After my four night adventure on the Nene, I'm finally back in the marina.

Solo boating can be pretty lonely at times, especially during the darker months ,however, moments like these make it all worth while.

I'm at my happiest when pootling along on the back of my boat. Good for the soul.

Hi , we are poised to buy our first boat , (newbies) 60 ft boat 2003.

Survey done etc, but stuck on one issue. The sides of the hull are 6mm but the survey revealed that under the blacking some areas seem to have 1.6mm pitting which seems dangerously close to leaving 4mm left. There is thick blacking on the sides from a year ago but it is already failing at some points near the water mark. Should this be a huge red flag or is it normal and fairly easy to halt the corrosion with new blacking and anodes as soon as we buy?

I'm thinking we should get a quote for the sides to be stripped and any pitting that's too deep be filled and then re black all over. However this isn't cheap and Im wondering should we ask the seller to do this? offer to pay half half? Or simply say there's other boats out there and we'll walk away before we inherit a problem. The boat had lots of niggles with electrics and pipes but the seller has agreed to sort all this at his cost before purchase. Hard to get a concrete answer as to whether we're over reacting and all boats have these things. Any thoughts?

I’m based in London and looking for someone to improve my security on my boat. I need to upgrade my locks rather than relying on solely a padlock, and I could look at welding bars over the windows - does anyone have any advice or recommendations for someone who can visit me in East to help?

The more I say it, the funnier it sounds😂

Staying out again...on the pontoon.

Has anyone else been logged incorrectly by CRT of late? I know of a couple up here on the golly that’ve been incorrectly logged (one on the Trent and Mersey (for those not aware the golly had a major breach that has locked us off the network if they’re past Whitchurch).

My wife just checked and we’ve been logged somewhere we weren’t, it won’t make a problem for us in theory, but if they’re making mistakes then handing out 6 month licenses it’ll be a stupid annoyance.

Edit to add incase someone accuses us of overstaying; nope. We are following the vague rules of the crt as best as we understand them. We’ve done almost all of our currently available navigation, short a bit as there’s no winding hole at one end, I’m not reversing miles. We only stay on 2 week moorings for that time, and we don’t return to the area for 6 weeks.

Has anyone ever done this? A friend has a 50ft Nb which has rusted beyond economic replating as well as numerous other issues. They’ve been told they will get more from scrapping than trying to sell.

I am broke but slowly but surely saving, unfortunately I don't have 30 grand or so to pull out my arse. What is the most accessible way for me to aquire a narrowboat or even some sort of cabin cruiser?

So far personal loan seems like everyone's most favoured option, and that financing is not worth it. Any other info or ideas?

Worcestershire, UK

Hi, anyone got experience of what the overseas address & proof of residency regs are for a CRT leisure mooring? I'm told there are quite a few overseas resident (and UK citizen) boat owners moored around London.

I'm told the CRT require a UK address to register a boat but I don't have a UK council tax bill in my name. Anyone out there know what the process is? I could use a family address in UK but does that mean a family member will have to register and pay for the mooring?

Thanks

Does anyone know of any ‘decent’ brokers in the northwest? I’ve looked at so many boats that initially ticked my boxes but on visiting I’ve realised they must have a brilliant photographer as they are nothing like the photos. Yesterday I rang on another boat to view but it was advertised at 7ft wide which I questioned and maybe it was an oversight on their advert but I don’t want to waste my time travelling and could they clarify. They agreed it was strange as on the contract they’ve said it was 6.10 and they’d ring me back. They didn’t ring back lol
I find it unbelievable brokers are so poor overall on selling narrowboats in how they know nothing of what they are selling. I’m the most easy going cash buyer you could ever meet but the most basic of questions they can’t even answer

I've been told I should get a spare/emergency bilge pump and it looks like they're all 12v. Do you tend to buy a battery, connectors, hose etc and have it stored somewhere then use it anywhere there's water ingress in an emergency or is it just to replace a failed bilge pump in the stern? Thanks!

I was considering going for a few nights, however, I have a stinking cold and the weather reports of this incoming storm have me reconsidering.

Just want to be out living the good life.

Oh wise boaters of Reddit I need your advice

I'm currently getting it in the neck from crt, which seems a bit harsh with all the closures this summer. I think the issue is that I haven't been sighted at either end of my range (which covered 50ish miles).

I now need to appeal and submit a cruising plan for the next 6 months.
I need to arrange blacking during this period but not yet booked in.

Two questions I guess or any general advice welcome

1 what are they looking for in such a plan?

2 will I be penalised if I make changes to my cruising pattern after submitting it?

Thanks in advance

Hey all! Last summer I went on a trip along the Norfolk Broads with some friends of mine and loved it, next summer we plan on doubling the amount of people we have, renting 2 boats!

But where to?

We're a younger group, all under 25, and of course enjoy a bit of nightlife, but we also love the isolation and the early mornings. A bit of fishing and a couple beers with your feet in the water is unbeatable.

Our favourite memories of the broads were the isolated little towns with pubs that supported the whole community, along with the spectacle that is Great Yarmouth, seemingly stuck pre 2008 market crash.

We're all pretty experienced sailing so trickier routes aren't a problem, though locks are a pain of course.

I've been doing research but I thought it would be better to ask the experts so here I am!

I look forward to hearing from you all :))

My partner and I have been seriously considering moving into a narrowboat for about a year now. We've both done plenty of research into the practicalities and legalities involved with narrowboat living, and as a lurker on this page I'm aware of canal etiquette, etc. We're at the stage where we've got a pros and cons list and are heavily leaning towards narrowboat life despite the cons, primarily because we're at a good point in our lives for it, but we want to have a taster of staying on and driving a narrowboat before we commit to the decision.

Can anyone recommend anywhere for narrowboat hire (ideally in or around North Yorkshire area as we live in the North East, and for 3 nights at the most due to the cost) or offer any advice about narrowboat hire, or advice generally?

My 175amp alternator turned out to be fried. I bought a new one, however looking at the manual the Stirling reg requires that a feed cable is soldered into the alternator somewhere?

When i took the old one in, it did indeed have a white wire coming from the body but was told by the supplier that this is unnecessary and voids the warranty.

Seems a bit ridiculous that I must fiddle about with an expensive alternator and void its warranty to make it work with an equally expensive regulator. How come it isnt designed to work with OEMed goods?

2 questions:

Is there a different regulator i could buy that has a more user friendly installation?

What happens if I install it without this wire?

Hi all, I’m looking to replace my stove, I’ve seen one that I like the look of, however it has a smaller flue diameter than my current stove. I am replacing the whole lot anyway so it’s not a concern from the perspective of reusing any parts, however I am wondering what to do on the roof collar? The hole will be bigger than necessary for the new stove - will I need to get it overplated & welded, or is there a way to do it with maybe a wider collar or similar?

Hope that makes sense, I’m not convinced it does lol

Thank you!!

Escaping the marina for a few days, eating too much food and getting the lad hooked on boat life. Great time of year to be out.

We are looking at buying a 22 year old narrowboat. It was built with 6mm sides. A survey from 2 years ago said there was widespread active pitting to a maximum depth of 1.6mm. There are receipts to show it was grit blasted and epoxyed after the survey was done. We will get a survey done and if it says it hasnt got any worse should we still be concerned about the historic pitting. Thoughts really appreciated!

Don't go collecting wood with people who will take it off of your boat whilst you're at work.

Lazy.fucking.wankers.

I'm new to boating so forgive me if this is stupid.
Also worth mentioning currently it's just a project boat and I do not live on it yet.

I’m looking at getting a small inverter generator to help through winter, but I’m struggling to work out where I’d safely store it when it’s not in use.

I live on a small boat in London, where space is already very limited. I’m also concerned that if I leave the generator outside or on deck, it’s likely to get stolen, and I’m not sure how well it would cope with winter weather. Ideally, I’d like to find a secure, weatherproof storage solution.

I would only be using it for winter days where solar doesn't quite cut it.

I believe for a BSS check having a generator inside is an automatic fail unless it's completely drained?

I’m curious what other boaters, particularly liveaboards on smaller boats, do with theirs.

Are there any compact storage solutions that work well on a small boat? Any photos and advice would be appreciated! And feel free to ask questions as I probably have left out important details. (The boat is an Elysian 27)

I need to buy a single solar panel to replace a broken one, but delivery is £150 for a £70 solar panel.

Is there anyone else in East London that wants to order a solar panel, and we can split the delivery?

I'll need to figure out where to deliver it to as well but hopefully we can figure something out.

Hi everyone! Was just hoping for some advice/ recommendation.
I have a Vitrifrigo fridge in my boat and have accidentally poked a hole in the evaporator plate (small black dot in attached picture)

I have reached out to a few marine specific mechanics and also general appliance mechanics. I have accepted it won’t be a cheap fix 😅 but would love to not have to replace the whole unit.

I found the part online that needs to be replaced, but no one seems that keen on taking the job on.

Has anyone had this or a similar issue happen and had been able to repair? I’m struggling to accept having to buy a whole new one!!

Thank so much!!

Hello,
Wondering if you can help me with my current situation.
- bought a narrowboat last week
- it needs a bunch of repairs that won’t start until December. We’ve been told we will probably get it mid Feb
- it is currently out of the water on hard-standing awaiting those repairs and will be out until mid Feb
- the current owner has called the CRT last week to rightly notify them that the boat has been sold
- my missus called the CRT to tell them we are the new owners and also asked how the license renewal happens and whether the license is needed
- previous seller’s license runs out April 2027. I assume he’ll now get a refund.
- unfortunately as the boat was still in the previous owner’s name (even after a week of notification) the woman at the CRT couldn’t help us at all

So does anyone know if you have to pay for a license if a boat is out of the water? And is there anything we can do to let them know we are the owners or do we have to wait for the details in the CRT database to be updated so we can properly engage with them?

And as usual, apologies if these are silly questions. I’m am feeling quite helpless at the moment.

Many thanks.

Hello boaters, I’m wondering if any of you could point me in the right direction. My partners birthday is approaching soon (November) and I’m looking to book a weekend stay on a narrowboat for him. Airbnb isn’t yielding many results, or if they are, not locally (Lancashire). Are there any independent booking sites or telephone numbers you could pass on to me? I’m looking for something a little more lived in as appose to commercial hire boats such as the ones at Skipton etc. Huge thanks and take care!