For a day or weekend away from home during the summer, consider a GRP cruise. Older second-hand boats are fairly easy to find for over 1000 British pounds, although many examples in canals and rivers are quite old, but are in good condition. New GRP boats are better adapted to rivers and cost more than 15,000 pounds with 4-stroke gasoline outboard engines. Boats from 16 to 32 feet are suitable and can accommodate 2 to 8 people with different levels of comfort.
They tend to depreciate faster than other vessels. For more serious cruises, a narrow boat can sail comfortably with up to 12 people on board. They range from 20-foot to 72-foot full-length miniboats. Modern ships tend to be completely made of steel, although older ones may have wood or GRP superstructures.
Their facilities are often better than those on cruise ships, with full headspace, heating, hot water, showers and kitchens larger. Very few narrow boats cost less than 10,000 pounds second hand, but they hold their value much better. If you are only interested in rivers or wide waterways, it's worth considering all-steel cruisers or wide-girder “narrow boat” type ships, but once again, the depreciation of new ones is quite high. There aren't many used.
If you want to live on a boat, do you want to practically stand or go for a walk? To move around the entire network, the solution is a narrow beam, with a maximum practical length of 57 feet. If you like to move around the area, then a wider boat offers much more space, without increasing the cost too much, but make sure that living on a boat is for you: how long have you spent on a boat? For most people, a cramped boat is their primary residence, but for some people it's also used as a second home, where they can leave for the weekend or while on vacation. One thing to keep in mind is that there are additional expenses to owning a narrow boat, similar to those of owning a car or a house. Owning a narrow-channel or wide-beam vessel is a big investment, allowing you access to the UK's beautiful canals and giving you the freedom to travel around the country whenever you want.
According to the Residential Boat Owners Association, there are about 20,000 people in the UK who live on narrow boats, and a large number of people who own a narrow boat for recreational purposes. Therefore, investing in a vessel with a narrow or wide sleeve is a great guarantee that you will always have a place to go a couple of days and relax. Unlike booking a holiday trip abroad or a traditional holiday home, buying a narrow boat or a wide-girder boat means that you can afford to travel to a wide range of different places along the UK's river network and huge canals. If you are only interested in rivers or wide waterways, it's worth considering all-steel cruisers or wide-beam “narrow boat” type ships, but once again, the depreciation of new ones is quite high.
