If you enjoy our videos and would like to support our little channel, you can buy us a coffee here, bmc.link/JulieandMartin Thank you so much, it really means a lot to us ❤️
Thank you both so much, we love thinking of you watching all the vloggers before going for it.. That's where we're at 🤣. You are a great help to us, 🙏🙏.
It seems that living on a narrow boat is almost like living in a historical building in a historical setting. In your case the vessel isn’t ancient but the canal is. Thanks for the explanation.
Hi Norman, that’s a great explanation, our boat is 20 years old, but that’s nothing compared to the canal system being more than 200 years old! Thank you Norman! xx
Hi Julie & Martin, that’s a very good and comprehensive summary of boat running expenses. You asked if there was anything that could have been added to the summary, surely the cost of the boat and depreciation should be taken into account as there are very few boats that don’t loose value over the years.
Thank you, glad you enjoyed the video! We tried to keep the video just to general running costs for now. Boat costs are so varied, from old to new, project boats and different size boats, it would be difficult to generalise. A lot would depend on how a used boat has been maintained whether it held its price or not, we would like to think that if we sold ours today we would get back what we paid, plus the extras that we’ve added, but it does take a lot of work to keep the boat tip top, engines serviced regularly, woodwork inside the boat cared for and the paintwork looked after too. We are always comparing used boats for sale and keeping up with general price fluctuations. At the moment boats seem to be holding their prices, but only just. New boats on the other hand do depreciate a bit quicker, as the immediate loss of tax once it’s been purchased, similar to how a car does. I think it would be difficult for us to add this into our videos, but Cruising the Cut put one out recently where he was at Rugby Boat Sales and it covered all aspects of boat pricing, here’s the link to that video ruclips.net/video/6V5HMNZtaMw/видео.htmlsi=VGB0wXIkFIp3v6ij. Thank you so much! xx
@@JulieandMartinonRIBI have watched the Rugby Boat sale vlog before and found it to be very informative, I did like the reference to “the state of the network” dare say with the latest closure on the Bridgewater it will be a guessing game to how that changes the market. Happy cruising👍
That was very informative, I was only thinking the other day how would you receive your mail. Considering the cost of running a house it's not too bad at all. And look at the wonderful lifestyle you get with it and the wonderful friends like you two you make along the way. There is always the odd wolly you have to navigate around but that's just how the world is these days. Very well done guys great job.👍🏻👍🏻❤❤
Aww thank you so much Geoff, we’ve been putting this cost video off as everyone’s costs can be so different, but we kept it to the general costs to hopefully give a ball-park starting point for anyone thinking of doing this. We love living on the water, it’s all about a lifestyle change more than anything else! Thanks Geoff! xx
Don't forget that cost for diesel includes you travelling all over the country as well as generating your heat and power with it, which is actually really good value for money. Thanks for this guy's.
Julie & Martin 😊 Thanks for taking the time to put this together. It’s clearly appreciated by many looking at the comments. I found it very interesting and was only looking the other day for some up to date costings. Certainly makes it a viable option and cost effective. Thank you 😊
Hi Julie and Martin, what an interesting video. Never really thought about the cost involved so that was really interesting. Hope you are keeping warm in this freezing weather, wouldn’t be surprised if the canal is frozen solid. It’s still rather flooded here currently so hopefully no more rain for a while! Hope you have a wonderful weekend, love and best wishes
Hi Edward, you’re right, the canal is frozen solid! It was -6° last night and only -1° now! We won’t be going anywhere for quite some time, but we have food, water and fuel so we’re all good 😃 Hope the flooding subsides soon Edward! Back to cruising videos next time xx
Thanks for letting us know how much roughly you have to pay to live the life you do yearly. It's certainly a lot cheaper than living in a house, you do get to see most of the country which is a bonus. I also would like to say thank you for taking us on your adventures. Take care and stay safe especially at this time of the year. 😊
Waw, guys! You really did take your time and effort to get all this info in and divide it to monthly payments, well done you! It does make it so much more clearer and real for those interested in living full time on the cut! Thank you for that! ❤🎉❤
Hi Julie & Martin. Thank you for that very interesting video, and for putting together all those costs and estimates. Planning and budgeting are obviously the key. After forking out for the narrow boat, the year-to-year costs don't seem to be out of this world (even I could afford this....ooo, now, there's an idea! Ha ha!)
Very interesting. I had no idea your boat was 20 years old. It looks brand new! Having a mail service is a good idea for your circumstances. It's always best to prepare for the worst as much as you can because the worst inevitably will show up. Having money set aside is a life saver. ❤ 24F and snowing more today on what we had a few days ago which was around 8 inches. 🥶🌨
Wow, 8 inches of snow, that’s loads, we only had about 3 inches, but everything is frozen here, we were -6°C (21.2°F) overnight and only going up to -1°C (30°F) today, so the canal will stay frozen for another few days yet! The ice is about 2 inches thick at the moment! 🥶 Hope you’re staying safe and warm Dorothy! xx
Thanks for sharing. It is really interesting to hear the costs for different ways of living and also the different options you have for a boat, toilet / heating etc. Just a couple of items I was expecting, what Internet do you have? Rhapsody paintwork looks fantastic, i believe Martin gives it a special polish, have you had to refresh the paintwork? Thanks
Hi Phil, we use mobile broadband from EE, with an omnidirectional aerial on the roof connected to a TP-Link router inside, the internet broadband costs us £30 per month, but we have unlimited and a good upload speed for doing the videos! The boat was repainted in 2019 before we bought her, so Martin really makes sure he looks after it. He leathers the boat off most days and gives it a polish twice a year. Hope this helps! Thanks Phil! xx
Wow Julie you look amazing when your hair is not blown sideways, 😆🥰, absolutely great timing on this one guys, I was thinking of 5k a year, you have costs you can't avoid whether you live in a house or a boat, so my estimate is not far out, the ship to shore now needs looking into as I thought that I'd need a land address, may i say this is a great vlog for the time of year, short days, no cruising, great information, let Martin know our 16 hour British summer will soon be gone 🤣🤣, take care, Nige. ❤.
Great vlog you have obviously taken a lot ot time doing your costings which is great to hear especially for people considering a life on the cut. Thank you 😊
How weird we worked ours out the other day to😂. We’re very similar, we have a multi stove and this year saved a bit by being on the llangollen and sooooo much wood to forage. Other than that it’s much a muchness, we saved engine running this year as I’ve installed lithium. We run everything from ice machine ,coffee machine ,toaster without having to worry now. Thanks for your information. Very handy
Hiya! That’s really good to know, coming from another boater and a continuous cruiser, thank you! ☺️ Ooh how nice not to have to worry about power, I’d love an air fryer, but it just wouldn’t be feasible with our batteries lol. Glad you enjoyed this video, we’re heading for the Middlewich canal, so not that far from the Golly, it’s beautiful up there! Thank you so much! xx
@ a saying I don’t like using is Game Changer. But we have 400amp of usable power right down to zero. Game changer 😂. Even Christmas lights on outside all night.
Loved the information had a boat when kids were little . me and my husband hired twice a year he passed 13years ago but just started hireing again with new partner he Loved it we are looking to buy to live on so thank for sharing that with us xxx
Brilliant vlog guys. Really interesting the breakdown . I done a breakdown last year and I could see the prices have risen . However that is to be expected and I still think its all good value. Like you said it's all needs to be budgeted for, especially for unexpected things that go wrong. Thanks for sharing guys x❤
Oh ok, we’ll have to take a look, good to know his figures are similar to ours. Strange though as he doesn’t live on a narrowboat now 🤷♀️ Thanks Jerry! xx
Great video, appreciate the insight into the running costs of a Narrowboat. I'm looking to get on the canals as soon as possible as the cost of living is eating me alive 1300.00 per month just for rent and bills on my tiny 1 bedroom flat in Essex, this vodeo is an eye opener as I was looking to try and get finance for a boat but the monthly repayments on the boat and the yearly costs you mentioned in this video to just keep the boat up and running wouldn't leave me much wiggle room every year so maybe keep saving for a couple of years and buy the boat without Financing it. Thanks again and safe travels.
that's one of the more detailed accounts of expenditure i've seen on narrow boating. granted it's for a 54' boat. still. thank you both for reeling me in more lol. 6,969.23 usd. per year.
Glad you enjoyed it Steve, our boat is 58 foot long, which is a ‘go anywhere’ boat, ie we can go on nearly all the canals and fit all the locks. (Not sure where you got 54’ from) Lol ‘reeling you in’ 😂😂 we’ll see you out on the cut one day I’m sure lol 😜 Thanks Steve! xx
The putting aside... we do this currently, and we aren't on a narrowboat. We are looking to get a large camper [Class A diesel pusher] for full time living and traveling, so I'll be interested to see how our costs will mirror yours, with the conversion from $ to £
Thats not as much as i thought it would cost for a boat your size. Obviously you have to add weekly food bills, which are similar whereever you are. Boats are quite expensive to maintain, even when your not continously cruising. But i was mildly suprised , as expected it to be about £8,000 per year at least. Thank you very much for sharing .
Hi Tessa, glad you enjoyed this one, yes if you add in food, phones, internet, clothes, takeaways or meals out, and other personal costs then it bumps it up a bit more, but they are our general costs. We’re back to a cruising video next week, promise! xx
It would be good to know an estimate of your annual cruising milage to help others predict their total annual cost. My guess is that you clock up more than 500 miles a year and that would equate to two engine services a year? Your large diesel bill indicates that the comfort provided by a 24x7 diesel stove comes at a cost, in my own detailed planning budget I included 30 bags of coal @ £540 p/a plus £200 for Webasto top-up diesel central heating.
Hi Fibbertigibbet (sorry don’t know your real name lol) We actually did nearly 700 miles last year, plus running the engine to keep the batteries topped up in the winter months, but we still only did one engine service. Martin keeps an eye on the engine, doing checks every day, and our oil is never black, it is always still very light when he changes it and the gearbox oil looks almost new, but he changes them both each time. Martin has worked on engines since being a teenager so understands them well and our engine has been very well looked after, so Martin is doing the same. We plan an extra long journey this year, there and back, and Martin has said that he will do an extra oil change at the end of that. With regards to the diesel stove, when we looked at the time we had the coal stove and compared bags of coal to the amount of diesel we use now, it was very much on a par, we worked it out to around £36 per week for coal and for diesel the same, I think we mentioned that in the video. I like it to be warm in the winter, I feel the cold more than Martin lol, so have the Eberspacher on twice a day too, so that all adds up. For us, we would be looking at 40 bags of coal lol. Everyone’s costs for diesel will be different I suppose, different journeys, some travel far and wide, some stick to a small area, some people running their engines longer in winter, (people with lithium probably don’t have to run their boats as much), less heating needed for boats with double-glazed windows etc. This video was just our costs, to give people a ball-park estimate of running costs needed to live on a narrowboat, but everyone’s costs will be slightly different. Glad you enjoyed this video, we have been asked so many times to do one on costs, but kept putting it off as we know everyone is different, but we tried to keep it as general as possible. Thank you so much! xx
Hi Liz, we have kept our old doctors as I have a repeat prescription every three months, but if not you can just call NHS Direct and they will help you get a local GP appointment or there’s always walk in centres. For the dentist, unfortunately you will have to pay private and ring around local dentists, or call NHS Direct, as again they will be able to help you hope this helps! Thanks ! xx
Julie and Martin, Thank you so much for this very informative vlog. You provided so much good information. I have one follow-up question: How often do you service the engine? Oh, and Julie, I love your glasses!
Hi Sheila, so glad you enjoyed this one! We service our engine once a year, unless we were to do excessive cruising, then we would do two, hope this helps. Thank you for the lovely compliment too! Thanks Sheila! xx
Thank you for this really useful vlog! We were interested to hear about Ship to Shore, because if we ever do this lifestyle we would not have family to receive our post etc. One thing we’re curious about: what happens about an address to be registered with a doctor? xx Karen and Gordon
Hi Karen & Gordon, you may be able to keep your same doctors if you ask them and tell them what you are doing. We kept our same doctors and so long as you don’t need a home visit lol it should be fine. If you ever need to see a doctor, then call NHS Direct and they will find you a local GP or a walk-in centre for you to visit. Hope this helps, thanks! xx
dont for get to subscribed to this loving couple we always watch these darlings there so nice julie works really hard making these blogs or vlogs there very good julie takes great time to film there journeys i must say i have seen some great views so thank you julie for a great 2024 all so a big thank you to martin for taking us on the tunnels god knows how you did that lower one but thanks your a brave man
Yes exactly that Graham! It’s difficult, but we took these figures over a complete year, so hopefully it will give people a ball-park figure to work with. Thank you so much Graham! xx
I was paying attention to your lovely sweater, Julie! Did you make that? I’ve also noticed your fingerless gloves that you wear! I think I’ve seen a pattern for those.
Hi Nancy, thank you for the lovely comment, the jumper was a present, so not sure where it came from. The gloves I bought from a boat trader who knits gloves, hats and scarves. Hope you find the pattern, they are so comfy to wear. Thanks Nancy! xx
Thanks for that really interesting video. We love watching your journeys and the stunning scenery you pass through. I was wondering do you have costs for filling your water tank for showers, drinking water, washing etc.
Aww thank you, so glad you enjoy our little videos, lovely to have you along! Water is included in our CRT licence, the service points along the way have rubbish bins, water and Elsan facilities for people to empty their cassette toilets. We have a pump out loo so have to pay for ours to be emptied, but water is included. Hope that makes sense! xx
A few people have commented on how that compares to a house costs... band d council tax (the average) where I am, plus my utilities and I am up to £398 before we even start on upkeep etc!!!!
Crikey John, is that for just one month, that is quite a lot! Boat life can appear cheaper until something breaks or goes wrong, then it can become very expensive very quickly! And boat life is not for everyone, it’s a total lifestyle change, not being hooked up to electricity, water, waste, gas etc can be hard work and is not for everyone. But perhaps we’ll see you out on the cut one day! Thanks John! xx
Yes just one month..and used to being off grid though in a caravan, looking forward to the challenge, it's been our plan for more than 3 years!!.@@JulieandMartinonRIB
It was the same for us, a complete change of lifestyle, coming out of the fast lane and into the slow lane! Good luck and hopefully see you out on the cut soon John! xx
Do you set aside any money for a potential future boat, or do you expect your current one to last you as long as? On a related point, can you see yourselves living forever on a narrowboat, or will you return to land, so to speak, once advanced age hits?
Hi Keith, we haven’t thought about another boat, as we are very happy with Rhapsody in Blue and yes, hope to live aboard as long as we possibly can! Hopefully not needing to return to land 🤞🙏 Thanks Keith! xx
This is, in a time of rising cost - less money an important vlog I/we may not have a narrow boat but there is an important message. BE PREPARED - put together a yearly must pay budget - put the money aside regularly to cover these costs. Have an emergency fund and I also have a holiday fund - (can access but there is a penalty- no interest that month) So.....this week I will be looking back over 2024, preparing my budget, looking at ways to save ( being a senior helps $%) and hopefully being more financially secure (with some fun activities). (maybe a holiday with research and forward planning, it is possible even on a pension) Thank you Jan Adelaide
Very well put Jan, you’re so right, expect the unexpected as you never know what’s around the next corner! Glad you enjoyed this one, it’ll be back to cruising next week, promise! xx
you keep mentioning a marina,is that the morris marina,prefer the ford escort,your boat costs look like they are a lot less than a house.and thankyou for the information,another fabulous video
What a interesting blog thank you for sharing. We had no idea your boat was 20 years old you maintain it well. We are planning on moving back to the uk and buying a boat and getting an understanding of the essential costs is crucial. One question the mail service you use as a registered address is thus acceptable to your bank, GP, dvla and HMRC? We will occasionally want to hire vehicles and wanted to understand how proof of address works . We really enjoy watching g all your blogs - keep them coming . Take care x
Hi Diane, yes Rhapsody in Blue was built in 2004, she’s not doing bad is she, we look after her as best we can. So glad you are enjoying our vlogs, this is lovely to hear and look forward to maybe seeing you out on the cut one day! Yes, the Ship-to-Shore address is fine for the bank, DVLA, HMRC and even our passports which we had to get two years ago, it’s a great service! Good luck! xx
Ah thanks for that, very interesting and informative, you seem to be very down to earth sensible people who budget well and take into account some contingencies etc Happy boating in 2025, Quick question, how well is your boat insulated for the winter weather etc?
Hi Andrew, the boat is well insulated with the foam insulation, the only thing that lets it down is the single-glazed windows! We close the curtains of an evening and when we got up this morning and opened them, there was a layer of ice on the frames, if there was one thing we could change i5 would be to have double glazed windows, just closing the curtains makes a huge difference, so we would probably save on heating and be a lot warmer! Apart from that it’s mostly toasty warm inside! Thanks Andrew xx
Having a Narrowboat seems a great idea, but? I wonder how much stability and security you have when getting old. No point in having a stroke, and the ambulance can't get anywhere near you. A good idea if you also have bricks and mortar to go home to. Great looking narrowboat.
Hi there, thank you for the compliment on our boat! If, God forbid, the worst were to happen, we would cross that bridge at the time. There are usually roads nearby, so ambulances would always find us, and with things like What3Words, our precise location can be found, so wouldn’t be a problem. If absolutely necessary, we could move back to land, if we really had to. But we always look to the positives, we hope to spend the rest of our days living on the water, as many others have, and are still doing. We appreciate boat life is not for everyone, but we absolutely love it! Thank you so much! xx
We lived in the country on a small holding a good 20 minutes from an ambulance( never in the winter)Now living on a boat in walking distance of many roads we don’t float around on Mars? The bricks and mortar myths will forever make people think there safe, you do realize you only borrow it off the bank.
Very interesting. It’s less expensive than our full time RV living in the US. Do you have to pay any sort of taxes on the boat each year? That’s our highest cost in South Carolina each year. More than any property taxes on the houses we’ve owned.
Hi Scott, no we don’t have any additional taxes, just our CRT Licence, the only costs we didn’t put on the video are our personal costs such as groceries, clothes, phones etc Glad you enjoyed our video, thank you! xx
I'd be really interested in Martin's paintwork maintenance regime, has Rhapsody ever been repainted, and if so did Martin do it himself? I have heard that a pro repaint is horrendously expensive. I imagine that Rhapsody must have had one at some point, as she looks fantastic.
Hiya! Our boat was repainted in 2019 by Steve Wallace at WallaceSheen Boats at Barbridge. We bought the boat in 2021 and it had been very well looked after and Martin is doing his best to keep it looking nice. Martin’s regime is actually quite straightforward. Most days Martin checks for bird poo and leaves and washes them off as they eat away at the paint, then he leathers the boat off. He also touches up any scrapes below the gunnels as and when, just to prevent any rust forming. Twice a year, Spring and Autumn, Martin gives the boat a good wash and polish, he uses G3 Pro products which are widely available in car shops such as Halfords. For the shampoo, any boat shampoo is fine, but check that it is safe for aquatic use, but the polish is G3. In the Spring we will do a vlog showing how Martin cares for the paintwork. Thank you so much! xx
We’ve worked it out to about £1000 per month, all in with food etc for the two of us and we would own our boat outright would you say this figure is about right? Many thanks for your time and effort.
Thanks that I think is best break down blog I seen for years if I was going to be picky the service was very light working boats oil services is once a year as working boats love old oil like Hidi but your boat is same as most boats in boat hand books is 180 hours off travel that means in your case would be every six to eight weeks in summer but great vlog know I no why you always filling up most week guys stay safe warm and keep up great vlogs and tried that meal loved it will be having it again Sunday meal each week poppy limping alot more in cold but she never moans bless her £8.000 cheaper to live on your boat than I love to live on boat
Hi Nicholas, aww poor Poppy, hope she’s not in too much pain xx With the engine, yes manuals do say every so many hours, but our engine really doesn’t need doing more than once a year. The engine is in very good condition and the oil is never black, obviously Martin keeps an eye on it, and if we did a lot of extra miles, then he may do an extra oil change, he’s worked on engines all through life, and once a year seems to work fine for us. Thank you so much for your lovely compliments on this vlog Nicholas! xx
I love your vlogs this why I reply to everyone you reply to me ask how me and dog are your like a family to all off us poppy's like a human woman never moans just plods on I send you picture off her you love her but you cannot send pictures on vlogs hot pot for tea tomorrow what a warming meal stay warm stay safe guys
Aww you’re right, we have a lovely online family and we love speaking to you every week. So glad you enjoyed the hotpot, it’s such a lovely meal, and relatively simple as it’s all in the one pot! Hope Poppy is ok, shame we can’t see a photo, unless you’re on Facebook? Look us up if so, you can show photos on there xx
Great video content as usual. What about boat contents insurance? and you don't run a car as a lot of boaters do, so people need to consider that if that's what they want to do. I have mentioned to you before that we considered buying a narrowboat, when we were much younger, not as a 'live on', but for leisure use. The annual cost made it impractical at the time, so we hired instead. I love watching you both on your travels and relive some of ours. One last question, Julie. Have you made a New Year's resolution to drive the boat more? Best wishes, Barry from Essex.
Hi Barry, our contents insurance is included in the one insurance, it covers everything, the boat and all contents. So pleased you enjoyed this video and yes, that is my New Year’s resolution …. good guess! Thanks Barry! xx
HI Both I think those costs are very reasonable when compared to a larger house I did not see any internet cost so not sure if you included but well done its good to keep up to date I wanted to ask about the diesel stove if you prefer it still because its cleaner (less dust) and in the winter months if you have to have the radiators on as well ? Thanks again best wishes Alan
Hi Alan, we didn’t include internet, as a lot of people just use their phones. But we do have mobile broadband through EE and have an omnidirectional aerial on the roof connected to a TP-Link router inside the boat, this costs us £30 per month and works perfectly for uploading videos, general browsing and watching Netflix etc. we definitely prefer the diesel stove compared to the coal burner, like you say, no dust, much cleaner and no worries on storing coal! We have an Eberspacher for the really cold days which we use for an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening, this heats the radiators and also hot water. Bu5 only really need it on the really cold days, the same as we did when we had the log/coal burner. Hope this helps! Thanks Alan! xx
This was really informative, useful, and done in your usual great presenting way. We are going to try it with a holiday hire as it's clear to us that boating being cheaper than a house is a myth, or is it wrong to think this way? Jackie and Mark Rogers
Hi Jackie and Mark, so glad you enjoyed it! The general running costs can appear cheaper, but you only have to have something go wrong, or break to really stretch your budget, the saying BOAT stands for ‘bring out another thousand’ is so true! 🙈 Trying a holiday hire first is a great idea, if you could do one in the summer and one in the winter, so you get to see good and bad weather, you’ll know by the end of it if boat life is for you. Sometimes in the winter it is so so cold, nu5 we wouldn’t change a thing, we love it! Good luck! xx
Hi guys hope your both doing well and had a great xmas and new years, saw your vlog yesterday do you find it cheaper then living on land, plus can i ask how much do u pay for your internet . Thanks Trev
Yes thank you, hopefully you did too! It can appear to be cheaper, until something breaks or goes wrong and then it is anything but cheap lol 😜 We pay £30 a month with EE for our internet, we have unlimited data and a good speed, which is perfect for watching Netflix etc and for uploading our videos. We have an omnidirectional aerial on the roof to bring the signal inside to a TP Link router and 99% of the time it all works perfectly 👍 Thanks Trev! xx
Hi Chris, it’s the Travel Pack’ the 3.5kw built in generator that runs with the engine to give us 230v to run the washing machine and other bits. So we have the usual 12v system, 230v system with the 2kw inverter, and then the 3.5kw travel pack on a separate system. Hope this makes sense! Thanks Chris! xx
@ I’ve not heard of travel pack. I’ll have to look into that. We have a canal line 42 engine. Will look out their tent at Crick. I guess that makes a massive increase. Thank you.
Hi there we met you at market harborough last year..this year we are planning on going on the Macclesfield to Leeds and thinking of doing the Standage tunnel..we wondered what your advice is going through that tunnel or if we should avoid it..did you have alot of damage to your boat? With thanks Debra Amos from Israel
Hi Debra, I remember you both, you were on narrowboat Duchess, or Princess? 🤔😃 Hope you’re both well xx As you know the Bridgwater canal is out of action so the route you propose is fine. We have not been that way as Martin would not want to do Standedge Tunnel with it being so low. The journey looks wonderful you just need to check that your boat is low enough to go through the tunnel. If you watch our friend Anita’s video, she went through there recently and it looked amazing. She has an electric boat, so you can really see and hear everything in her video, here’s the link to it ruclips.net/video/TBcsCNFgLEk/видео.htmlsi=HEjW9Xa0lDb3i1Kr Also, one thing to keep an eye on is the Marple locks, at the moment they are closed with occasional assisted passage, but they may be closing for a while for essential repairs, just check with CRT that you can get through. Good luck and keep us posted! Thanks Debra! xx
@ Thanks for the reply, I asked due to it still looking black and not greyish as some do. We have ours to do this year, and starting the planning process. Loving the vlogs.
Very informative guys. I was wondering how much I was saving by not living on a boat 🤣 JK, I know that didn't make sense ! See you next time. (EDIT) Forgot to mention how good she looks for 20 years old; well done !
Hi Jerry, lol boat life is not as cheap as people think, you only have to have one thing go wrong or break and it’s ‘BOAT - Bring Out Another Thousand’ lol 😂 Aww thank you for the compliment, Martin does a great job keeping the outside of the boat looking good, thanks Jerry! xx
Hi Margaret, we kept the costs in British pounds and pence, as it would be difficult to work out all the different countries currencies, and we wouldn’t want to get it wrong, Google would probably be your best bet, although Graham Swan has kindly worked it out for you. Thanks Margaret, hope you enjoyed it! xx
Hi Andre, we have kept our old doctors as I have a repeat prescription every three months, but if not, you can just call NHS Direct and they will help you get a local GP appointment or there’s always walk in centres. For the dentist, unfortunately you will have to pay private and ring around local dentists, or call NHS Direct, as again they will be able to help you hope this helps! Thanks ! xx
Hi Julie & Martin. Thank you for the Information as I live in germany and I have no idear of this it is nice to get this type of Information can you give me some info off your boat as I am a model maker And I wish to make a narrowboat thank you for the video from Brian w. Germany 😊😊
Hi great video as I’m just about to join the network, bit confusing on the blacking? Thought you said £580 doing it yourself, but you put blacking at £180 a yr, £15 a month?
Hi Paul, sorry if I confused you. We only need to do our epoxy two-pack every 6-7 years, but I forgot to say that we will probably have the boat taken out to check it after 4 years, so taking the cost in 2022 and allowing for inflation and an extra boat lift in between, we said £15 per month, so over 6 years would be £1,080 which should more than cover it. Hope that makes sense! Exciting times ahead, good luck and hope we see you soon out on the cut! Thanks Paul! xx
Yes, we were quite surprised to see a costing video from David, as he doesn’t live on a boat now, but it’s good to see that his researched figures are on a par with ours, just unfortunate that his video has come out so close to ours, perhaps people will watch both, to compare researched figures against actual live-aboard continuous cruising costs. Thanks Zona! xx
Aww thank you Zona 🥰 David is very good, he used to live on a narrowboat up until a few years ago. He has researched the figures really well as they are quite similar to ours, and his videos are very good! Thanks Zona! xx
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Thanks for this useful information.
@@RWBHereyou’re very welcome! xx
That was quite generous of you to share average costs/expenses to run your narrow boat. Thank you so much.
Aww thank you Maryanne, you’re welcome, glad you enjoyed it! xx
Thank you both so much, we love thinking of you watching all the vloggers before going for it.. That's where we're at 🤣. You are a great help to us, 🙏🙏.
Aww definitely go for it, you won’t regret it! Thank you so much! xx
It seems that living on a narrow boat is almost like living in a historical building in a historical setting. In your case the vessel isn’t ancient but the canal is. Thanks for the explanation.
Hi Norman, that’s a great explanation, our boat is 20 years old, but that’s nothing compared to the canal system being more than 200 years old! Thank you Norman! xx
Hi Julie & Martin, that’s a very good and comprehensive summary of boat running expenses. You asked if there was anything that could have been added to the summary, surely the cost of the boat and depreciation should be taken into account as there are very few boats that don’t loose value over the years.
Thank you, glad you enjoyed the video! We tried to keep the video just to general running costs for now. Boat costs are so varied, from old to new, project boats and different size boats, it would be difficult to generalise. A lot would depend on how a used boat has been maintained whether it held its price or not, we would like to think that if we sold ours today we would get back what we paid, plus the extras that we’ve added, but it does take a lot of work to keep the boat tip top, engines serviced regularly, woodwork inside the boat cared for and the paintwork looked after too. We are always comparing used boats for sale and keeping up with general price fluctuations. At the moment boats seem to be holding their prices, but only just. New boats on the other hand do depreciate a bit quicker, as the immediate loss of tax once it’s been purchased, similar to how a car does. I think it would be difficult for us to add this into our videos, but Cruising the Cut put one out recently where he was at Rugby Boat Sales and it covered all aspects of boat pricing, here’s the link to that video ruclips.net/video/6V5HMNZtaMw/видео.htmlsi=VGB0wXIkFIp3v6ij. Thank you so much! xx
@@JulieandMartinonRIBI have watched the Rugby Boat sale vlog before and found it to be very informative, I did like the reference to “the state of the network” dare say with the latest closure on the Bridgewater it will be a guessing game to how that changes the market. Happy cruising👍
Yes very true, and with the Gov withdrawing some of the funding for CRT it doesn’t really help does it! xx
That was very informative, I was only thinking the other day how would you receive your mail. Considering the cost of running a house it's not too bad at all. And look at the wonderful lifestyle you get with it and the wonderful friends like you two you make along the way. There is always the odd wolly you have to navigate around but that's just how the world is these days. Very well done guys great job.👍🏻👍🏻❤❤
Aww thank you so much Geoff, we’ve been putting this cost video off as everyone’s costs can be so different, but we kept it to the general costs to hopefully give a ball-park starting point for anyone thinking of doing this. We love living on the water, it’s all about a lifestyle change more than anything else! Thanks Geoff! xx
That’s really great, thanks Julie and Martin xxx Happy New Year to you both X
Aww thank you, and Happy New Year to you too Debbie! xx
Don't forget that cost for diesel includes you travelling all over the country as well as generating your heat and power with it, which is actually really good value for money. Thanks for this guy's.
Yes exactly, we did approx 700 miles this year! Thanks Dave, glad you enjoyed it! xx
Wow your boat holds her age well always thought she was a new boat always stunning to see well looked after hope your have many more years in her❤
Oh what a lovely compliment, thank you! xx
Thanks again for this it's a great help and gets us closer to joining you on the water 💦
Aww really glad it helps, hopefully see you soon! xx
Julie & Martin 😊
Thanks for taking the time to put this together. It’s clearly appreciated by many looking at the comments. I found it very interesting and was only looking the other day for some up to date costings. Certainly makes it a viable option and cost effective. Thank you 😊
Thank you Dave, so pleased you enjoyed it! xx
Hi Julie and Martin, what an interesting video. Never really thought about the cost involved so that was really interesting. Hope you are keeping warm in this freezing weather, wouldn’t be surprised if the canal is frozen solid. It’s still rather flooded here currently so hopefully no more rain for a while! Hope you have a wonderful weekend, love and best wishes
Hi Edward, you’re right, the canal is frozen solid! It was -6° last night and only -1° now! We won’t be going anywhere for quite some time, but we have food, water and fuel so we’re all good 😃 Hope the flooding subsides soon Edward! Back to cruising videos next time xx
Thanks for letting us know how much roughly you have to pay to live the life you do yearly. It's certainly a lot cheaper than living in a house, you do get to see most of the country which is a bonus.
I also would like to say thank you for taking us on your adventures.
Take care and stay safe especially at this time of the year. 😊
Aww thank you so much Yvonne! xx
Waw, guys! You really did take your time and effort to get all this info in and divide it to monthly payments, well done you! It does make it so much more clearer and real for those interested in living full time on the cut! Thank you for that! ❤🎉❤
Aww thank you Eric, glad you enjoyed it! xx
Hi Julie & Martin. Thank you for that very interesting video, and for putting together all those costs and estimates. Planning and budgeting are obviously the key. After forking out for the narrow boat, the year-to-year costs don't seem to be out of this world (even I could afford this....ooo, now, there's an idea! Ha ha!)
Ooh so we may see you out on the cut soon! 😃 Thanks Neil! xx
Very interesting. I had no idea your boat was 20 years old. It looks brand new! Having a mail service is a good idea for your circumstances. It's always best to prepare for the worst as much as you can because the worst inevitably will show up. Having money set aside is a life saver. ❤
24F and snowing more today on what we had a few days ago which was around 8 inches. 🥶🌨
Wow, 8 inches of snow, that’s loads, we only had about 3 inches, but everything is frozen here, we were -6°C (21.2°F) overnight and only going up to -1°C (30°F) today, so the canal will stay frozen for another few days yet! The ice is about 2 inches thick at the moment! 🥶 Hope you’re staying safe and warm Dorothy! xx
Thanks for sharing. It is really interesting to hear the costs for different ways of living and also the different options you have for a boat, toilet / heating etc.
Just a couple of items I was expecting, what Internet do you have?
Rhapsody paintwork looks fantastic, i believe Martin gives it a special polish, have you had to refresh the paintwork?
Thanks
Hi Phil, we use mobile broadband from EE, with an omnidirectional aerial on the roof connected to a TP-Link router inside, the internet broadband costs us £30 per month, but we have unlimited and a good upload speed for doing the videos! The boat was repainted in 2019 before we bought her, so Martin really makes sure he looks after it. He leathers the boat off most days and gives it a polish twice a year. Hope this helps! Thanks Phil! xx
Thank you so much for sharing your costs with us. We have just bought a boat so it was very helpful. 😊
So glad we could help, thanks Debbie, hopefully see you out on the cut one day! xx
Wow Julie you look amazing when your hair is not blown sideways, 😆🥰, absolutely great timing on this one guys, I was thinking of 5k a year, you have costs you can't avoid whether you live in a house or a boat, so my estimate is not far out, the ship to shore now needs looking into as I thought that I'd need a land address, may i say this is a great vlog for the time of year, short days, no cruising, great information, let Martin know our 16 hour British summer will soon be gone 🤣🤣, take care, Nige. ❤.
Aww thank you Nigel, lovely compliments! Your £5K estimate is good, then just your personal costs on top 👍 Thanks Nigel! xx
Thanks for this informative and interesting vlog, I’ve wondered how the cost compares to living in a house. Take care 🤗❤️
Aww glad you enjoyed it Donna, it’s back to cruising next week, promise! xx
Great vlog you have obviously taken a lot ot time doing your costings which is great to hear especially for people considering a life on the cut. Thank you 😊
Aww thank you, glad you enjoyed it! xx
How weird we worked ours out the other day to😂. We’re very similar, we have a multi stove and this year saved a bit by being on the llangollen and sooooo much wood to forage. Other than that it’s much a muchness, we saved engine running this year as I’ve installed lithium. We run everything from ice machine ,coffee machine ,toaster without having to worry now. Thanks for your information. Very handy
Hiya! That’s really good to know, coming from another boater and a continuous cruiser, thank you! ☺️
Ooh how nice not to have to worry about power, I’d love an air fryer, but it just wouldn’t be feasible with our batteries lol.
Glad you enjoyed this video, we’re heading for the Middlewich canal, so not that far from the Golly, it’s beautiful up there! Thank you so much! xx
@ a saying I don’t like using is Game Changer. But we have 400amp of usable power right down to zero. Game changer 😂. Even Christmas lights on outside all night.
Oh wow, that must be amazing, we’re always checking the batteries lol 😂 Definitely sounds like a game changer! 😜 Thank you! xx
Loved the information had a boat when kids were little . me and my husband hired twice a year he passed 13years ago but just started hireing again with new partner he Loved it we are looking to buy to live on so thank for sharing that with us xxx
@Catherine-w8j1e best of luck finding a new home and happy cruising 😊👍🏻
Oh wow, exciting times ahead, good luck and hopefully see yo7 out on the cut soon! xx
xx
Very helpful thankyou . Would like to take up narrow boating and this is a good insight 👍
Aww you’re very welcome, glad you enjoyed it, thanks John! xx
Thank you for taking the time to do this video. We found it so informative.
Aww so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you! xx
Brilliant vlog guys. Really interesting the breakdown . I done a breakdown last year and I could see the prices have risen .
However that is to be expected and I still think its all good value.
Like you said it's all needs to be budgeted for, especially for unexpected things that go wrong.
Thanks for sharing guys x❤
Aww thank you, glad you enjoyed it! xx
Thank you very much for this. Costing everything to move to nb life myself and this is excellent information
You’re very welcome Harry, glad it has come in useful, thank you! xx
Thank you so much for taking the time to make your costin blog I really would like to take the plunge and do this life 😊
Aww you’re very welcome, hope it helps in some way. Ooh maybe we’ll see you out on the cut one day! Thanks Jane! xx
You two are alright! Thanks for keeping it real.
Ian
Aww thank you Ian, that’s lovely of you to say! xx
David at Cruising the Cut just came up with VERY similar numbers :)
Oh ok, we’ll have to take a look, good to know his figures are similar to ours. Strange though as he doesn’t live on a narrowboat now 🤷♀️ Thanks Jerry! xx
Happy New Year, we enjoy watching your videos.
Aww thank yo7 Diane, same to you too! Thank you! xx
Great video, appreciate the insight into the running costs of a Narrowboat.
I'm looking to get on the canals as soon as possible as the cost of living is eating me alive 1300.00 per month just for rent and bills on my tiny 1 bedroom flat in Essex, this vodeo is an eye opener as I was looking to try and get finance for a boat but the monthly repayments on the boat and the yearly costs you mentioned in this video to just keep the boat up and running wouldn't leave me much wiggle room every year so maybe keep saving for a couple of years and buy the boat without Financing it.
Thanks again and safe travels.
Hi, that sounds like a plan Mike, would be lovely to see you out on the cut one day! Hope this video has helped in a small way! xx
Happy New Year guys> Very informative as usual. Really surprised RIB is 20 yrs old. Stay safe.
Yes, she was built in 2004, we try to look after her as best we can, thank you for your lovely comment! xx
Thanks so much for the detailed info …. Possibly be on a narrowboat in the future and found this very interesting.
Hi Ian, that’s great, maybe we’ll see you out on the cut one day soon! Thank you! xx
that's one of the more detailed accounts of expenditure i've seen on narrow boating. granted it's for a 54' boat. still. thank you both for reeling me in more lol. 6,969.23
usd. per year.
Glad you enjoyed it Steve, our boat is 58 foot long, which is a ‘go anywhere’ boat, ie we can go on nearly all the canals and fit all the locks. (Not sure where you got 54’ from) Lol ‘reeling you in’ 😂😂 we’ll see you out on the cut one day I’m sure lol 😜 Thanks Steve! xx
Thank you for sharing basic cost and giving us yet another wonderful video, Happy New Years !
Aww thank you Craig, glad you enjoyed it! xx
Thank you so much for sharing information like this. It helps people!
You’re very welcome Stan, so pleased you enjoyed it, thank you! xx
The putting aside... we do this currently, and we aren't on a narrowboat. We are looking to get a large camper [Class A diesel pusher] for full time living and traveling, so I'll be interested to see how our costs will mirror yours, with the conversion from $ to £
Hi Karen, ooh that sounds lovely! You’ll have to let us know how you get on! Thanks! xx
Thats not as much as i thought it would cost for a boat your size. Obviously you have to add weekly food bills, which are similar whereever you are. Boats are quite expensive to maintain, even when your not continously cruising. But i was mildly suprised , as expected it to be about £8,000 per year at least. Thank you very much for sharing .
Hi Tessa, glad you enjoyed this one, yes if you add in food, phones, internet, clothes, takeaways or meals out, and other personal costs then it bumps it up a bit more, but they are our general costs. We’re back to a cruising video next week, promise! xx
Hi Julie and Martin that was very helpful as we are viewing a boat tomorrow and will soon be continuous cruisers too
Oh wow, good luck! Exciting times ahead, hopefully see you out on the cut soon! xx
as Tina turner said; simply the best, Thank you Sandra and Lew , Wolverhampton
Aww thank you, this is so lovely to hear, glad you both enjoyed this one! It’ll be back to cruising next week, promise! xx
great vlog on channel good to see you got great vlog out keep up the great vlogs you do and cranking it on the cut
Thanks Lee, really appreciate it! xx
It would be good to know an estimate of your annual cruising milage to help others predict their total annual cost. My guess is that you clock up more than 500 miles a year and that would equate to two engine services a year? Your large diesel bill indicates that the comfort provided by a 24x7 diesel stove comes at a cost, in my own detailed planning budget I included 30 bags of coal @ £540 p/a plus £200 for Webasto top-up diesel central heating.
Hi Fibbertigibbet (sorry don’t know your real name lol) We actually did nearly 700 miles last year, plus running the engine to keep the batteries topped up in the winter months, but we still only did one engine service. Martin keeps an eye on the engine, doing checks every day, and our oil is never black, it is always still very light when he changes it and the gearbox oil looks almost new, but he changes them both each time. Martin has worked on engines since being a teenager so understands them well and our engine has been very well looked after, so Martin is doing the same. We plan an extra long journey this year, there and back, and Martin has said that he will do an extra oil change at the end of that. With regards to the diesel stove, when we looked at the time we had the coal stove and compared bags of coal to the amount of diesel we use now, it was very much on a par, we worked it out to around £36 per week for coal and for diesel the same, I think we mentioned that in the video. I like it to be warm in the winter, I feel the cold more than Martin lol, so have the Eberspacher on twice a day too, so that all adds up. For us, we would be looking at 40 bags of coal lol. Everyone’s costs for diesel will be different I suppose, different journeys, some travel far and wide, some stick to a small area, some people running their engines longer in winter, (people with lithium probably don’t have to run their boats as much), less heating needed for boats with double-glazed windows etc. This video was just our costs, to give people a ball-park estimate of running costs needed to live on a narrowboat, but everyone’s costs will be slightly different. Glad you enjoyed this video, we have been asked so many times to do one on costs, but kept putting it off as we know everyone is different, but we tried to keep it as general as possible. Thank you so much! xx
Great insight to the general running costings guys. :)
Aww thank you! xx
@@slingerland68 hi Steve, didn’t realise this was you lol, glad you enjoyed this one, hopefully see you soon! xx
@ see you soon guys x
👍
It sure mounts up! What do you do about registering with a doctor and dentist?
Hi Liz, we have kept our old doctors as I have a repeat prescription every three months, but if not you can just call NHS Direct and they will help you get a local GP appointment or there’s always walk in centres. For the dentist, unfortunately you will have to pay private and ring around local dentists, or call NHS Direct, as again they will be able to help you hope this helps! Thanks ! xx
Julie and Martin, Thank you so much for this very informative vlog. You provided so much good information. I have one follow-up question: How often do you service the engine? Oh, and Julie, I love your glasses!
Hi Sheila, so glad you enjoyed this one! We service our engine once a year, unless we were to do excessive cruising, then we would do two, hope this helps. Thank you for the lovely compliment too! Thanks Sheila! xx
Thank you for this really useful vlog! We were interested to hear about Ship to Shore, because if we ever do this lifestyle we would not have family to receive our post etc. One thing we’re curious about: what happens about an address to be registered with a doctor? xx Karen and Gordon
Hi Karen & Gordon, you may be able to keep your same doctors if you ask them and tell them what you are doing. We kept our same doctors and so long as you don’t need a home visit lol it should be fine. If you ever need to see a doctor, then call NHS Direct and they will find you a local GP or a walk-in centre for you to visit. Hope this helps, thanks! xx
Fantastic & very true to form... ❤ from Deborah and Paul nb Lady in red Barton marina.
Aww thank you, so glad you agree! Thanks Deborah & Paul! xx
Very interesting thank you 😊 have a great weekend 😀
Thank you, glad you enjoyed it! xx
dont for get to subscribed to this loving couple we always watch these darlings there so nice julie works really hard making these blogs or vlogs there very good julie takes great time to film there journeys i must say i have seen some great views so thank you julie for a great 2024 all so a big thank you to martin for taking us on the tunnels god knows how you did that lower one but thanks your a brave man
Aww thanks Derek! xx
Wonderful vlog huge help to a lot of people, thank you so much as always. Happy new year 🥰🥰🥰❤️❤️❤️
Aww thanks Jacqui, hope you’re all well! xx ❤️
I guess there are fixed and variable costs depending on how far you cruise vs moored up.
Yes exactly that Graham! It’s difficult, but we took these figures over a complete year, so hopefully it will give people a ball-park figure to work with. Thank you so much Graham! xx
Very interesting. Marbe you could do the same next year to determine how prices have acted in a year. Just an idle minded idea. Safe sailing!
That’s a great idea Peter, we might just do that! Thank you, glad you liked it! xx
Great Video, answered several questions I had, Thanks. Another great video.
Aww you’re welcome, glad you enjoyed it, it’ll be back to cruising next week, promise! xx
You didn't mention fantastic neighbour's.....and they're priceless baby xx
Oh that goes without saying! 😃❤️ xx
@ 🤣🤣xx
❤️
I was paying attention to your lovely sweater, Julie! Did you make that? I’ve also noticed your fingerless gloves that you wear! I think I’ve seen a pattern for those.
Hi Nancy, thank you for the lovely comment, the jumper was a present, so not sure where it came from. The gloves I bought from a boat trader who knits gloves, hats and scarves. Hope you find the pattern, they are so comfy to wear. Thanks Nancy! xx
Interesting video 👍
Thank you Gary! xx
Nice vlog again, good information if thinking of boat living.
Thank you so much! xx
Very well done thanks for all the info all the best in 25
Aww thanks Pete! xx
Very well presented analysis.
Aww thank you Barbara! xx
Thanks for that really interesting video. We love watching your journeys and the stunning scenery you pass through. I was wondering do you have costs for filling your water tank for showers, drinking water, washing etc.
Aww thank you, so glad you enjoy our little videos, lovely to have you along! Water is included in our CRT licence, the service points along the way have rubbish bins, water and Elsan facilities for people to empty their cassette toilets. We have a pump out loo so have to pay for ours to be emptied, but water is included. Hope that makes sense! xx
A few people have commented on how that compares to a house costs... band d council tax (the average) where I am, plus my utilities and I am up to £398 before we even start on upkeep etc!!!!
Crikey John, is that for just one month, that is quite a lot! Boat life can appear cheaper until something breaks or goes wrong, then it can become very expensive very quickly! And boat life is not for everyone, it’s a total lifestyle change, not being hooked up to electricity, water, waste, gas etc can be hard work and is not for everyone. But perhaps we’ll see you out on the cut one day! Thanks John! xx
Yes just one month..and used to being off grid though in a caravan, looking forward to the challenge, it's been our plan for more than 3 years!!.@@JulieandMartinonRIB
And it's not primarily about cost of living it's wanting adventure before dementia 😂
Oh wow, we did exactly the same, in a caravan, then a GRP cruiser and then a narrowboat! Keep us posted! xx
It was the same for us, a complete change of lifestyle, coming out of the fast lane and into the slow lane! Good luck and hopefully see you out on the cut soon John! xx
Julie, I just got notification that your package hit the BRITISH POSTAL SERVICE on 6 January at 5:44 pm. Sandy
Oh wow! Hopefully we should hear soon! Thank you! ❤️xx
Excellent video, and Happy New Year xx
Aww thank you so much Susan! xx
Do you set aside any money for a potential future boat, or do you expect your current one to last you as long as? On a related point, can you see yourselves living forever on a narrowboat, or will you return to land, so to speak, once advanced age hits?
Hi Keith, we haven’t thought about another boat, as we are very happy with Rhapsody in Blue and yes, hope to live aboard as long as we possibly can! Hopefully not needing to return to land 🤞🙏 Thanks Keith! xx
This is, in a time of rising cost - less money an important vlog
I/we may not have a narrow boat but there is an important message. BE PREPARED - put together a yearly must pay budget - put the money aside regularly to cover these costs. Have an emergency fund and I also have a holiday fund - (can access but there is a penalty- no interest that month)
So.....this week I will be looking back over 2024, preparing my budget, looking at ways to save ( being a senior helps $%) and hopefully being more financially secure (with some fun activities). (maybe a holiday with research and forward planning, it is possible even on a pension)
Thank you Jan Adelaide
Very well put Jan, you’re so right, expect the unexpected as you never know what’s around the next corner! Glad you enjoyed this one, it’ll be back to cruising next week, promise! xx
you keep mentioning a marina,is that the morris marina,prefer the ford escort,your boat costs look like they are a lot less than a house.and thankyou for the information,another fabulous video
Hahaha 😂🤣 Morrison Marina lol, that made us chuckle 🤭 Thanks John! xx
What a interesting blog thank you for sharing. We had no idea your boat was 20 years old you maintain it well. We are planning on moving back to the uk and buying a boat and getting an understanding of the essential costs is crucial. One question the mail service you use as a registered address is thus acceptable to your bank, GP, dvla and HMRC? We will occasionally want to hire vehicles and wanted to understand how proof of address works .
We really enjoy watching g all your blogs - keep them coming . Take care x
Hi Diane, yes Rhapsody in Blue was built in 2004, she’s not doing bad is she, we look after her as best we can. So glad you are enjoying our vlogs, this is lovely to hear and look forward to maybe seeing you out on the cut one day! Yes, the Ship-to-Shore address is fine for the bank, DVLA, HMRC and even our passports which we had to get two years ago, it’s a great service! Good luck! xx
@ oh thanks for coming back to me. We are hoping to be back within the next 2 years. Looking forward to new adventures.
Take care x
Ooh good luck! xx
Very interesting information. Thanks
You’re very welcome Connie, thank you! xx
Ah thanks for that, very interesting and informative, you seem to be very down to earth sensible people who budget well and take into account some contingencies etc Happy boating in 2025, Quick question, how well is your boat insulated for the winter weather etc?
Hi Andrew, the boat is well insulated with the foam insulation, the only thing that lets it down is the single-glazed windows! We close the curtains of an evening and when we got up this morning and opened them, there was a layer of ice on the frames, if there was one thing we could change i5 would be to have double glazed windows, just closing the curtains makes a huge difference, so we would probably save on heating and be a lot warmer! Apart from that it’s mostly toasty warm inside! Thanks Andrew xx
❤you have the best vlog no bull s ive looked at others cant get intrested
Oh wow, thank you so much Zona, that’s so lovely to hear, comments like this make it all worthwhile! Thank you! xx
Thank you very interesting.
Aww glad you enjoyed it Sue! xx
Having a Narrowboat seems a great idea, but? I wonder how much stability and security you have when getting old. No point in having a stroke, and the ambulance can't get anywhere near you. A good idea if you also have bricks and mortar to go home to. Great looking narrowboat.
Hi there, thank you for the compliment on our boat! If, God forbid, the worst were to happen, we would cross that bridge at the time. There are usually roads nearby, so ambulances would always find us, and with things like What3Words, our precise location can be found, so wouldn’t be a problem. If absolutely necessary, we could move back to land, if we really had to. But we always look to the positives, we hope to spend the rest of our days living on the water, as many others have, and are still doing. We appreciate boat life is not for everyone, but we absolutely love it! Thank you so much! xx
We lived in the country on a small holding a good 20 minutes from an ambulance( never in the winter)Now living on a boat in walking distance of many roads we don’t float around on Mars? The bricks and mortar myths will forever make people think there safe, you do realize you only borrow it off the bank.
That’s very true! 👍 xx
Thankyou
You’re welcome, thanks Carol! xx
Thank you.... very interesting
So glad you enjoyed this one, it’ll be back to cruising for the next one! xx
Very interesting. It’s less expensive than our full time RV living in the US. Do you have to pay any sort of taxes on the boat each year? That’s our highest cost in South Carolina each year. More than any property taxes on the houses we’ve owned.
Hi Scott, no we don’t have any additional taxes, just our CRT Licence, the only costs we didn’t put on the video are our personal costs such as groceries, clothes, phones etc Glad you enjoyed our video, thank you! xx
I'd be really interested in Martin's paintwork maintenance regime, has Rhapsody ever been repainted, and if so did Martin do it himself? I have heard that a pro repaint is horrendously expensive. I imagine that Rhapsody must have had one at some point, as she looks fantastic.
Hiya! Our boat was repainted in 2019 by Steve Wallace at WallaceSheen Boats at Barbridge. We bought the boat in 2021 and it had been very well looked after and Martin is doing his best to keep it looking nice. Martin’s regime is actually quite straightforward. Most days Martin checks for bird poo and leaves and washes them off as they eat away at the paint, then he leathers the boat off. He also touches up any scrapes below the gunnels as and when, just to prevent any rust forming. Twice a year, Spring and Autumn, Martin gives the boat a good wash and polish, he uses G3 Pro products which are widely available in car shops such as Halfords. For the shampoo, any boat shampoo is fine, but check that it is safe for aquatic use, but the polish is G3. In the Spring we will do a vlog showing how Martin cares for the paintwork. Thank you so much! xx
@JulieandMartinonRIB Thank you for such a comprehensive answer, I look forward to the vlog. All the best.
You’re welcome, thank you! xx
hello youg julie hello martin your looking good happy new year
Aww thank you Derek & Julie! xx
We’ve worked it out to about £1000 per month, all in with food etc for the two of us and we would own our boat outright would you say this figure is about right? Many thanks for your time and effort.
Yes, there or there abouts, it all depends on how much you want to eat out etc, perhaps £1000-£1200 😜 Thank you, glad you enjoyed the video! xx
Thanks that I think is best break down blog I seen for years if I was going to be picky the service was very light working boats oil services is once a year as working boats love old oil like Hidi but your boat is same as most boats in boat hand books is 180 hours off travel that means in your case would be every six to eight weeks in summer but great vlog know I no why you always filling up most week guys stay safe warm and keep up great vlogs and tried that meal loved it will be having it again Sunday meal each week poppy limping alot more in cold but she never moans bless her £8.000 cheaper to live on your boat than I love to live on boat
Hi Nicholas, aww poor Poppy, hope she’s not in too much pain xx
With the engine, yes manuals do say every so many hours, but our engine really doesn’t need doing more than once a year. The engine is in very good condition and the oil is never black, obviously Martin keeps an eye on it, and if we did a lot of extra miles, then he may do an extra oil change, he’s worked on engines all through life, and once a year seems to work fine for us. Thank you so much for your lovely compliments on this vlog Nicholas! xx
I love your vlogs this why I reply to everyone you reply to me ask how me and dog are your like a family to all off us poppy's like a human woman never moans just plods on I send you picture off her you love her but you cannot send pictures on vlogs hot pot for tea tomorrow what a warming meal stay warm stay safe guys
Aww you’re right, we have a lovely online family and we love speaking to you every week. So glad you enjoyed the hotpot, it’s such a lovely meal, and relatively simple as it’s all in the one pot! Hope Poppy is ok, shame we can’t see a photo, unless you’re on Facebook? Look us up if so, you can show photos on there xx
That was a different vlog lot more bills then you think 🤔 take care both of you x 😊
Yes, it all adds up doesn’t it! Thanks David! xx
Great video content as usual. What about boat contents insurance? and you don't run a car as a lot of boaters do, so people need to consider that if that's what they want to do. I have mentioned to you before that we considered buying a narrowboat, when we were much younger, not as a 'live on', but for leisure use. The annual cost made it impractical at the time, so we hired instead. I love watching you both on your travels and relive some of ours. One last question, Julie. Have you made a New Year's resolution to drive the boat more?
Best wishes,
Barry from Essex.
Hi Barry, our contents insurance is included in the one insurance, it covers everything, the boat and all contents. So pleased you enjoyed this video and yes, that is my New Year’s resolution …. good guess! Thanks Barry! xx
HI Both I think those costs are very reasonable when compared to a larger house I did not see any internet cost so not sure if you included but well done its good to keep up to date I wanted to ask about the diesel stove if you prefer it still because its cleaner (less dust) and in the winter months if you have to have the radiators on as well ? Thanks again best wishes Alan
Hi Alan, we didn’t include internet, as a lot of people just use their phones. But we do have mobile broadband through EE and have an omnidirectional aerial on the roof connected to a TP-Link router inside the boat, this costs us £30 per month and works perfectly for uploading videos, general browsing and watching Netflix etc.
we definitely prefer the diesel stove compared to the coal burner, like you say, no dust, much cleaner and no worries on storing coal! We have an Eberspacher for the really cold days which we use for an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening, this heats the radiators and also hot water. Bu5 only really need it on the really cold days, the same as we did when we had the log/coal burner. Hope this helps! Thanks Alan! xx
Fabulous Thanks 👍
You’re welcome xx
This was really informative, useful, and done in your usual great presenting way.
We are going to try it with a holiday hire as it's clear to us that boating being cheaper than a house is a myth, or is it wrong to think this way?
Jackie and Mark Rogers
Hi Jackie and Mark, so glad you enjoyed it! The general running costs can appear cheaper, but you only have to have something go wrong, or break to really stretch your budget, the saying BOAT stands for ‘bring out another thousand’ is so true! 🙈 Trying a holiday hire first is a great idea, if you could do one in the summer and one in the winter, so you get to see good and bad weather, you’ll know by the end of it if boat life is for you. Sometimes in the winter it is so so cold, nu5 we wouldn’t change a thing, we love it! Good luck! xx
@@JulieandMartinonRIB Thank you so much xxx
You’re welcome xx
Hi guys hope your both doing well and had a great xmas and new years, saw your vlog yesterday do you find it cheaper then living on land, plus can i ask how much do u pay for your internet . Thanks Trev
Yes thank you, hopefully you did too! It can appear to be cheaper, until something breaks or goes wrong and then it is anything but cheap lol 😜 We pay £30 a month with EE for our internet, we have unlimited data and a good speed, which is perfect for watching Netflix etc and for uploading our videos. We have an omnidirectional aerial on the roof to bring the signal inside to a TP Link router and 99% of the time it all works perfectly 👍 Thanks Trev! xx
We have two alternator belts - one for leisure’s and the other starter.
You mentioned a third for test pack ? Can I ask what that is?
Hi Chris, it’s the Travel Pack’ the 3.5kw built in generator that runs with the engine to give us 230v to run the washing machine and other bits.
So we have the usual 12v system, 230v system with the 2kw inverter, and then the 3.5kw travel pack on a separate system. Hope this makes sense! Thanks Chris! xx
@ I’ve not heard of travel pack. I’ll have to look into that. We have a canal line 42 engine. Will look out their tent at Crick.
I guess that makes a massive increase.
Thank you.
Thank you, hopefully see you at Crick! xx
Hi there we met you at market harborough last year..this year we are planning on going on the Macclesfield to Leeds and thinking of doing the Standage tunnel..we wondered what your advice is going through that tunnel or if we should avoid it..did you have alot of damage to your boat? With thanks Debra Amos from Israel
Hi Debra, I remember you both, you were on narrowboat Duchess, or Princess? 🤔😃 Hope you’re both well xx
As you know the Bridgwater canal is out of action so the route you propose is fine. We have not been that way as Martin would not want to do Standedge Tunnel with it being so low. The journey looks wonderful you just need to check that your boat is low enough to go through the tunnel. If you watch our friend Anita’s video, she went through there recently and it looked amazing. She has an electric boat, so you can really see and hear everything in her video, here’s the link to it ruclips.net/video/TBcsCNFgLEk/видео.htmlsi=HEjW9Xa0lDb3i1Kr Also, one thing to keep an eye on is the Marple locks, at the moment they are closed with occasional assisted passage, but they may be closing for a while for essential repairs, just check with CRT that you can get through. Good luck and keep us posted! Thanks Debra! xx
Do you not have a home morning or are you continuous cruising
Hi John, we are continuous cruisers, do we don’t have a home mooring, we live out on the cut. Thanks John! xx
That costs a lot more than we pay for council tax, water rates, house insurances, gas and electricity for our house. I'm quite shocked.
Yes it all adds up! Thanks Ethel, glad you enjoyed it! xx
Hi guys, may I ask which 2-pack did you use on the blacking?
Hi Oliver, ours is called Hempel, but it is always good to use the same one that was used previously. Hope this helps! xx
@
Thanks for the reply, I asked due to it still looking black and not greyish as some do. We have ours to do this year, and starting the planning process.
Loving the vlogs.
Aww thank you! xx
Hi julie and martin quick question are you at crick this year only me and jen have got tickets for the sunday it would be nice to say hello
Hi Graeme, yes, we are going to be at Crick for the whole weekend, we love the show! It would be lovely to meet you too! xx
Very informative guys. I was wondering how much I was saving by not living on a boat 🤣 JK, I know that didn't make sense ! See you next time. (EDIT) Forgot to mention how good she looks for 20 years old; well done !
Are you talking about Julie or the boat? 😂
Hi Jerry, lol boat life is not as cheap as people think, you only have to have one thing go wrong or break and it’s ‘BOAT - Bring Out Another Thousand’ lol 😂
Aww thank you for the compliment, Martin does a great job keeping the outside of the boat looking good, thanks Jerry! xx
😂😂 Hahaha that made us chuckle 🤭 Thanks Barry! xx
Costs in USA currency
At todays exchange rate USD 585 per month - multiply by 12 to get the yearly amount (ok I’ll do it for you) = USD 7,020
Hi Margaret, we kept the costs in British pounds and pence, as it would be difficult to work out all the different countries currencies, and we wouldn’t want to get it wrong, Google would probably be your best bet, although Graham Swan has kindly worked it out for you. Thanks Margaret, hope you enjoyed it! xx
Thank you so much Graham! xx
What do you pay for water a year ?
Hi John, water is included in our CRT Licence, water, rubbish and Elsan facility (if you have a cassette toilet) Thanks John! xx
I know it's not financial, but how do you get on for doctors/dentists etc., please?
Hi Andre, we have kept our old doctors as I have a repeat prescription every three months, but if not, you can just call NHS Direct and they will help you get a local GP appointment or there’s always walk in centres. For the dentist, unfortunately you will have to pay private and ring around local dentists, or call NHS Direct, as again they will be able to help you hope this helps! Thanks ! xx
@@JulieandMartinonRIBIt does help, thanks a lot.
You’re welcome! xx
not as much as I thought it would cost
Glad you enjoyed it Rob! xx
What about duck and swan food and you can get 4 batteries from poundland for a Quid see I'm not stupid 🤪Duh
😅😂😅
Haha 😝 we feed the ducks and swans Rice Krispies! 🤣 xx
Hi Julie & Martin. Thank you for the Information as I live in germany and I have no idear of this it is nice to get this type of Information can you give me some info off your boat as I am a model maker
And I wish to make a narrowboat thank you for the video from Brian w. Germany 😊😊
Oh wow, hope we get to see your model one day! Glad you enjoyed the video, thank you! xx
Hi great video as I’m just about to join the network, bit confusing on the blacking? Thought you said £580 doing it yourself, but you put blacking at £180 a yr, £15 a month?
Epoxy blacking would be done once every 3 to 4 years. There has been a lot of price inflation since 2022 so best add 25% to a forward looking budget.
Hi Paul, sorry if I confused you. We only need to do our epoxy two-pack every 6-7 years, but I forgot to say that we will probably have the boat taken out to check it after 4 years, so taking the cost in 2022 and allowing for inflation and an extra boat lift in between, we said £15 per month, so over 6 years would be £1,080 which should more than cover it. Hope that makes sense! Exciting times ahead, good luck and hope we see you soon out on the cut! Thanks Paul! xx
Yes, something like that, I probably didn’t explain it very well. Thank you! xx
See David has got in on the act following this video on describing costs 😢
Yes, we were quite surprised to see a costing video from David, as he doesn’t live on a boat now, but it’s good to see that his researched figures are on a par with ours, just unfortunate that his video has come out so close to ours, perhaps people will watch both, to compare researched figures against actual live-aboard continuous cruising costs. Thanks Zona! xx
@JulieandMartinonRIB i would rather trust your as your full time travellers
Aww thank you Zona 🥰
David is very good, he used to live on a narrowboat up until a few years ago. He has researched the figures really well as they are quite similar to ours, and his videos are very good! Thanks Zona! xx