We're buying a Narrowboat!

[forest_girl]

Ive been really inactive over the last few months so sorry about that, things have been busy and internet scarce!!

In short, I met a woodsy girl who is studying a PhD in permaculture design, we fell in love and, with both of us always wanting to do some kind of off grid living, be it eco home (she's helped build a few) or log cabin or converted van, we decided to restore a narrowboat together!!

I know it's not exactly traditional homesteading, but a narrowboat means we can live in a traditional and off grid context, with a wood stove cooker, power from solar panels and the ability to be somewhat nomadic!

It also means we can homestead while sometimes living in city centres, which is important as being involved in conunity gardens, permaculture community classrooms, and generally sharing bushcrafty/sustainability knowledge within communities, to us, is more important than practicing the same things independently and privately. A boat means we can do this wile still living a homestead woodsy lifestyle!!

Anyway this has been a bit rambly and probably uninteresting, but I thought I should get involved on the forum again and give a bit of a bushcrafty life update!

I will definitely make future posts about the process of building the boat interior once we have a hull, we're doing it in a forrester cabin style with lots of wobbly shelves, axe hangers (our joint sharps collection is substantial) and wood in the round. I'm very excited!

Anyway, I'll see you all around on the forum,
Phoebe

 

[Nice65]

That sounds lovely. My mum and dad had a narrowboat for many years (Downton Castle), so I'm very familiar with the pace of life aboard. To design one to your specs must be dead exciting, you must post up some pictures as you go.

I see you're fairly well up north, but if you ever make your way down to the South Oxford, you'll find it a great pleasure to cruise on.

 

[crosslandkelly]

Good for you, and congratulations. I have often thought about buying a narrow boat, but mortgage and mooring fees put it out of my range.
Please keep us updated on your progress on the boat.

 

[bigboned]

Subscribed! Very interested in the development of this thread, congratulations finding a kindred spirit, I wish you both well

 

[santaman2000]

Uninteresting? Hardly! I too want pix as you progress.

 

[Dreadhead]

Good for you, i used to live on a narrow boat for a couple of years. It was both home and workshop, loved every minute of it. Though I do rather like having plenty of working space these days
A few challenges I found was tools rolling off my table when I moved, not having enough space to store firewood (big problem when its your only source of heat), and getting heat from one end to the other (get one of those who stove fans they are a godsend).
Great way to live and a really interesting community you become part of

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[Nice65]

The heat powered fans are brilliant. I've had an eBay generic cheapo for years and use it to wash the heat out from around my burner as it's recessed into the old hearth and I reckon I lose heat if it's not moved around.

 

[Broch]

Sounds idyllic; not many people can take their 'homestead' into the city and maintain the lifestyle! Living on the water has been a very traditional form of living in the wilds in many parts of the world and for a very long time; it would be nice to hear how you get on.
Good luck and I hope it all goes well.
Cheers,
Broch

 

[forest_girl]

Thanks everyone you're all so sweet!! My girlfriends actually renting a berth on a boat in Edinburgh now so I am spending a fair bit of time on water anyway - the stove has a fan and it's brilliant, but the stove is at one end of the boat and the bed at the other!! When we do ours the stove/cooker will be in the middle and the bed will be nearby!!
The residential moorings in Scotland come with storage sheds so firewood storage isn't a problem at least while we are in Scotland.
Things will be slow with it for the next few months but I will definitely keep people posted on progress I'm even considering doing a Wordpress blog about boat living and other exploits (art, home brewing, home baking and conservation voulenteer projects) so will let people know if/when I start that up!

 

[snappingturtle]

My brother an old flame and a mate bill, all lived at some point on narrow boats, bill was doing it for 20 years plus, its rustic and a bit gritty at times but for sure a more free living than most, I kind of like the Dutch barges.

 

[Robson Valley]

Congratulations! You have a home.
Is it complicated to pull up the anchor and move for a different scene?

 

[mousey]

A friend of mine lived on a narrow boat while at university in london, there was no way they could afford rent and a berth was considerably cheaper. They bought an ex-rental / holiday barge and I helped them move it down. Good fun travelling down, would leave one person onboard go into a pub get a few pints catch up with the barge, drink the pints then hand the empties and re-stock at the next pub down the canal

I've often thought canals are a good long distance walk option as they are generally very flat

 

[Gaudette]

I’ll be really interested in this. We looked long and hard but in the end it wouldn’t have been practical for us. We spent two weeks living on the one we were looking to buy but realised it wouldn’t work for us. Good luck and I’ll be looking forward to updates and pics.

 

[forest_girl]

Congratulations! You have a home.
Is it complicated to pull up the anchor and move for a different scene?

Long term residential moorings (that include sheds electric hookup and facilities) are contract based so a little more complicated to just leave behind but not too bad, and you can still do trips away from those mornings really easy. Some people don't have a mooring at all, you can stay up to two weeks anywhere on the canal for free so sone people pernenahtky travel!

Being able to live on a boat for a while (in winter) without owning it has definitely helped in dispelling romantic fantasies but made us realise it's still the way we want to live.

 

[mousey]

....sone people pernenahtky travel!.....

permanently or pernickety ???

 

[Dogoak]

Looking forward to reading more about your adventure, keep us up to speed please.

 

[Janne]

Very interesting, please keep us updated!

 

[dodgerdog]

Lots of interest here! Its been said before but lots of pictures please!

 

[JohnC]

I often run along the canal in Edinburgh and see the boat moorings, usually in very nice locations..

 

[uncleboob]

You will never look back. We live on our boat in Warwickshire immersed in the quiet, beauty, wildlife and nature. I wake most mornings to the sunshine breaking through the trees and end the day staring at the stars...life on a boat is a beautiful gift...anyway here is ours

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