A fully revised and expanded edition of the only resource you'll need for choosing, owning and maintaining a narrowboat.
The UK has over 2000 miles of navigable canals and rivers which are home to an estimated 35,000 licensed boats. Although canal boats can look much the same to the novice, there are some very important differences to be aware of. If you're new to boating you have some important choices to make.
This comprehensive book examines the options available to different types of boaters. From those who choose to live aboard their boats and constant cruisers to fair-weather cruisers, hire boating and share boat syndicates - each will need a different type of boat if they are to fully enjoy their time afloat. Packed with case studies and advice from real boaters with years of experience to share, this second edition has been thoroughly updated throughout and includes new information on liveaboard costs and considerations, eco-friendly boating options, shared ownership and tax-free boat building, as well as:
- The cost of boating
- Choosing the ideal boat for your boating profile
- Buying a boat and the legalities of purchase
- Choosing suitable internal fittings and features
- Heating, lighting, toilets and hot water options
- Boat electrics and solar power
- Finding a mooring
- Boating health and safety
- Locks, swing-bridges and the boating 'highway code'
- Boat maintenance
- Boating etiquette and best practice
The Narrowboat Guide ... delivers a real depth of details - we learn which licence allows you to travel where on the network, what types of fuel suit your stove, the pros and cons of different stern glands and what you can reasonably expect to pay for and get on various types of mooring . What sets this book head and shoulders above other guides I've read is the attempt to give estimated costings, not just for the survey and the boat but for all aspects of life aboard and maintenance . If I were to single out one aspect of this book for specific praise it would be the use of text boxes offering diverse empirical accounts from boat owners, brokers and builders.
