to consider living in a canal boat?

[TheSeventhHorcrux]

OH and I are saving and saving to buy land and build (and maybe for me to set up a business) and he would like to move from our rented house to a canal boat (we live near a lot of canals).
It would definitely save money though there would be certain sacrifices but I can't help but think that it would be a bit of a laugh...
We're in our mid-twenties and don't have any responsibilities, it could be a lot of fun (?)
AIBU to seriously think about it or have I got some extremely rose-tinted glasses on?

Do it, OP! Sounds like an awesome idea especially when you are in your twenties.

Haven't RTFT but my parents lived on a houseboat on the Seine when they were considerably cooler than me young. 'Damp' was their review.

There's a boy in this house right now who lives on a canal boat (at Bedwyn on the K & A) and attends secondary school. As the boat is permanently moored in catchment he got a place just like anyone else.

Meh, it's not the rats that would bother me it's the wretched Canadian geese.

HONK, HONK, HONK, HONK, HONK and it's not just the honking it's the pooing too.

I live on a barge with 3 kids under 2.5, we have a residential mooring and therefore a proper address (and get tescos to deliver!!), PM me if I can be of help

(We have Egyptian geese as well as Canadian but they're a lot quieter than the babies. Or at least I'm not programmed to notice!)

My friends lived on their parents barge for a year to save the deposit for a house. They were a couple in their 20s, effectively living rent free with miniscule bills. They saved tens of thousands of pounds in 12 months.

Would I have done it? Absolutely. Good luck OP

I've lived on a boat for years and years and years. Tomorrow, I complete on my first house.

Not that I mean to put you off, just a few things you need to know.

1. It isn't cheap. You can get by on very little in the summer, but a lot in the winter. Maintenance is about twice the cost of a decent sized house. Assuming a 35' narrowboat, you will be paying about:

£800 a year for license (the equivalent of road tax)
£150 a year for blacking.
£1000 a year for fuel (coal and diesel)
£3000 a year for general maintenance,
£800-£6000 a year for moorings.

The running costs are based on my 11 years of owning a 35' narrowboat. License fees are going up, and so are fuel costs. You could do some of the maintenance yourself if you are handy, but probably not the welding. My boat is currently being overplated and having its diesel tank repaired at a cost of £5,400.

Land on the canalside is limited, expensive and you will have planning issues if you want to use it residentially. You will need very, very deep pockets if you can find a piece of land.

I don't want to be negative, but this is the biggest shock to people. There is nothing worse than being stuck in a boat you can't afford to fix. Especially if you're somewhere you don't like.

1. Boats don't appreciate in value like houses. They depreciate like cars. Prices are inflated at the bottom end of the market because people are desperate to use them for housing. You won't get a good boat at £8,000.

1. You will need to have a mooring unless you're willing to move once a fortnight. Canal and River Trust have brought out new cruising guidelines and will in future refuse to issue licenses to people who don't comply. You will eventually lose your boat if you don't license it. There are non-residential moorings which you may be able to stay on unofficially (but councils are getting stricter about this). There are proper residential moorings, which you will pay rates and a high price for. Residential moorings are the only ones that have security of tenure - you can be thrown off them, have your rent doubled etc. without any protection in law like you would if you rented a house.

1. It's marvellous, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. :-)