Narrowboat living

[DumbledoresArmy]

So my mum has recently sold up to live on a Narrowboat.

I'm thinking if she could do it I could.

Anyone living on a canal boat with 2 kids?

[MrsMozart]

I have friends who are die hard boaters. Lived on them for years. Work in the industry. They're saving up for a flat for when they retire. It can be a physically harder life.

[JennyHolzersGhost]

How old are the kids? Depending on the size of the boat you can afford and the location you decide to base yourselves, it could potentially get very claustrophobic as they become teens ...

[BumbleNova]

I used to work on canal barges as a student, ones that had been converted into hotels.

the thing about metal boats is in the cold, they just get damp and there is not much you can do about it. the condensation would be dripping off the metal in the mornings. also damn hard to heat.

lovely idea, i'm not sure of the practicalities. maybe wait til your mum has been doing it a while? go and stay with the kids?

[DumbledoresArmy]

Thanks.

The kids would be 11 & 8.

I'm not a complete novice I suppose as we had a boat as a family when we were younger. Just not live aboard.

[Wtfdoipick]

Be wary of the school situation. Check very carefully whether you could get a permanent mooring and if having to use temporary ones what the rules on directions of travel are.

[specialsubject]

that is a very important point. The Canal and River Trust are very short on cash and are going after houseboaters big time.