[!@#$%!]

Originally Posted by Genteel Death

You’d be surprised by how dealing with boats makes people way more cynical than in any job that I have been in before. I don’t have to deal with, mostly, day-to-day chores about them, but they are really hard work in terms of maintenance. Things can go wrong all the time, particularly if you are not moored and protected by some security enclave and a certified marina. A lot of people choose to live on one because they think they are getting a cheaper rent option, in London at least, but the council has now decided to make them pay tax because they won’t move their berths for at least three times a year. Canal boats do, but marina boats don’t, really. Plus, you are not protected by government laws if you decide to rent your boat out. Most people who buy boats love the romance of it, but in reality it’s hard work unless you have the money and the right boat. Narrow ones are really only good for couples without children. Widebeams or Dutch Barges are much better for families. But if you buy them without the boat having had a proper survey (not just on water, useless), you may end up with a pile of floating shit.

fucking council! hahahahahaaaaa... yes it's becoming a global fad now with rising real estate prices really, and higher interest rates. not a new thing, to live in a boat, but i believe it's experiencing a recent spike right along homelessness and "van dwelling" (you should look at some van living youtubes, it's mostly white homeless people pretending to be cool. well it's a bit tragic, i'm not making fun of the situation, only of the pretense and promotion of the "lifestyle", which gets annoying because come on, nobody should be encouraging this, except to provide tips for an emergency situation. it's not sustainable and they all end up "quitting")

im familiar with your british canal narrowboats btw, but for me i'd like something i could cruise in, for the greta thunberg travel aspect of it. why get on a flying petri dish and pollute when you can sail peacefully with nicer germs and take your time? nothing to do with romance, honest, i know what seagulls can do... for me it's more about the proper gtfo package in case of disaster. i wish i were joking, but i try to look far at possibilities which may never happen (will likely not happen) but could anyway. so i'm more about finding something with a solid keel, because some day maybe i might need it...

i already have a house in the middle of nowhere that requires... a big measure of self-sufficiency, so i'm not unaccustomed to that aspect of things... when you're out in the sticks you really appreciate the ease of city living and not having to chop wood for heat