Has anyone here raised kids on a narrowboat?

[DanteThunderstone]

My friend has been served with an eviction notice because the landlord is selling up and is finding it impossible to find another rental she can afford. She is a single parent to an easygoing three year old boy who goes to preschool. Her dad can't put them up as he's in a one bed flat but has offered her the chance to take on ownership/responsibility for the narrowboat he owns and keeps on a canal in the city they live on. In the absence of other options she is considering moving into it with her DS. It's currently in a good state of repair inside and out and has beds, a stove fire, a kitchen with fridge and cooker, a hot water system and a shower room.

She's in two minds - on the one hand, no rent to pay. On the other she doesn't know how practical it would be to raise a child on a boat. Her dad has a mooring for the boat but does that mean she can stay there all the time or will she have to move it occasionally (I've heard about families that have to do continuous cruising)? Has anyone got any experience of raising kids on a canal? All of my friend's experience of the boat has been visiting it for a few hours and she's excited but also very daunted about making it a permanent home.

I have absolutely no experience of narrowboats but at 3 i would have absolutely loved living on one! Hopefully someone more helpful will be along shortly...

Me personally, I would be very nervous living with a toddler on a narrow boat. It’s basically living surrounded by a swimming pool with no guard 24/7. With a 10 year old, yes, fine. But 3 year olds can easily fall into and drown in deep water.

Beyond that, I’d consider costs involved. Having a mooring is one thing, but what about heating costs, cooking costs, internet (like no broadband so she’d be reliant on mobile internet), and fuel costs. We looked into buying a narrow boat about 10 years ago and the cost of running it was way more than I would have expected.

My friend did - several children, from babyhood. They couldn't wait to get rid of it once the novelty wore off though.

Lots of people do it - you might get more info from Facebook groups, Narrowboat Owners Group is good, I'm sure there are ones for families but I don't have details I'm afraid.

Re moving the boat - it depends on the mooring, some allow residential or heavy usage, others specify you can't live aboard so check with the marina/mooring company. Even without cruising there tends to be more "life admin" on a boat - fetching fuel for the stove, water etc that you take for granted on land.

It can be a great lifestyle though, loads of outdoor space to enjoy!

I've seriously considered living on one before. She'd need a residential mooring for living on it full time. They seem quite difficult to get. Although that probably depends on area. Otherwise she'll need to be moving regularly. I think this will be the main stumbling block for her.

Like PP said, lots of jobs to do - keep water tank filled, empty the loo regularly...

They can be cosy with a little stove. Can also be damp and freezing! Depends on the condition of her dad's boat.

With a young child in nursery, she'll need a mooring close to that. Does she work? If so, that will affect where she moors up too.

Personally, I could easily do it on my own. But there's no way I could've done it with my DS at 3. I would've found the safety aspect too stressful. But my DS was a climber and high energy. Her child might be entirely different and more suited to a small space surrounded by water.

Not impossible at all. Just a lot to consider.

Thanks everyone

My old boat neighbours did it, 2 kids from babies, they loved the lifestyle. But, from experience, boats are expensive, they always need work done to them, it's the making sure you have gas, enough battery topped up, water, emptying the toilets. A tiny fridge so you are constantly going to the shop. It's tough going.

How do you get post if you live on a boat?

Ds had a friend who lived on a narrow boat until he started school.
The dm worked in London so the boat was on the Thames and her dh would tell her where to meet the boat after work and she cycled to and from work.
I think it was fun for a few years.

On the subject of post - some marinas allow mail if you're a resident I think, other people use friends/family, some have post services like boatmail.

Thanks

Invest in dehumidifier, fire guard for stove, v good life jackets and v effective child gates. It is tinier that you imagine - so plenty of good storage solutions and much damper/colder. On the other hand cheap to heat, furnish, etc. long term mooorings bring with them facilities usually- ie post boxes, toilets, water emptying and bin collections, etc. but can be expensive.
you used to get 14 days and then move on, not back before 7 days free mooring on any towpath- as long as you pay the taxes.
spiders are pretty grim.. so if she/dc is nervous invest in some indorex! Make use of outside storage wherever possible, but be aware that everything will get damp!
be aware also that many retired folk in that community use it as a cheap way to keep an address in th uk- so live on boat in summer when it’s b pleasant, then ship out to warmer European countries in colder months- gives you an idea of the challenges!
Boats are a bit like older cars- so try to give it a ‘run’ and regular upkeep or it will simply fall apart, and quickly-
id be a bit suspicious about the guys motives tbh (you know if he is a nice guy or not) as you can’t just dump a boat, and they can be expensive to get rid of if really past repair- check he isn’t just solving his own problems with this ‘offer’
otoh it can be a lot of fun, children adapt fast to the safety aspect of it. She may find it a bit stinky and cramped, but can definitely be done and done well-

I think it sounds horrendous with a 3 year old, literally wouldn't be able to take your eyes off them for constant fear of them falling in the water....

Some friends of ours did this with their DD. Advantage being it’s relatively easy to move to where the work is, providing you can get a mooring. It is tight for space so you tend to amass less stuff. They have now moved into a house though, now that their DD is approaching her teens.

It'll be fine. Loads of people raise kids on canal boats. Great life!

A mooring means she can stay in that place. So a postal address to sign up to schools, doctors etc

Continuous cruising - no postal address and move every fortnight but also no council tax or permanent mooring fees

I wouldn't sleep at all with a toddler and a canal one foot away!

I've lived on a boat (not a narrowboat, though) for 30 years. AMA!

Have a look at 'foxes afloat' on You Tube. They have moved on to land now but they lived on a narrowboat for 2 years and they have episodes with costs in.

It sounds like your Dad has a permanent mooring - check that allows her to live on board and that the mooring can be passed on to her, it belongs to the person not the boat.

Post - if you have a permeant mooring you may get it delivered to the mooring otherwise you arrange for it to be kept at the post office and you collect it.

A permeant mooring MIGHT mean you have access to an electric hook up otherwise she is going to need to run the engine - usually diesel.

Even if it is not long term a narrowboat is better than a B and B.

I wouldn’t want to do it for long. But in her scenario I would move in now for the summer, giving her 6 months to look for somewhere else before winter ideally.