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Show me another »What are the pro's and cons of living on a houseboat or canal longboat in the UK?
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A frinds of mine's sister has bought a barge and moored it in the docklands area of london. pro's its huge compared to a flat of the same price (£80k) and costs £3k per year to moor it there which is about £60 a week I think. you get alot of space for the money and you can put it in very convient places for not much cash incomparison to a normal flat, you can even get morgages for them and no counsil tax. the big issue is you have to take it out of the water every year or so and strip the hull and re anti foul it, which costs a foruturne if you pay some one to do it if you do it yourself it will cost about £500 and take a week of v hard graft. the other problem is you cannot get credit cards etc as you have no fixed abode. and it can get v cold in winter if its not properly prepared for a live-aboard. if you can get it right you will have an awesome place and cheap place to live in the center of any major city. the big thing is to get it properly prepared. have a look at practical boat owner mag or simaler they will be able to help alot.
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my mate charlie. and I used to have my own boat (achilles 24)
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Other Answers (9)
- con you can smell your own poo whilst having breakfast and so can your own guests
- it might sink!!
- After a few month you will look like a memeber of the Kelly family
ha ha - I have just spent 24 hrs throwing up after getting sprayed with bilge water from my mate's narrow boat. That was pretty bad... However, he is the most chilled out person I know - whether that's why he lives on a boat or as a result of it I'm not sure
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Gareth - You have no garden and the pro is you don't have to cut the grass
- its cold and wet for most of the year... and the towpath is full of idiots.. apart from that its great...
- I imagine it can be a bit rocky in high winds, con. When you're fed up with the neighbourhood, it's anchors away and off you go. Definite pro.
- I spent my student days living on a houseboat
One downside is having to have the toilet tank emptied, also we had a limit to how much could be plugged in at any one time i.e kettle + tv+hairdryer+microwave = electric gone
We lived on a converted coal barge and it could get quite cramped, also damp can be a problem.
If you are buying a boat then it will need maintence which can include being dry docked all of which costs money
But great fun though and we had a floating pub down the river. - Watch out for Russian submarines!
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