London Houseboat

[ILookedintheWater]

In the estate agents bumph it says 'live surrounded by like minded people'. What does this mean?
The quay looks nice enough, mooring covers basic costs, it's definitely doable compared to a midweek flat or room-let. The boats are centrally heated, have stoves etc.
So what is the down side?
Has anyone been a houseboater in a city? Would you recommend it?
Thanks

DH used to live on a narrowboat in London. There's a common saying in the community, the two happiest days as a boat owner are the day you buy it and the day you sell it. Not a single person he became friends with in the boating community still live aboard.

Unless you're buying a pretty new, well fitted out and well maintained boat on a well equipped residential marina everything in-between is bloody hard work and not for the fainthearted. Even on a lovely boat it's still more work than most people are prepared for compared to living in bricks and mortar. It's very much a lifestyle choice. That's not to say don't do it, just be prepared.

That's a very, very expensive boat. But you can charge whatever you like for a boat on a residential mooring.

You should only live on a boat if you like boats. If you see it as cheap alternative housing, you will be in for a shock. A permanent mooring in London is rare and expensive, but at least you would have an electric hook-up. However, you still have to get rid of your sewage waste, which involves taking the boat to the pump out , or carrying a full casette to the elsan disposal. Gas bottles have to be renewed regularly, especially in the winter and they are heavy. Then there is the engine maintenance, the need for a current Boat Safety Certificate - it goes on and on. Maintenance costs can be high, like hull blacking every two years, for which the boat has to come out of the water. You also need to have a fairly intimate knowledge of every part of your boat to keep it in good nick and all the systems working. Boats can, and do, sink, often due to lack of knowledge on the part of the owner. We used to own a narrow boat (only used for hols) and it was a lot of work (and money) to keep everything literally shipshape. Have a look at the London Boaters page on facebook for some stories of the reality of this lifestyle.

How much would a reasonably priced boat be Bertrand?

Mum-it's impossible to say. The value isn't really in the boat- boats can be bought for a song- it's in the mooring. A boat that's about to sink on a secure residential mooring is worth an order of magnitude more than a gorgeous boat with no mooring........

Ah, yes that makes sense

I know someone at the battersea mooring, but because of the new development I don't think there are any new ones available and the existing ones will be forfeit if the boat is moved.