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Are you missing a couple of letters there? Oh, and canal boats are narrowboats, not longboats.

That is a particularly expensive way of doing it, and funnily enough, way more than half the money ends up in the management companies pocket - nice earner for them.

If you intend to keep on the move it can be a lot cheaper than that especially you don't stay at one place more than 14 days.

Interesting post Granny, Thank You for posting the original.

A new one will cost you upwards of £1,000 a foot of length, fitted out. Second hand ones are a lot cheaper, but get a surveyor to check for hull corrosion before buying it. Replating it will cost thousands.

Mooring in a marina will cost roughly between £1,500 and £2,000 a year. Insurance another £100 to £200 or so a year. A waterways licence will cost between £500 and £1200 a year, depending on its length and every two years it will have to be lifted out and the hull re-blacked (about £12 to £15 a foot) plus the charge for lifting it out and putting it back - maybe £100. In addition, every three years you need to get a surveyor to inspect it to get a Boat Safety Certificate. This will cost several hundred pounds. Toilet are either 'Cassette' (You empty a container of stuff about the size of a suitcase yourself every few days) or it goes into a holding tank which can be sucked out at boatyards at a cost of £15 to £20 every ten days or so.

All this is in addition to any maintenance like repainting , engine repairs, replacement batteries, fuel, calor gas, coal or wood which you can buy at boatyards/garages etc. Basically they are money pits.

I'm told the word BOAT stands for Bring Out Another Thousand, and I believe it!

We only pass this way once, if it feels good, Try It.

As stated previously, the more knowledge the more expense. The original thought was with intention for my son. Not granny...good Lord, could you see that ?

Where we lived years ago, there were houseboats on mudflats. All in all, they looked pretty grim but the occupants seemed to be very happy with their life style of knotted string gangways. I doubt there were any costs involved as I think these houseboats had cemented themselves into the mud over a period of half a century. Not like the super flash models we see on the Thames.

Still, the idea of a canal is very appealing but unless there is constant financial backup,(for years) it could result in being a total disaster...from all accounts. Thanks for all the posts, it is very interesting.

Guess what's on tonight 10pm (repeat)


http://www.radiotimes.com/episode/dkqk6m/all-aboard-the-canal-trip

15 mins in and I am loving this.,,,, anyone else watching ? Therapy clinic !
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/live/bbcfour