The Narrowboat Guide: A complete guide to choosing, designing and maintaining a narrowboat

(Paperback)

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Description

The UK has over 1000 miles of navigable canals and rivers which are home to an estimated 70,000 boats. To the untrained eye canal boats can all look much the same, but there are some very important distinctions and a new buyer has some important choices to make. This book discusses those choices, taking into consideration the various boating profiles. From those choosing to live on board permanently, to constant cruisers, weekend boaters and fair-weather cruisers, each will require a different type of boat if they are to fully enjoy their vessel. The book covers finding and buying a boat, the legalities of purchase, the different features and utilities, finding a mooring, boating health and safety, the cost of boating, boat maintenance, boating etiquette and many other frequently asked questions. This is the inside story on buying, maintaining and using a narrowboat from someone who has done so for more than seven years.

Reviews

The Narrowboat Guide has 12 chapters, beautifully illustrated with colour photographs, which guide the reader through: how to buy a boat, handling, features, itemised costings, moorings, maintenance, living aboard (including your pets), safety and a pre-season checklist This book 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 Ive 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. -- Kathryn Smyth * Towpath Talk *
An enjoyable and interesting look at another way of living. [Review of The Liveaboard Guide] * Sailing *
For anyone considering living afloat on the inland waterways, this excellent book by a veteran liveaboard is a 'must have' guide. [Review of The Liveaboard Guide] * Tow Path Talk *
Tony's easy writing style - and the way the book is laid out - mean that you can read it from cover to cover or delve into it to find particular subjects you need to know about without difficulty. [Review of The Liveaboard Guide] * Waterways World *
Tonys book is excellent. Its easy to read, well presented, has plenty of cracking photos and is a really useful resource whether youre thinking of buying a boat to live on or just for occasional leisure use. [Review of The Liveaboard Guide] * Livingonanarrowboat.co.uk *
Beautifully laid out and well illustrated with fine colour pictures, it is pure delight. * This England *

Author Bio

Tony Jones has lived aboard his narrowboat The Watchman for ten years and has travelled the inland waterways network extensively, enjoying a wealth of experiences and a steep learning curve. In that time he has covered over 500 miles of canals and rivers, navigated around 400 locks and moveable bridges, sunk once, ran aground four times and broken down more often than he would like to remember. He thinks that it is unlikely that he will ever live on dry land again. He is the author of The Liveaboard Guide also published by Adlard Coles Nautical.