You can reblack them yourself given drydock space, a power supply for an angle grinder with a wire brush attachment and a big pot of bitumen paint. It doesn’t need to cost you ten quid a foot.
Rhythm Thief:
Melchett:
The one thing he has noticed is that using any 240v appliance (especially his kettle) drains the batteries quickly, more so now he has to have lighting on for much longer (12v lighting & fridge) & he needs to run the engine for longer to keep them charged.I think he said he’s booked himself a 2 month berth at a marina for Jan & Feb complete with 240v supply.
He needs to get himself a kettle which will sit on top of his woodburner or diesel stove instead of his electric one, and replace all his lightbulbs with yellow LEDs which draw very little current. Then if he gets a couple of solar panels on the roof of the boat, he won’t need 240v.
You are absolutely right… It is awesome combination of leds and solar panels…I am trying to get similar set up very soon.
I would only consider it if I could get fibre optic broadband.
Clunk:
I would only consider it if I could get fibre optic broadband.
Seriously?!?! 
Love the rose tinted ideology, but fear that my habitual ■■■■■■■ would render this untenable. You have to consider everything !!
When I sailed on yachts ■■■■■■■ was a common issue.As a farter it didnt bother me but the fartees were never very pleased.
“Farters - FACE AFT!!” “Raise the Mainsail Mr. Christian”
There is a residential mooring for sale in Glasgow .Check out ebay under Scottish Property.£1750.This does not include the boat.
alamcculloch:
When I sailed on yachts ■■■■■■■ was a common issue.As a farter it didnt bother me but the fartees were never very pleased.
I don’t allow ■■■■■■■ when out on my yacht as it is beneath contempt for a ‘wafi’ to do this 
Rhythm Thief:
You can reblack them yourself given drydock space, a power supply for an angle grinder with a wire brush attachment and a big pot of bitumen paint. It doesn’t need to cost you ten quid a foot.
Yes, I have thought about that, I would certainly do as much of the work as possible myself. I believe that bitumen is going out of favour a bit in favour of two-part epoxy blacking nowadays though, which, although it’s more expensive and requires the hull to be grit-blasted before application, is apparently more resilient to knocks and scrapes, and longer lasting.
I was idly looking at this today, a 40’ trad stern
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ebay.co.uk/itm/40ft-Trad-Ste … true&rt=nc
which would be about perfect, although as previously said, I’m committed to running the truck for another couple of years simply because I’m not planning on working so I’ll need to be able to keep myself for 8-9 years and I don’t have enough to do that at the moment. I am looking forward to getting out and viewing a few boats come the time.
Just a quick update for anyone interested (Harry?)
One or two things came to light over the winter, the diesel stove was amazingly economical using around 0.5 litres per hour at full whack which was only needed for 15 mins or so then it was turned down.
As the living area is mostly below the water line & the hull isn’t insulated, the heat would rise leaving the lowest part of the boat (knees down) cold but red hot from chest upwards. This was sorted by using a small fan to circulate the air.
Turning the stove off overnight wasn’t the best idea as getting out of bed at 5 in the morning was like stepping into a freezer 
The central heating wasn’t needed but it was a pretty mild winter.
Booking a berth in the marina over Jan/Feb was a good idea as there’s not a lot to do & the TV & lighting were well used…240v supply (xtra cost) & free wi-fi were a godsend.
All in all he was surprised how well it went.
Yes, always interested to read of other folk’s experiences. I still intend to buy a boat, and in fact I’ve bought the plan forward, and should be buying something this time next year, rather than 2016. I’m sure that after living in a truck cab for the best part of 30 years, any hardships will be endurable!
No…because when I came back from the pub ■■■■■■ up I’d probably trip over the guide ropes go arse over ■■■ knock myself out fall in and drown
i would only live on a Narrowboat if i was narrowminded enough to want to do so.
i will get my coat 
i have lived on mine ,and will do again ,the best part about living on a boat is ,no letter box 
Just a quick follow-up post, I did buy a boat this week, she’s called Desiree and she’s a 1987 41’ trad stern built by Peter Nicholls, has a BMC 1.5 diesel engine, and is currently moored in Nantwich. Sometime in the next year I will probably sell the truck and move aboard, although I am still toying with the idea of keeping the truck and working it 4-6 months a year to top the funds up a bit.
I’ve still got to get the survey gone, but I hope to be taking her over sometime later this month or early September.
Its all coming together. Good luck Harry.
Looks a good one Harry, a tad jealous here 
Beautiful boat Harry, any more pictures?
We’re hiring for a week in the autumn, I am experienced on traditional river cruisers but not narrow oats, any tips for steering the etc?
bazza123:
Beautiful boat Harry, any more pictures?We’re hiring for a week in the autumn, I am experienced on traditional river cruisers but not narrow oats, any tips for steering the etc?
The brokerage link to the boat is here, aqueductbrokerage.co.uk/inde … at/desiree and that has more pics.
As for steering a narrowboat, piece of ■■■■, push the tiller one way and the front of the boat goes the other way. The boat will take a second or two to respond to tiller movements, almost like they have to think about it for a moment, but it only takes an hour or two to get the hang of it.
You will bump into things, you’ll never see a narrowboat without numerous scrapes up and down the length of it. Just try to avoid hitting other boats if possible, although owner boaters are very tolerant of hire boaters and will offer help rather than giving you a telling off if you get into difficulties.
You cannot steer a narrowboat in reverse, whatever you do with the tiller when reversing, it will only go in a straight line.
Learn to recognise the shallows, canals are only about 3’ deep so boats can get grounded if you are not careful, although it’s normally just a case of using the wooden pole to push away from the obstruction.
Where are you hiring from, and where are you going?