I am sorry for the delay in responding, we have now decided that a boat will give us the space and freedom we are looking for.
Dont boats spend 99.9 % of their life moored in one spot, and then break down the one time you try and go somewhere? Actually, not entirely dissimilar to a camper I suppose…
Nothing like an about turn is there , a boat will give you the space but not the freedom . And you think an old vw delivery van is a money pit ??? Good luck with that one anyway Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk
interestingly we bought our yacht from an old guy who had a few year previous given up sailing to buy a canal boat, he returned to yachting as he was fed up of going one way down the canal one week and back the following. Some people will enjoy that but I dont think it would be for me.
Oh I don't know, there's a whole lot of water out there to be enjoyed! My grandfather and great grandfather were fisherman (Cornwall and Lowestoft) and I grew up messing about on the broads so I don't know why we didn't think of it sooner. Anyway we don't need to worry if it will fit in the garage or whether it has a spare tyre!
Ha, boats are cool. However if it's a canal boat you're after they can only go one way. There and back again. We love the boat, but crave the need to turn left or right when the mood takes...
Actually I wanted to thank everyone on this forum, through your knowledge and helpful answers we realised that the VW camper wasn't perhaps a good a 'fit' for us after all. We still admire them greatly as well as the dedicated owners on this website who keep them living on into the future.
We're looking at a narrowboat so both rivers as well as canals are navigable so port and starboard turns are possible as long as you start turning a few days in advance! I think the late bays will have a better turning circle that's for sure!
You'll see what I mean in due course... What are you looking for. There's a good brokerage on our marina in the Midlands that's just relocated here. David Mawby. At the start of the Trent and Mersey canal, access at Trent Lock to the River Trent up to Keadby going into the northern canals, access down the Soar into Leicester and the Grand Union. The ideal cross roads for exploring the system..
My Line Manager at work has a canal boat down your way, her name is Michelle Hill & her partner Andy Eato, Im not sure where on the marina they are moored as she splits her time between there & Mansfield
When you're not trapped because it's in flood... I've been happy to have a camper too, I'd rather "go somewhere" in that TBH for the above reasons.
Bang goes double/quadruple your bay budget and perhaps £3k/year licence and mooring fees. As far as forums go, if you want a good laugh, sign up to narrowboat world and introduce yourselves by saying you're planning to get a narrowboat to continuously cruise in London.