once you have rights to that mooring then you can move the old boat off and a new boat on.

I guess what I'm trying to say is don't discount a project boat if it's on a very sought-after mooring, you could end up getting a real bargain and then move a suitable vessel on that mooring.

So if you really want to live in one particular area go out and find those residential moorings. Don't think about the type of boats, think about how you're going to get your hands on this desirable residential mooring at the cheapest possible price. Again purchasing a project boat on a desirable mooring can be a real option to secure those very hard to find residential moorings.

Of course please don't forget that if you can find a residential mooring available without a boat already on it then you will not pay a premium for the mooring. It is more common to find this type of mooring in a Marina or boat yard that is licensed for residential use so this could be a good place to start looking. If you already have sourced your mooring then you would only pay the market price for the boat you are looking for.

Happy Hunting

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© 2005. Living On Boats.
www.livingonboats.co.uk

Martin Chinery has lived on boats for over 7 years. He writes articles for and runs the Living On Boats website.

'Bargain Basement'

This months 'Bargain Basement'
Beautiful 78' Thames Barge £130,000

Beautiful 1905 Braby and Son's Thames lighter converted and restored in 1995. Moored at High Line Yachting Northolt Narrative and Photographic account of all resoration work plus we still have the original 101 year old workbook listing everything that has ever been done to her. 40' Open plan Living / Dining / Kitchen space. Large bathroom with cast iron bath. 1 Large double cabin. 1 Further cabin at stern. Solid fuel stove powering central heating throughout. Lenght 78' Beam 13' 6" Displacement: 40 tonnes. Located at Northolt Greater London UK.

This looks like a great Thames Barge and if the mooring is a suitable residential one then you would be close enough to London for an easy commute. There would be lots of space in a boat of this size for comfortable living. At the price I would say this barge is a good buy subject to a survey.

If you are interested I found this vessel on the Apollo Duck website under Advert ID: 52693

January 2007 Newsletter

2007-01-29T08:54:00.000Z

Laundry Aboard.

Laundry is a necessary requirement for all of us no matter where we live, even on a boat. So how do we cope with doing our laundry when living aboard a boat?

The first method that you may think of is taking your laundry to a laundrette which is a method many choose. Some marinas and boatyards that cater for residential boats may even provide these facilities on site if not just find your local one in the nearest town.
One good point about using a laundrette is that once done you do not need to have all you laundry hanging around your boat, a good point in a small place. The downside is you have to transport it to the laundrette which may also be some distance away.

The second method is to have your own washing machine aboard your boat, that's right just like in a house. Now, here you have some options and I will go through the most common one's here and how you may best set things up so they work onboard.

Most washing machines these days run from the cold water mains water to supply the water and mains electricity to run the motor and heat the water. Now, not all boats will have mains water and electricity plumbed directly into their boat so you may need to work around these limitations.

Let's look at a typical boat setup:

Water is held in a storage tank and pumped using a 12Volt water pump. The boat has a mains electricity circuit and mains electricity is available at the mooring. Because the mains electricity runs along a pontoon the supply is rated at 5 amps for safety. This is common in marinas for safety reasons.

In this typical example the water pump may not produce enough pressure to run a full size washing machine, if it does it would work the pump very hard and would need replacing quite often. As most washing machines draw around 2 - 3 Kva in mains power and the marina may supply only 5 amps over water the washing machine cold trip the circuit breaker often. As you can see a mains washing machine can present some problems!

Here are some work arounds in this situation.
For the water you can use a hose pipe from the nearest mains water stand pipe and run this to your boat. Have you washing machine water inlet pipe fitted with a snap connector so your hosepipe connects to it. Make sure the connection is outside your boat. Turn the water on at the stand pipe and you have a high pressure mains water supply to your washing machine. When you have finished your laundry disconnect everything and you're done.

One thing we must not forget is if the water goes into the washing machine we will have to get it out again as part of the wash cycle.
On a static houseboat you could attach the outlet hose to your sink outlet as in a normal house but on other boats sinks may not be standard and may not have a sink trap, only a single pipe running from the sink directly to a sea cock. In this case you could tap into the hose or you could simply secure the washing machine outlet hose to drain into the sink itself. If doing this make sure your sink can drain the amount of water the machine empties fast enough before overflowing the sink!

For the electricity problem you could use a generator of a suitable size to supply power and this would only need to run for as long as it takes to do your washing. If you have a mooring on the bank side and the mains does not need to run over water then you should not have the problem of a 5 amps supply and the mains power will be able to run your washing machine without any problems. It's worth checking with your mooring provider what mains supply is available.

The above covers the problems you may find with services you need to run your washing machine but what about the machine itself? Can you fit a full size washing machine on your boat? Let's cover what machines are available.

OK, if you have a large boat such as a Dutch Barge you will most likely have space for a full size washing machine so not much of a problem here.
If your boat is smaller then you may want to find a smaller machine. These are available and you can purchase a half size washing machine to fit in your smaller space. These are not as common and you may have to look harder and if you find one new you will pay the same price if not more for it so be warned.
There are also small table top machines available that have been made specifically for the marine/leisure market that run from 240 volts mains or even 12 volts. These can be a great solution if space is limited.

Now we are able to get our clothes washed but what about drying our laundry?

You could simply opt for a combined washer/drier which would save on space. When drying your clothes place the drier outlet out of a window or port hole. Some washer/driers are of a condenser type so do not blow our warm air from a large hose but use a small hose where a small water is removed by the drier. Ask you local store about the different types so you can chose the right one for your needs.
Do not forget that the same applies with regards to electrical power for your drier as stated above.

One last thing to cover is how you may be able to carry out your laundry if you can not fit a suitable washer/drier on your boat.
Sometimes it’s simply a case of going back to basics and in the past I have successfully used two buckets and a clothes horse to get my laundry done! That’s right, one bucket for washing/soaking the clothes and the second bucket for rinsing the clothes. Squeeze out as much water as possible and hang up on the clothes horse in a warm place on your boat.
Not the best or most efficient way but it worked for me!

So, it’s not impossible to get your laundry done when living on a boat and there are different ways of achieving it both onboard or by simply using a laundrette, they all get the job done.

I hope this has made you think about the different options available to you and how a simple thing like getting your laundry done is somewhat different to those in a house. Like most things there is always a solution to a problem that works and I hope this helps you find the solution you are looking for now or in the future.

Happy washing!

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© 2005. Living On Boats.
www.livingonboats.co.uk

Martin Chinery has lived on boats for over 7 years. He writes articles for and runs the Living On Boats website.

'Bargain Basement'

This months 'Bargain Basement'
45' Motor Cruiser - converted Fuel Oil Barge, Central London Mooring £79,950

If your looking for a comfortable, stylish two bedroom cruising houseboat on a central London mooring then you've found it!

This pretty and well admired converted Fuel Oil Barge is located on the prestigious Nine Elms Pier mooring, located near Vauxhall. One of only two fully licenced Central London residential moorings.

This boat has a fantastic history, we have photos of it during it's war days and recently its been a tattoo parlour in Turkey!

With fantastic views down the river towards MI5 and Embankment, you can even hear Big Ben chime for the time! Sitting out on the rear deck with a bottle of wine and watching the river go by makes living here a real joy.

Seatest is a 45ft Motor Cruiser with two 120hp Polar engines, GPS, Depth gauge and other cruising equipment. It has great outdoor space for relaxing and entertaining in the summer months, and potential for adding rooms if required. Also included is a transformer for generating 240V while cruising. The mooring is perfect for getting out onto the river and cruising up towards Oxford or Down to the Channel. The vessel is also suitable for Canal cruising.

A recent survey is available to view and the boat has a brand new bottom, 5mm steel everywhere under the waterline.

We've made changes to make more suitable for a full time abode, including full size fridge, mains water, telephone line & broadband.
The bathroom has been modernised to make a very cool wetroom with underfloor heating, electric toilet, cool lighting and a heated towel rail.

There are two bedrooms, one double bedroom with the bathroom located within bedroom area and a single bedroom at the front of the boat. This bed can be folded away if you do not require two rooms and need more storage space. Potentially this room could be incorporated into the galley/diner or the bathroom could go here.

We've also added some great enviromentally friendly features, such as water recycling (shower water to flush the toilet) and a wind generator.

Nine Elms Pier is a great location, with a brilliant community of fellow boat owners. We have writers, actors, scientists, artists and a band all living on neighbouring boats. The pier is a great space which will soon have studios available, and currently has a small swimming pool for our use.
Located right next to Battersea Power Station, the impending regeneration in this Central area makes any property nearby a very sound investment.

Mooring fees are £301.50 per month.

Vauxhall (zone 1) is the closest station (10 min walk or bus ride) with mainline trains to Waterloo and the South West, the Victoria line and many buses.
A car parking space is available by negotiation with the pier. We have one at the moment.

This is an interesting boat on a very sort after mooring in central London. This boats seems to up and running so could also be used for trips down the river or out to sea. As of the time of writing a 1 bedroom flat in a high rised block in Vauxhall was advertised for £145,000 so this boat could be a good buy. I bet you don't get the same river view in the flat as you do on the boat! If you are interested I found this vessel on the Apollo Duck website under Advert ID: 52819

A London Houseboat Bargain

2007-01-10T18:31:00.000Z

Hi Everyone,

I'm posting this to the blog as I thought this vessel could be a real bargain for anyone that wants a houseboat in London which is getting very rare these days.

Anyway, I found a 42' part completed project in the form of an Ex Customs Launch being used as a houseboat and moored in London.
The surprising thing was the cost of £13,000.

Now, you would have to be sure the vessel is in reasonable condition before parting with your money and enquire about the status of the mooring (residential?) and if the boat can stay on the mooring. Remember this is a project as it is only part converted so you will have to do some work on her.

If it was me and I really wanted to live in London the most important aspect would be the mooring and the type of questions I would ask would be:

1. Can the new own keep the boat on the mooring?
2. Is the mooring a proper residential one and is there a proper contract in place that can be transferred?
3. If I purchased a new boat could I move the new boat to the same mooring?
4. How much are the mooring fees?

Do not forget that if this boat does not work out for you as a project and you have tenture of the mooring you could always sell the project boat without the mooring and then purchase a new boat to occupy your mooring. Finding a mooring in London is very hard so buying a cheap boat on a mooring can be a good option.

A small pad in London for £13,000 is a real bargain in my book, even if the boat needs some work.

Do not forget that all the same rules apply to buying a boat that has a London mooring as they do to any other area. If you don't have a survey and the boat turns out to be in very bad shape then £13K is still a lot of money to lose no matter where the boat is moored!

Here are the details I found with a picture.

42 x 11ft, double diagonal, wooden ex Customs Launch.

Part completed project, currently used as house boat in central London. Perkins 6 engine, excellent galley, solid fuel stove, shore power and phone line.

£13,000

I will not publish the contact detail here but I can tell you that I found this vessel on the Apollo Duck website and you should search for Advert ID: 52684

That's it from me, good luck if this is of interest to you, I would be quick as this one may go fast!

December 2006 Newsletter

2006-12-26T09:59:00.001Z

Winter Issues.

As the cold weather is drawing in we thought it would be a good chance to look at some of the issues that winter brings for the liveaboard boater.

The summer months are the best for a liveaboard, those long warm days on the river and calm waters with wildlife all around can be a really magical time. But what about those not so nice winter months, what issues does the cold weather bring?

The shortage of daylight hours in the winter makes daily maintainence and chores more difficult. Maintainence will always need to be done at a weekend when you have light. The daily chores will still have to be done such as filing the water tanks and changing the gas bottle so make sure you have a good torch where it is always accessible.

You will be running your heating system much more in the winter so you will need a good supply of fuel. Unlike houses we do not have convieniate supplies of fuel so it will take effort to maintain your fuel supply. If you use gas as a heating fuel you will be changing the bottles more often, you need to carry these heavy bottles to and from the boat and may even need to drive to the store to change the bottles yourself. Carrying a heavy gas bottle down a icy moving pontoon can get challenging at times and anoying. This also goes for coal, wood and cans of diesel.

You will still need water in the winter months so filling up those water tanks will still need to be done. Its very important in winter to make sure your water is always as full as possible. This is mainly due to water stand pipes where you connect your filling hose can freeze soild in very cold weather and could stay frozen for a number of days or weeks. If this does happen you will be glad you filled your tanks up.

With storms and high winds in winter months another area to pay attention to is your mooring ropes that secure your boat. Make sure you check the security of your mooring as the last thing you want is for your boat to break free in a storm whilst you are asleep or even worst, whilst you are not there. Make sure your mooring ropes are not only secure but also in good condition.

When the winter snow and ice arrive you should be more carefull when boarding your boat. Non slip decks are good but not that good when covered in snow and ice. Its very easy to slip and the last thing you want is to end up in the icy water, I can tell you from experience when slipping off my boat leaving for work in my suit and tie and ending up unconscious in the mud! Lucky for me the tide was out!
Be extra carefull in the winter, clear snow and ice off your decks and stay safe.

Just like cars, the winter can take its toll on batteries so you should make sure batteries are well maintained. Its a good idea to give all your batteries a gasing change before winter sets in and top them up with distilled water if they are of that type.
If your lights run from your domestic battery bank the batteries will be used more as there are less daylight hours. You will have to check the condition of your batteries more often in the winter and keep them well maintained.

So now you are all thinking why would anyone what to live on a boat? Well, it's not really all that bad in the winter months if you stay organised and the summer really makes up for most of the winter hardships.

One last thing.

I wanted to wish everyone a very merry christmas and happy new year and thank you all for supporting the website and newsletter this past year.

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© 2005. Living On Boats.
www.livingonboats.co.uk

Martin Chinery has lived on boats for over 7 years. He writes articles for and runs the Living On Boats website.

'Bargain Basement'

This months 'Bargain Basement'
52' CLASSIC HISTORIC LAUNCH £17,000
This 1939, harbour launch is very origional,I have tried to keep her that way ,built by the admiralty at the outbreak of war she did harbour duties in Plymouth,and at some time was attached to HMS Maidstone,she then went on to be a Sea cadet H.Q.Then into private hands,I have had her for ten years and use it as a retreat,I have made a shrine of the engine room, which has the admiralty conversion engine, put in ,in about 1974,a Foden HL6 a supercharged 6 cylinder diesel .She has all mod cons on board ,Icould live on board tomorrow,and quite often do.....She is for sale as I fancy disappearing to India for a few years,and at the moment lives quite happily on the river Witham in the centre of Boston(Lincs), she could easily be re-comissioned.
£17,000

This is a good strong naval vessel that would be at home on the River or at sea and provides a good level of accommodation. These are historical vessels and may well increase in price over the years as well as provide a comfortable moveable home. At £17,000 this is good value.
I have owned and lived on one of these vessels for a number of years quite comfortably. I have also been out at sea in a force 8 gale and found they have very good sea keeping qualities.

November 2006 Newsletter

2006-12-02T13:47:00.001Z

Buy or renovate?.

Buy or renovate?
In this issue we look at the options to buy a boat that is ready to move aboard or buy one that needs renovation or complete conversion.

This is going to be a very personal choice but if you are not sure which way to go we have a few pointers for both.

So let's jump straight in and look at buying a boat ready to move aboard.

If you are new to boating and are also thinking about living on a boat a vessel that is completed, in commission and fitted out as a liveaboard boat may be a good option. One thing to remember with buying a completed boat is they will always be more expensive than one that needs renovating on converting and the upside for you is less work on your part. You will always need to carry out maintenance on any boat but this is much less work than renovating or converting.

Now if you’re strapped for cash you can still buy a liveaboard boat that is fully fitted out if you look around hard enough. There are always some good deals to be had even for fully converted boats.
A good time to look is in the winter months where boats and houseboats tend to be cheaper.

Another option is to buy a recreational boat that is suitable for living aboard such as a narrowboat. Most narrowboats fitted out for the leisure industry come with most of the home comforts you would expect from a liveaboard one so this may be a good option. If you’re looking specifically for a narrowboat to live on it is surprising what you can find if you look hard enough. In the marketplace there are many thousands of vessels and if you keep your eye open you can always find a bargain.
So for the new people to boating and living aboard a fully fitted out boat ready to move on could be a good option.

But what if you don't have the money to spend and you are looking for a project, something that you can make your own mark on and fit out to your specification. There are many projects boats around of many different types so the first thing to decide is what type of vessel you want to live on and then go out and search for project boats that suit your needs. They are around but you may have to look hard for them but look hard enough and something suitable will always turn up.

One of the best places to look for a project boat is on the Internet, many of the boating websites have sections for project boats.
Here you will find many different types in the many different stages of conversion or renovation. Having had a quick look on some of these sites today I came across a 68’ MFV that needs converting but had a working engine and a good solid hull for £7,500. For such a large vessel this is a very good price but you must remember that you will have to spend a lot more money to finish the project and you should not underestimate the amount of time it would take to complete. Another vessel we found was a 36’ Motor Sailor that had been used as a liveaboard but needed refitting and a lot of maintenance as the vessel had been left standing unattended for many years. At £5,000 this could be a really good buy for some one that is wanting a boat to live on and use.

As you can see there are many project boats available and our advice would be to look very closely at what level of completion each boat is at. Some projects need an absolute enormous amount of work and money to complete and it would be advisable to get a Marine engineer to look at any boat first to advise you of the amount of work and money it would take to get the project finished. Of course if you are happy to estimate this yourself that would save paying a Marine engineer but sometimes a few hundred pounds paid to a Marine engineer could save you many thousands, the choice is yours.

When looking at a project boat for sale make sure you discuss with the seller whether or not the boat can be left on its current moorings and does the moorings operator allow you to do DIY maintenance on there moorings?
This can be a very important question as someone might be selling the boat because the moorings operator does not want a half finished boat on their moorings. If you have to move the boat then make sure you have secured a suitable mooring before completing purchase or arrange with the current moorings operator a time when you can move the boat to an alternative mooring. It is very important that you find a suitable mooring that will allow you to carry out maintenance and renovation on your vessel. Not all moorings allow this especially marinas so make sure you ask this question first.

Depending on the amount of work that is required on a project boat we would still advise that you have a survey carried out. This is mainly to check the condition of the hull and engine as these are the two most expensive things to repair on any boat. When looking at a project you should always ensure that the hull and engine are in sound condition. If they are not you will have to weigh up the costs of repairing these against the price of the vessel. It could still be a worthwhile project if you can pay next to nothing for the vessel but again it will be a vast amount of work and you will probably have two employ skilled labour to complete this, obviously at a cost.

It is not an easy decision to make whether to buy a project boat or a fully completed boat. Obviously your situation and level of experience may dictate which way you go. If you can find the right project at the right price you could have yourself a very nice completed vessel that is worth many times more than you paid to purchase and complete it.

On the other hand, as we said at the beginning of this article it is quite possible to get some very good bargains on completed vessels ready to move aboard. Look very hard and something will turn up.

If you are considering buying a project boat then think about the following:

1. Assess the purchase price against the amount of money you will need to spend to complete the project and then compare your total costs with a similar vessel that is already complete.

2. It is so important to make sure any project boat has a sound hull and engine. These should be your first consideration when looking for suitable boats.

3. When assessing how much time and money it will cost to complete the boat times this by three!

4. If you are going to use Marine engineers to carry out much of the conversion work then make sure you choose a company that has done similar projects before. We do not advise you to use general builders as renovating boats is a specialist job. General builders may work out cheaper but will not have the experience and knowledge so could work out more expensive in the long run.

If you plan to do much of the conversion work yourself, this will save you a great deal of money in labour costs and in my experience you will learn a lot and get the satisfaction of knowing that you have done a good job.

Project boats can be a very good option and we would like to provide you with some more detailed information with regards to project boats in another edition of the newsletter. But for now we will finish here and we hope you have enjoyed reading the newsletter.

Please feel free to comment on this article. All comments are of real interest to us so feel free to tell us what you think.

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© 2005. Living On Boats.
www.livingonboats.co.uk

Martin Chinery has lived on boats for over 7 years. He writes articles for and runs the Living On Boats website.

'Bargain Basement'

This months 'Bargain Basement'
68ft MFV Project £7,500

Harold John. RnEx Bette Ruby built around 1942 Danish anchor driftnet fishing boat designed to fish North of the Arctic circle, thus she is an extremely substantial vessel with oak timbers and a hull which is oak on oak and 3 inches thick. She was withdrawn from fishing service in 1992 to be used as a charter boat and then in 1999 as a family livaboard. She is 68ft long, has a beam of approx 16ft, and a loaded draft of 10ft. Not used as a livaboard since 2002. Engine has not run for 6 years but all components present, Hundestad 2 cylinder 2 stroke air start diesel. Accommodation is split into four cabins plus a shower and head down below. On deck a large saloon, which includes the galley, the forward crew quarters are at present empty but would make a delightful master suite. The deck cabin was separately built and placed onto the deck thus not compromising the original deck structures, could easily be removed or extended. If the engine and tanks were removed this would double the accommodation below deck. The boat could be reinstated as a family livaboard without too much effort. She is presently kept at a mud berth in Gosport, Hants, England. During her re-fit in 2000 all her caulking was raked out and she was re-caulked with okam. Present berth fees £200 per month, continuation of berthing to be negotiated.

So keeping along the same lines as the article this month we found this MFV project as an example of what can be found. With a lot of work this vessel could be renovated and converted to a great liveaboard boat that if done well could resell for somewhere between £40,000 - £60,000. For a purchase price of £7,500 you could spend £20,000 on the conversion and still have a good liveaboard asset.

October 2006 Newsletter

2006-11-14T20:56:00.000Z

Liveaboard Moorings.

We get many people ask about mooring their liveaboard boat and whether they really need a residential mooring.

So here are some pointers to help you search for and find a suitable mooring for your needs.

We all know that proper residential moorings are getting harder to find especially in popular areas such as London so do you really need a proper residential mooring?
The answer is no, you don't but it will be easier if you can find one.
With a proper residential mooring you get the security of status. By this I mean you can use your boats mooring address as your home address, you have the same rights as others to use local services and schools and include your permanent address on legal documents such as your passport and driving license. For some people this security of status is important but what if you cannot find a residential mooring?

There are other options that may or may not suit you.

1. Continuously cruise

By that we mean that you move your boat to different moorings often so you are not classed as a residential boat because you do not stay permanently moored in one location.
This is an alternative but you will need to keep a permanent address somewhere such as a family members or friends address. This option is not right for everyone but some enjoy moving around seeing different places. You could move moorings within a small geographical location which will keep you always in the same general location.

2. Mooring by agreement.

By this I mean talking to a moorings operator and having a verbal agreement that you can liveaboard your boat as long as you keep a low profile. Some are open to this arrangement and it can work well for both you and the mooring operator. You get a mooring and they get your money. It is surprising how many liveaboards are happily living on moorings with this arrangement.

The one problem with this arrangement is that the mooring operator will rarely give you any secure mooring agreement. If they do not have a proper residential mooring and the local authority find out you are residential the operator will ask you to leave. If you can get a mooring like this then do keep a low profile, I know people that have been mooring this way for years with no problems but you must always be prepared to move on if you have to.
Again, you would need to keep a shore side address as many mooring operators will not allow mail to be sent to their address on your behalf.

3. Mooring anywhere!

If you like the really nomadic lifestyle then you could just find a isolated mooring spot and stay. You would need to be very self sufficient but there is no reason you can't as there are many out of the way spots that you may be able to occupy for as long as you wish.

These are real alternatives to a residential mooring but as you may have guessed you really need to live on a boat that can move under its own power. If you have a static houseboat with no engine to move it you really do need a permanent residential mooring. Having said that most static houseboats will be sold with a permanent mooring.

In summary you really need to be clever and go and talk to mooring operators in your chosen area. In my experience talking to them personally will get you better results. It's easy for them to say no over the phone but in person you can build a rapour with them and explain what you are looking for.

So if you are finding it difficult locating a residential mooring in your chosen area it might be worth visiting some of the marinas and boatyards and asking if they can accommodate your needs. Remember, even if some say no ask them if they know of any moorings that would be suitable, they should have a good knowledge of the area and may come up with something you missed.

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© 2005. Living On Boats.
www.livingonboats.co.uk

Martin Chinery has lived on boats for over 7 years. He writes articles for and runs the Living On Boats website.

'Bargain Basement'

This months 'Bargain Basement'
60ft Part converted MFV

60ft Part converted MFV made from larch on oak frames,built in 1959 in Banff East Scotland as a siene netter. She has had a new wheelhouse conversion, which includes kitchen and dinning area, also helm position.
She is powerd by a Kelvin 8 cylinder marine diesel engine 240hp which is in commision with a very good gear box fiited,all working and ready to be moved to a new location if needed.

Down below decks is all stripped out ready for you to put your own stamp on. There is lots of space for conversion to live abourd or to put back as fishing or diving vessel. I think the price is very good for a vessel of this size, you could expect to get about £60k when finished.
£18,000

This is a large vessel and for the money could be a great buy for someone that wanted to fit out below decks to their own specification. Here you are getting a lot of boat for your money but don't forget tha you will have to put in some hard work finishing off he conversion.

September 2006 Newsletter

2006-11-14T19:24:00.000Z

Boat Surveys.

Buying any boat is a big decision and is probably the second biggest personal outlay you will ever make. It's a major decision, and bluntly, when buying a used boat...

YOU'RE ON YOUR OWN
Remember: "Buyer Beware"
"Caveat Emptor". The axiom or principle in commerce that the buyer alone is responsible
for assessing the quality of a purchase before buying.

When buying a used boat there are no warranties or guarantees. How do you know...
• That the boat is even what the advert states?
• That the boat is fit for the purpose?
• That the boat is undamaged?
• That the boat is safe, sound or seaworthy?
• That the engines are serviceable?
• That the rig is safe?
• That the boat will provide good service without huge repair costs?
• That your investment is justified; are you paying too much, or too little?
If there are problems your only recourse is pursuit of the vendor through the courts; which can be along and costly procedure with unknown results.

Almost everyone you will deal with in choosing and selecting your boat will be working for the vendor. Brokers, advertisers, agents, agencies are all paid buy the vendor. If you use a broker make sure they are professional, use a recognized form of contract (for example RYA/BMIF/ABYA if in the UK) and that your deposit is secure and returnable. In the United Kingdom, look for membership of the ABYA (the Professional Association of Yacht Brokers) which ensures a high ethical standard and established code of practice, correct paperwork and indemnity insurance.

Who Can Help?

You need a Surveyor.
• Your surveyor is your professional.
• Your surveyor is on your side.
• Your surveyor works for you.
• Your surveyor cares about your boating safety.
• Your surveyor protects your investment and risk.
• Your surveyor enables you to make an informed decision.
You need a professional surveyor experienced in the type of boat you are considering.

A good surveyor will help and advise you on suitability and what to look for, he will play devils advocate in your decision purchase. He is your only guarantee and back up.

How do I find a good Surveyor?

Surveyors can be found in the advertising in the yachting press, at the professional association's web sites, broker's lists. Ask around in the yard, yacht club or marina for a personal recommendation.

Alarmingly there is no legislation, qualification or requisite standard to set up as a yacht surveyor. In the UK, look for a surveyor who is a member of an established and tangible, professional body such as the YDSA, Yacht Designers and Surveyors Association, or the IIMS, International Institute of Marine Surveyors (small craft section). This ensures that the surveyor is fully accredited, scrutinized, and follows a recognized code of practice.

Points to Check, and Questions to ask, when selecting a Surveyor.
• Membership of Professional Association.
• Qualification, Experience, or Accreditation.
• Level of Professional Indemnity. Cover for you.
• Third Party Insurance. Cover for the boat/vendor.
• Specialty and or Experience in the type of craft.
• Fees. Compare Quotes - beware too cheap.
• Does the surveyor offer formal terms of business and survey instruction form?

Ask for a sample survey; see what you might get for your money, and a reference from a previous client. The Surveyor should be flexible to suit your needs or any special requirements and should explain and discuss the types and benefits of different surveys. The surveyor should be receptive to your enquiries, positive, helpful, willing and enthusiastic never casual or dismissive. Remember he is working for you.

The Survey.

If at all possible attend the survey, after all it's your survey. Ask questions and talk to your surveyor, but don't stop him doing his job. The surveyor should explain what he is looking at and why and what it means. This is invaluable when you need to understand and quantify a technical report.

After the Survey.

Digest your report, make notes and discuss it with your surveyor. Ask questions. It is important to understand the findings and implications of the survey report and the advice of your surveyor. You will get more meaningful information from a frank discussion than a report. If you are satisfied that you can make an informed decision, renegotiate, buy the boat, or pull out.

Reproduced from http://www.boatcareyachtsurveys.co.uk/ with thanks to Simon May

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© 2005. Living On Boats.
www.livingonboats.co.uk

Martin Chinery has lived on boats for over 7 years. He writes articles for and runs the Living On Boats website.

'Bargain Basement'

This months 'Bargain Basement'
Cruising Houseboat on London Docklands mooring

64ft Steel Cruising Houseboat

Vospen Thorneycroft Steel 64ft motor Yacht, inland and ofshore waters. A conversion from famous Fireboat39 that escorted the Falcland troops and served in southampton until late 80's recently refitted to outstanding specification.
Birch and american black walnut interior and leather, separate galley with dish washer, washer dryer, freezer, fridge, combination oven, grill, microwave,hob and hood.
Saloon with leather L shape seating and windows 360degree view, 2 ensuite master cabins with electric jabsco toilets and glass basins and leather bed with full ceiling height throughout.
Integrated sound system and remote controlled mood lighting throughout and fitted alarm system.
Twin 460hp rolls royce engines. Great live aboard/cruising houseboat with residential london docklands mooring. Surveyed and antiffouledin Dec2004, reffited in 2005. Inflatable dinghy for 4persons with 2.5hp engine. Price was reduced and now priced accordingly for a quick sale. She's moored on residential mooring in london docklands. Mooring £458.25p/m plus electrics.
£120,500

This boat caught our eye and would make a great liveaboard boat with a London mooring. With a good amount of space and working engines this would be a flexible boat that would make a good London base and a boat you can use to travel. I know you wouls not find a house in the docklands for this price!

August 2006 Newsletter

2006-10-06T22:40:00.000+01:00

7 Step process to selling a boat.

This month we are going to take you through our 7 Step process to selling a boat.
The end of the boating season is coming now so many people are thinking of selling their boat.

Selling your pride and joy is not an easy task and will take some work on your part.
Boats are high priced items and buyers expect a lot for their money.

So, here we go then, the 7 Step process to selling your boat fast.

Step 1. Preparing your boat for sale
If you are serious about selling your boat you must start by cleaning it and making sure it is well presented. I can't stress how important this is and it often makes or breaks a sale. Be smart and make this your very first job. Your hard work now will pay off in hard cash later.

Step 2. Paperwork
Make a detailed inventory of your boat and find all the paperwork relating to it. This may be registration, boat safety certificate, repair invoices, license etc.
When making your inventory of equipment that will remain with the boat write down the make and model of equipment. Type the inventory into your computer so you can email it to potential buyers. It's amazing how many people don't do this!

Step 3. How to deal with faults and repairs
If your boat has any major faults that may need repairing by a potential buyer write them down and get a quote for each fault to be repaired.
Disclosing faults and the cost of repair to potential buyers is a must. You will increase your chances of a sale and if you already know the cost of repairs you can set your sale price to compensate.
Remember that a potential buyer may perceive the cost of a repair to be very high and not buy when the actual cost may be low.

Step 4. Pricing your boat.
Set a realistic sale price and be prepared to negotiate on this price. Look at the prices of similar boats to yours to get an idea of what the market is prepared to pay. If you pitch your price to high you will have trouble selling, pitching to low and buyers may think the boat has some serious faults. Try to get somewhere in the middle.

Step 5. Advertising and marketing
Now we have to think about advertising your boat so we can get as many qualified buyers as possible to view your boat. It's very important that you get qualified buyers so you don't waste your time showing people your boat that do not really have any intention of buying. Many people just want to see what the inside and outside of your boat looks like to get an idea of what type of boat they might want to buy. This is at the expense of your time and effort so we need to qualify buyers who are really interested.
The new website called Boat Video Adverts (www.boatvideoadverts.com) show potential buyers your boat using full motion video directly from your advert so eliminating those that just wanted to waste your time. This gives serious buyers the opportunity to look at your boat in great detail before coming for a viewing. You can really qualify your buyers by using video within your advert. Take a look at the website.

Of course, you do not want to keep all your eggs in one basket so we encourage you to advertise in as many places as possible to get the best possible exposure for your boat. Here are some links to other websites that you may want to advertise with. Remember that it will be more difficult to qualify your buyers with other advertising sites but you could always include a link to your video advert in your replies to enquiries if you decide to use the video advert website. This will help you qualify leads from other sites

http://www.boats-for-sale.com
Offer free online picture advert for around 8 weeks. Magazine adverts from £40 (Boat Trader) and £120 (Boats & Yachts For Sale)

http://www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk
Offer free online picture advert for around 6 weeks. Magazine advert from £30 (Boats Weekly)

http://www.apolloduck.co.uk/
Offer free online picture advert or featured online advert with 12 pictures for £34.95

http://www.ybw.com
One month online with 10 pictures + single picture advert in magazine from £98
One month online with 10 pictures + text only advert in magazine from £23.48

www.boatvideoadverts.com
Video Advert from £59.99 for 3 months £99.99 for 6 months. Also FREE Photo advert for 3 months.

Step 6. Viewings
Interested buyers will want to take a closer look at your boat and this is an ideal opportunity for you to really make that sale. It is worth qualifying them when they contact you to arrange a viewing. Ask them what advert they saw and have they seen the online video advert if you have one. If they have, you have a good chance that they are interested enough to travel for a viewing. You could also ask them some other questions to qualify them such as are they in a position to buy now, how long have they been looking and is this there first boat or are they upgrading? If upgrading there is a good chance they have money from the sale of there last boat.
On the day of viewing make sure you arrive before your viewers and take the time to ventilate the boat and have a quick tidy up. Have all your paperwork with you and a copy of the inventory and maybe some photos for them to take away. If you have facilities for making a hot drink on the boat offer your viewers a drink, remember, you have qualified these viewers as good potential buyers so make them feel welcome and comfortable.

Before your viewers leave, ask if you can take there contact number. The reason for this is so you can contact them later if you decide to lower the price or for any other reason. Previous viewers sometimes do not get back in touch with you because your price was just out of their reach. If you decide to reduce your price and do not have there contact details you could lose a possible sale.

Step 7. Making the sale
When you receive an offer on your boat be prompt in replying. If the offer is acceptable you should draw up a Bill Of Sale ready. You can download an example Bill Of Sale
If the offer is subject to a survey be flexible in allowing the survey to be completed. Never refuse a survey, the buyer will almost certainly pull out of the sale. If the offer is subject to a survey be prepared to move on the sale price if problems are found by the surveyor. Remember that the cost of the survey and costs of moving or removing the boat from the water is the responsibility of the buyer.
If all goes well you should make sure that all money has cleared before handing over the boat to the new owners.

There you have it, a simple 7 step process to selling your boat fast.

If you are serious about selling your boat then I'll let you into a little secret. Remember this and you will not go far wrong.

When potential buyers are looking for a boat they want ALL the information NOW. They want it ALL NOW so they can make an informed decision whether to take the time to view in person. A single photo and 50 words of text in a magazine or online advert just can not give them ALL the information they need to make that all important decision.

Don't lose these buyers; give them everything they want by either using a video advert, or as much information as you can in your on-line and magazine adverts.
You can never give to much information and by doing so you qualify your buyers and will not waste your time and theirs.

We hope this has helped you if you are thinking about selling your boat.

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© 2005. Living On Boats.
www.livingonboats.co.uk

Martin Chinery has lived on boats for over 7 years. He writes articles for and runs the Living On Boats website.

'Bargain Basement'

This months 'Bargain Basement'
Static Houseboat on secure mooring very close to London

Rare opportunity. Purpose built 58 foot by 11 foot static luxury houseboat on permanent friendly secure gated mooring. On Grand Union Canal at Hayes. 1 mile J3 to M4 West London. Heathrow 10 minutes.

Large patio-sundeck,all day sunshine. Double glazed all round,steel-pontoon, totally weather proofed cladding all round.
Roof has been professionally treated with 3 coats Isothane-elastomeric-membrane on 14 september,06. Top box,8x4x4,for storage.
Newly decorated and refurbished to a high standard throughout.
Master Bedroom. light and airy,two large duble-glazed windows with lined velvet curtains. king-size bed,built in storage, fitted mirrored wardrobes,four double brass electric points. TV aerial. Nice carpet, ensuite bathroom with jucuzzi, and power shower beautifully hand crafted tiles, handbasin with storage underneath, heated electric towel rail.
Fully fitted Kitchen, washer dryer, fridge freezer, dish washer, mircowave, electric cooker and hob, extracter unit, wine racks, toaster, blender,kettle,breakfast bar with 4 bar chairs, 8 storage cupboards, 3 brass double electric points, dimmer switches throughout.

18 foot Large through lounge fully carpeted, nice 3 piece leather suite, 16 brass power points, Tv aerial, Plus satellite system. Beamed ceiling, lined velvet curtains on brass rails, 8 foot headroom throughout boat.

Mains water, mains electric, BT phone line, Sky TV, security system, nice neighbours, quiet friendly moorings.

All moorings and license fees are paid up to August 2007, boat compliance certificate dated till 2008.

Family lived here since 1996 when boat was 1st constructed, never lived anywere nicer in London England. Tesco 24 hour shopping 5 minute walk, easy parking.

Everything a very nice one bedroom flat has got, and lots more. Ready to move straight into. All fixtures and fittings, furniture,curtains, carpets patio sunbeds deck-chairs, E.t.c, are included in the sale,plus 2 cannoes.

Asking price. £95.000. Early viewings recommeded.

You would not get a house or flat in this area for anywhere near this price, and I guess it would not be in such a nice waterside location! This could be a great buy for someone that needs to be in the Capital and comes with one of those very hard to find moorings. You would need to check the boat can stay on the mooring and sign a new mooring agreement.

July 2006 Newsletter

2006-08-25T07:19:00.000+01:00

Buying a liveaboard boat.

If you have made up your mind to live on a boat then you are going to need that very thing, a boat to permanently live on.

So how do you buy a suitable boat? There are so many out there.

Lets go through some of the steps to help you find and buy the boat that is right for you.

Step 1.
Where do you want to live? This should be your first question so you can buy the right type of boat.
There is no point rushing out and buying a sailing yacht if you want to live in an area where there are only canals. If you do not have a particular area in mind then you have more flexibility.

Step 2.
Before making any buying decision decide what you want from a liveaboard boat. Is it a permanent base on the water, or do you want to use your boat to travel? Are you only interested in canals and rivers or really want to be on coastal waters.
Do you need a large boat with lots of room or would a smaller boat suit your needs?
Answering these questions will help you decide on a suitable boat.

Step 3.
Decide if you want a houseboat or a liveaboard boat. There is a difference.
Houseboats are vessels that are permanently moored and do not have an engine and can not be easily adapted to move under there own power. Houseboats are really permanent dwellings on the water.
Liveaboard boats are any other boats that have engines and can be used for navigation on a waterway or at sea. Essentially a liveaboard boat is a recreational or commercial boat that is used for living on.

Step 4.
The previous three steps should now have narrowed down the type of boat that will suit you so now you need to find one. Before we do we have one more thing to do to narrow your search further and that is to decide how much you can afford to pay for your boat.
You should now have a much narrower list of boats to choose from out of the thousands for sale.
Here is an example of what we have done so far.
Example:
I want to live in the Birmingham area on the canal, I want to have as much space as possible and use the boat for weekend trips and holidays. I have a maximum of £40,000 to spend.
From this example you can see that I will only be looking to buy a narrowboat that is as long as possible and costs no more than £40,000.
Now you are able to concentrate your search.

Step 5.
Finding a suitable boat will involve searching in many places. The best places to look are:
Boating Magazines
Boating Websites
Boat Brokerage offices
Noticeboards in Marinas and Boatyards and for sale signs on moored boats

When you find a suitable boat find out as much information about the boat so you can decide if you want to view the boat.

Step 6.
Viewing boats is time consuming and could involve some long travel so you need to be sure it is worth the effort. Get the seller to provide as much information as possible before you view. This should include a detailed description, inventory and photos of the boat.
Make sure your time is well spent at the viewing by going prepared. Write down a list of questions before you go so you don't forget anything. Wear some old clothes or take some overalls so you can check the usally not so clean bilges and engine. Check all the equipment works such as water pumps, batteries, electronics etc. Check all the paperwork is correct and is in the owners name.
If your happy with the boat you could make an offer subject to a survey.

Step 7.
You should always have a marine survey on a boat you wish to buy. If the seller refuses to allow a survey then look elsewhere as they are probably hidding a major fault.
The cost of the survey and moving the boat if required is your responsibility but is well worth the cost for a boat selling for many thousands of pounds. If the survey shows faults try to get the sale price down some more to allow for repairs. If this is acceptable to the seller you can complete the sale. Make sure you get a bill of sale and all registration documents and licenses are updated to your name. You should also check that the moorings operator will allow you to continue or renew the mooring agreement, if you don't you may be asked to move your boat right away.

Step 8.
When you take ownership of your new boat check that everything that was on the inventory is still aboard. If not contact the sell right away.

The most important part of step 8 is to ENJOY your new boat.

There you have it, a simple 8 step process to buying a boat. We hope you find this information useful in your search for your new boat.

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© 2005. Living On Boats.
www.livingonboats.co.uk

Martin Chinery has lived on boats for over 7 years. He writes articles for and runs the Living On Boats website.

'Bargain Basement'

This months 'Bargain Basement'
Catamaran Prout Quest 31

This very popular Prout Cat has had her saloon refurbished to a very nice standard, she has excellent levels of accommodation that has a mulititude of combinations, a good size heads is available and her twin 18hp engines have been regularly maintained.

LOA: 31' 2", Length at Waterline: 30' 5", Beam: 14' 1", Draft: 1' 6", Maximum Draft: 1' 6", Headroom: 6' 2"
7 berths with 3 doubles and 1 singles in 4 cabin(s).
2 burner gas cooker with Grill and Oven. Sink, Carpet, Curtains, Cabin heating,
1 heads, 1 handbasin, 1 shower
Pressurised water system
Hot water system
Microwave oven

£33,000

This multihull would make a good liveaboard vessel for those that are keen to sail and travel. Built by Prout, a quality builder this 31' vessel offers some good living space for a liveaboard owner. Multihulls are wider than monohulls so offer much more space to a liveaboard owner, typically multihulls do not roll so much due to there wider beam.
We think at £33,000 this is a good buy.

June 2006 Newsletter

2006-06-27T22:01:00.000+01:00

Practicalities of living on a boat.

In this issue we are going to look at some of the practicalities of living permanently aboard a boat.

Making the decision to live on a boat, buying a boat and moving aboard are subjects that we have covered before and will cover again but what about the practicalities of living aboard on a day to day basis.

One of the first things you will learn is how to use space effectively and the importance of keeping your boat tidy. Keeping your belongings stowed away and tidy is something that most of us have to work at and if you don't a small cluttered space soon becomes difficult to live with.

The services we have aboard our boats need much more input from you. This includes filling up the water tank with fresh water, changing gas bottles and empting or pumping out the toilet. Put this way I guess it doesn't sound too bad but let's see what this means to you.

Filling the water tank will mean untangling the water hose and running it from your boat to the nearest stand pipe. Turn on the water and wait for your water tanks to fill. This may take between 5 - 15 minutes depending on the size of your water tanks. Now walk back to the stand pipe, turn off the water and roll up the hose pipe and stow away on your boat.

That’s a bit different to just turning on the tap in a house, and remember that if you use a lot of water you will have to do this more often. In the winter months ensuring your water tank is always topped up is important as many water stand pipes can freeze up making it impossible to fill your water tank until it gets above freezing point.

Changing a gas bottle may also seem simple but its not just changing it you have to do, you will also need to carry the empty bottle to your car if you do not have gas at your marina, boatyard or moorings, take a drive to the nearest supplier, load the full (heavy) bottle into the car, drive back and carry it down to your boat and store it in its safe location.

Remember that you should always have two gas bottles so you are never without gas, if you only have one, sods law dictates it will run out just when you need it and the supplier will be closed.

If you have a portable chemical toilet remember that you will have to empty this frequently, carrying it to the nearest WC or disposal point and then carrying it back again.
If you have a toilet that pumps into a holding tank you may have to move your boat to the nearest disposal point and pay to have the holding tank pumped out then move your boat back to your mooring.

As you can see the practicalities of dealing with services on a liveaboard boat is very different and requires more hard work by you. It also requires more planning to ensure your services continue to function for you.

If you moor your boat on a coastal or tidal river mooring you need to be prepared for the fact your boat will move! Sometimes a gentle swaying can turn into violent movement if the weather gets bad so you need to make sure your belongings are secured so they do not get damaged. Also, you do not want items flying around the cabin causing damage or even injury so you need to ensure items are well stowed and secured.

Another point on tidal waters is that you need to take into account and be aware of the tides and adjust your mooring ropes correctly. Again, this is a planning thing and the last thing you want is to wake up in the morning to find you and your boat hanging from the harbour wall by your mooring ropes because you forgot to adjust the ropes.

Receiving mail is important and how easy this is may depend on your mooring. If you are moored at a marina or boatyard it is common for your mail to go to the main office and you then collect it from the office.
Some established residential mooring may have a post box outside with the postman delivering directly to you, others that move around frequently may use a post office box or an accommodation address service where they have to collect mail or have it forwarded on to them to a local post office.

Most electric hook ups at marinas and boatyards are only allowed to run power over water at 5 amps. Be practical when buying electrical goods and check they do not require a heavy load. There is no point buying a large paint stripper that needs 6+ kW and then you can not run it as it trips out the electrical circuits.

These are just a few of the practicalities of living on a boat and I know there are many more. We will cover more in a later newsletter.

If you can add to this with your practicalities of living on a boat we welcome you to add a comment.

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© 2005. Living On Boats.
www.livingonboats.co.uk

Martin Chinery has lived on boats for over 7 years. He writes articles for and runs the Living On Boats website.

'Bargain Basement'

This months 'Bargain Basement'
45ft Liveaboard Sailing Yacht

Superb luxury liveaboard yacht direct from owner. One look at her and you can see what makes this boat so popular. Imagine a yacht that could not rust. Now imagine a yacht that could never get osmosis. Now you have the idea. When you buy a liveaboard, you want to do just that live aboard with the minimum of fuss and the minimum of expense. This boat has full standing headroom lots of natural light and a finish that is usually only found on much more expensive vessels. This vessel is equally at home out in open waters as a blue water cruiser. So when you get tired of one country simply cast off and set sail for another. Being a ketch rig, her wooden mast carry an array of sails and when they are set she glides along about 7 knots. She has also a Perkins diesel engine as a back up or for close quarter manoeuvring. Her fully equipped galley is ideal for entertaining on board and with 8 berths in three cabins your guests can even stay the night with you. Where else can you get all this and for only £34,000.

This boat is ideal for the keen sailor that whats a go anywhere vessel that is a comfortable liveaboard.

This vessel is constructed of Ferrocement which sometimes puts people off. It would be wise to have a good survey on this vessel by a surveyer that specalizes in ferrocement boat builds. At £34,000 this is very cheap when you compare a similar vessel built of GRP/Steel/Wood you are talking over 3 times this price.

Living on a house boat through Uni

2006-06-09T12:36:00.000+01:00

We had an enquiry the other day from Jack who wanted to find out information about living on a house boat whilst at uni. I though it was a good question so have published it here on the blog with our reply.

Have you done a similar thing? Do you have any comments? Feel free to comment.

Hello,

Out of interest have you ever heard of people living on boats through university are there any cost benefits. Also how well do houseboats hold there value? Any infomation will be much appriciated

Thank you

Jack

Reply:

Hi Jack,

Thanks for your enquiry.

Living on a boat can work out cheaper than a house and you can buy a small boat suitable for living on very cheap if you look around. See out article on the website about finding a boat on a low budget http://www.livingonboats.co.uk/liveaboard_boat_on_a_budget.htm

If you are looking to rent a houseboat, narrowboat or other type of vessel then you may well find that the rent is not much different to renting a flat! The other problem is finding a boat to rent is very difficult as there are not many that come on the market.

Houseboats can hold there value if you keep up the maintenance and often it will depend on the area your boat is moored. A popular area that has an established residential mooring can really hold the value of the boat that is moored there so that is one thing to consider.

I hope this has answered you question. If you are still thinking it could be an option for you, you will need to start looking around to find a suitable vessel in your chosen area.

Regards

Martin.

Residential moorings in the UK

2006-05-28T08:35:00.000+01:00

It occurred to me the other day what a crazy situation we are in with regards to moorings in the UK, especially residential ones. The whole country is surrounded by water and we have a large canal network but can you find a residential mooring? Well, they can be found but it is getting harder and harder with more people now opting for a liveaboard life competition for residential moorings is high.

Many local councils still do not welcome residential boaters into there communities and have strict guidelines on residential moorings. Until local councils and other waterways authorities relax the rules and realize the advantages of residential boaters, finding moorings is going to be difficult.

Why is it the authorities and the establishment do not warm to residential boaters? I think they do not understand some of the reasons why we choose our lifestyle and fight us with burocusey to make us conform to what is expected of us. What is expected of us is to conform to how they think we should live our lives, and that is to follow others like little sheep. Well I like to think that we should all have choices about living our lives and where and how we will them without the establishment continually trying to make us conform.

Having the freedom to chose where and how you live is one of the things I think is so special about living on a boat but I guess the powers that be do not like those that do not conform.

Liveaboard boaters are just as important to local communities as anyone else, we pay the same taxes and come from all walks of live. The sooner this is recognized by authorities the better, we don't all want to conform and those that don't make the world a more interesting place.

Considering we are part of europe we do not follow similar strategies to them when it comes to residential boats.

Liveaboard boaters are common place in many european countries and governments see them as part of communities get like anyone else. Projects to establish houseboat communities are being developed to encourage people to enjoy there living space and surrounding with support from there government.

Maybe we need to take note and inform our authorities that the Rivers, Canals and coastal waters around the UK are meant to be used and not just looked at as a piece of scenery. Being more liveaboard friendly and providing more suitable moorings would be a real step in the right direction.

Have you experienced any difficulties with local authorities as a liveaboard boater? Feel free to comment as I would like to hear your views.

May 2006 Newsletter

2006-05-16T08:36:00.000+01:00

Cookers.

In this months newsletter we are going to discuss cookers and help you decide what type would suit you and the different types available.

We all have to eat, even those that live on their boats so a cooker is a must for any liveaboard boat.

As with most things, you get a choice of what type of cooker you have and the fuel it uses.

The most common types of cookers found on boats are listed below.

1. Gas hob with or without grill
2. Gas cooker with grill and oven
3. Diesel cooker with oven
4. Paraffin cooker
5. Spirit cooker
6. 240V Electric combination oven
7. 240V Microwave oven
8. 12/24V Microwave oven
Most of these can come with 2, 3 or four burners. The most common is two burners.

As you can see there are many options available and your choice might be dictated by the fuel you currently use on your boat. If you already use LPG gas for say heating or hot water you may go for a gas cooker but the choice is yours.

If you are living aboard your boat I would recommend having a cooker with an oven and grill to enable you to cook a wider range of foods.
Some larger liveaboard boats will have full size cookers aboard which can be a real bonus if you are a budding chef but on smaller boats cookers will be more compact to fit into the galley space.

Gas cookers are by far the most common on boats as many new and older boats are fitted with a gas system. Electric combination ovens are getting popular as most boats are now connected to a mains electricity supply when at there moorings and owners that do not cruise often do not need to cook when cruising or they prepare food before they leave. Also, combination ovens incorporate a conventional fan assisted oven with a microwave so save on space and cook faster. If you have a large enough inverter on your boat you could run your oven whilst out cruising. Check the oven wattage to ensure your inverter will run it.

Spirit cookers are less popular but still do a good job and are a little safer than gas. In my opinion these could be suitable for a recreational boat but not really for a liveaboard.

Diesel cookers are a good option as they use the same fuel as your boat but can be quite expensive to purchase. Most are built to withstand the marine environment and can be quite big in size for a small boat.

Paraffin cookers can be another option and one company that supplies a fine example of these is Taylors. There paraffin cookers are hand made for the marine environment but this type of quality comes at a price, around £1,200 for a two burner with grill and oven.

If you liveaboard a sea going boat you should have your cooker mounted in gimbals to ensure the cooker stays level when the boat is healing. This will enable you to easily use the cooker when at sea safely. Your cooker should also be fitted with a fiddle rail and pan clamps to keep your pots and pans secure on the cooker and not on the galley floor or worst still over a crew member. The picture of the Taylors cooker to the left shows it fitted with gimbals, fiddle rail and pan clamps.

Boats on inland waters and smaller rivers may not need gimbals as the boat will have less movement. A simple cooker that would be suitable is shown below

When buying a new cooker it maybe worth spend a little more money to get a quality unit. The marine environment is a harsh one and can quickly take its toll on a cheaply made cooker. Stainless steel or brass will last longer that ordinary steel so would be a good option. Also remember that many marine cookers are built with recreational use in mind, obviously as a liveaboard yours will be used on a daily basis so purchasing a good one may be more important.
One very important point when buying a gas cooker is to ensure it is fitted with flame failure devices, these ensure that if the flame goes out, say by a gust of wind, the valves are automatically shut off stopping gas escaping into your boat. This really is an important safety issue as LPG gas is highly explosive.

Spirit cookers are less popular on liveaboard boats but are a good option if you do not have or want a LPG gas system on your boat. These can be more difficult to light and can also smell when running so keep a port/window open for ventilation. British meths can be cut with about 5% water to stop the smell but this does reduce the heat output a little.
Spirit cookers may also cost more to buy as supply and demand is not as high as gas cookers.

Electric ovens can be very useful on a liveaboard boat particularly the combination ovens available today. Some liveaboards may have both a combination oven and a gas or spirit cooker on board so get the best of both worlds.

Diesel cookers can be very expensive; a popular model is the Dickinson Bristol Diesel Cooker with Oven.

Left: Smallest model for boats up to 36ft. Featuring a small oven able to accommodate a 9”x9” baking dish. Ideal for smaller vessels and designed primarily for a fore and aft mount (facing port or starboard). 4” diameter chimney accessories required.

When looking for a new cooker to buy here is a tip to help you save some money. If you buy your new cooker from a marine chandlers you will find them expensive but going to a camping and caravanning store will generally be cheaper and you may well get the same modal. Anything with the word 'Marine' in it always seems to be expensive so look at other alternative places to buy. This is not to say all things are equal as some cookers are specifically made for a marine environment (such as the Taylors) and it can be worth spending the extra money. Do shop around for the best deal and make sure you choose a cooker that suits you needs.

If you have a favorite type of cooker or fuel it may use please feel free to leave your comments?

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© 2005. Living On Boats.
www.livingonboats.co.uk

Martin Chinery has lived on boats for over 7 years. He writes articles for and runs the Living On Boats website.

'Bargain Basement'

This months 'Bargain Basement'
27ft Dutch Patrol Boat

27ft/8ft converted WW2 Dutch Patrol Boat (1941). Steel Hull. Double Bedroom, incredible use of space with decent storage. Fully equipped bathroom with shower/sink/toilet. Spacious wheelhouse/kitchen. Beautiful carpentry. No other boat like this on the Thames. Reluctant sale after very happy time living aboard due to pregnancy.

£13,000
Kingston Greater London UK

This boat is not large but would be suitable for a single person or close couple. Moored at Kingston in London would make this a cheap and affordable liveaboard boat close to the capital.
Having been used as a liveaboard boat you should be able to move aboard right away. At the price we think this is a bargain for a ready to go boat within the London area. Remember to check if the mooring goes with the boat as finding another mooring in London could be a problem.

April 2006 Newsletter

2006-05-13T10:15:00.000+01:00

Safety Equipment.

In this months newsletter we are going to discuss safety equipment that should be part of your boats inventory.
Sailing and boating is fun but also comes with its dangers so we need to ensure that we have the necessary safety equipment onboard to deal effectively with any situations that may arise.

There are some basic items of safety equipment that every boat should keep onboard no matter what type of boat or whether it is moored on a canal, river or coastal location. Below is a list of the basic safety equipment.

1. Fire Extinguishers and Fire Blankets
Having the correct type of fire extinguishers and ensuring they are well maintained is very important and could save your life and your boat in the event of a fire.

2. Smoke Alarm
We fit these in our houses so the same should be true of our boat. Smoke alarms really do save lives.

3. Life Jackets
Life jackets are an essential piece of equipment on all boats and provide the crew with a means of floatation in the event of a man overboard.
There should be enough life jackets for each member of the crew and should be of the correct size for both adults and children.
If life jackets are not being worn they should be stored in an accessible place and all crew should know where they are stored.

4. Gas Alarm.
If your boat uses LPG gas onboard you should install and maintain a gas alarm. LPG gas is heavier than air and will collect in the bilge undetected causing a risk of explosion. Gas alarms will detect this and save you and your vessel from harm.
An essential item of safety equipment.

5. A suitable knife.
A suitable knife capable of cutting your largest mooring rope could save you and your vessel on a rising or falling tide. Of course, it has many other uses in a number of different situations you may find yourself in.

6. A suitable Bilge Pump.
An automatic bilge pump should be fitted to all boats even if they do not a leak. You never know when something might happen and if you are away from the boat at the time you could find she has sunk when you return. An automatic pump of the right size for your boat would have kept her afloat until your return and given you a chance to repair of move her out of the water.

This list applies to all boats but more safety equipment should be carried if you use your boat at sea. The following list is advisable if you are going to sea and is in addition to the one above.

1. Safety Harnesses
You should carry safety harnesses with an attached life line to enable the crew to stay attached to the vessel in bad weather.

2. VHF Marine Radio.
A marine radio is essential and will enable you to communicate with the emergency services and other vessels if you find yourself in trouble. Weather report can also be received to aid passage planning.

3. Hand Held Compass
You vessel may have a main compass but you should always carry a hand held compass in case the main one fails. This should not be electronic.

4. Depth Sounder.
Having a depth sounder can stop you running aground and damaging yourself and your vessel.

5. Life Raft and/or Tender.
If the worst was to happen having a life raft or tender will save your life.

6. Flares
These are a vital piece of equipment if you are going to take your boat to sea. You never know when you may get into difficulties and need to signal to the emergency services where you are located. Flares are a vital piece of equipment on any sea going vessel.

7. Life ring
All vessels should be equipped with one or more life rings in case of a man overboard situation. When using a life ring ensure that a suitable length of rope is attached so the crew member can bring a man overboard safely back to the vessel.

As you can see there are many items of safety equipment that any boat should be equipped with. Some of this safety equipment may never be used but that is no excuse for not having it.
We hope we have not frightened you into thinking that sailing and boating is a dangerous pastime as this could not be further from the truth. Sailing and boating is fun and exciting about as with anything in life it is very wise to take precautions. We never know what is around the corner, so being prepared is very good practice.

If you are buying a boat you should check that it is equipped with at least some of the above safety equipment and then add your own as required.

We wish you all a safe voyage!

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© 2005. Living On Boats.
www.livingonboats.co.uk

Martin Chinery has lived on boats for over 7 years. He writes articles for and runs the Living On Boats website.

'Bargain Basement'

This months 'Bargain Basement'
Dutch cruiser built to order 1981. Keel cooled Peugot 2.5 diesel. Wheelhouse, aft cabin, large fwd saloon (saloon stripped & insulated ready for refit) BSC to 2009.
Large fwd deck, rear deck over aft cabin with secondary hydraulic steering. Bathing platform, davits.
Sound hull and superstructure. Needs paint. All working. Unique boat. Ideal liveaboard.

£17,000

This boat looks to be well over 30 feet, I would estimate 35 + which would make a good size for living aboard. The dutch are renowned for building very good steel boats using high quality steel so you would be getting a strong vessel with a working engine ready to go. This was found under a Projects section so some work still may be required above the stated painting but for £17,000 we think this is bargain.

March 2006 Newsletter

2006-04-03T16:58:00.000+01:00

Security for the liveaboard boater.

This month we are going to look at security for the liveaboard boater for both yourself and your vessel.

We get many questions about security so we aim to answer some of them here so you can be more at ease if you are contemplating a liveaboard lifestyle.

Where you moor your boat will have the biggest impact on security. Many marinas have good security for customers with measures such as CCTV security cameras, access controlled entrance gates and maybe even a security guard. Boatyards may have less than this and if they have residential boats may rely on other residents keeping an eye on things. If you are moored on a river bank or canal tow path you will have much less security.

There are things you can do to make your boat more secure and we will list some here.

1. Cabin doors should be fitted with a good mortise lock. Try to avoid using a padlock as these can be cut easily without making much noise. To break a good mortise lock is more difficult and normally requires the door itself to be broken making a lot more noise and attracting more attention that a thieve does not want.

2. If you have belongings that have to be stored outside the boat such as a bicycle or outboard motor ensure you lock it to a strong point on your boat. If it is not locked you make it easy for an opportunist to take your valuables.

3. If you are away from your boat close the curtains to hide any valuables such as TVs and computer equipment. If it’s on display to passers by temptation is there. Take the temptation away by keeping things hidden when possible.

4. You could fit an alarm to your boat. You could look at car alarms that could be adapted or go for a system specifically for a boat. These systems will normally run from your onboard 12 volt batteries

5. If you are going to be away from your boat for some time such as a 2 week holiday make sure you tell other boater and your moorings operator so they can keep a better eye on your boat.

One thing that you will find within most residential communities is that all liveaboards will look out for each other when it comes to security. Many visitors to my boat have often been challenged by other residents because they where not recognized at the boatyard so we all keep an eye open for each other.

In general, security for a liveaboard boater is something you are always aware of but do not let it affect our wonderful lifestyle. Take measures to reduce the risk and you will be fine.

If you would like to fit an alarm to your boat you can find a suitable one at www.harbourcall.co.uk

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© 2005. Living On Boats.
www.livingonboats.co.uk

Martin Chinery has lived on boats for over 7 years. He writes articles for and runs the Living On Boats website.

'Bargain Basement'

This months 'Bargain Basement'
British Powerboat Company 63ft MGB 45 S3 the famous "Whaleback" design and believed to be the last of the Naval type existing, She served in the Polish Navy with the 3rd MGB flotilla at Ramsgate and comes with complete war service history.She has been converted as a comfortable liveaboard vessel by previous owners who lived aboard for 30 years! She offers spacious accommodation in keeping with the vessels age and character comprising large saloon, bathroom with full size bath and basin, seperate WC with macerator, good sized galley with cooker, microwave and fridge, hallway, utility area with large freezer, washing machine and tumble drier, full oil fired central heating with 10 radiators,additional immersion heating, large engine room with 2xPerkins S6M diesels, 6.5kva Lister/Petter generator,New batteries, double cabin with storage and additional pilot single birth, large wheelhouse with Sailor short wave and VHF radio, large deck area, a trully historic and unique vessel, situated Port Werburgh residential moorings on the River Medway, parking, cctv and marina views and excellent security, ready to move aboard, she is being used and is being sold as a static liveaboard but if desired and with further work could return to sea.
£55,000

If you are looking for a large vessel with a bit of history then this could be for you. Plenty of space aboard the is Naval Motor Gun Boat (MGB). Many of the remaining MGB's have had their engines removed although this one has it's engines intact. Motoring down the river in this classic historical boat could be great fun. At £55,000 this is cheaper than a Grade 1 Listed House!

When is a houseboat not a houseboat?

2006-03-25T17:52:00.000Z

What is the difference between a boat and a Houseboat?
Is it that a houseboat is lived on and a boat is not? We all know that is not the case so what is the difference?

I guess many people will have different opinions so feel free to comment on this post. For me a houseboat is a vessel that has no engine and is permanently moored in one location. This is in contrast to a boat that has an engine and can be moved under its own steam.

A boat and a houseboat can both be lived on so achieve the same goal, the big difference is in how easy the vessels are to move.

Does anyone have a different view?

Some thoughts about living aboard

2006-03-24T18:48:00.000Z

Living on a boat is not about how big and how expensive your boat is. It’s about the lifestyle we lead. Whether you have a 100’ Super Yacht or a 30’ Narrowboat we all have the freedom to choose where we live, how we live and the ability to change our surroundings whenever we please.

Liveaboards are called many things by different people who know nothing about our lifestyle, but there is one thing that everyone can call us and that is ‘free’.

What do you think?

February Newsletter

2006-03-05T08:56:00.000Z

Boat Insurance.

We have people often ask about insurance for a houseboat or liveaboard boat so in this months newsletter we will be looking at insurance.

Insuring your boat is now almost a necessity as more and more marinas, boatyards and mooring operators insist on your boat being insured for a minimum of third party damage before you can moor your boat at their moorings.
This is to protect against the possibility of your boat causing damage to another boat on its mooring or whilst manouvering within the moorings.
If your boat should break free from its mooring in bad weather and damages another boat you could end up with a large bill if you do not have third party insurance. The same goes for manouvering within the moorings.

Third Party insurance is reasonably easy to obtain for most types of boats constructed of almost all construction meterials. Third Party insurance covers you for damage to another boat and/or property belonging to others such as property of a marina and navigation authority. It does not cover any damage to your boat or total lose of your boat.

If you own a static houseboat or permanently live on your boat with all your possessions you may want to take out a Comprehensive Insurance Policy that covers both damage to third parties and damage to your boat including total lose.
Comprehensive insurance is more expensive and policies can vary a great deal. As with all insurance you must read the small print and be sure the policy is suitable for your needs. Some policies cover you only in certain areas such as inland waterways, rivers and coastal and world wide blue water cruising so check you have the right one for the type of cruising you do.

Many insurance companies that offer Comprehensive policies will require a copy of a current survey of the boat before a policy is issued, if you do not have a current survey report getting one will be an additional cost.

One other thing to remember with Comprehensive policies is that many insurance companies will not insure boats of certain construction meterials. Before buying a boat it is wise to check if you can insure it first. Boat insurers do not like insuring wooden boats on a Comprehensive policy and it is getting difficult to find a company that will. If you do it could be very expensive. The same is true for Ferrocement construction. Boats of other construction materials are less difficult to insure so it is wise to think about this if you are looking to buy a boat.

To find a good list of companies that offer boat insurance visit http://www.uksail.com/mservice02.htm
We do stress that you make sure the policy suits your needs and offers appropriate cover for your boat.

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© 2005. Living On Boats.
www.livingonboats.co.uk

Martin Chinery has lived on boats for over 7 years. He writes articles for and runs the Living On Boats website.

'Bargain Basement'

This months 'Bargain Basement'
Clinker built 3 in 1 whaler age unknown but believed to be of teak construction. Plywood cabin. 30' length, 9'6" beam, approx. 2'3" draught. Rayburn Regent stove. Honda 400W battery charging generator. 300W inverter. 40W solar panel and controller. 1 x Diesel - Shaft drive. Ducati, single cylinder, apprx 10hp. Has been a comfortable home for many years. Laying Rochdale Canal West Yorkshire UK. £5,000

If you do not have a large budget and really want to get on the water then this could be an option for a single person or close couple. With the money you could save not paying high rent or mortgage you could quickly save up and move up to a larger boat if you wish. It just goes to show that you do not always need tens of thousands of pounds to buy a boat to liveaboard.

January 2006 Newsletter

2006-01-30T21:49:00.000Z

Gas Systems and alternatives.

Many boats use gas to run some of their appliances. The type of gas used is LPG (liquid petrolium gas) that is stored in bottles and connected to the boats gas system to supply the appliances.
Appliances that use LPG gas would include the galley hob and oven, a fridge, hot water heating and even the boats heating system.

LPG gas is a very convenient fuel but also very dangerous if not managed and maintained well. A story of boats exploding due to gas leaks in badly maintained systems is not unheard of. This risk is reduced if you follow the simple rules to keep you and your boat safe. We will cover these rules later.

If you are new to LPG on boats we would suggest you that a look at the installation section of the Boat Safety Scheme at http://www.boatsafetyscheme.com/site/part7lpginstallations_97.asp

Many people ask us what is the best type of LPG gas to use on a boat.
Well, you have a choice of two types, Butane and Propane.
Most of you will recognize the different types by the colour of the gas bottles. Blue bottles are Butane or commonly referred to as Calor Gas. The orange bottles are Propane.
The differences between the two are as follows:

Butane - Has a higher freezing point and a lower pressure than Propane.

Propane - Has a lower freezing point and a higher pressure than Butane

Most liveaboard boats and houseboats will use Propane as it has a lower freezing point and burns hotter which is better for heating and cooking.

It is worth mentioning that these two gases use a different regulator to connect the bottles to the boats system so be sure you get the correct bottle for the regulator you have or change the regulator for the type of gas you want to use.

For a liveaboard boat you should always carry two bottles so if one runs out you can switch quickly and keep your appliances running. There is nothing more frustrating than having to find a new gas bottle at 8pm on a Sunday so always keep a spare.

For anyone that uses LPG gas on a boat there are a few simple rules that you should follow to keep you and your boat safe.

Make sure your gas system is well maintained. It should be inspected as part of the Boat Safety Scheme.
Make sure your gas appliances are well maintained.
All gas bottles housed in a locker must be vented to stop build up of gas and risk of explosion.
When you are not using your gas or are away from your boat turn off the gas at the bottle.
If you smell gas turn off the gas at the bottle and vent the boat by opening windows and doors.
Fit a Gas Alarm, they are not very expensive and could save you and your boat from an accident.
LPG gas is convenient and works well on a boat but do not get complacent. Treat it as a highly explosive substance which it is.

If you are not keen on having LPG gas aboard your boat there are alternatives.
Here are some ideas you might like to think about.

Galley cookers are available that run on diesel, kerosene and other liquid fuels as well as electric. These can be a good alternative to a gas cooker.

Hot water for the galley and a shower can be supplied using a storage tank that is heated by hot water from the boats engine. When the engine is not running an electric emersion heater can be used when connected to mains shore power.

If you are using gas for space heating there are many other options that we covered in Decembers Newsletter.

We hope this has cast some light on the use of LPG gas aboard a boat and some alternatives if you are of a very nervous disposition. In general it is a good fuel and works well but please make sure you follow the safety rules to keep you and your boat safe.

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© 2005. Living On Boats.
www.livingonboats.co.uk

Martin Chinery has lived on boats for over 7 years. He writes articles for and runs the Living On Boats website.

'Bargain Basement'

This months 'Bargain Basement'
81' Two barges plus two caravans for only £14k the lot! linked side by side 42' beam. Would make large houseboat etc. Duet Barges able to be linked together 81 by 20.5 feet, concrete floor in each. Hulls in Good condition, Linkages in perfect order (minor damage to coamings). Two caravans , new generator and compressor included in the deal. A fantastic bargain for the entrepreneur barge developer! Or will sell one barge for £7k

If you are looking for a project then these 'two' 81' Duet Barges could be a good deal. Link together or convert both an sell one on to reduce costs?
These vessels are a very good price and come with two caravans, generator and compressor. Not a bad deal for £14,000.

December 2005 Newsletter

2005-12-29T11:57:00.000Z

Heating systems onboard boats

Winter is here and the weather centres are all predicting it will be a very cold one so in this months newsletter we are going to look at ways of keeping yourself and your boat warm. From my experience having spoken to many liveaboards the choice of heating system on your boat is a personal one and everyone seems to have their favorite. For this reason I can not recommend a single type or make but I can tell you about the different types of systems to help make up your mind.

So what are the most common types?

Solid Fuel Stoves

These are popular on residential boats and can burn coal, wood or both. The stove has a flue going outside the boat to ensure the smoke does not enter the living area.

The good points.

These stoves are simple and reliable and give out a nice dry comfortable heat. Fuel can be purchased almost anywhere and it is possible to find wood for free in many places.
Silent in operation
Do not need a power supply to run.
Good for heating open plan boats

The bad points

The heat output is difficult to control.
Storing the fuel aboard your boat can be difficult and take up valuable space.
Clearing out the ashes can make a mess inside your boat.
Depending on the size of your stove it may not last throughout the night so you may wake up in the morning to a cold boat.
Many people do not like to leave a lit stove un-attended so may not be as flexible as other options.
Not good at heating boats with many cabins.

Diesel Fire

These types of fires are popular as most boats already have the fuel aboard to run the fire as well as the boats engine.
Stand alone fires are similar to solid fuel stoves with a flue pipe extending outside the boat. Diesel is feed to a metering valve on the fire commonly by gravity and this valve puts diesel into the base of the fire where it burns when ignited.

These fires are reasonably safe to use and the heat output can be controlled. They come in many sizes, heat outputs and designs so you should be able to find one to fit your required space.

The good points

Fuel storage is already on your boat.
Silent in operation
Do not use any electrical power
Heat output can be easily controlled
Clean burning, no ashes to empty.

The bad points

Stand alone fires not good at heating boats with many cabins.

Forced air heating system

These types of heating systems are common on recreational use boats to provide heating aboard so the season can be extended. You do find these systems on residential boats in the smaller sizes.

The system consists of a heater unit with a fan that is run on either diesel or LPG gas. From the heater unit metal ducts are run throughout the boats cabins with an outlet set close to the floor. In operation the heater unit produces heat and the fan blows hot air through the ducts and out of the outlets in each cabin.

Units come in different heat outputs to suit your size of boat.

The good points

Can be configured to heat boats with many cabins
Fuel storage is already on your boat for diesel or include a gas bottle for gas fueled systems
Heat output can be easily controlled
Some systems have a timer for switching on and off so you can set the heating to come on before you get home and be nice and warm.
Clean burning, no ashes to empty.

The bad points

Uses electrical power from your batteries for starting and when in use.
Not silent in operation but noise levels are acceptable.
Will need frequent servicing that can be expensive.
Parts are expensive if the unit goes wrong.
Not designed for constant use that is typical of a liveaboard so could be replacing the unit sooner than expected.

Central Heating systems.

Larger boats can have a conventional central heating system with a boiler running on diesel and radiators throughout the boat. Systems are more or less the same as house systems although the boiler is normally built for marine use.

The good points

Can be configured to heat boats with many cabins
Fuel storage is already on your boat
Heat output can be easily controlled
Some systems have a timer for switching on and off so you can set the heating to come on before you get home and be nice and warm.
Clean burning, no ashes to empty.
Generally reliable system good in constant use

The bad points

Uses electrical power from your batteries for starting and when in use. Some require a mains supply to run the circulation pump.
Not really a practical system for a smaller boat.

So now you know what the common types of heating systems are for the liveaboard boater to keep you cosy and warm you can make an informed decision on what is your preferred system.

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© 2005. Living On Boats.
www.livingonboats.co.uk

Martin Chinery has lived on boats for over 7 years. He writes articles for and runs the Living On Boats website.

'Bargain Basement'

This months 'Bargain Basement'

FOR SALE: 55ft Forbes ex Seine netter, 1967 built £8,500

Built in Fraserburgh, NE Scotland in 1967, larch planks on oak frames carvel hull. Very well built boat, watertight hull. Accomodation for 6 crew, sea toilet, plenty of storage cupboards. Last commercially used in 2000, (note: winch and trawl gear gone, still has masts, booms, refrigeration plant etc) Propelled by a Volvo Penta TAD121c (turbocharged) developing 325hp, fitted with a twin disc gearbox. Steering is engine assisted hydraulic (will work without engine) Boat is fitted with 240v shaft generator, this does need attention though. There are various small jobs needing completion and some wiring and painting, this is reflected in the price however.

This vessel would need some work doing to make it a comfortable home but you have a working engine, a tight hull and some basic accommodation to start with.

As a comparison below is a similar vessel that has been converted to a liveaboard boat and is now moored in the south of England. I am sure you can see the difference in price which could make the hard work of converting pay off in the resale price of the conversion and bringing to vessel to the South.

For Sale: 50 ft M.F.V, Forbes built 1951 £46,000.

Larch on oak, Kelvin K4 engine, rebuilt 2005.
8 berth, gaff ketch rigged. Ideal liveaboard. Wired for mains, hot & cold water system. Must be viewed. Lying Thames, West London

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I hope you enjoyed this months newsletter. Please do visit the website for more information about Living On Boats

www.livingonboats.co.uk

Don't forget to use the Forum to ask questions and join in the discussion. Your input really does make a difference.

November 2005 Newsletter

2005-11-14T21:09:00.000Z

Mains Electricity onboard boats

Electricity plays a big part in our daily lives, what would we do without it?
Most of us take it for granted until its not there.
For those of us that liveaboard our boats, having an ample supply of power is just as essential.

Many marinas, boatyards and residential moorings will have a mains power supply available. Simply plug in your power lead and you have 240 volts mains power connected to your boat.
Boats use a similar system to caravans and motorhomes using a power lead with two waterproof connectors, one each end. One plugs into the mains supply and one plugs into the boats mains electricity system if it is fitted with one.

What is the boats mains electricity system then?

Many boats are now fitted with a mains circuit. Typically, this will consist of a waterproof socket fitted to the outside of the boat that will receive the plug from the mains connection lead. Wiring from this socket then connects to a distribution unit that is fused. Most modern distribution units use trip switches rather than the old fuse wire.
From the distribution unit wiring can be run throughout the boat to incorporate your power sockets and lighting.

This is a very basic installation. Depending on your needs mains systems can be much more complex and is really to detailed to go into here.

So now you have a mains electrical system on your boat and you are plugged into the marinas power supply you can use any of the normal mains operated appliances but what if you want to take the boat cruising? You can't take the marinas power with you.

All is not lost as their are ways to provide mains electricity while cruising or living on a mooring without mains power.

Here are some of the options open to the liveaboard that does not have convenient access to a mains supply.

Inverter
Inverters are electronic devices that convert 12 volt DC current to 240 volt AC mains power. They come in various sizes from 150 watts to 3,000 watts +.
Smaller inverters are suitable for running small equipment like a computer, TV or phone charger and larger ones can run equipment like washing machines and driers.
Inverters will discharge your batteries quickly with high loads and extended use if you do not run your engine to keep the batteries charged. Inverters are very good at providing mains power for short periods.

240 volt AC Alternator
These devices attach to the boats main engine. They are similar to a car alternator except they produce 240 volts AC current instead of 12 volt DC current as a car does.
Again, these come in different outputs to suit your needs but remember power is only generated when the boats main engine is running. If your mooring dries out at low tide this could be a problem.

Generator
Both petrol and diesel generators in a range of outputs are available and can be a flexible solution. Small petrol generators are now reasonably priced and very quiet when running. These are suitable for smaller appliances run for a short period. Larger diesel generators have more power and can run larger appliances but are rather noisy and will not please people nearby if run late into the night!

There is no hard and fast rules on which is better, you should choose what is best for your own situation.
You may wish to combine different options which many people do.

Some liveaboards like to continuously cruise so having a good and practical electrical system on their boat is essential. To achieve this any boat will need a good bank of domestic batteries. Without a dedicated mains supply the domestic batteries will provide all your electrical needs so they must be in good condition and maintained well. The larger the battery banks the better and the longer they will last between charges.

If your only means of mains power is from an inverter make sure the inverter is only connected to your domestic batteries and not your engine starting battery. All boats should maintain a battery that is only used for engine starting. If your domestic batteries are discharged you will still be able to start the engine and charge the domestic batteries again.

You can work out how big your domestic batteries should be by working out your typical power usage for the equipment you have onboard.

Here is an example of how to calculate your power usage.

Deep Cycle batteries are generally used to supply the boat's "household" power and are measured in Amp-Hours (AH or Ah).

Typical power usage:
Low power lights = 1 Amp
Navigation lights = 3 Amps
Laptop computer = 5 Amps
Refrigerator = 5 Amps
Small pumps = 3 Amps
Heavy duty pumps = 5 Amps

To calculate your "daily energy use: for each appliance, multiply the Amps by the number of hours each day that it is used. Add all these daily "Amp Hours" used together, then multiply the total by your system voltage (ie: 12,24,240 etc) this figure is your daily "Watt Hour" energy usage.

To calculate the size of battery you will need, use the following:
Daily “Watt Hours” divided by your system voltage.
Example: 1000 / 12 = 83.3 AH.
So to supply 1000 Watt Hours for 1 day you will need a minimum of an 83.3 AH battery. Typically, due to power loss and discharge depth a larger capacity battery should be used. In this example a 110 AH battery would be needed.

As you can see from the example there is more involved to power management when you do not have access to a mains power supply.

Finally, here are some general tips on mains power aboard a boat.

1. When connecting your power lead from the supply to your boat, make sure the cable does not go into the water.

2. Make sure your boats mains system is fused, if not you could end up renewing all your expensive appliances instead of a fuse!

3. The mains power on your boat is the same as that supplied to a house so treat it the same and follow all the normal safety precautions.

4. Mains electricity and water do not mix well so make sure you do not mix them.

5. If using a generator or your boats engine to supply mains power remember to shut them down at night to avoid disturbing others close to your boat.

If you want to find out more on this subject there are some good books available on boat electrics. Try a search on Amazon or other good bookshops

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© 2005. Living On Boats.
www.livingonboats.co.uk

Martin Chinery has lived on boats for over 7 years. He writes articles for and runs the Living On Boats website.

'Bargain Basement'

This months 'Bargain Basement'

FOR SALE: 38'x9'6'' Omar park home on floating pontoon. West London £35,000

38'x9'6'' Omar park home on floating pontoon on secure moorings in West London marina, garden, shed, 2 bedrooms, kitchen, shower room, bath, front and back decks, gch, double glazed, solid fuel stove, launderette on site, 2garages available to rent from local authority, mooring fee £227.49pm, council tax £12pm. Southall station 10mins, Heathrow 15 minutes drive. All local amenities

Where else could you get a 2 bedroom waterside property in West London for £35,000!

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Exclusive to newsletter subscribers

Last month we touched on renting a houseboat and how if you look hard you might be lucky and find one.
Well, we did say that you would get information that is not available on the website by subscribing to the newsletter so for all those looking for a suitable liveaboard boat to rent then the following might be of interest.
Please note that I have agreed with the owner to only display the contact details for the next 4 days so if you are interested do not hang around.

For Rent: Twickenham Barge For Rent

Charming double bedroom barge with roof garden, walk in closet, comfortable living room, both electric & coal heating, shower, broadband connection, access to laundry. 5 min strawberry hill, 15 min Twickenham. 45-60 min to Central London. £800 pcm exc.
Contact: XXXXXX Twickenham UK

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I hope you enjoyed this months newsletter. Please do visit the website for more information about Living On Boats

www.livingonboats.co.uk

Don't forget to use the Forum to ask questions and join in the discussion. Your input really does make a difference.

October 2005 Newsletter

2005-10-12T08:33:00.000+01:00

Thoughts about the liveaboard lifestyle

Why are people drawn to the water?

Maybe it has something to do with our naval heritage from years gone by or a way for us to co-exist with nature on a more personal level. I guess we will never be able to answer this question because it is so many different things to so many different people, each with their own interpretation of why they are drawn to the water.

Their is a small but growing group of people that are so drawn to the water that they choose to live on the water in many different types of vessels. We know these people as 'Liveaboards' and they can be found not only in the UK but all over the world anywhere there is water.

If you are reading this you will be one of two types of people, either you currently liveaboard your boat or you are contemplating buying a boat and living aboard it. If you are a liveaboard then we hope you enjoy reading this insight and maybe it will make you think back to the time you decided to make this lifestyle change.

If you are thinking about a lifestyle change and becoming a liveaboard then we hope this will go some way to helping you make your decision.

So why do people live on boats? I know for me, and probably for many others, it was a total lifestyle change. An escape from the daily grind and never ending bureaucracy of everyday living. Having more freedom to choose was one thing I really enjoyed; being able to move my location with ease and take my home with me was something I knew I would enjoy.

Other liveaboards will have different reasons that are personal to them and work for them. The important thing to remember here is that it works for them and their reasons to liveaboard outweigh the reasons not to.

Let us take a look at some of the possible reasons people liveaboard.

In today's economic climate getting on the property ladder can be very difficult. With house prices rising out of the reach of ordinary people, many are looking at alternative lifestyles and places to live. Living on a boat is now becoming a rational alternative.

Generally a boat will cost less than a house but this is not always the case. With some top class houseboats on moorings in London costing over £400,000 and new large yachts and motor cruisers can also cost the same.

When you look at advertisements for boats you will start to see that you do not need to spend this much to find a comfortable boat to live on. The good thing about the liveaboard life is that there is something for everyone at every conceivable budget.

The hum drum of everyday life can take its toll so some people turn to the liveaboard lifestyle to simplify there life's and enjoy a little more freedom. Some have sold their homes, cleared out all the belongings they do not need and started afresh.

Many liveaboards have made the transition because it was a natural progression from already owning a boat and being a keen boater or sailor. For many people their love of the water and their passion for boats is too much and they decide to go full time.

This is not always the case so do not think you are excluded if you know nothing about boats. Many people have become successful and knowledgeable liveaboards that started with only a desire to live on a boat but no experience of boats at all. It's all about your desire and the courage to take positive action to achieve your goals. Anyone can do it if they really want to.

At some point in our lives we all go through some kind of financial hardships and this can be the point that prompts some to look at a liveaboard life as a way of relieving some of the financial pressures. As I have said before, living on a boat is generally cheaper than living on land so can appeal too many people looking to reduce their financial out goings.

Some people that choose to liveaboard just want to simplify their lives. With less bureaucracy and red tape comes some peace of mind and a more relaxed lifestyle. Without the need for many material possessions (you have nowhere to put them anyway!) many appreciate the few things they do have a lot more and make better use of them.

Maybe we all like to go back to basics at some point and that is why as a country we enjoy camping and caravanning so much?

In my opinion a liveaboard life can really help you appreciate the simple things in life. When you can appreciate those little things I believe you enrich your life as a consequence. It really is surprising how much you appreciate the ordinary things when you do not have them. As an example, how many of us think nothing of leaving the tap running when we brush our teeth or wash the dishes? Probably many of us. After all, water is always there when we turn on the tap and it never runs out.

This simple task is very different to a liveaboard as there are consequences for your actions.

Your boat will only hold so much water in the tank and if you do not have easy access to facilities to fill your water tank you could run out completely. If you do have access to water you will be filling up your water tank many more times. When you have to fill up the water tank in the cold winter you soon learn how important it is to use it wisely. This is what I mean about appreciating the simple things in life.

If you speak to people that liveaboard boats they will all have their own personal reasons for choosing their lifestyle and this is what makes them so diverse and interesting.

I hope these thoughts help you to understand a little more about the liveaboard lifestyle and you have enjoyed reading this article.

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© 2005. Living On Boats.
www.livingonboats.co.uk

Martin Chinery has lived on boats for over 7 years. He writes articles for and runs the Living On Boats website.

'Bargain Basement'

So here is the first 'Bargain Basement'

FOR SALE: 70' residential narrowboat in London £77,900

Sulis is a superb traditional Northwich replica narrowboat built in 1995. Solid oak flooring, oak & pine T & G panelling, the accommodation comprises of the following: Traditional cratch & foredeck leading to: 12 ft open plan lounge and dining area, 7 ft 6in galley with Rayburn, Bathroom and separate toilet, Utility area, Double bedroom, Engine room, Back Cabin with double cross bed.

RESIDENTIAL mooring with FULL CONSENT to TRANSFER RESIDENTIAL STATUS to new owner. Very secure gated community. Site facilities include electricity, telephone, water, pumpout services. One parking space. Close to M40/A40/M25, Zone 5. London Underground Central Line 10 mins walk, Moorings £226 monthly.

This boat and the secure residential mooring is close to London and could be a good buy for someone that wishes to live in the London area but can not afford the house prices.

You will not find a flat/house in this area for anywhere near the £77,900 the seller is asking and the monthly mooring fees seem reasonable also.

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Are you looking for a narrowboat to rent? Want to try out the lifestyle before you buy?

This is a common request from people but boats that come up for rent are very few. Having said that if you keep your eyes peeled and can move quickly then you might just find what you are looking for.

We found this advertised on a website.

Narrow Boat for rent on permanent mooring.

Boat is lying in Brentford. £120 per week.

Call xxxxxx

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I hope you enjoyed this newsletter and you visit us again soon at www.livingonboats.co.uk

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