Narrowboat Living: Why its not as cute as it seems
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 7 фев 2025
- Thinking of ditching the traditional 9-to-5 lifestyle and trading it in for life on the water? Narrowboat living has gained popularity in recent years, with many people enamored with the idea of living in a cozy, compact space surrounded by nature. But is it really as cute and romantic as everyone makes it out to be? From the Instagram-worthy sunsets to the cramped quarters, we're diving into the realities of narrowboat living and exploring whether it's truly the idyllic lifestyle many people claim it to be. So, if you're considering making the leap to life on a narrowboat, or if you're just curious about what it's really like, be sure to watch until the end to get the full scoop!
Cruising Alba: / @cruisingalba
Boat Time: / @boattime
Email address : garypaterson1958@yahoo.com
Music: Royalty Free
Track Tribe - Longer Distance
#narrowboat #narrowboatliving #narrowboatforseniors #narrowboatlivingforseniors
/ @narrowboatliving8241
canalrivertrus...
www.apolloduck...
uk.jackery.com/
buymeacoffee.c...
![Felix "Unfair" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Oswujxm2Ag0/mqdefault.jpg)
I am a Bus Driver and it’s lovely to come home after a day of being verbally abused/screamed at/having rocks thrown through my windows on occasion and watch a video like this. Very calming and relaxing, thank you.
Ps, in case anyone decides to comment saying ‘get a different job then’ - I am getting a different job! Handed my notice in yesterday.
@Oscartherescuedog thank you and good luck with the future
I got a job throwing rocks at buses last year. It's a tough job, lots of torn ligaments and tennis elbow from exerting yourself too much. I was sent on a rock throwing course after being unemployed a few years by the job centre. It took me a few times to pass the rock throwing test to gain my CSCS card in hooliganism though.
@ what’s the pay like? 😂
@ Any handbags i find on the bus seats i can keep 🤣 i'm working for some far left political group funded by George Soros i think. 😂
Wishing you all the best for a more peaceful future,
Dear Gary
Im from Welham green but now live in Ware. I just wanted to give you a tip and fellow boaters. If you spray the inside of your windows with a solution ofwashing uo liquid and water then apply bubble wrap and cut it with a stanley knife,it sticks like glue and holds in heat in you can open all the windows on non humid days. I notice you let your fire go out this is a dry heat so when you go to bed just put a log on it leave your bed door open and put a child gate in the doorway to stop the dogs! The fire will still be warm to start again in the morning. Its well known that a human breathes out 3 cups of water a day and if you have 2 dogs that really adds up. This bubble wrap thing is amazing and simple,im the same age as you and been in the construction game all my life so i know what im talking about. I hope ive helped Gary.👍
@robertwren8878 thanks I will give it a try next year
Woke at 1.00 am and found you 🙂 wasn’t intending to watch but got so interested I watched to the end. I’ve often thought about retiring to the narrowboat life, retirement coming up next year 2026.
Anyway, off now to go find more of your videos, so thank you for making them!
@pootlingalong8928 thank you
Well imagine my surprise when you mentioned a lady saying she thought you were a nice guy. I believe I made a comment to that effect a while back when you gave us a tour of your boat. I said I thought because of your pictures, plants, etc. I thought you were a nice guy. I was so surprised and tickled pink at that mention. Thanks for taking us along on on a lovely walk today. I needed it. Best wishes.😊❤
@DonnaV-x1c yes it may well of been aimed at you. I like to involve my audience where possible
Good advice for boaters, and those considering boating. Pretty encouraging all-round video. Thanks for going through all the ins and outs of boat ownership.
@@sianiswack633 thank you
Ignore the negatives
Best wishes you
Do Awesome ❤
Your Honest 👊
A very informative video for anyone that is considering this way of life 👍 👌. As we get older, there are always advantages and disadvantages for any way of living. It's a case of having to weigh up the pros and cons very carefully, before making a decision.
@@LifeinLancashire thank you
Ive never been so warm in my life, its the biggest feature of the boat. My boat is 20 to 25C all the time. I wore a jumper when it was -7C outside. It would be cold if stove is not on 24/7
I wear light cotton clothes all day inside.
New subscriber
Don´t give trolls a stage, do as Cruising The Cut does, delete them and pretend they never appeared.
Good luck with the winter over there
@@321ozzy thank you
Good man!
Considering it as just retired
Love your helpful advice
@johngracey2000 thank you and it's my pleasure. If you ever need any advice you can always email, berylandbunty@yahoo.com
A major disadvantage for seniors is operating locks on your own especially in the winter as there are less people around to help you if something goes wrong, health wise or safety wise. I would have thought it would be a lot safer for seniors to spend the winters in a marina and continually cruises Spring-Autumn. Just my thoughts.
@@SteveMaggs good point and I know a lot of senior boaters that do that
It is expensive in a marina and not a lot of advantages. I am older than the OP, and move only when the conditions are suitable. I wear my lifejacket if there is likely to be any clambering about.
I really don't work many locks singlehanded, summer or winter. I generally have one summer cruise and the rest of the time I am pottering.
Crack on mate, loving the vlogs. Say it as it is, no editing👍
@@northernboy5427 thank you
A great well-rounded vlog about the disadvantages of narrowboat life, although you spin them around to be positives. Cheers, happy travels.
@IvannaJAwrey thank you. I've learnt over years that you can almost always turn negative situations into positive ones. It i's just a case of wanting to and finding a way to.
Very positive vibes from video, also the scenery is beautiful, thank you.
@@Oscartherescuedog thank you
Thanks for the advice.
@@Trac489 my pleasure
Even new built boats have issues believe me.
A second hand boat will have been messed about with not always for the best.
In the main the boating community will look out for each other and help if needed.
If you can call it an industry there is no regulations regarding who can work in it. This means potentially work done might not be to the required standards.
These difficulties are highlighted on second hand boats which are still commanding high values.
As a boater like the author of this vlog the cold weather is tough its hard to keep the boat at a set temperature and impossible to heat constantly. As you get older the constant jobs get tougher eg loading 13kg gas bottles in to a locker that has a small opening.
It is a hard life in winter and equally hard in summer..... the image of roses and castles is a sentimental view.
New boats now have fancy gizmos which struggle to operating efficiently because of power constraints.
There is a boat near to us a very nice one all electric ( not my cup of tea ) £400k ! ! lucky people
@davidsedlickas8222 thanks for those useful comments it helps to paint the full picture of narrowboat life, which these videos are designed to do.
I have my gas delivered, the delivery guy puts it in the locker. I have plenty of logs and dry coal plus the Webasto. I dont boat when its windy, or do locks in adverse weather. I manage and im older than the OP.
I do make sure i walk for an hour every day.
I have two CO alarms and two smoke alarms, and keep a window near the stove cracked open and open doors and windows if the cabin gets stuffy or smoky.
@ladygardener100 yes i have 2 of each aswell and check them regularly
Great info, thank you. It's SO fun watching RUclips and dreaming... Reality needs to be the anchor even in dreams ... Heat and cold in a boat is much like vanlife.... I had condensation in my van on any metal, but mopping up was part of daily life in the morning... Dehydrator damp catchers pots are essential ... Lol my bedroom as a kid had that wonderful thing called Window ice, I drew in it before my mum scraped it off ... We bathed in a tin bath in front of open fire .. Picked icicles from the outside of the window too... I grew believing in winter you were meant to be cold ... In summer you were meant to be hot and cool off in the river, or with dad's garden hose... But older bones need warmth so they don't lock up and you feel like the tin man lol ...
I hope I get to do this before my time is up, I love my own company.
@@RobMoore01 goos luck
Iv got an Ebike and trailer which has been a godsend on the canal since I don't drive
@nathanberry4339 yes i agree, apart from when the towpath is very muddy
Iv also got an solar air-conditioning system on my boat so she stays at 16 degrees all summer and I bought her a year ago she's a 96 boat and has a beta marine engine never gone wrong also I had white mould under my bed using strong bleach and I used a hole saw drill bit and drilled a few more holes around the bed frame and so far haven't had any more mould there
@narrowboatliving8241 that's the only downside but my bike has fat tyres and I don't bring it inside the boat in winter
@nathanberry4339 yes that's what Amy and Wes did on RUclips channel Boat Time
@narrowboatliving8241 also with Ebikes always remember to bring the battery inside during winter as they dont do well in the cold
Don’t forget locks in your physical disadvantages especially as a single handed senior. Although you could see this as an advantage in keeping yourself fit and mobile 😊
@johnhetherington7858 Thank you. I thought of that after I made this video, so I will cover it when I make a one about locks
I thought I was doing well single handing locks at 70 until l met a single handed lady aged 86 who was fitter and more agile than me, she gave me a hand through a couple of locks as you do 🙂
@johnhetherington7858 Good on her and I hope I'm still as active when I reach that age
In another 2 and a half years I plan to be in your situation. I'm looking for a boat at the moment. There's absolutely nothing wrong with being a grumpy old man, I've aspire to that status for many years and after much practice I'm just about there😅. Your observations on narrowboat life as a senior are very useful, thank you.
@petethegardener thank you. If you're not already doing it start looking on Apollo Duck to get an idea of what you can get for your money. Boat prices are quite stable at the moment.
@narrowboatliving8241 I am, I went to look at a couple of boats yesterday. The one I thought I wanted just didn't feel right, but there was a very nice boat moored next to it so I had a look round that too. Not decided yet if it's the boat I want, but it looks interesting and ticks most of my boxes.
@petethegardener yes you will get a feel for a boat. I nearly made the mistake at the beginning by buying the first boat i looked at, but it would of been a big mistake
My feeling is with anything, a thing or a situation, it is what it is. Everything has good and bad parts. Enjoy the good aspects and endure the bad. Think about the situation and possibly do something different next time. Life is what it is.
@@geobolt8788 good point
Very good video great advice really helpful enjoyed it, I’m 65 and have 40ft cruiser, but manage ok at moment, but thanks for sharing, keep safe.
@@Rollynarrowboattales thanks and you to
You mentioned the car? How does that work? Where do you park in relation to where the boat is?
@mcpjohnson I have discussed the car in previous videos, so have a look at those if not already done so. Basically the car is parked as near to where I'm moored as possible. When I move the boat. I then have to go back and get the car. You get to learn on the routes you do where you can and can't safely leave your car. I hope that helps.
Could you check the stereo sound of your videos. All I am getting is left ear through my headphones. They work fine(both ears) on other channels.
@peterboydell251 it's recorded in stereo. For some reason it only comes out of the left ear piece. It comes out stereo on other devices
Peter I would like to apologise as I have looked online and found out that even tho my microphone says im recording in stereo I am infact only recording on the left hand side. I have found a way of making the recording go out on both left and right sides, which I will put in place for all future videos. Unfortunately as all the other videos have already been uploaded to RUclips I am unable to change them. Once again sorry for the reply I first gave you. Theysay that everyday is a school day and I learnt somethiing new today.
@narrowboatliving8241 thanks for checking. My headphones are actually hearing aids needed as result of standing too close to my rifle during 30 years in the Army. It's also caused by advancing years (73) so we have much in common. Great blog. Thank you for the time and effort that you put in to producing them.
@peterboydell251 my pleasure and thanks for letting me know. Luckily, my hearing survived 12 years of Chieftain tank firing and 6 months of SLR firing during parachute regiment training in 1975
another great video, thank you for giving us both sides of narrowboat life
I wonder if you could comment on security of your boat and have you
had any incidents of vandalism or threats along the canals??
@garyb3816 thank you for the comment. In the 3 years of living on the boat , I can honestly say that I have not experienced any theft or damage from my boat. I have only had one occasion in the Leicester area where some rowdy people walking by late at night banged on the side of the boat. From my past experiences, I know that having dogs and being on board a lot of the time deters any incidents. The boats that do get damage or theft tend to be those that are left unattended by the owner for a period of time. I think people notice the boat is unattended, so it might attract things. As far as security goes, all the stuff on the outside is locked up, and the doors have good locks on them. Some boats have CCTV fitted, but as I have mentioned before, if someone is determined to do harm, they will find a way. It's OK having an alarm system, but if no one is around to do anything, then it doesn't really help. How often do you hear car or house alarms going off and no one does anything. I fully agree that there is always the risk, especially as the boat is exposed to passers by on the towpath, but you have to do all you can to deter. I hope that helps?
How safe are you on a boat .regarding anti social behaviour...drinks..breakins
@fionamcormac7786 because we are out in the open on the canal, you always run the risk of damage, theft, rowdy behaviour, but in the 3 years i have been narrowboating i have not had any issues. This is probably due to me being a live aboard and having dogs. The boats that do get damaged or broken into tend to be those left unattended by the owner for a period of time. It becomes obvious to anyone walking on the towpath if a boat is lived in or unattended so they tend to be the ones at risk. I hope that helps
Hi There. I’ve watched your vids a few times now . Very interesting. Very informative. I am in my late 70s now and would love to swap land for water. Unfortunately my wife is not of the same persuasion.
Please keep on entertaining us and just ignore the little minded people.. Kind Regards 😊
@bobgilhooley8822 thank you, and dare I say it, but being single does have some advantages. Say hi to your wife for me 🤣🤣
Great content do you need a postal address for Doctor and driving license thanks for any help.
@johnhart868 yes you do. You have to be registered somewhere i.e home address or postal address of a relative
I am OK with paying for engine service. I do enough.
@ladygardener100 yes I know about few Seniors who pay to have the maintenance done.
Good vid, but when talking to us, try not having the sun in the camera lens.