Which boat can you live on?

The right boat depends on where you want to live and how much you want to move. Here are the main choices.

Narrowboat

Under 7ft wide and up to around 70ft long, so it fits every lock on the canal network. The most common liveaboard choice. You trade width for freedom: a narrowboat can go almost anywhere inland.

Widebeam

Built like a narrowboat but 10ft to 12ft wide, so it feels far more like a flat. It cannot use narrow locks, so you are limited to broad canals and rivers, and the Canal & River Trust charges a surcharge on wider boats. Ideal if you plan to stay on one mooring.

Dutch barge

Steel, wide and full of character, often with a wheelhouse. Lots of space and good on rivers, but heavy to handle and restricted by beam and height on many canals.

Houseboat and floating home

Built to stay put, often with no engine. As close to a house as a boat gets, but it needs a permanent residential mooring and a houseboat licence, and selling it usually means selling the mooring with it.

Canal or river cruiser

Usually fibreglass, cheaper to buy, quicker to handle. Fine for weekends. Most are too small and too cold for living aboard all year.

Sailing yachts and motor boats

Some people live aboard on the coast, often in marinas on the south coast. Space is tight, and most coastal marinas do not allow liveaboards, so check before you buy.

Choosing

• Want to cruise the whole network? Narrowboat.
• Want space and a fixed mooring? Widebeam or Dutch barge.
• Want a home that never moves? Houseboat or floating home, with a residential mooring.

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