77. Going to look at narrowboats for sale at the ABNB brokerage in Crick 

Nice vlog. I don't think I'll ever get tired of looking at narrowboats. Wish Paul the best. Looks like he may do what I have dreamed about.

An excellent video with a upbeat tone and a happy ending. The story was all wrapped up at the end and presented as a nice package. I enjoyed looking over Paul's shoulder as he shopped.

this is the reason why I find you addictive to watch. brilliant all round. well done. ROD.

I liked the generator and heating set up on the first boat with the big saloon. Second boat had its charm as well

The second you stepped on to the second boat I just went awww, sweet this is so cozy and home-like and a good start to narrow boat life. WooHoo! So happy for Paul. Here's hoping the survey goes well. Thanks for taking us along. I just love looking around the inside of the boats.

Ah what a way to live, how I wish we could do the same here in the states. Keep up the good work on the vlogs, I can at lest live vicariously through them.

He looked so excited with his prospects, good to see.

Kind of like choosing a wedding dress!! You go in with one thing in mind and come out with something else!! That said thanks for this and any time you can tour other boats please take us along. I've always dreamed of living on a houseboat but a narrow boat just might do! Keep up the good work..

Paul seems like a very nice fellow and I hope he found the perfect. boat for him.

I am enjoying your cruising the cut on youtube. I find it relaxing and a nice way to wind down my day. No drama, just clever and interesting commentary. We may someday make it to the UK, it is on my list and a narrow boat trip will be part of it. Thanks.

nice speech. you TV skills are showing..Good video.

Thank You for yet another very interesting video. I'm pleased that Paul is buying his first boat, and he'll switch from being a teacher to being a student as he learns how to enjoy his new life whilst gleaning all he can from those around him on the waterways. I think a collection of these videos will become essential viewing for him!

Thanks for sharing. Congrats to Paul on his boat (that was my favorite too). Thanks also for including a link to Paul's RU-vid videos. I live in the US (Seattle) and enjoy joining you and the others on the cut.

Very nice video.....thanks for bringing us along. As an aside, any historical narratives of the canals and the Industrial Age is a welcome treat for us stateside.

It is always nice to get a couple of different viewpoints, for how people go about picking their narrowboat, caravan, etc. Thank you

Congratulations on the new boat Paul....

Thanks for taking us along on the boat inspection. Fun to be an eavesdropper.

Thanks for taking us along...very informative.

Awesome video. I liked that he listened to welcoming energy of the second boat.

Hiring a boat will give a huge amount of insight as to whats important both comfort and function wise for less experienced boaters. Consider it an R & D cost thats well worth the investment.

To find someone sincere and helpful when delving into the unknown can make the future a bit less daunting. Very well done.

I have to agree, the second smaller boat is more cosy, easier to heat and workable. People live in vans so that boat would be just fine. Why am I here .... boats aren't even on my radar Lol 👍

Another terrific vlog, thanks! It was great to see someone going through some of the buying process, and how that changed their minds about the right boat for them. If you can, it would be interesting to have little "follow-up" segments about how Paul gets on with the boat and his first experiences once aboard. Sort of a vlog within the vlog.

Super informative video , Thanks David and Good Luck to Paul on his new adventure. Cheers Steve

That was great. It showed it's exactly like buying a house with the same emotional reaction. Maybe you and Narrowboat Helen could become the Kirsty and Phil of the inland waterways!

Another great vid. I went down to Pryford Marina yesterday with the dog for a look around. Some lovely boats there. Being open minded is great advice, I never thought I would like the cruiser sterns but having 2 kids and a dog the outside space was so nice to have, My searching has begun

I've been watching for a wee while. It's really a very different lifestyle and these sort of videos are good for making you think "is this maybe within my reach one day". Which is a nice wee dream even if it's never a reality. Good work man.

Nice to see someone taking the leap and planing to live out of the norm !

Being an RVer here in the US with a 31` long rig I would go for the first 50 foot with that nice heating system because you won't be running the generator as much. Now for solar my next purchase will be the larger 300w panels. Less space on the roof for 2x more power over 100w panel which for you because of your differing weather will produce a bit more for the roof footage but here a great advantage! Enjoy yours and other people's blogs! Blue Sky's and Safe Journeys!

Dave, It's always a pleasure to watch your videos. You have a fine talent. Hope Paul's boat works out for him. The smaller boat looked very nice and would be an easier conversion for solar. However, there is nothing quite like firing up the generator when you need it and porcelain fixtures stay looking nice for very long time as compared to plastic ones. B/r

A different style of vlog CTC and very nice indeed; an upbeat feel to it (not that your others don't). Most enjoyable and very professional as always.

New to the channel, but have been going back thru the videos and watching a few each day. Only wish there was something like the canals here in the US.

Great video David and well done Paul!! Your 100% right about how plans and thoughts change, there's so much to consider. I've looked at quite a few larger (50+) narrowboats however I'm now looking at something smaller. I simply don't need quite that much space and storage and I've seen some cracking smaller boats. Pro's and Cons to everything, I think it's what works for you as the owner that's the important thing.

I enjoy hearing other peoples perspective on downsizing and living smaller. It is definitely a psychological journey people take which really intrigues me. His concern for his grandchildren is something most would not think about when buying a boat but obviously important to his decision buying process. You do nice videos. Well done.

Just caught up with you ( rather late!) Live, now, in Berlin, Germany 😊 But will never forget my 'wish to live on a barge', when I visited my Aunt Barbara, in Rickmansworth, Herts, (we were living in Greece, at the time, and just visiting the famiy!) and we walked along the canal. On the other side of the canal was a wharf, where thy built the most beatifull narrow boats! I always wanted to live on a narrow boat, and , after we'd shouted across the canal, went over the bridge, wnt across, and were allowed to have a look at the most 'amazing boat I'd ever seen in my life'! She was out of the water, and they'd totally repaired, and re treated her hull! We were allowed inside, and I was totally 'in love with her'😊 The boys too😀 Incredible, with guarantee! 1.500£! Uncle John said he'd even help me! Was a time of 'mega problems ' with my Greek husband, and, in retrospect, we stupidly returned' to unsuccessfully 'try again'😑😕 Now am a Granny, living in Berlin, Germany, but will never forget my 'longboat dreams' 😊 All love, and best wishes, Claire, Berlin, Germany

Great Vlog David keep up the great work. The same has been happing to me as I look around the many boats.

I always enjoy watching your videos. Just wish you made more. Nice to share the river boating world through your videos.

Congratulations to Paul

Thank you for the excellent video may I suggest, seen as Paul has placed an offer doing a follow up video in 3 or 4 months time

How much were the boats? Did I miss the price? Loved that 2nd boat by the way.

We hope all goes well for Paul and look forward to the follow up. 🦎🦎

So what prices were the boats??????

Wonderful interview.

great VLOG as always . buyers market in these troubled times .

I'm still having this crazy idea of getting a boat and dry docking it on a foundation of some kind to make a tiny house with it. It would look original and if there was a flood I'd be all set. :)

Nice one Paul, hoping the survey goes swimmingly. Lovely to see someone buying and not dithering/day-dreaming. Super good for you :) Fabbo vlog as always!

Good luck Paul! Hope it goes smoothly.

What a coincidence! We were at this very place, looking at this very boat (Avrio) on Saturday! Weather was lovely though, bright sun and tweeting birds :) We are currently looking for our first boat to tide us over for a few years until retirement. Our best advice? Research, research, research!Take your time looking round. Open cupboards, peer into nooks and crannies, ask awkward questions. Staff at Crick always very helpful.

For the algorithm 🙂🐿❤️ and just in case it also uses key words. Brilliant Informative Fascinating I love it Fantastic More_more_more

Yes I must say that I ALSO preferred the smaller boat.

Thank you for this insight into boat procurement. Since subscribing to Cruising the Cut and watched loads of them I am now in the process of buying my own boat! Its all a bit new and scary as the boat is in Nantwich and I live in Berkshire, there is the inevitable maiden journey getting it down here. Thanks again for your wonderful vlog!

Always great advice and common sense. Well presented.

I'm wondering if you've come across people in their 70's living on narrowboats and how they cope? Not that I'm at that age (mid 50's) but I'm a little curious to long term planning. Loving your videos. Well done to CruisingTheCut!

Great Vlog nice to see how the whole process works. Also link to Paul's channel not working.

Nice and fun to go along with you two. Next time could you show the exterior, full length? Cheers!

Great vlog David, always good to see the process in action, the plus's and minus's lol....... and then theres the "feel" which can override the original buying specs. Hope the survey goes well for him and also the purchase process, maybe a vlog in there David if your about for the rest of the process. Cheers

Well done, a good insight, we are still looking for our boat, we did like the people at ABNB and will be visiting again next week, so glad Paul found his boat, how long had he been searching? thanks again for the vlog

Nice video mate! Good to see you are still doing wel on your boat ! Greetz from Holland!

Love this episode! I found a 27' sailboat I could afford. The inspection went well as I could afford the repairs. I decided to sleep aboard for a night and backed out the next Day. Money well lost!

Really enjoy your videos, this one was great can we have more please...

Oh, David, thou art a heartless, cruel man placing temptation in my way like this...or rather, in my wife’s way. We have been dithering mightily over our upcoming retirement, and what to do with it. As I am not exactly the perfect physical specimen, what with two artificial hips and shortly to be the proud owner of a new knee, whether or not we could cope with a retirement afloat has been looking ever-more unlikely. Until, that is, my wife saw blog 77! Now it is all back on the cards again and we are planning to sell our current home and buy a much, much smaller house, and spend the residue on a narrow boat! We have been following the vlogs of Narrowboat Girl, where, it seems, her mum does most of the driving while Emma works the locks. This seems to be fine with my wife, so I suppose we will begin the quest shortly!

I love his advice (always nice when looking for a living space - don't just look at pictures and dismis anything that doesn't fit what you want (unless you truly know that certain things will not work for you - like the bathroom, when it's not a bathroom that you can walk past while it's in use)), still if I were a Brit and in the market for a boat, then I'd probably not settle for under 56 foot (I'd want that to be able to travel most of the network of canals, but any shorter is IMHO pretty small...I'd do want a bit of space for books, a TV, Stereo and yes, even a desktop computer and monitor setup (I just enjoy working and gaming on mine too much!))

yay a new vlog ☺, a small world, my brother lives in Dunblane and is only 6 miles away from where I live. #2 boat was excellent, lots of character

Hi David. I have a few questions, if I may. Perhaps you could answer them on one of your upcoming vlogs. What I would like to know is do you have a lockup somewhere to store any items you wanted to keep when you sold your house? How do you get access to your car quickly or do you rely on public transport? What happens about snail mail. Do you have a PO box that you can collect from? Last but not least, I saw you using an large A4 size canal map book with a plastic ring binder, however, I can't seem to find these and have only managed to get hold of small A5 ones.

Great vid. have just viewed more boats and have come to a decision on the size we need as well. This was done after viewing 45 footer. Await ya nxt vid 👍

Please follow up with Paul in the future. It would be great to see how things work out for him. Nice vid sir.

Would like to hear a follow up on this story sometime. Interesting video.

An interesting contrast between a DIY fit-out versus (I assume) professional fit. I very much lean toward a pro-fit as I believe this can make better use of available space through more ingenious storage solutions. I am also not a fan of open plan saloon-cum-diners much preferring a raised Pullman dinette that converts to guest bunks as required. Despite the absence of Pullman dinette, I too prefer the second boat. Another nice vlog David. #thumbsup

First time buyers are leaping into the unknown. Since with no experience they buy the boat that looks nice and feels nice. Anyone thinking of buying a boat would be advised to take a current or past livaboard person with then to be focused on the essential practical side of narrow boating.

Back boilers and ugly pipes go together as it has to circulate naturally. Radiators and a diesel heater are probably more useful as you can get heat fast, while you light the stove! My 57' has a stove in the middle and the heat reaches all parts easily. Although the cruiser stern doesn't look as good, it's convenient as the crew can get on and off more easily and cross the boat without having to dodge the tiller. We have a reverse layout with kitchen at the rear and saloon in the middle. At the end of the day, you know what you want when you see it. So, just go and look at boats. Our only deal breaker was that it had to have a shower rather than a bath.

Great idea for a vlog and I'm pleased that people aren't so stuck on 57 foot boats as a cruising and liveaboard option. 45 foot is a very versatile size and it looked fab. The toilet on the first boat was a dump through, pump out and not a cassette though. You can get porcelain cassette loos now that are great.

Interesting and very professional video.

Smashing vlog! Some great advice about having an open mind. We ended up with the complete opposite of what we thought we wanted.

Thinking “Cruising the Cut” series could also be called “Everything you would want AND need to know about Narrowboating AND the British Canal network! Bottom line, NARROWBOATS can transit the entire system, wider boats must stick to either the north or the south areas.

A really nice package. Good editing. Well done.

I'm from Brazil, discovery you channel searching for tiny houses. I'm enjoying a lot your vlog. Congrats!

Thanks for sharing.Both boats look really nice.

Great information and advice. keep up the good work. STAY SAFE.

I'd go for number 2 also

Lovely vid. Top content as always. Cheers from México!

Excellent video again. So both boats are of a similar age and one is 12ft shorter, the asking price differs by only 2000 pounds, just shows what a professional fit out can be worth at the end of the day

Both boats were great however feature wise and space I would've opted for the first one. That said it's all about the price. Wish this video was longer. Cheers and good luck to your friend.

Just curious is there an update to what boat he got and how he is getting on with boat life?

i would of gone with number 1, might as well get the size one time so you don't have to worry about it later on and the grand kids/family will grow into it, best to have it and don't need it, than to need it and don't have it. Any update on him and his boat?

Well done. Fun and informative.

great show , oh please make more , loved it , ttyl.

well done once again . a truly enjoyable vlog

I have a 2016 Coachman twin axle caravan and the fridge we have in there is a Thetford three way fridge freezer, it’s fantastic as can be powered by 230v 12v and gas too. I haven’t seen one like the one in our van. Been looking for months at these lovely Narrowboats. Time is coming soon for a change of lifestyle. Just need to convince she who cracks the whip to part with caravan and bricks & mortar. We’re watching all your vlogs and when she saw the one where you mention spiders all over the place I think you put her right off. I did mention that I have to get rid of the spiders in our caravan before she sets step in her, only kidding as I’ve never had spiders in our van. I wander why spiders like Narrowboats so much? Enjoining the videos btw. Oh! one last thing! If we were to sell up, how do we receive our mail? Would we have to register with a mariner? I’d like to be a constant tourer and there would be no way of receiving our mail. I’m still looking at the adverts to see what’s out there. It’s a minefield. Thanks again for the videos you lucky so and so. 😉

Nice vlog, interesting to see another persons viewpoint. They do say the boat will find you, not you find the boat.

Love the way you explain everything!

Great video David, as always thank you.

What a great vlog. What did you think of the back boiler now I've seen all the pipes laid out like that i'am not to sure .i was thinking of a pressurised system that is if the water pump will give me 1.5 bar . Saves on the header tank and space

Really interesting little video - now my question would be ; what is the asking price for each of the 2 boats ?

Another excellent vlog M8!

Dont forget to pull it out of the water and check below the waterline.

Uh oh.... is it an ominous sign for our RVing future that, in light of our plans for this fall, we're here watching one of your videos about buying a narrowboat? ;-)

Do love looking around narrow boats, call me nosy but it dose give me idea`s for when i retire, and buy my boat, another great vlog thank you.

Inverters today are so efficient there’s no reason to not use mains voltage appliances. Especially as low voltage stuff is so expensive.

Another great video David. I myself would have gone for the first one.

Went to ABNB yesterday, looked at boats in the rain and sleet, went to the Moorings to warm up in front of the open fire, went back this morning, and yes there was still rain and sleet, and the Moorings warmed us up once again while we waited for our fist offer to be refused, but thankfully our second offer was accepted and we are now the proud owners of a very nice narrow boat, (subject to survey) We know this isn't a plug for ABNB but we would like to say that so far we have found them very helpful and professional, and I would like to thank them for their patience in dealing with us novices. Happy and nearly broke, happy YES YES & YES, pictures soon