The complete guide to living on a narrowboat

Section 1: Could you be a liveaboard?

Thinking about swapping house keys for a windlass?

In this section we’ll talk through what it’s actually like to live afloat – the highs, the challenges, and the realities of day-to-day life. You’ll get a sense of the typical costs, what it means to continuously cruise versus having a home mooring, and how to choose your very first boat.

If you’ve ever dreamed of a simpler, slower way of living, this is where your journey begins.

Illustration of a bear steering a canal boat, with a semi-transparent purple rectangle covering the left side of the image.

Is living afloat
for you?

Living on a narrowboat offers peaceful simplicity and independence – but it’s not for everyone. READ MORE →

Three money bags with pound signs, two shaded in purple and one outlined in black, overlapping a purple rectangle.

The costs of living on a narrowboat

Boat living can be cheaper than a house – but costs vary by setup and expectations. READ MORE →

Illustration of multiple vacuum cleaners stacked in front of shelves, with part of the image shaded in purple.

Choosing your
first boat

Choosing your first narrowboat means balancing budget, needs, and future plans. READ MORE →

A man, child, and dog sit on a canal boat while a woman stands at the back, steering.

Continuous cruising vs. mooring

There are two main ways to live aboard, each comes with its own pros and cons. READ MORE →

More chapters coming soon…

Boat insurance, shipshaped around you

Useful Links

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