Integrated On-board Boat Systems:
If you own or hire a narrowboat merely for your annual fortnight's cruising holiday, the boat's electrical and heating systems can be fairly straight forward. Summer cruising puts little strain on such systems - electric lights are only needed for a few hours per day in summer, and its warm anyway (well fairly) - most days you will possibly eat out at a canal side pub rather than stay on-board and watch your 12v telly. You will probably cruise for up to 8 or 10 hours per day.

Contrast that to living aboard all year round. Without the pressures of a time schedules, and with winter 'stoppages', there will be days when you don't move the boat at all. During the short winter days you may need the lights on from 3.30pm (rather than 9.30pm in the summer). For occasional spring and autumn cruising, the cost of heating your boat may not be an issue - long term winter heating costs are a different matter. Boat heating in winter needs to be efficient (warm without excessive condensation) AND be cost effective. A 'liveaboard' narrowboat's heating, electrical & charging systems must be efficient, and preferably integrated in use, for comfortable all year round cruising.

In short... a 'liveaboard' and a 'holiday' Narrowboat are very differently equipped!

Furthermore some boat builders / brokers are not always the best judges of suitable equipment for the liveaboard lifestyle - many are merely used to hire/holiday narrowboats.

Thinking of buying a new narrowboat to live aboard? - Our consultancy services could save you thousands of pounds.

Feel free to browse our pages on Charging Systems, Heating Systems, and think more about our Consultancy.