I've been away a while

Been busy working and stuff. 3 weeks Holiday in Brisbane and Sidney. Been on another forum. Don't laugh but we are thinking of selling the house, cars and bike, and buying and living on a narrowboat. We could live on my Navy pension retiring at 55 two years in April. Been massively researching costings and boats. Booked a Holiday in May for a week finishing at Crick boat show (biggest canal boat show in the UK) so we can talk to manufacturers and liveaboard boaters.

Kev

Welcome back Kev   What a great idea for retirement! A massive step too! you've got plenty of time to make your final decision, whatever it is though? I wish you all the best 

two mates I know have lived on boats for a while got to say one was on a narrow boat the other was on a wider boat omg the wider boat was sooooooo much nicer. hope all go's well and you find the one that floats both your boats lol and good luck if ya go for it

Hi Kevin,
I like your retirement plan ..... with the shit many people are getting at work these days an 'early exit' looks increasingly more beneficial & desirable.
I've been thinking on those lines for awhile - just hoping my employer might have a round of voluntary redundancies .... if so I'd be throwing my name on the list !
Good luck with your future plans !
  Yam

Widebeam boats are very nice but they don't fit on a lot of the canal network. This means generally they live in a marina. Might as well have a flat. It is a big step. Wish we didn't have to sell the house to buy the boat and also there will still be a couple of years left on the mortgage. We will have the Holiday and see how we feel. Can you image the amount of stuff we would need to sell, store or get rid of lol...

This is the sort of think we are after.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/0jxr621w8m8kgj5/Drifter.pdf?dl=0

What a great plan you have, hope it all works out for you. Welcome back.

Welcome back Kevin we all hope it goes well for you!

May I wish you all the best with your retirement plans, it sounds an ideal way to spend retirement.

i did look into it too. still thinking about it, a bit dubious about winter though. it wouldn't be difficult to get a bike on board (small one though). some friends of ours had worked out how to get a smart car on board a narrowboat.

Hi Kevin,just a few tips for you as I have recently sold a 47foot narrow boat,I had it for five years at Chirk Marina North Wales.This sort of life can be very rewarding if you both have the same visions,take everything into account,summer can be very busy,so be prepared not to reach your destination on time,winter times you will have check your journeys incase there are lock works closing sections of canals.The maintenance is a must ie: getting it blacked and one thing to bear in mind before you get one check with an independent surveyor the thickness of the hull,safety certificates are every 4 years,but this will not tell you the thickness of the steel.A very important thing to think about is weather you are going to sleep aboard or moor it up it,as you will have to find moorings first,these are normally charged by the foot and in advance,try a few out and check your future boaters out.Accesability to shops and the like,as canal shops can be expensive.Were I was at Chirk was on  a popular canal which was not very good, for everyone wanted to travel there and with it being land locked at LLangollen ment it was very busy.Get yourself a canal and waterways book with maps in for the areas you wish to travel and check the windings (were you can turn your boat) bearing in in mind the size you buy,also how many locks you will need to operate.I really enjoyed my time on the canals,and had moorings as I did not fancy moving every 48hrs,this did not mean you could not go away as we regulary travelled,but always had a base to head back to for repairs and a rest.You certainly will get to know your partner as you only have a small space to live in,and nowere to hide.Good luck Kevin it is a way of live and not a weekend holiday,treat it the same way as buying a house for it is were you are planning to live.Sorry have just realised this is in the wrong section,I apoligise.

Hey alfie thanks for the advice. We are planning to be continuous cruisers. Looking for a 57ft trad stern. We are looking for a winter Holiday to see how much different it would be and I am aware that thinks are not easy. All that wood and coal to get onboard and frozen canals lol.

Can't fault you pal, I plan to retire from my job as a bathroom fitter in the next 5 years at 55 and we are off to Spain as its warmer, nicer, cheaper etc than here. I lived in Tenerife many years ago and loved it only coming back here for a bloody woman! good luck with your plan mate and remember, you only live once so do it right! 

Mick- mum and dad came back from Spain December 2012 due to poor economy. Spain is expensive now. Ended up nearly giving away their property. Healthcare can be very costly too.

Just been to Almeria and it was as cheap as chips to live, further round towards Benidorm etc is more expensive I have found but Andalusia is relatively inexpensive, the monser in law lives there! healthcare is fine on the Spanish NHS but as you say, it can be expensive if you go private and as regards property being cheap, hell yes it is! better for me to buy out there but its on the increase now so gotta be quick. the economy is on its arse but as I plan a life of leisure its not going to be an issue. I was told Tenerife was expensive when I moved there and found it to be the opposite,  its where you shop I suppose. Spanish buraeucracy is a pain in the arse though!

Spanish have no idea. Bars and restaurants are failing. What duo the Spanish do? Put the prices up - less people will pay more lol. Mum and Dad lived Costa del Sol Antequera.

I agree, they are bloody idiots, I just want the simple life, to be warm, a bike as transport and a bloody good rest. My other love is clay shooting and the Spanish for all their faults, love shooting. Oh, I scuba dive as well and the last time I dived in the UK all I saw were a few sticklebacks and a stolen rover! I rest my case my friend.

I went to Spain once, It was full of foreigners 

Yeah I found the same with Wales & Scotland. Somebody please tell all the foreigners to play ball & speak proper English. Even in England I have trouble understanding anyone north of Cirencester, Sim.

Sounds a great plan kevin. Friend of mine at work has a small narrow boat (40' ish) for weekends and hols, and loves the life. In their marina, there's a lot who live full time. 

Who knows, you might even be able to keep the bike, if the marina you chose had a suitable place to stash it!

Still got a couple of years to play on the bike.

mick9264 wrote:

Oh, I scuba dive as well and the last time I dived in the UK all I saw were a few sticklebacks and a stolen rover!

Your are obviously diving in the wrong place, I have dived in many places around the world at some wonderful dive sites reefs, wrecks ect, I have also dived on many UK dive sites and I know Uk waters have some magnificent dive sites. Try The Isles of Scilly.

The UK does have some great dive sites, I did Oban and Scapa flow years ago, it's also got some bloody awful ones as well, I dive the Red Sea when out in Sharm and that's about the best I've come across.

You are right there are some awful ones which are best avoided, I spent 2 years in Bermuda some years ago, the diving there takes some beating, also the Florida Keys is an excellent diving area to mention a couple.

mick9264 wrote:

The UK does have some great dive sites, .

Oldham has a few good dives, Good Kebab shops too! 

Oh , no my mouths all ready for a kebab now you mention it, got the munchies!

Welcome back and good luck with your future plans.