324. What are brand new luxury narrowboats like inside?
Join me on detailed tours through three brand new luxury liveaboard narrowboats, one widebeam, two cabin cruisers and a narrowboat for hire, all at the BoatLife show 2024!
Prices: They're all custom-built so price will depend on what you spec. Typically you'll pay from maybe £150,000 upwards for a new narrowboat now, maybe £175k for a widebeam (but they can be zero VAT if for liveaboard use and meet certain criteria)
See also the live broadcast I did from the show, at kzhead.info3zqsT0dKSK8
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Theme music: "Vespers" by Topher Mohr and Alex Alena, from the KZhead music library
#narrowboat #canal #cruisingthecut #rivers #offgrid #liveaboard
PRICES: They're all custom-built so price will depend on what you spec. Typically you'll pay from maybe £150,000 upwards for a new narrowboat now, maybe £175k for a widebeam (but they can be zero VAT if for liveaboard use and meet certain criteria). The first boat in the video was approx £200,000. See also the live broadcast I did from the show, at kzhead.info3zqsT0dKSK8
That wide beam looks larger than most apartments and probably cheaper too. I could absolutely imagine living in this instead of a cramped London apartment! Was very nicely appointed inside, quite modern.
This is in the price range of a new US Class A RV. Class A's are the ones that look like buses on the outside. One advantage of a narrowboat over a US RV is no crashes at 65 mph. Class A prices go up to over one million USD.
What is the depreciation on that after 10 years?
that price is surprisingly reasonable.
@@rfmlets6713 A fair point. And difficult to pin down. Currently some narrowboats are increasing in value as the cost of bricks and mortar homes exceeds what home buyers can afford. There is, as we all know, the possibility of mortgage interest rates rising. (When I bought my first property interest rates were around 11% and rose, for part of one day, yes part of one day, to 14%. That said around that time I got a 21% pay rise. Mad times.) Ergo nobody really knows (How could they?) where the price of narrowboats will go.
I'm fortunate in that I can look at nice things I'll never have and still appreciate them, so I enjoyed watching that, thanks !!
Wow. The wide beams are a virtual mansion!
Old Canadian here. 😊
Do they fit through the locks ?
@@ErstO1 They fit through the wide locks which can take two narrow boats side by side but cruising is more restricted on wide beam.
@@ErstO1 There's only one way to find out!! Buy one and go for it!
@@cbcdesign001so they are 12ft wide?
I took my first trip in the very early '70's. And from that summer then till my dad passed away in 2006, it was narrowboating holidays every year. And as an angler, I loved them. Moor up at night. 1 hours fishing before dinner. Eat, wash up and then fish till it was dark. Get up early in the morning without waking the rest of the family up and it was fishing once again. The only caveat that my mum insisted on was if she found a maggot had escaped, then no more maggots as bait! _Not one maggot escaped! I made sure of that!_ We even had a holiday in Easter one year. And bl00dy freezing it was too. The canal would be frozen over in the morning. We even went on the River Nene too and being in the top bunk, I woke up one morning and I couldn't move my left arm. My pijama top was frozen to window. _Things,_ 50+ years ago, were certainly not as luxurious as they are now with central heating, washing machines and even a replacement for me! A built in dishwasher _(Geewhiz... Imagine how much more time I could have spent fishing back then?)._ EDIT Silly me. great video. It actually brings back some great, and frozen, memories en if they were touched by a tinge of sadness.
😂😂 These days if ladies are aboard they almost always manage to have a ballbearing dishwater to hand ...
❤
Thank you for your heartfelt story.
Interesting to see the range of options. Two sinks in the bathroom of the wide beam seems downright indulgent. Thanks, as always, for the entertainment!
I've never got the idea of 2 sinks in one bathroom. Unless you have 2 kids who must do everything together.
Yep. Even in a house it makes little sense.@@martindindos9009
Yeah pretty silly. I'd rather see it used for more storage space.
For couples. Husband and wife. You guys must be single. I love two sinks where we can both get ready together in the morning and before bed. Saves time when heading out for the day. Especially if you have kids. Never knew two sinks were indulging Most homes have two sinks.
😂😂😂😂 But not in dear old Blighty! Some properties still have an "outdoor lavy". Plus a bathroom may be an extension off the kitchen with a lobby to allow for two doors. And bloody cold they can be too. Plus they can come with built in mould. Recently we read of a respiratory condition resulting from mould spores which contributed to the death of a youngster. Living on an older narrowboat is not necessarily a rural aquatic idyll. Top Tip: avoid buying an old hire boat, no insulation and very possibly a wet bilge into which all the grey water ends up. You then become very, very reliant on a bilge pump. Wet bilge could end up with boat smelling like a drain. Modern boats much better designed in the hygiene department but you still depend on ventilation fans and water pumps.
The wide beams seem so liveable, if you had permanent moorings in a nice spot it seems a genuine alternative to house/flat living in real comfort.
There are a few people doing just that in our marina. They can never use the boats to cruise as we're on a narrow canal (ie the locks are only 7 feet wide), but they make lovely homes.
I especially loved the Stargazer. The extra long hatch and fully framed well deck are fantastic. I wouldn't be surprised if more builders copy these, hopefully with their own variations. This is what a boat show is all about - evolution of design. One thing I want to add... I visited the boat myself and I must say the camera makes the boat look a lot more spacious.
…maybe a third. Love your humor.
😉
@@CruisingTheCut ahahahahaa! Love your reaction here 👍
Freaky-deeky
I never tire of your humorous take on things David, never get too serious!
Thank you for the walk thrus. I do like the layout with the bedroom up front.
Thanks a lot for thid beautifully filmed guided tourDavid, I sometimes had the impression that I was standing next to you. Really very well - and of course as usually professionally done 👍👍👍.
Thank you 😀
I love these kinds of videos. Brilliant.
Thank you
Thanks for the tour, really neat to see so many different options and layouts side by side. Hiring a boat for an extended vacation is definitely on my bucket list.
Suggest hiring a few boats for long weekends and short midweek breaks with different outfitting, so to speak. Would suggest if you're a "sociable boater" then go for cruiser stern as a trad' stern can be quite lonely as the crew disport themselves (with the drink) all over the well deck ... about 60 ft away. If you're lucky they might remember to yell "boooaaaat" at the appropriate moment.
The magic moving tv is on a televator in US RV language.
I love that 🤣
A word probably made up by a marketing genius.
Televator? that's both brilliant and horrific at the same time :D
Good to hear from you again!!
Thank you David for taking me along with you today ! I always enjoy your videos. Cheers From California 😎
Thanks 👍
Thank you David for a very well edited and presented overview of these new boat offerings. Very interesting. 👍😀
Informative & well presented. Thank you David for another look into boating life on the canals.
Beautiful boats. The wide beam was something else. Wow. Thanks David for showing these to us.
Another great video David, thank you for taking us along for the tours of the boats.
Thanks David, nice reviews. I thought the first one was the best but probably the most expensive in the narrow boat group. Stay safe out there.
Cheers!
Thank you for the tours, so many options for the modern narrow boater.
Love to see it , brings back happy memories, from touring there at Nairn & Inverness .
thats it! im moving to the UK. Its mind blowing that yall got water roads to go everywhere! im so jealous
It's what powered the industrial revolution :)
Water roads!! 😆🤣
very nice all of them. Need to win the lottery now. Cheers.
Excellent presentation and commentary.
Thank you kindly!
Always interesting and enjoyable.
Great production video David. Now I am green with financial envy, and wishing I was half my age 😀😀
That was fun and interesting, thank you, David
Cheers Dave thanks for the tour Top vlog as always have a top week 🙂🎥🎤✌️
Fab photography and narrative, wd David
Fascinating to tour various narrow boats.
Very interesting and, as always, very well presented--thanks, David! Two chuckles from your "Quick, somebody send in this registration!" quips.
Always worthwhile thanks again David...Mindblowing wow.
Thanks for this
Lovely build quality. Thanks for the coverage. Very interesting as always
Glad you enjoyed it
I love boat show tours of the boats. Coming from Fort Lauderdale, Florida our boat shows are the largest in the world with everything from a 20 footer to 250 ft Mega Ships. So much fun walking through them. Thanks for the tour of the little canal boats.
In that case you might enjoy also my recent video from the Southampton Boat Show!
Dishwasher may seem like a luxury but it's essential if you're looking to save on water consumption. I'm putting one in a bus I'm building and it only uses 1.5 gallons for 7 place settings.
Depends on your use. As a single person, I can wash my dishes and cutlery with far less water than a machine.
I live as frugally as possible. I wash up in cold water, just enough to cover a plate & the grey water goes down the loo 🙂@@CruisingTheCut
@@CruisingTheCutNot to mention: far more frequently!
I'd love you're recommendation on a model please?
maybe eat from paper plates
Interesting as always David…keep them coming,,,
Alot of inspiration for tiny homes.
Thanks David 😊
Great to look around the the boats 👍
Enjoyed the vlog, interesting to see the range of internal layouts.
Those widebeams just seem enormous inside!
Very cool before I discovered your channel didn’t know these existed but have been intrigued by canal boats ever since, the first one was my favorite
Welcome aboard!
Always good to hear from you again, David. I really enjoyed your coverage of the show and I was quite taken with the larger of the river boats. I could use one of those in Eastern Ontario's lake, canal and river systems. Cheerio from the Great White North.
Thanks for this, David. A superbly documented summary of some very interesting boats. Anyone would think you were a pro. 😉
I like the little yellow one in the closing shot the best
Very nice, gosh, what luxury on some of the craft !
Would definitely like more new boat tours
Agreed, I am presently in the Philippines but who cares, I love watching everything about the canal system in the UK.
Lovely tours. The first narrow boat and the Viking25 were my favorites. The Widebeam of course it's great but it's too big
Always thought the reverse layout with either semi trad or cruiser stern was the best layout. Great to see these new boats built that way. Thanks for the viewing.
I think semi trad is much better for the steerer, you're more protected from the elements and there's still space for other people to sit. Cruiser sterns are held to be more sociable but when the weather is rubbish everyone else will be inside and you're stuck out with no protection at all. It's no wonder I see so many steerers wrapped up apparently for the Arctic.
I feel that a wide-beam boat would get me to wherever I needed to go. Watching your videos will do the rest.
From what ive seen from videos, wide beams confine you to either the northern or southern portion of the river Trust because they cannot fit into any of the connecting canals between….. you have to have your widebeam shipped north and south and rewetted ….. ive often wondered why no one has proposed widening 2-3 of the connecting canals
Cost... mainly resource consents... new bridges, tunnels, locks???@@MrSheckstr
Except it won’t because you are very restricted on where you can travel with a widebeam on the cut
You're always interesting David
Thank You ! 😀
You're welcome!
Looks nice David
Excellent video interesting to watch.
Stargazer has a delicious well-deck, I've never seen such luxury on a narrow-boat before.
Lots of different styles for different needs. Good stuff!
Love the wide bearth steel narrow boat the best
Straight to the point presentation. Wish American boat and RV you tube presentations didn't think it's necessary to ramble on
Love the wide beam, I could live happily on that one.
Beautiful! Thank you so much for showing us all those great boats! One day we'd love to come over for a Summer and visit the canals. Until then, Love from Memphis, TN~
Im buying one in a year or so, second hand, this gives me ideas for upgrades.
Love it! Thank you for sharing. Cheers from Puerto Rico.
Thanks for watching!
It was interesting, indeed. Thank you so much.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks for the video! I like the Stargazer design best. Cheers 😊✌🏻
I have no idea what you said, but I like how you said it! 🤣🤣🤣 This is so mind blowing to me, can't believe how nice these are inside, I'd love my house to be 1/10th as nice. 😂😅
I didn't realise I was that incomprehensible 🤣🤣
Thanks for the video.
Thank you, the headed towel rack wood be nice. If I were building a house I wood have one built in.
Oh my gosh - that first one was brilliantly designed.Those integrated solar panels - yes! All the newer canal boats are great, but that first one's use of space - whoa FABULOUS! The power boat - not so much. Lots of hob and oven space for which you'd presumably use pots and pans, but only a creepy little spit-sink to use for washing them? That's a big NOPE for me. The wide boat is the size for DH and my wide bodies, lol 😂 Thanks as always David - so many of us in other countries live the canal life vicariously through you. Thoroughly enjoyable always! ❤
This is a lovely way of life for your Country very nice indeed
The wide beam is stunning.
I would love one of these boats in Canada, the canals and lakes through bobcageon through Muskoka would be magical, might get tense on the bigger lakes
I sure love the space of a wide beam but I know limited to locks can use. I thoroughly enjoyed the video of the show. Hope all is well with your brick & mortar home
WOW! that widebeam is huge! I would feel I was floating around in all the space, plus heating and cleaning.. Maybe good for a family, but very handsome
Very nicely done thank you. I always enjoy looking at new boats so I can go home and appreciate my 14 year old used, but totally fine for me, boat. But it is fun to look.
Very informative!
I work on these everyday as an Upholsterer... lovely 🙌🙌
Beautiful
Thank’s David , I enjoyed that. Best not to mention money, takes the fun out of it. Cheers!
The kitchen in the wide beam is indeed bigger than our old galley style kitchen in the house we lived in for almost 30 years.
Groovy episode. I love it when you do boat shows. You are so good at it.
Thanks so much!
@@CruisingTheCut And all the other shows too. I still have a very hard job putting up with fact you aren't, as yet, featuring on MSM TV. I would suggest nobody, rpt nobody, gets close when it comes to your work featuring British waterways. Nobody.
Love that shower !!! ❤❤❤❤
good vid thanks lee
The first narrow boat was my favorite
Thanks. ✌🏻
No problem 👍
Oh good, the juicy bits. Thank you for the good look see through the boats! While I appreciate the space afforded by the widebeam, I still would never go for that. Just doesn't have the coziness of a narrowboat. Winced at the dishwasher. I don't even have one in my home! Mine is a very small kitchen, praps built for Hobbits. 😊
looks great
Nice goin David, not to bad for this new stuff.
Thanks, it made me think “tiny home” layout and design using these canal boats- narrow boats. Laurie. NZ. 😊
Very interesting indeed!
Thank you David …. The best thing about the venue was Gill Shaw Photography … the inland waterway section was rather light…
Wow...very nice David
i like that video man fixing bicycles on his boat
Spent a week on a hire boat a while ago and the layout was identical to that of the hire boat shown here. While the weather was terrible, the boat was fantastic especially for a novice narrow boater single handing it. design and layout was perfect and really very comfortable. Could easily see myself spending a month or so cruising on it if I had someone to share the tiller time. Used to watch all your Vlogs, regretfully I dropped off when you sold the boat, but please accept the subscribe and like as an apology....I've got some catching up to do.
I really enjoyed watching your videos
Glad you like them!
That wide beam is more like a camper or caravan than it is a boat. Very nice!
Very interesting to see them new, have wondered about this before and the general size of the market for new boats. The wide beams are pretty enormous but - cost and practicality of driving them aside - I don't know, seems somehow not really in the spirit of things... however I still want one.
Great thanks