r/Narrowboats

Hello, my family is thinking of traveling to the UK next April and renting a narrow-boat for roughly four or five nights, where should we start and how far could we reasonably travel the four of us on on narrow-boat? My step dad wants to start in London and go to Liverpool is that feasible or even possible? We would love advice or suggestions for a start/end or just a route overall. Many thanks

I rather enjoyed the read.

Hello,

Myself and my partner are going to view a 1987 Viking 26 today at 5pm and we were looking for a little advice either on this specific boat or the Vikings in general. It's currently advertised at £8,500.

Is there anything we need to particularly look out for?

The advert states that it's a centre cockpit narrow cruiser with a recently new Tohatsu 15hp outboard and its BSC was only completed a couple of months ago.

I sent them a message asking about osmosis, leaks, cracks/brittle shell.and the reason for the sale. Here is the response:

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"Hi there, I've never noticed any hull osmosis, this was a concern when I bought it about 3 years ago but it was fine then, and I've never noticed any since. There are a couple of cracks in the gelcoat in places, mainly on the rear roof and the gunwales where you climb in to the boat, but she is 40 years old so to be expected.

The heating at the moment is just electric heaters when on shore power but I have half fitted a diesel heater ( never got around to finishing it).

There was a leak above the dining area which was from the roof rail, I fixed this but you can see from the pics it damaged the roof liner inside. I put insulation over this to stop any condensation. I had intended on replacing the whole roof liner with a t&g style panel but again, didn't get around to it.

There's no major damp anywhere, she does get condensation on the windows when you're aboard on cold days as do all boats, this can drip, usually from the roof hatch but there's not much you can do about it, it's nothing bad though. No worse than any other boat I've had.

I'm selling as I've bought a narrow boat, and this isn't as suitable for my kids, one who's only 18 months."

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It seems likes he's being pretty open and honest about any issues or potential jobs, which is a good sign.

We were just hoping that someone here might have some fist hand experience with the Viking 26, or GRPs in general and could advise of things to be on the look out for.

Thanks all! 😊

So here is the deal, i'm new to boating (like 17 days), I have got this lovely narrowboat with a few radiators but I cant get any heat out of them and i'm not too sure why.

I have turned all the radiator valves on and bled them all.

I turn the central heating switch on with the controller. Makes good sounding noised for a couple mins then goes quiet until I try it again. Creating no hot water.
So i'm getting confused, I was told I have hot water via, Engine (no problems there), Heater, Immersion. Currently only getting hot after after cruising from the engine.
Also. When I try the central heating + the ON/OFF timer the inverter starts to beep at me.

So how can I get the heating to work?

Does my Inverter need to be off when central heating is ON? (Can i not watch TV and have heating?)

Does the central heating work only for radiators or is it hot water for a shower?

Why do the radiators not heat up?

Why does the heater turn itself off after a few mins?

• Webasto Thermotop C 12V Diesel water heater in the engine bay.
• Calorifer / water tank next to the engine bay.
• 3 Radiators (Front, Middle, Back of boat).
• Inverter Lvyvan 2000w Pure Sine.

We are currently heading towards Market Harborough in our narrowboat. We're wondering if there is enough room to turn our boat (70ft) in the basin or whether we're better off at the winding hole about half a mile before the basin. Thanks in advance for any advice

Is there anyone who goes to the gym regularly here while living on a narrowboat? How does that work if you continuously-cruise?

I've noticed many narrowboat youtubers aren't really in shape or have really bad posture.

Thank you very much.

Hey boaters! I've just moved onto my first boat and I've been thinking about rescuing a dog. I've read it can be difficult to find places that will re-home to narrowboats.

Has anyone done it, if so what rescue did you use?

Hi all, about to buy a small cruiser. its petrol, and is currently in Surrey. plan to bring it to London way or Essex, but if marinas dont sell petrol, how will I fill her up?!

also, the boat has safety cert, no other papers. does that matter much, its not expensive...

I’m buying a boat and have got through the survey part. My question is one for opinions from experienced boaters on power.

The listing stated 3 leisure batteries. I personally saw 2x260ah (two sixty)but really it didn’t occur to me to shine a light further under the deck to see what else was there.

The survey indicated 3 leisure at 250ah ea. (two fifty) but noted access was difficult. “Only two were able to be seen, the others behind fixed panels”

As part of the negotiations and since the batteries need replacing the quote from the marina stated there were only 2 x 260ah leisure batteries.

The boat has no solar. I would prefer to not have solar added (expense/looks). All the while I was Mentally getting comfortable with a bank of 780ah (of course that’s not actual available) but now I’ve essentially been cut by a third down to 520ah to start with.

I have no experience in actual usage and am trying to determine if I should be overly concerned with the now reduced battery capacity.

I do not plan on having a tv - if I do it’ll be 12v. The fridge and separate freezer box are 12v. Heating is via Eberspacher Diesel.

Side note. Should I decide or need to add a third battery of same size and brand - I would do it within a few months of purchase - is this a simple case of connecting with cables to the current two? IE a diy. Assuming space of course.

There is a 3Kw inverter multi plus on board. I plan on being a continuous cruiser so take into account week long stays.

Thanks in advance.

Hi. First time posting here. I'm hiring a narrowboat for a holiday with my family in a couple of weeks. We're picking it up from Alvechurch early Saturday afternoon, heading North to Birmingham, then anti-clockwise around the Black Country Ring, so heading onto the Birmingham and Fazely canal and through Farmers Bridge locks. It's seems unlikely that we'll get there in time to get through the locks on Saturday, so will need to moor up and tackle them first thing Sunday. I'm slightly nervous about mooring right in the centre on a Saturday night, and looking for reassurance. Are we likely to have any problems finding space? I guess it's not going to be the quietest night we'll have on the boat, but anything I should be concerned about? Any suggestions for best mooring spots would be much appreciated. Thanks

Cruiser has a solar panel. there are also two batteries connected to the outboard. will I get electricity only from solar inside the boat for charging phones etc, or will the outboard charge the batteries for use when no sun etc?

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for recommendations for 2 week crusing rings that have enough interest for taking up to 3 weeks to cruise, and have walking or hiking on route.

The plan is currently to take myself, husband and and our two young kids for the 3 weeks, with my in-laws for a week, and my friend for a week. I'd like to be able to walk with my friend for a few days - either alongside or day loops. Ideally we'd like to take the kids on day trips to parks, activities, whatever.

I was initially thinking the Avon Ring, but I'd love to hear if there are other options.

I've done a couple narrowboat holidays, have cycled a fair distance on the canals, and just done a half-week walk along Hadrian's Wall. We're comfortable with locks (I'd love to do Caen one day!), but have never attempted tidal waters.

The sun is finally showing up, but don't let your battery monitor get too optimistic.

I’m seeing a lot of boats lately where the owner thinks they’re fully charged because their monitor hits 14.4V before 10 AM. If you’re running older lead-acid batteries and they’re hitting "full" that fast, they may have just lost capacity.

The Engineer’s Reality Check: When batteries sulfate or age, their internal resistance goes up. They "surface charge" quickly, hitting the target voltage almost immediately, but they have no "bucket" left to hold the actual energy. You could find out the hard way after dark, when the fridge cuts out.

3 Things to do this week:

1. The Pollen Scrub: A winter's worth of grime and Spring pollen can drop your panel efficiency by 20%. Give them a wash with plain water and a soft brush.
2. Electrolyte Levels: If you have accessible caps, check your distilled water levels.
3. The 'Drop Test' Truth: Don't trust a voltmeter alone. Grab a cheap load/drop tester (you can find them on eBay for cheap). Crucially: Disconnect your batteries and test each one separately. A single failing battery in a bank will act as a "parasite," dragging the healthy ones down with it.

What’s your setup looking like for the 2026 season? Are you keeping the fridge on 24/7 yet, or are you already seeing the voltage drop off as soon as the sun goes down? Drop your specs or problems below and let's troubleshoot the charge cycle.

David John's rant on cheese is vintage:

https://preview.redd.it/v1d3fh903g0h1.png?width=1592&format=png&auto=webp&s=cf107608ebc37617abf4ea985ca2d444acb911ab