 Nov 8 2007, 09:55 AM |
Well, I say selling, I mean trying to sell it next spring time ish.
First we have work to complete on the exterior paint, and an engine service or two to complete before then, plus fitting a new solid oak kitchen floor, renovate the kitchen and spruce up the showerroom.
That's where the agreement ends though. we need to complete the work, sell the boat and find a new living arrangement.
He doesn't like living in England, in fact he doesn't like quite a lot of things, and in particular he doesn't like my idea to live on a yacht by the coast.
He wants a piece of land to grow food and animals and generally live off the land as much as he can, having lots of "things" spread around him. Basically he needs space and a boat doesn't give him that luxury as there is absolutely no room to store any amount of crap you might want to hoard. and hoarding makes him very very happy.
I on the other hand am perfectly happy in a boat, the compact spaces, the odd shaped beds, cubby holes, ingenious methods of storage, the noise of a diesel engine, the clank of rigging on a mast, the sound of birds pattering over the roof, the plink plopping of the water on the sides, the watery reflections on the ceiling, the sensation of movement as you move around, the fact you can just untie and move on to another place, using a fraction of the water and electricity than you would in a house, not being tied to a piece of the earth someone has laid a claim to, yes living afloat on a boat is right up my alley, street and watery driveway. it tickles me pink, makes me go all warm inside when i think about it and doing it just puts the cherry right on the top of that cake that sits on the sliding hatchway i enjoy trying to avoid hitting my head on or swinging from when its open.
When I say boat, I mean BOAT, not a narrowboat. A narrowboat (In my opinion) is basically a caravan on water and the water is more of an inconvenience. I think I prefer mobile homes to narrowboats. at least with a mobile home you can really go places.
Its not often you read of someone saying they dont like narrowboats. I tried a google search to see if there was any more disillusioned people out there who put their thoughts down on an internet forum or blog for people to read.
There's nothing, I've found zero articles, jack schit, bugger all about people NOT liking narrowboats or canal boating.
What is it I don't like about narrowboats? It's hard to put my finger directly on the spot but I think mostly it's their limitations. They can't maneuver quickly, they are heavy, slow, cumbersome, ugly narrow metal boxes replicated over and over again, yes some have lovely paint jobs and I applaud owners who find new and interesting ways of painting things on their boats, but generally speaking they don't give the most pleasant of boating sensations.
it's an entirely limited boating experience.
So it seems I am alone in my dislike of the long metal boxes. perhaps that makes me a snob? I don't think so because, in fact the yachts I've looked at for a guide to price are roughly the same price or cheaper than most 57' narrowboats like Honey Ryder. That could be due to the fact HR has been kitted out from it's original build as a liveaboard and has liveaboard luxuries you wont find initially on a yacht? maybe a steel hull is more valuable than GRP hull? that doesn't explain why grp motorcruisers are so flippin expensive.. apart from if you count the engines.... narrowboats have this odd heritage appeal and perhaps that is what keeps their prices relatively high?
I'm not sure about that, I'm not sure about a lot of things, but there's one thing I am definitely sure of, and that is, I love living on boats.
I think narrowboats are a bit like marmite, you either love them or hate them, but you will never know unless you try it.
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