Pros and cons of moving to a Narrowboat

It was my brother, Dan, who first came up with the idea of me moving to a narrow boat; and first it seemed like a desperate fallback because of having such difficulty keeping up the mortgage, but then the idea started to grow on me in its own right. I have not been enjoying my struggle to own a house, and the house that I'm getting for it is at the bottom of the scale, in a very urbanized village. My long-term hope had been to own a house outright by the time I retire; it's now seeming that I have ruined the part of my health most crucial for my employability (in the sense of getting RSI) and I don't wish to ruin the rest of my health. From selling the house, I should get enough profit, I hope, to pay for a decent narrow boat outright, while also paying off the debt that I have built up while unemployed. If when I get a job it turns out to be in another part of the country, I can simply move the boat to the nearest river or canal. Simplicity is already important to me, and so for me this would be a move in the right direction. I also like the feeling of being closer to nature, although in the high pollen season I may wish to avoid this for a bit. The living costs/running costs for the boat are pretty low; it sounds like about 3000 pounds a year should be enough.

Things to look for in choosing a narrow boat

Since I will have money from selling a house, I shouldn't need to go in at the bottom end of the scale. The important thing will be to buy one with the basic boat itself in good condition. Size will probably also be important to me; as well as the usual living space (bedroom, kitchen, lounge, bathroom) I will want some sort of workshop and storage space.

John C. G. Sturdy

Last modified: Sun Jun 10 22:12:57 GMT Daylight Time 2007