Is It Really Cheap Living On A NARROWBOAT? Self Converted Floating Home 

You can see they don't want people living off grid at any level.

took the plunge, sold the house and brought a 55ft narrowboat with a 1932 Gardener 2L2 engine.......I'm free and I love it. It frees up my time between boat, work and travelling in my land rover. Edit -"bought" not brought for the keyboard warriors

Think it's actually disgusting that those continually cruising are now going to paying more than those mooring tbh. This is the problem in this Country, the Government just want to rip you off no matter what you do.

We did 7 years on boat, glad we left it behind, it’s hard work if you’re continual cruising. We preferred the winter months. Enjoy

Thanks for the video guys, it nicely explains the expense you need to shell out on running a narrow boat. It's still a relatively cheap way to have a home when you think of the amount of money you'd spend on a mortgage and community charges each year. Typical government short sightedness regards reduced funding to the CRT, the canal network is a 250 year old national treasure that must not be allowed to fall into disrepair, it would be a crime if that was allowed to happen. Cheers Guys - Pete

Think I've mentioned this before. Get 6 or 8 USB 4 inch desk fans. Put 4 on the ceiling and 4 on the floor to circuit the warm air away from the wood burner and the colder air back towards the wood burner. Makes a big difference. I use small power banks to run them.

A great and informative video guy's. You make it very realistic with no bull. Love it.

I like that you are giving the costs for _living_ rather than just existing, including baths etc - everyone can adjust according to their budget but this is a realistic expenditure for comparing to life in a flat, rather than in say, a tent :) Most people can relate to living in bricks and mortar so this is really handy!

Oh this is brilliant. I've not gone back over your channel since subscribing a year or so ago... I love van build videos but I reckon your boat conversion will be BRILLIANT... I'm going to binge it all lol

It's always good when Danni & Joe are on Sunday afternoon but Joe no beer of the week!!! Mine is Atlantic Pale Ale & goes down very well whilst watching the you two!!!

Great Blog As Always ❤️ Can't Wait To See The End Result 👀👏👏

Great breakdown, we are still weekend boaters at the moment, looking to purchase a bigger boat next year , buying a boat and being able to be on the water has got to be the best thing ever , so good to leave the rat race whenever we can 👍👍👍

I love the fuel guy with the cigarette in his mouth💥

Thanks for uploading very interesting to see the daily runing cost of Narrowboatd life.

love you guys.....always look forward to your Sunday Video :)

Great videos guys,very informative! 👌🏽⛴️⛴️

I watch a few narrowboat channels and love the lifestyle. One thing that has really struck me as someone living in the US, is how much "freer" you can be as far as live/work options when you don't have to worry about paying health insurance. I know there is no such thing as the perfect system but, you would have to either literally, and I do mean literally, double your monthly expenses or take your chances and go without it if you had the same system as we have here. Thanks for a very interesting video. Oh, I didn't see anything for the most important expense, beer!! lol..... Edit.. of course, you could always get a job that provides health insurance coverage but, it may confine you to a certain area of the canals to stay close enough to commute daily and, yes, they will deduct the cost from your paycheck.

My family have log burners and the reason we got them is because we have a small family joinery company. We burn our scrap wood as its kiln dried. People have called into our place and asked if they can have any of the scrap wood, we always say yes as it costs us money to dispose of the excess. It might pay to find out if there are any joinery companies anywhere near you and ask if you could have some of their scraps.

Very interesting and realistic. Btw I loved the chill background music

Thanks for the info 👍 Was really interesting ❤

Hit the nail on the head with time being precious. Living on a boat if you work full time is almost another job in itself. Not for everyone but id find it hard to live in a house again

Well done guys good informative video 😊😊😊😊

very interesting vid, thanks, makes me think about it, you did a brilliant job on your boat.

Excellent insight into everyday costs involved. Seeing as the average rental cost of a semi detached in a relatively decent area in the north of England is around £800 - £1000 per month and landlords are even charging over £500 just to rent rooms in shared houses. Plus the cost of gas and electric is around £150 - £200 per month, then theres the council tax and water rates, narrowboat living seems considerably cheaper. It's an alternative thats definitely worth looking into. Thanks for the info guys.

I'm seriously thinking of retiring on a boat eventually, looks amazing.

Think it’s time that the massive water companies that take from the systems should start paying something towards the CRT

I’ve had my boat since 2021 and initially used coal for heating but now use one of the Chinese diesel heaters. It’s about the same cost as coal but much less cleaning and stoking. Turns on/off with push of button.

That’s very good for a month. Wow. And yes Starlink would be amazing. All very tempting. You guys take care. Best wishes

Hi you two. Get a diesel heater and a calorifier for hot water. You can't beat having the options. Or if iremember you already have a diesel heater.!

Great vlog as always. It’s definitely the best decision we ever made. Great fun and living in nature is fab. We agree regards having a generator it was a game changer for the winter. Happy cruising x❤

Seeing the date on the CRT surchage page reignights a rage. Prices go up on the 1st of April but wages go up on the 31st.

Hey guys, nice vid. I noticed you saying you don't have a calorifier tank, I couldn't live without mine must admit. 80l tank passes both central heating hot water and engine coolant through a twin coil set that harvests any waste heat into hot water. I only have gas connected to the cooker, 1x bottle per year generally. Hot showers whenever I want as the tank is always hot. Consider it an option if you have the room. 6x years on my 55ft and I'm not looking forwards to these increased charges!

Well done very informative will help many we sure tc now luv from the oldies ❤️🤗❤️🤗

I hope you get to Birmingham. Gas Street Basin is interesting and lively. There is a small roundabout in the canal with a signpost on it. Great videos, very informative, thank you, and best wishes for the future.

Great vid. Something I'm thinking of doing with my wife👍Thanks folks. New sub😊

Good insight into costs. A couple of others to add to the list. Every 4 years the boat safety scheme certification needs renewing. That would be in the region of £150 (depending on location etc). Your internet connection through Smarty, a subsidiary of 3, comes in at £20 a month for 4G, unlimited data. There are some estimates that all costs included, £5K per annum is a reasonable figure (£416 per month), so not far off your numbers. Good video, thanks.

I have ‘safefill’ bottles now and refill them with lpg! Super cheap to refill.

Room in awful flat in Tottenham cost my niece £850 a month. No matter what the canal license costs, it’s a bargain overall and you own your own space which you can move when you get bored. Interesting to see all the costs…

Great vlog. We are( I know I've mentioned before) moving from an off grid in the wilderness in Ontario, Canada. Yes, we do have Starlink( it's brilliant). We wanted to buy a widebeam( so our kids can visit and stay over, etc.) But GUTTED about how the government have cut funding and how it is going up over the next 4 yrs...we are rethinking but our hearts are so in to living this life but now just in limbo as next step...

Great video guys. Going forward to summer cruising you might think of a second channel where you just post normal speed cruising video even from a fixed camera point. Having a meandering river/canal trip on the TV for a few hours makes for great background while people are pottering in the kitchen. Think Tour de France.. few of us watch it for the bike racing Thanks again and good luck

I´m convinced that the duck will be back onbord on the next Joe DIY vid ... 😇🥰

Great information thanks

great video thank you ❤👍

Used to watch these boats when I lived in Maidstone, loved the thought about living on one. But then I have no clue about what it is like. Liked your video, makes me want it even more. :)

From what you say, I gather that some dreams are slightly nightmarish - d'ya know what I mean??? Very good and interesting video, thanks for your honesty!!

Liveaboard, gas water heater and cooker, when solo was 4 x 13kg bottles/yr, when partnered up 6/yr. Important thing with the Morco geyser is to keep the pilot light off unless you're actually using it. If and when you've got some cash, invest in solar panels and then lithium batteries.

Even converting to $, I pay that a month for electricity here in the US. Great video guys. Keep them coming

Really interesting video, get really good vibes from you both, very natural at making a video. I have absolutely no interest in boats 😂 just stumbled across this whilst flicking through and stayed for the lot!

I use one 13kg gas bottle every 3 months but it’s only for cooking. My boat insurance is £68 a month on a 60ft narrowboat (bought new in 2022). I’m permanently moored in a Marina and so far have only used the central heating, so my diesel through the winter has been roughly £150 a month. I have shoreline electricity and really do make the most of it. Microwave, hoover, tv, washing machine, and dehumidifier that dries my washing, costing around £30 a month.

Narrow boat & Land Rover = life sorted👌

A very interesting video ❤

We repair Rudders at work amongst other marine parts, the anodes are very important to relieve the electrolyte effect between the dissimilar metals in water. It's a worry as I'm looking at a way of putting a Sand Battery in a Narrowboat!

We use only use 1 bottles of gas every 2 to 2.5 months. We do use about 3 bags of coal a week in winter which is our only source of heat.

Really interesting video.

👌👌👌👍.......Not sure why this popped up for me. However a good watch👍. Lovely couple.

❤ hi guys...so nice there...better from anywhere...

Great video, thanks. I don't know if you're familiar with The League Of Gentlemen but if you are then all I can say is ' Gary! You lucky, lucky man 😘

Looks like you have a of good floats already!

It’s a hard life living on a boat . Everything needs to be carried to the boat and out . Water is a problem. You will need to up mooring and find a place to fill up . Then there is the soil tank that will need emptying. Hope you have a strong back because your gas bottle will need to be carried too. It’s always damp , obviously. It all looks lovely until it rains and you have walked a mile back from the shops with you food etc . Find a house where you can live not exist . Unless it’s your only option. Good luck to you . I didn’t take to it because it’s so much hassle. Hard to keep clean too .

I've spent £45 on gas in my house in 2 days peak winter. Probably average £5 per day over the year. So that's a win for boat life I'd say.

I cook during the winter on my solid fuel stove. It can halve your gas bill.

Anodes, zinc is used in salt water seagoing boats, fresh water preferred is magnesium ie canal boat , somwtimes aluminium in brackish water

No matter how you look at it there's just no free lunch guys . stay safe be happy .

London marinas shot up in price at some point between 2010 and 2012 or so. New ownership IIRC. Right now it's about the price of renting a flat in the same area, which means it's extortionate. It's luxury these days unless you're in an old concession and these expire. People are moving outwards, it's much more cost effective to commute by train, as expensive as they also have become by the way.

Well I've just pictured Joe washing his smalls and whizzing up and down the towpath on his bike naked with the said small trailing from a little flag pole affixed to the bike and just as they're almost dry ......... It starts to rain😅😅😂😂

Been there done that, Winters are brutal on boats, Never again…

While lease and ground rent is getting pillered the licence approach seems to be going into a similar level of fiscal extraction ...

Great vlog, do you wish you stayed vanlifers as I am ? I'm looking for a mooring and boat the next few years , can't wait ...safe cruising

I would love to live in a narrowboat, I know someone who has a brother living on one that said he will ask if its ok for me to visit and just learn first hand what its like. Im doing my homework and I understand closer to the city = more cost and waiting lists for a mooring and having a job where I need to commute with tools it still seems better for me to be on a narrowboat moored in one location for work then take my quiet times which can be 2-3 weeks in a row to travel and return when it picks up for few months and repeat. Would see more of the UK from a unique view than a road. On assumptions I have: I feel like it is cheaper to move your home to a location for a holiday, and only worry about the additional cost of traveling further and the holiday expense vs leaving your house, travel, book a room hoping for inclusive food that is decent or buy food at resturants/bars to be fed daily and the prime reason of the holiday expense. Correct me if im assuming wrong but having food already with you, a place to stay is already a huge money saver where you can either save money or spend that expense on other things for the experience.

Great video- very informative 👍. Done a lot of canal walks over the years and always wondered , how much etc etc. Q. - how about for official address? For example your drivers license, broadband bills etc Great vid 👌👌

Hi Danni and Joe , it cost me around $10,000-$11,000 a year and run the house without any repairs. I suppose if you look at it which is about 5665 GPP so I don’t know how I stayed is but my house is a three bedroom, one bathroom etc etc home At least if you don’t like the neighbours and you don’t like the scenery you can move. Cliff from Logan City Queensland Australia 🇦🇺👨🏻‍🦽😁

Great things in life ,,no 1 buying your 1st boat 2nd when you eventually sell it ,😮having had one wouldn't have another given free ,it's none stop hassle and stress 😢

Great vlog, the cost of living is def cheaper on a boat, I pay £250 council tax alone, 😢❤

Do you mind me asking where you brought your boat from? It is a dream of mine to live on a narrowboat!

We are saving up to live on a boat our aim is 10-15 years. We would have to live in the docks as my husband has a office job unless work ever is able to be remote we could cruise 😊 we are putting 50 a month aside atm or as much as we can

Still not living on Sardine yet but cracking on. Found evidence of a fire so ripped a load of walls down in the engine room. still loving it mind and using all your old vids for refreshes. I’m on electrics while I’ve got these walls down and been getting under and over myself a bit with choosing the right cable thicknesses for the runs etc 🤯 bit of decision paralysis going on. Got a question about the geni, have you got a galvanic isolator between that and the charger? It’s been throwing me a bit. Do you know anything about it? I think I understand it that the galvanic isolator is for stray current under a certain watts, so if your plugged into shoreline permanently the there’s a danger when everything is off that you could be drawing just under one watt and that’s when you need the isolator but if your draw is higher (ie that of an appliance) then the problem is removed?? Is this too much for RU-vid comment ? Probably. I was thinking about battery charger plugged straight into the generator and avoiding the consumer unit all together I’ll be eco Flo to Charge laptop that’s my only 240 appliance so seems a lot to get all that stuff in there. Any way, I’m moored up at Mercia and I think my rent is the same as your total out going’s on a 30 footer so. You’re doing alright I’d say. Cheers Botha ya! Thanks xx

Thanks. Very informative. What kind of resale is there to sell a boat after the experience has ended?

Instead of using gas to heat the water, why don't you get a calorifier that is fed from the engine and back boiler from the wood burner.

If you put your boat in a marina that is connected to the canal network, approximately 9% of the mooring fee goes to the CRT, so marina moorers are paying more already. So making CC’ers pay a slightly higher licence fee to use the canal continuously is not as unfair as a lot of boaters would have you believe.

i like your t shirt i used to live there

I'm going to date myself, but when I got my first gas (propane) grill, a 20-pound (9.1 kg) tank of propane cost $5.00 US. So, that 13 kg Calor tank would have been $7.15 or 5.65 pounds-sterling.

Hi Danni and Joe Regarding the CRT surcharge increase. Two things I never hear boaters speak of are the increases that marinas do/will be applying to the cost of staying at one and do the CRT surcharges and fee equal or exceed the cost of staying at a marina. I can't help but think that the surcharge and fee is still cheaper than a marina. I really enjoy how organized you are and how well you research your information. One other question, as the boat is your permanent home does the government offer any grants if you were to convert to an electric motor or improve the weather stripping or windows/doors? In Canada we do have such grants for homes. Mark Alberta, Canada

£350 a month is still cheap, you would be lucky to get a house share in Cornwall for £650 a month. Love your vids,kerp them up.

Good video. I like your man's glasses. Any chance of knowing where they are from so I can see if they suit me?

Wow the licence has gone up a lot over the last 3 yrs

We foraged for wood stored it at our allotment and have only used four bags of coal for this winter saved a fortune its very possible if you put the work in

can u reset the surge charge by getting a home mooring for a few months in the winter or something like that ?

I reckon your generator was quite reasonable especially when compared with the cost of a Honda .

Did you or can you guys post a Spreadsheet or something like that for all this?

Interesting, happy boating man 🚣‍♀️

Do you have to store your grey water (waste water - washing machine / kitchen sink / vanity basin) or does it discharge overboard ?

As someone who wants to get a boat, I’ve been following the surcharge drama with interest. I keep seeing opinions along the lines of “attempted gentrification” and “charging more for less services”. While nobody likes to pay more, and it can be argued CRT isn’t efficient enough with how they spend that money, IMO even the circa £2000 a year the licence fee will be by 2028 is still very cheap (unless CRT are reading this comment, then it’s extortionate 😅) in the grand scheme of things. Council tax is somewhat equivalent, and as a Band B payer, that’s currently £1700 a year for me, and will be closer to £2000 by 2028 - also increasing year on year for less of a service, just like the canals. I’ve watched several “how much does it cost to live on a narrowboat” videos now, and the average cost is still less than my modest mortgage payment alone. So for all the complaints of increased costs (justified or otherwise), CC’ing is and will remain one of the cheapest ways to live in the U.K. I just hope the canals are still in a fit state to live on by the time I get there! Love the channel, keep the videos coming 😊

Your heating costs are probably equal to mine in a two bed flat using all electric heating and a tumble dryer. I really didn't think it would be that expensive

I’ve been using soy of gas this winter. Gone through 2 gas bottles!

Even before watching the video if i could afford i would probs still buy one, the freedom of waking in middle of know-where and photography would be great, but i cant afford one but its nice to see and here within the Videos, even at 32 Grand is kinda good to be fair to have it to u and joe style. is there no benefits or discounts to people if they were single boaters ? like discount for unemployed or single person thing ? Full video but no tea or that strange not to see it within ur videos, but good video this time.

Great vlog guys and you know Elon is always watching 😂😂😂

When people talk about the increases they tend to only talk about the cc hikes but not the widebeam hikes

Is the technician mechanic, people like you moving constantly and using the mechanisms of the locks and everything are actually keeping them going, it takes a lot more to maintain things that are not being used

When you have to cruise what's the minimum distance before you can moor up

Can you not get a cooker that you can cook on and heat the water for washing up and heating.